Certainly there is something to say for the clubs that amass more than 100,000 square feet. However, what those clubs don’t always possess that a small club may is the ability to be quick, nimble and more creative with space.
The major problem for most small to mid-size clubs is they get trapped in the mindset of a small club. They spend more time thinking about why they can’t do something, as opposed to figuring out how they can accomplish the desired task.
Today is the day that you stop thinking about yourself as a small club. It’s time you forget the whole stigma of “we aren’t big enough” and discover how you can make your club a fitness landmark.
The first step in becoming a successful small gym is to adjust how you treat your members. In truth, most large athletic facilities have great customer service. They provide opportunities for their members outside of fitness and traditional amenities. However, most of those clubs have more members than they know what to do with.
While this may sound like a good problem to have, it really devalues the individual member — that is unless the club has spectacular customer service. The typical member really just wants to feel valued. They come to your club when they can — some more than others — and spend their hard-earned money.
At smaller facilities members feel that they should receive more of a personal interaction from your employees. Do employees strive to know each member by name? Are they receptive when a person comes to the front desk with issues?
In all facilities customer service is numero uno. However, as a small facility, you will be judged even more closely. Each time you fail at an area of service to a member, you will allow them to see why they choose to pay more to go to the larger chains.
I’m not trying to use a scare tactic as to why you should have impeccable customer service, but in reality, should anyone have to remind you of the importance of your customers?
In your company meetings, ensure that you press the issue of customer service. Have each employee describe a time since the last meeting that they interacted with a customer. If the story is positive it will be great for the rest of the team to see. If the example is negative, you have an opportunity to teach.
Not every employee you have will come hardwired for customer service. It’s on you to take ownership of your staff’s education. Teach them how you want them to treat your members. If they can’t comply, you’ll know what you need to do.
Tyler Montgomery is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.
We cannot agree with this more. When we opened our club 5 years ago, we were in a highly saturated club market with over 45% of the market belonging to 2 existing health clubs which are great operators. We opened up more expensive than the rest, but we focused on customer service and service training. We are a large, multipurpose facility, but we are limiting our membership number to be able to continue the service level of a small operator. Our facilities were and are beautiful, but it is the service that keeps our members here (15% attrition rate) and new members coming. If clubs focus on this, it can really set you apart and will bring in the dollars on a consistent basis.
15‰….right.
And – what is this unspoken (like they all do) “membership limit” at Stone Creek?