It’s taken some time, some tears and a whole lot of sweat, but you’ve turned your dream into a reality — you’re the owner or manager of a successful fitness club. But along with this success comes a lot of responsibility, more than you may have expected. From employee and member management, to sales, equipment checks and paperwork, it can sometimes seem like there are not enough hours in a week, let alone a day, to get everything accomplished.
Don’t panic! Take a second to remember what got you to this point — your core business principles. In fitness, success results from the strengthening and maintenance of the core. This same idea applies to your club. While it is nice to train your arms and legs, it is the core that is your powerhouse, providing flexibility and stability to your entire body. By focusing on strengthening the core of your club, you will dramatically accelerate your business’ rate of growth and achieve your personal and professional goals.
Easier said than done? Before you let your stress get the best of you, follow these basic steps to ensure your business core is prepared for some heavy lifting:
1) See Your Facility Through the Eyes of Your Customers: If you really want to know what your customers think, try being one. Many owners become so accustomed to the way things are that it takes a deliberate effort to step back and see their business from a customer’s point of view.
To ensure you are looking at your facility as a customer, enter through the front door at varying times of the day and perform a walk around to get a fresh look. Hang out with your customers and get them talking. Encourage staff to solicit customer suggestions and notify them upon their implementation. Remember —something that seems insignificant to you could mean the world to a customer.
2) Know Who You’re Up Against: Don’t ignore your competition. It is important to get a good grasp of who else is working hard to carve out their share of your market. Assess the competitive landscape and create a plan that identifies your competitors and analyzes their strengths and weaknesses.
Review websites, social media channels, client testimonials, product offerings and more to discover opportunities to set yourself apart from the competition. Remember, your product offerings may be very similar to your competitors. If this is the case, focus on your customer service to add value to your offerings. Ensure staff keeps accurate records of member complaints and positive feedback, as well as milestones and special days. It is this personal relationship with the customer that can be the differentiating factor.
3) Know the Numbers (Sales): Have you heard the phrase “sales is a numbers game?” Well it’s the truth — and you need to play! Head into the game prepared by creating a strategy that will efficiently record and increase your sales. Compile a report which tracks your daily sales, revenue per sale, daily and monthly revenue totals, conversions, upsell opportunities, new members and member attrition. Monitor your results on a consistent basis to pinpoint what’s working well in your business and to clearly identify what areas need improvement. Remember to effectively communicate your goals to the sales team and regularly reward them for meeting the requested numbers.
4) Market, Market, Market: Marketing involves all of the ways in which you communicate with customers and is an investment in your future sales. It includes your staff, facility, advertisements, brochures, creative content, website, social media, etc. Done correctly, it creates top-of-mind awareness, better brand recognition, enhanced credibility and more opportunities to sell add-on services.
As a business owner, you should create a marketing plan outlining the steps you will take to successfully market your business. This plan should include your goals, scheduled e-mail blasts and promotions, and the ways in which you will evaluate your success. Remember, if you do not market, no matter how great your product, you will lose customers to those who do.
5) Utilize Your Club Management Software: Club management software brings continuity to your facility by streamlining your operation and centralizing your business intelligence. It ensures all staff follows the same process, lending stability to your club while increasing productivity.
Club management software is the hub of your business core. It consolidates the other fundamental principles in one platform, giving you the ability to assign tasks, run financial reports and send out e-mail blasts from the same user-friendly interface.
With so many potential benefits to utilizing this software, take the time to become an expert user so that you can educate current and future employees on its uses and features, delegate tasks and efficiently run your business. Utilize this software to automate administrative tasks so that you can focus on what you love — fitness.
Your business needs a strong foundation to sustain the depth and breadth of the growth you’re seeking. As in fitness, working out your core improves your strength, flexibility, versatility and longevity. Get your company in its best shape by strengthening its core business principles, and pretty soon you’ll be crushing your goals.
Emily Wilensky is the Marketing Manager of EZFacility, Inc. She can be contacted at 516-336-6536 or by e-mail at ewilensky@ezfacility.com.
