It’s officially the busiest time of the year. The New Year’s resolution crowds are about to start flowing into your gym, making this the best time to capitalize on potential sales. But what about after the resolutions wear off, and real life begins again?
The biggest problem with the holiday gym rush is what happens when it’s over. After about three months, a lot of members are canceling or freezing their memberships because the thrill of a New Year’s resolution is gone. Here are some ways to solve the post-holiday problems, before the holidays even begin.
1.) Honest Expectations
From the second someone comes in contact with your gym, they are determining if it is a good fit for their lifestyle. Everything from price, amenities, branding, offerings, and more are weighed in their decision. The job of the sales person is to guide the prospect through the buying process, and tailor the gym to their needs. Sometimes, this just can’t be done. If you have a prospect who solely wants to workout on their own, but you focus on personal training and group training, then maybe it’s not a good fit.
Being upfront about what your club specializes in and what your brand is focused on will set the tone for the rest of the prospect or member’s journey. If you are honest about who you are as a club, you will attract lifelong members.
2.) Communication, Communication, Communication
A growing number of clubs are starting to catch on to the idea that communication is key. During the holidays, prospects are probably getting the royal treatment, but once they sign a membership agreement, things tend to go quiet. Retention is extremely important to having a successful gym, and communicating is your biggest tool.
Set an automated schedule to call, email, or text your members to check in on their progress. Automate this schedule before the holiday season even begins, so that you don’t have to think about it once the crowds start pouring in. Send tips, reminders, and updates whenever you can to create a relationship with your members. (Trust us, they will love it. Check out our blog on 5 Misconceptions of Email Marketing to see some amazing statistics.)
To increase engagement among your members, send out a survey to see how your club is doing and what you could improve on, this really makes members feel like their voice is heard. Automate an email to go out to members once every 3-6 months asking for their feedback. You don’t have to do anything but wait for the feedback to come in!
Without communication, your members are just coming to a gym they feel no connection to. If you want to see your New Year’s resolution crowd stick around, don’t forget about them once the holidays are officially over. Make it easy by setting up automatic follow-up reminders with Club OS.
3.) Create a Community
Members feel a personal connection with a health club if it becomes their community. Creating this type of atmosphere may sound vague and hard to put on paper, but it really is more simple than you would think.
Start growing a community by building your group training and personal training memberships. These two programs give members a sense of belonging by connecting them with employees and other members. They start seeing the same people every week, and will eventually build relationships throughout your gym. Once they find a class they love, with people they love, they can’t imagine themselves living without it. That is when you know you have created a community.
Referrals are also a huge part of creating a positive atmosphere in your gym. If one member invites 3 friends, they are now making your gym a social event. They talk about when they are going, what they are doing, and plan their weeks or months around your gym. If all of their friends or family are there, it makes it really hard for them to leave.
Following these 3 easy steps will set your club up for success this holiday season. Get ready to forget about those post-holiday blues!
