Creating a successful health club is no easy task in today’s competitive market. As a gym owner, you are competing with both national chains and boutique facilities, which can make it difficult to reach your goals. Health club management software can take some of the stress out of building a successful health club, but technology isn’t the only area you need to focus on.
Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. There are three steps to succeeding as a gym owner. If you follow these three steps, you can build a thriving business.
Step 1: Make It Easy For Members
It is estimated that about 30% of people that regularly exercise use a gym or attend a fitness class. When you consider that millions of people have a formal exercise plan in place, you can see that there are definitely enough consumers to go around for every gym. However, that doesn’t mean members will be willing to stick with a gym if it’s not a simple facility to use.
Making it a hassle-free environment for your gym members can convince members to stay loyal to (or sign up for) your health club. Automation is the key to convenience. For example, using check in software for gyms, gym sign in software, or billing systems for gyms can all help to make life easier for both management and the member.
Members want to come to the gym get their workout on and not have to worry about all the little details of being a member. Health club management software helps to keep your member content.
Step 2: Know Your Members
Health club management software is not just for billing and check-in; it can also be used to understand your members’ habits. When is the gym the busiest? Which hours are the slowest? Which fitness classes are the most popular? The more you know about your members’ preferences and behaviors, the better you can fine-tune your services, design a focused marketing plan, plan for staffing, and more. Data pertaining to your members will be one of your most valuable assets.
Of course, there is always lead generation to think about, as well. Running a promotion where a member can bring a guest for free during certain non-peak hours can help you to boost your membership — but you’ll only know what those non-peak hours are (and whether your promotion is effective) if you have pertinent data. If you use a health club management software system to sign in those guests, you can more easily obtain health club leads.
Step 3: Provide Exceptional Customer Service
You or your management team will need to be present and accessible to your members. Health club management software can be the catalyst for you and your team to be more available to your members. But while it’s clear that having the right health club management software is the way to build a successful gym, you can’t rely completely on screens to ensure members are happy. Make sure you’re consistently putting the customer first and that you prioritize a positive experience for all. Otherwise, members won’t want to go to the gym at all — and they’ll likely pursue membership elsewhere.
With these tips in mind — and health club management software installed — you should be well on your way to building a lasting business in the fitness industry. For more information on how our software can help your facility thrive, please contact us today.