In the last two years, there has been a huge amount of interest in mobile fitness apps, as confirmed by Google Trends. Fitness apps can be powerful tools for marketing and motivation and there is a new generation of gym members coming up, who expect that they can download an app and immediately get gratification from it. If you don't provide that option they will look elsewhere for their fitness needs. The Fitness App Bandwagon Mobile apps are a very competitive market, driven by many big companies wanting to get their products into everyone's hands. In fact, the market is [...]
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There are some principles that are true for all businesses, not just for small gyms or fitness centers. You need to find the right balance of service and retail merchandise sales. If you can fit retail into your gym business model it's going to be a good insurance policy. It can complement your memberships, training and class sales. I've written before about retail sales and the pros and cons. I think it's worth revisiting with a few updated thoughts on the subject. Turnover Counts When You Stock in Large Or Small Amounts The key is to move stock and get [...]
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Pre-Sales Fill The Void In the lead up to the Christmas holiday, members and prospective gym members have their thoughts elsewhere. This always means less foot traffic into gyms and fewer inquiries for memberships. So, you need some sort of seasonal boost to your small gym's revenue stream. The bills still come in, of course, and your staff needs to have something to keep them motivated and sharp. You don't want your trainers looking elsewhere for income and making connections that may lead them away. You can't afford resignations, right as you need your trainers the most, when the members [...]
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When it comes to signup time most gym membership prospects want easy choices. Then, of course, there are the more knowledgeable new clients, who know what they want and love to think they got a little something extra in the deal. As the gym owner or manager, you can play your cards close to your chest and make them all happy. This strategy sells more memberships and everybody wins. I'm a huge advocate of making things simple for gym members. When people apply for a fitness club membership they're often looking to you to guide them to the right membership [...]
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Having a good ventilation system is important for the health club experience and environment. Fact: Most gyms are indoors and many people are sweating and breathing in recycled air. Problem: Risk of infection is high in gyms with poor ventilation systems. Factors contributing to the problem: 1) Viruses, germs and bacteria thrive; 2) Humid areas compound the problem; Result: 1) Foul smell; 2) Shortness of breath; 3) Infections; 4) Your members will experience incomplete workout sets and poor performances; 5) Ultimately resulting in member avoidance, cancellation, and bad reviews; 6) Waste of money. Real World Experience: I know of a [...]
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Recap! I want to do a short recap to this series...so please bear with me. In this continuation of the series, "Which is better...", Part I explores the most basic differences between a personal trainer who is hired as an independent contractor and one who is hired as an employee. Part II explores compensation with both the independent contractor and the employee. Part III explores whether or not gym members have a preference in the hiring status of their personal trainers and whether or not they can even tell the difference. If you have not explored Part III, please do [...]
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