More often than not, fitness industry is scrutinized for its inability to provide best practices to fitness enthusiasts. However, contrary to the popular belief, fitness industry is run by people who genuinely try to provide solutions to people’s problems. The reason of their inability to thrive in this business is not because they lack motivation, but instead the lack of foresight, as they are unable to execute their ideas into meaningful actions.
That being said, following points aren’t mistakes but lack of perspective that makes gym owners lag behind in this industry. Most of these problems can be prevented from springing by identifying the cause and eliminating it away from grass root level.
Most gym owners live their fantasy dream of running a gym. But what they fail to realize is how the gym will sustain itself as a business. Living your dream isn’t difficult, you can easily run a gym in your backyard, garage or by renting out a small space. However, the difficult part starts when you have to deal with the sustainability phase.
Gym owners consider their ideal gym as a hardcore haven, but how many hardcore members would actually join you? Similarly many gym owners are ready to open a gym, but they don’t realistically question themselves if they are ready to cater to all aspects of a small business set-up.
This short-term focus is what creates an imbalance in initial sustainability process leading to drastic measures such as frequent cost-cutting.
First you need to identify the reason why you are ready to start a business and why that business necessarily has to be a gym. Then educate yourself on all aspects of running a gym business and then work on those steps one by one.
Professionalism isn’t just the behavior of the gym owner or the staff that he trains. It is more than that.
What does this really mean?
When your potential client interacts with any aspect of your business, what is the first impression that comes to his mind? First interaction doesn’t only mean the conversation they hold with the gym owner; instead it includes other factors such as the response they would get when they call up your business or how efficiently they can navigate on your website.
The things that you need to take into account is whether someone answers their phone inquiries or are they directed straight to voicemail. Is the content on your website updated and provides all the information that they are looking for? Are your banners and flyers updated? Is your website and advertising providing a consistent experience to your audience?
Consider putting yourself in your customer shoes. Think whether a first-time visitor will feel comfortable in your gym environment. Does your gym have a clean, airy waiting area? If one of your visitor has to use the bathroom, would he find it dirty?
When your visitor communicates to your employee, does he get lousy replies, simply because you have hired a bunch of amateurs so that you don’t have to pay them more? Are you dressed up nicely to address your visitor? Have you shaved and washed your face?
You must be thinking that the visitor is more interested in the gym and not in what you are wearing. Off course, you don’t want a member right? Wrong. The person who doesn’t bother about your appearance wouldn’t care much about your gym too.
When it comes to implementing professionalism in fitness industry, it is often taken as granted because many gym owners consider fitness as a relaxation hobby not a serious business. This can be a devastating approach.
If you want your gym to flourish, you need to make every aspect of your business stand out. Every minute detail matters, as they can add up into a long-term success. Businesses don’t fail because they are managed well or the staff spends a considerable time taking care of everyone’s needs. Don’t just assume that the details you are putting your effort into are not important. They are downright important and every detail matters.
This is often stressed upon but hardly ever acted on. Your present members and clients are your best salespersons. This isn’t about the results they acquire from your gym or how expensive your gym equipment is, but the relationship they build with you and your staff overtime.
The success of a gym lies in volume, which usually comes from commercial gyms. However, clients cancel their memberships and gyms consistently work towards improving their clientele, pitching in new members. This isn’t an ideal way to build relationships and usually such interactions don’t last longer.
You need to invest a lot of time to build up a “professional friendship” with someone. You can’t expect loyalty after having a single conversation with a potential client, as it is a time-consuming process that cab take many positive interactions. Someone realizing that your gym values his preferences won’t realize it in a single sitting, it would take months and months of dedicated service.
The first investment that you need to make is in your members, your staff and yourself. It is also a safe bet to build on your distinction and then focus on business development. If you gym memberships give a red signal, think what you can do for the people who are already there. What steps can you take that would clearly define the ethics that set you apart? If you are desperate looking for new members, why don’t your existing members act as your sales personnel?
This might be because your existing clients may not be satisfied with the services that you are offering them, or they might perceive your brand as incompetent to fulfill their needs. Staff members only contribute to referral programs only if they feel valued and well taken care of.