Before you hire another salesperson or run more ads in the hope of increasing membership sales, you should first consider this: Give your members and prospects exactly what they want. Oftentimes, club owners fill their gyms with new, trendy equipment and programs they like themselves, instead of what their members really want.
So how do you know what members or prospects really want? You could do a survey and ask them, or you can let the industry experts do the studies for you and learn from them.
A recent IHRSA survey ranked ab machines as a top activity that your members value the most in their health club, right up there with treadmills, ellipticals and free weights. The survey is not surprising, because the primary reason people join health clubs is to feel and look better.
And what do you think your average member needs to consider themselves a fit, attractive person? If you guessed a lean, defined midsection, you are absolutely correct. Your members want to reduce their waistline, shrink their belly and lose their love handles more than ever before.
Every major fitness magazine knows this. That’s why they use ab-focused marketing. Look at the headlines on the covers of the top fitness magazines such as Shape, Men’s Health, Fitness, Oxygen and more. They usually state variations such as:
- Your Six-Pack Solution
- Flat Belly Fast
- 2 Weeks to a Tighter Tummy
And on and on. The magazines use these headlines on their covers because they help sell millions of copies. They know that ab-focused marketing works.
When you focus your marketing message on what people want, you can dramatically increase your membership sales numbers. That means focusing your health club marketing on showing your members how they can achieve a lean, sexy waistline.
You can do the same thing at your health club when you give your members and prospects new ab machines. Ab machines can become your “silent salesmen” that help fire up your existing members and get new prospects excited about joining your club.
Think about the key moment for new prospects who are considering joining your club — the all-important club tour. People understand the cardio area is for your heart, the strength area is for your muscles and that there are rooms for fitness classes such as indoor cycling, Zumba or yoga. Most clubs have all of these things.
Now, imagine ending the tour by putting them on a unique piece of ab equipment that is easy to use and immediately effective. This will give them an instant connection to your club, while showing them that you have something they really want. More than 10,000 clubs worldwide are using this approach, and it works!
Sean Gagnon is the Vice President of The Abs Company. He can be contacted at 866-219-5335 or by e-mail at Sean@theabscompany.com.
