What customers want from a gym business revealed
Photo by Victor Freitas
A gym business is only as good as the customer pool it services. If you want to boost gym membership for the rest of this year, you need to focus on what customers really want. Don’t have those details to hand yourself? Here are the most common findings you’ll want to know about.
Doesn’t take long to get there
If a customer has to travel miles to find you, only to stay in the gym for an hour before needing to get home again, they’re not going to sign up. Because of this, you need to think carefully about your premises and how accessible they are to your local area.
If you cannot move closer to your most relevant client pool, there’s still some ideas you can implement for better success. For example, you may want to start offering in-home PT sessions, or an online platform that offers tutorials and classes on the go.
Many classes are on offer
Some gyms offer basic classes such as stretching and HIIT on a regular schedule, but what kind of classes would your customers really want to attend? You won’t know if you don’t ask. Make sure your class program is listed clearly on your website for anyone to view and download. You’ll also want to systematically go through the offerings of other local gyms. Knowing the competition you’re up against is key to new gym success.
Spa amenities are also offered
In a gym space, amenities can range from simple group classes to hot tub access and a hot yoga room that’s free to use. What does your gym offer, or plan to offer? If you don’t have any spa plan ideas, you’ll also want to think about spa treatments that could be useful to you. Above all, gym clients find that a spa centre ensures they get their money’s worth when they sign up.
Contact a spa consultancy to talk about this possibility. Commonly, customers want to pick up a gym membership from a place where they can also get a massage or a facial, as relaxing is a crucial part of the fitness recovery process. Such health structures could be crucial to your long term business plan.
The staff are trained in customer service
If you visit a gym and talk to the staff, but get blank looks and little to no valuable advice, what are you going to think about that gym? You’re unlikely to want to sign up. And in the modern era, this is the number one problem new gym businesses are facing. A lack of training means a lack of quality repeat custom.
You need your staff to be trained in customer service in their customer facing role; they can’t just be trained in PT. They need to know what it takes to keep a customer happy from their first point of contact until the moment they leave again.
In 2023, gym businesses can flourish under the set of rules listed above.
