The Gym business bubble is about to BURST: Ten tips for Member Retention

Bubble burst blog pic

Are you a gym owner in the North East? Do you find your margins are slowley getting slimmer due to the overwhelming threat of all of the competition? How do you stay ahead of the rest? How do you step out from the crowd and prove that your product and service is second to NONE?

Here are 5 suggestions that will increase your probability for success for years to come in an overly saturated Health and Fitness space.

1) Be as frugal as possible without neglecting the health of your Fitness Equipment. Members don’t want to see out of order signs. They want to know that their membership monthly dues are being invested back into the facility they are paying to go to. From the bathroom facilities to the air conditioning to the fitness equipment…this is important for member retention.

2) Have professional Personal Trainers that have the various certifications they need in order to call themselves Personal Trainers. This is extremely important. If a member gets injured during a personal training session you will definitely want to know that the trainer has the proper training and liability insurance. A lot of facilities have personal trainers that hinder the members from reaching their goals rather than helping them prosper. Personal training is a great concept and if utilized properly can benefit the gym and the member.

3) Implement honest business practices, especially when a member wants to cancel. Don’t implement hidden fees. Be up front and HONEST when they sign up. If a member wants to cancel their membership, you have to make sure it is as pleasant of an experience as possible. Obviously, try to retain the member and show empathy for them. Show them that you value them and they are not just a number. If a member has to jump through hoops to cancel their membership, they will complain to others and bad mouth your club. With technology and Social media these days, too many bad reviews online can cost a lot of money. You have to be a long distance runner, not a sprinter.

4) Be a hands on Owner. Be in the gym every day, engage your members. Listen to your members needs! Each member different needs. Don’t count on the managers to run YOUR club. Have them assist you in running your club. A gym is not a turn key operation! If you bought into a franchise, I don’t care how established it is, you need to pour your heart and soul into it to make it successful.

5) Use the Social Media tools that are so easily accessible in todays age for Business Branding Building. The 3 BBB’s are so important. Paper advertizing is a thing of the past. Change with the times or you will be left behind! Digital marketing of NOT only your club services, but your CULTURE is so important. You need to build an online presence with Facebook, Twitter and Intagram to name a few. Create an online presence that is an extention of what your brand is about. Be genuine…people will see right through you if you are only posting about your services. Don’t be so self serving and show that you genuinly care about people and they are not just $ signs.

The Health and Fitness industry is an industry based on passion for helping others. It is about building a society of healthy human beings and breaking out of bad habits and instilling positive thoughts and actions.

Competition is fierce and only the Strong will Survive.

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