Let’s start off with something that isn’t a secret, owning a gym is not easy! There are about 101 thing you have to be thinking about all day every day. Whether you are a start-up or an experienced gym owner, you should never pass up a bit of extra advice! We work with an abundance of fitness studios and PT’s, so we have been able to pick up some industry secrets along the way. Consider these the 5 secrets to being a successful gym owner, from actual gym owners themselves.
Speak to existing customers
This has got to be a no-brainer! The people who are currently working out in your gym have chosen your studio to buy a membership for, meaning that there is something about your gym they really like. Find out what this is! Evaluate some common ground between these answers and build the benefits of your gym (as vouched for by your actual customers) into your marketing!
This not only helps with acquiring new faces, but with your existing members having conversations with you or the staff it creates a sense of community in your gym which will usually have a positive effect on existing customers; win-win.
Hire the right staff
If you hire staff in your gym remember they are your members’ first point of contact and will act as the face of your business on a day-to-day basis. You must hire people whose passion and motivation aligns with your own to create a consistent culture across the business.
When hiring someone, think, would you be happy with a member judging your entire company image off of an experience with them? You also have to ensure they have all the skills required. For example, they may be able to plan a killer spin class, but if they don’t have the personality or energy to keep the class engaged and motivated during the session, you can go ahead and assume the class may not be as popular next time around!
Offer existing customer benefits
While it can be very easy to go chasing new members, it is incredibly important to maintain your existing customer’s satisfaction. You can offer additional perks to your customers that will continue to further your CRM (customer relationship management). These can be things such as offering free meal plans, free day passes for members to give to their friends and family or a free branded product (water bottle, towel, lock etc.). These types of things all add to keeping your customers loyal to your gym, as well as acting as frequent thankyou’s to show appreciation.
You could also explore the possibility of partnering with a company within the industry, setting up a small stall in the gym and offering free samples of whatever they are selling (protein bars, protein shakes). You could also provide a discount for their products, again, providing another additional perk to your members!
Enhance the entire customer experience
Your gym doesn’t have to just be an hourly service to members 3 times a week, you need to start increasing brand awareness outside of the studio. We are talking about online presence here. Social media, one of the most pivotal online marketing tools there is available as it’s a great way to engage in two-way communication with your members (and potential new ones!). You can post content that your followers will find engaging: workout plans, tutorials how to use equipment properly and it can even be used to repost your members workout/transformation pictures, as people recording their gym progress on social media has increased drastically. Give their journey a platform, whilst also improving your brand awareness!
It is also worth mentioning that you should ensure your website continues to be up to date and functioning as this will be potential customer’s first port of call when they are researching your gym to sign up with. So make sure it works!
Financial management
With the four previous tips, they all will cost money in some way. So it is important that you, or a trusted team overview the company’s finances to make sure you are staying profitable with the incoming revenue into the business. To keep up a service that retains customers and helps find others, you will need money (obviously), so exploring possibilities for ways to optimize the cash you have to make changes or run adhoc campaigns can be very helpful.
JR are very knowledgeable when it comes to exploring options for gym owners to help with cash flow and financing for gym equipment, so if this is something you would like to explore, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Conclusion
Five very simple, but extremely effective tips on ways to help your gym operate successfully. The key is finding the right percentage balance between finding new customers and also keeping your existing customers happy, and for the most part you may find that this balance isn’t always a 50/50 split. You may find it is more beneficial and financially smarter to put more energy and effort into keeping your existing customers satisfied as a pose to chasing new customers and neglecting your current ones, as ultimately they are the ones keeping your gym in business and not someone who isn’t even a member!
