It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessential. This quote from martial arts legend Bruce Lee is so simple, yet it says so much of what success is all about, in gym ownership, in business and life in general. You can spend hours doing little things or find the big things that matter; they may look the same at first. But when all the other things drop away you can still take the essential factors and use them to achieve the final outcomes you desire. This is what sculptors do when they carve [...]
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Selling gym memberships is the lifeblood of any fitness center. Yet most gym owners don’t think in terms of the sales process, instead leaving the most critical component of their business unscripted and unmanaged. To help club owners better understand how to train their employees so they can guide clients skillfully, we are running a five-part series that breaks the gym sales process into discrete, manageable training points: Introduction and goal assessment How to conduct a proper tourPrice presentationClosing the saleAsking for (additional) business Part 1. Introduction and Goal Assessment Introduction: Say My Name It seems elementary, but the first step [...]
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What does it take for a person to show up at the gym after they've paid their dues? What is the difference between the individual who exercises regularly and the one who drops the ball? Scientific research suggests it may all boil down to competency and support. People need to feel good at what they're doing and know others are in the game with them. Recent psychology research on motivation calls this the self-determination theory (SDT). How interested a person is in continuing something is driven by how well an activity meets one's need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Exercisers [...]
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Health clubs are in a pickle right now. Not only are they struggling under a load of new regulations and expectations, but they must figure out how to lure clients back into the gym -where the money is made. Just how can gyms rebuild faith in their brand, their facility, their people? Is there a roadmap to follow? Here are the facts In truth, gyms are not petri dishes of disease. Early non-peer reviewed research shows minimal transmission of COVID-19 at gyms when proper distancing and hygiene methods are in place. The Oslo-based study randomized 3,764 people split into two [...]
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The Niche Gym Business That Works For You If you're starting your own business, there are lots of fitness niches that you can pursue. CrossFit is but one of many. However, the CrossFit concept is the perfect example of a gym model that finds the strongest motivation for a specific type of gym membership prospect. It has been about four years, maybe more, since I first noticed CrossFit boxes. I was suddenly aware they were popping up in storefronts, industrial spaces, and old service stations around here. I have to say that I am impressed by the resilience of this [...]
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The retention versus attrition club membership tension is never going to end in the gym business. It's sort of like the battle of the waistline, never-ending and more desperate around the holiday season. If your small fitness club or studio is getting quiet and new membership inquiries are tapering off leading up to the holidays and New Year, it's time to respond and take action. Of course, the pre-holiday season lull is the calm before the storm, as we then roll swiftly into the busiest time of the year for the fitness industry. Even so, now's a good time to [...]
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Finding Synergy Between Group Offerings And Individual Training Small gym businesses usually face crowded markets and stiff competition to add new members. To succeed in the fitness industry, you have to leverage all of your resources to the maximum extent possible. To that end, gyms do better if they can cover broader ranges of organized activities. Group activities and boutique fitness studios provide some useful strategies to increase your success in the fitness business. Gym memberships are essential to the day-to-day operation of your business; they will keep your payroll covered and pay the mortgage on your house, which gives [...]
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The Reason For Reporting Numbers Don't let the numbers distract you; owning a small gym business is still all about relationships. I know that I have spent a lot of time and digital ink over the last few years saying that it's about the experience. But that is really just the same thing isn't it? The experience that gym members seek is a positive training experience or a friendly environment to work out in, with all the benefits of improved fitness. For anyone who takes on the premium membership the price might easily cover the cost of setting up a [...]
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Giving The Value Might Just Return It At A Premium Obviously I have been writing copious amounts about marketing and premium business models. However, with the potential for value and return on investment (ROI) I think that it's important to cover it as thoroughly as possible. As the saying goes: When you aim for the stars you're not likely to end up with a face full of dirt. If Gym Insight can give you some true value in words you might see that our software is also worth looking at. There are a couple of ways to increase ROI and [...]
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The power of modern mobile devices lies in the ability to provide new ways to build communities and strengthen the bonds within the membership. In the first blog article on mobile fitness apps I wrote about how you get insight into customer activities and how well your gym is being utilized. In the second part of this series I want to discuss how they can help to keep your members motivated. Content Community And Coaching From Mobile Fitness Apps There is a huge opportunity to make use of the features that you can put into a mobile app. Features that [...]
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I founded Gym Insight because I wanted software that catered directly to how I manage my fitness center, and I just couldn't find that on the market. At least, not up to the standards that I expect from a dedicated business application. Insight has been so successful because other owners of small fitness center and their managers face the same demands every day. One of the most important things that the best gym management software must do is integrate with the customer experience. It has to help the curious browser or window shopper to pull the trigger and commit to [...]
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Like I've mentioned before, the fitness center market is highly competitive (as if you didn't know that already). To gain any leverage in the marketplace you have to be extremely creative in the way you attract new members. I've developed some enticements for members by experimenting, building on what works and letting all the rest go. Gym Membership Management With Self Service Marketing There's one promotion that's worked particularly well over the years. I let members work for discounts on their monthly rate by bringing in referrals, down to a certain amount. It works like this: my monthly membership amount [...]
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It is no secret that without motivation, it is hard for any exercise program to survive. Although there are many factors that go into the longevity and success of your personal-training business, one of the main factors that this post will focus on is your ability to motivate your clients. As you are probably familiar with yourself, motivation is not a simple task and requires a great deal of commitment, time, energy, and thought. When you are responsible for motivating another person, you have to still bear in mind yourself. As a personal trainer, there are two people that have [...]
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Health insurance companies today are of the opinion that prevention of ailments results in considerable cost reduction in healthcare. This is the precise reason why they are promoting fitness through discounts and reimbursement to their members when they join gyms or fitness clubs. If you think this is just a passing fitness industry trend, think again. Insurance companies have already acknowledged that personal training is a form of preventive healthcare. It is believed that for ever dollar that insurance companies spend on prevention, they end up saving $10 for treatment. This is one of the reasons why insurance companies today [...]
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What are some of the things that not only bring customers into your gym, but earn their loyalty? Sometimes the little things can make all the difference in the world. Here are some of the things customers say they look for when considering a gym membership: Free or Reduced Rate Trial Period While a lot of gyms actually gear their marketing towards those customers who come in on a whim, sign a yearly membership contract and then stop coming in after a few weeks, if you're serious about getting members who will actually use your facilities, you need to get [...]
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