When prospects enter your health club, they are inadvertently worried about a phenomenon referred to as “The Great Exchange.” This is the concern that they may not receive an expected value or result in exchange for their investment of money and time. Because of this nuance, small details can have a dramatic impact on success. Enter the New Year aptly prepared to apply this principle of service.
Renew Your Purpose
Whether you first opened your doors last year or last century, you began with a specific vision. Revisit that mission. Re-evaluate your purpose for being in business. Think of your purpose as an exchange. When you trade something of value with someone who gives you something he or she values, that exchange is the essence of purpose.
You are primarily in business to make a profit, therefore you exchange knowledge and the use of equipment for the price of membership. The customer values improving his health, subsequently he trades his time and money for the opportunity to get in better shape. To effectively deploy the Great Exchange, exploit the correct party’s purpose — the members. Refocus goals to meet the needs of the customer. Ensure you are offering services and products that are in demand, price them affordably and deliver convenience. If you draw them in using their natural interests, you will ultimately fulfill your purpose as well.
Perception Is Everything
Have you ever walked past a mirror, glanced at yourself and thought, “Is that really what I look like?” Maybe it’s time to have that same moment of honest reflection with your facility. Take a second to look around objectively. Sometimes we can be involved so closely that we overlook small blemishes that may stick out like a sore thumb to fresh eyes. A clock with the wrong time, a broken bathroom stall or a quick-tempered trainer may have become typical at your club; but could be a major deterrent for a first-time visitor. The point: Perception is everything.
Perception is a two-way street. Members have a perception of your health club and you have a perception of what they need in a fitness provider. Take the time to learn how they currently view your facility and what they desire. This intel will be the advantage you need to assure the two perceptions line up next year.
Think about the importance of perception from the view of the customer. If a member has a bad experience, she may carry the perception of inequality. In the Great Exchange, this is where she feels the value of trade is unbalanced or she is sacrificing greater than the benefit. People expect to get what they pay for or have their expectations exceeded. Make it your mission to reassure her of equal exchange.
Pleasure is the Goal
The greatest measure of value is satisfaction. Purpose and perception all feed into the most important factor for every customer — pleasure. Your goal every moment of every day is to position your gym as a factory that produces smiles and results for its community.
Pleasure is the pathway to the Great Exchange. Fulfilled members keep their memberships longer and encourage friends to join the journey. Enjoyment is contagious like a plague; soon the entire city will “catch” the goodness spread by your infectious brand ambassadors. That’s what makes pleasure the supreme goal for next year and every year to come.
Pleasure, like many feelings, can be fleeting and short-lived. Take every opportunity to reinforce satisfaction. This will remind members they are receiving a great value and foster their positive perception. Cynical associates and nagging neighboring competitors will be an ever-present force of negative persuasion. Combat these menacing gnats with explosive bursts of unexpected enjoyment. Drop tantalizing TNT bombs of awesomeness that destroy the memory of the competition and creates concrete customers who are exceedingly pleased.
Terrell McTyer is the Marketing Monster of Affiliated Acceptance. He can be contacted at 573-374-9970 or by email at Terrell.McTyer@Affiliated.org.
