You may be sitting in front of your computer wondering how you can get a few new people through the door as soon as possible. Sales isn’t your problem, it is getting them to your facility that is tough. Once they’re there, you are confident in your ability to sign them up! Unfortunately, it is very difficult to have a systematic marketing system in place when you have a club to run, members to appease, paperwork to finish, equipment to clean, clients to train, and staff to oversee.
The lack of time or desire forces you to attempt the shotgun approach and try a single marketing strategy from time to time, hoping it attracts a few new members. I.e. Direct mail… it’s easy, you tend to get a return on your investment, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. And while direct mail is a solid marketing strategy, using it as your entire marketing plan is also the reason you’re still hovering at the breakeven mark. Let’s try something else this week, let’s make it easier and cheaper by working on leads to which you already have access.
Your current members are by far your best sales force and your best source for new members. Think about how many people your members come in contact with every single day. Think of how many people they are calling, texting, meeting, emailing, or spending time with on a day to day basis. Let’s say your gym has 1,000 members and you are hovering around the breakeven point. Think of how powerful it would be if only 10 percent of your members referred a friend next month. 10 percent doesn’t sound like a lot, but it really is. If you’re charging $30 per month, that is an additional $3,000 per month in revenues for you.
What could you do with $3,000? You could buy a new piece of equipment every single month for your members, keeping your club offerings fresh and new or you can hire a manager so you can spend time doing things you enjoy, rather than mundane daily duties. Perhaps you’ve been struggling long enough that it’s time to treat yourself. $3,000 is enough to cover a house payment, two car payments, a motorcycle payment, and a boat payment combined. Or think about retirement; You can max out your yearly Roth IRA retirement account in a month and a half from these members. You get the idea.
How do you do this? Call your members and ask them to refer people. Email them and ask them. Send them a letter and ask them. Hang signage in your club. Make sure your front desk staff tells every member as they check in for their workout. Tell every new member who joins about your referral program. Work the floor and give day passes to every member working out and explain what they will receive for every referral they send to you. A couple of clichés come to mind as you implement this system: “You lose 100% of the sales you never ask for” and “The worst they can do is say no”. Both of which are very true in this situation. You’ll never know if you never ask, and the absolute worst thing that can happen is that they don’t refer any friends.
What will definitely happen is that some, likely a lot, of your members will refer a friend. It may or may not be the 100 new members you were hoping for, but even if you get 10 new members it will be worth it. Be sure to put forth real effort for this initiative. Don’t simply hang a sign in your gym announcing the event, be proactive and tell your members in as many ways possible about what you have going on and how they can benefit.
Curtis Mock is an author, speaker and consultant to health clubs worldwide. He is the Executive Director of GymSuccess.com.
