Have you considered the reputation of your fitness facility? Today, more gym owners are planning and implementing reputation strategies to enforce their role as guardian of their hard-earned “good” reputations. Image is an item of increasing importance. An investment in this area will not only have financial implications, but enable your venture to gain a competitive advantage in the overcrowded health and fitness arena.
The mark of an enlightened manager is the awareness and use of his gym’s image as a key weapon in winning the war against a rival brand. Tactics must be employed to shape what will be said about your health club and maintain a positive and long-lasting influence in the industry. Challenge these six myths and possible preconceived notions about reputation.
“I have a good reputation. Now I can charge more.” Arguably, a respectable reputation can bring increased sales. This does not necessarily enable the ability to raise prices. Matter of fact, doing so may be counterproductive. Your pricing, matched with stellar services, can act as strong leverage for maintaining healthy relationships.
“Advertising is the only way to affect my reputation.” Purchasing magazine ads, running TV commercials and social media networking can be great vehicles for reputation development. There may be an equally effective method right under your nose. A good way to advance a strong reputation is by investing in your company culture. Hire exceptional staff members and go the distance to ensure the happiness of your team. Excellent employees are brand advocates in the continued efforts of your valuable reputation.
“I don’t have to be worried about peoples’ opinions.” A simple definition for reputation is the distribution of opinions. The open expression of the public’s opinion about your facility or staff is the foundation of your prominence. Sometimes, that perspective is governed by individuals who are not directly related to your vision. For instance, news reporters play a major part in reputation exploitation.
“I am well aware of what people say about us.” It is nearly impossible to pinpoint the reactions of everyone influenced by your brand. For this reason, you are likely to have several reputations. For each person assessing your gym, they are often considering a different set of attributes. Based on those values, certain assumptions are made as to their ability to trust you over your competitor.
“I can control what people think about me.” Your reputation is granted by other people including members, visitors, employees, family members, and competitors. The perception they have is based on their direct or indirect experience with your company. Evaluating and controlling the judgment of others is a challenging task because it is too complex and scattered to collect, quantify, qualify or validate. As the saying goes, ‘there is always more than one side to a story.’ In the case with reputation, the only version of an experience that matters is that of the other person. Because you and the observer will rarely see an issue in the same manner, it’s possible to see yourself as a health champion while the visitor marks you as a loser.
“Members don’t expect a relationship, just results.” Over the last decade communicating with your members has become increasingly essential. Open communication gives a guise of transparency, which enables customers to better appreciate the relationship, thus facilitating a better reputation. When consumers are flooded with mounds of choices, possessing a good corporate character can win over a constantly-courted individual.
A good way to think about reputation is to ask yourself, “What will people say about me when I am gone?” When considering the fame of your fitness facility, the same concept applies. Ask, “What do people say about my gym?” Don’t make poor assumptions. They can lead to detrimental mistakes that could damage your reputation.
What myths about reputation have you heard? How do you overcome them?
Terrell McTyer is the Marketing Monster of Affiliated Acceptance Corporation. He can be contacted at 573-374-9970, or by e-mail at Terrell.McTyer@Affiliated.org.
