In our technology driven society, it is more important than ever to make sure your club is rising above the competition and offering its members the complete solution to their needs. Everywhere you look, businesses are being inundated with messages about automation, but in the end, people are social creatures who crave interaction and shared experiences with one another. That is why listening to your audience and taking steps to make sure you are ahead of the latest trends is what will keep you as the leader in your community and in your market.
At the core of every fitness club is the individual looking to achieve a transformational goal. Whether it’s Amy attempting to shed her muffin top, or Charles who wants to have a body that gets checked out at the beach, everyone is simply looking to be more confident in their body.
Offering a single product line doesn’t work anymore. Customers are much more educated than they have been in the past, and they know without nutrition solutions, they are less likely to attain their goals. But the diet and nutrition industries have left them confused, fed up and looking elsewhere for answers. Positioning yourself as an expert in not just fitness, but in body transformation, meets the needs of the customer, and positions your club as the go-to expert.
However, finding solutions without sending you over the deep end is a daunting task. There are plenty of ways to go: add a supplement line, upsell training packages, offer add-ons, sell t-shirts, but take a look around — everyone is already doing that. Good business owners know they have to be a little psychic in their predictions about market trends. So look first to the related industries outside your fitness club, and see where you are able to sweep up, where those industries are lacking and what you can offer to win them over.
Look first at the diet industry, who has recently started calling itself the “health and wellness” industry, but still hasn’t offered anything beyond conflicting information and empty magic pill promises. How can you be the change your customers deserve?
Carolyn Fetters is the CEO of Balanced Habits. For more information call 657-231-6779 or email carolyn@balancedhabits.com.
