In its most simplistic form, “success,” in any business, may best be defined as: “having a product or service that satisfies a need of a customer.” Furthermore, the growth and longevity of a successful business rests on its ability to continually attract, retain, and service clients over an extended period of time. And, today there are very few businesses where these simple facts are more apparent than in the health and fitness industry.
Stated differently, the business challenge facing those who have chosen the health and fitness industry for their profession is to match the product offerings with the perceived needs of the clients they are trying to attract. If correct in that “match” of products and perceptions, there is a high probability of success. If not, one’s business may be short lived! Thus, given the critical “make or break” fit with respect to proper market offerings and clients’ needs, it is imperative that service providers in our industry strive to truly understand what a client truly wants when addressing this topic. Unfortunately, this is often not the case as it has been recently reported that 60 percent of the consumers in the health and fitness industry have a negative opinion of the industry’s marketing and feel that the marketing campaigns are not relevant to their needs.
So often in our enthusiasm to open our facility, or even offer new programs within our existing facilities, we seem to be not only certain but even passionate about what we think the client wants and needs. This is often driven by one’s inability to distinguish between a faddish hype and true market trending. Often, in its simplest form, this leads to a new program-offering (exercise class, new music, modest support materials) or it may lead to a major extension of your offerings by increasing the size of a facility, acquiring new equipment and/or hiring additional personnel to offer new programs. Unfortunately, in far too many cases, these programmatic shifts do not lead to increased profitability, or even client satisfaction, simply because they do not address the true needs and desires of the client.
A classic example of this is the everpresent advertising of fitness equipment, programs, products, and even facilities that focus almost exclusively on the enhancement of specific body parts/areas like legs, abs, buns, biceps, and thighs. While eye-catching and/or attentiongetting, such promotions often miss the true inner-desire of the prospective audience. For we know that while it may be fashionable to have the “beautiful” body parts, most clients do not pursue their fitness programs with that end in mind. What they do seek however, is a sense of empowerment in managing and hopefully improving their overall well being. As such, more of today’s clients are looking for facilities and personnel that will assist them in their quest to assume more responsibility for their overall total health rather than help them exaggerate or accentuate specific body parts. Today, progressive operators are positioning their advertising campaigns to highlight the aspects of their offerings that are designed to address the “innerself” more so than the “visible self.”
A few examples of such programs would be: how we physiologically process the psychological aspects of stress; the self confidence and self esteem that comes from assuming the management responsibility for one’s total health, or the empowerment one has when they understand the thermo-dynamic facts of energy balance as it relates to weight management. The challenge is to take today’s clients to a higher level of realization and understanding with respect to their ability to use your facility, plus professional staff and high quality programs to truly manage their health. Stated differently, it is an opportunity to put the “health” back into “health clubs” for the benefit of your membership as well as your business. For some operators this will be a large step from their current programming, but for many, it is only the next logical sequence in an ongoing progressive process of keeping current with the true needs of clients.
Robert C. Karch, Ed.D. is the Chairman of Biometrics Nutrition & Fitness. He can be contacted at 866.BIO.1922, or by email at bob@biometricshealth.com.
