Have you ever said “With our club, you are a member, not a number?” Time and time again many clubs’ use this `pitch’ to overcome or re-enforce their competitive edge against the `other clubs’ in town. Never before has there been such an opportunity or demand for facilities to wake up and focus on what sets them apart from the rest. True member engagement.
With no extra cost or effort on your sales and marketing budget, quality service will strengthen positive reputation, increase referrals and ultimately add more profit. If you try these three simple steps, as basic as they may seem, you will no doubt be ahead of your competition.
Use people’s names:
It sounds like common sense, but it’s an absolute winner every time. Clubs where the interaction between the club and the staff are on first name basis `sells’ customer service without the sales pitch. Knowing and using each other’s names, shows friendship and a level of rapport far more than just being known as `that person from the gym’. It’s not hard to do, but very often neglected. A great way to get your staff involved is to offer them a £20 cash bonus if they can go around the gym (at a time you specify) and name every single person by first name. It’s a quick, simple and easy way to test your staff to know and use people’s names.
Greet every single person:
How long would you stand at the reception of a restaurant before you would expect to be greeted? It astounds me how many clubs you can walk into and linger at reception without even knowing who is supposed to be greeting you. You should make it a set policy that whomever the first and last point of contact that people see when they enter or leave the club are acknowledged every single time. It may sound simple, but so many times club owners are busy on the phones or making protein drinks without acknowledging those that enter and leave the gym. If you are on the phone, eye contact with a smile or nod of the head will do. Most people won’t mind waiting 3-5 minutes when they know you are busy but have acknowledged them. However, if you make them wait even 60 seconds without any form of greeting, then you may lose them completely as a member and any possible referrals. To make sure your club doesn’t fall into this trap, have your staff visit other clubs in the town and test the reception they receive when they look around. This will pass some ownership onto your staff and the required process, enabling them to spot sloppy service whilst at the same time re-enforcing the good service that you expect from them.
Correct members form:
With the massive influx of self-employed pts manning the gym floor it has become more apparent that these instructors ignore bad form under the presumption that members `should pay for that advice.’ This attitude, combined with the notion that many `instructors’ don’t have the confidence, conviction or communication skills to approach a member doing exercises incorrectly in fear of `upsetting them’ is where you can really prosper. By offering the right instruction and correcting bad form in your gym, it shows your professionalism and provides reassurance (if explained correctly) that members will know that they are in `safe and capable hands’ that will ultimately get you more referrals, reduce attrition and therefore cut your sales and marketing spend by half.
As studies continue to show that there are more ex-members than members of gyms in the UK, there is a huge potential for clubs to capitalise on this market and `dazzle’ your existing members with the service and true member engagement. And like all things… an engaged person is a valuable person.