I recently returned from Milan, Italy where I was speaking at the Lifenergy Fitness Conference. I presented on topics concerning sales and marketing, express line programs, membership retention and staff development. What was amazing to see were the similarities in the industry, even within such different cultures.
One of the discussions centered on the gap between the market penetrations of our industry. While we are perhaps the only industry that can truly say our product benefits 100 percent of the population, we only connect with a small portion of the people who need our product the most. In the U.S. less than 15 percent of the population are members of a health club. In Italy, it ranges between 9-12 percent. Yet, when asked, 95 percent of those surveyed say they would greatly benefit from regular exercise. Why the extreme gap? What are we, as an industry, missing?
Like most health clubs in the US, those in Italy focus on selling memberships to their club. However, by just providing a building with equipment, you only focus on getting the 15 percent who join health clubs and know what to do. What about the other 85 percent? A great way to connect with the other 85 percent, the people who would never see themselves as a member of a gym, is to provide programs that become the solution to their problems and pains. There are a great number of people who have back pain, most of which would never see a health club as their solution. At GHF, we have implemented programs that we can specifically market to golfers, weekend warriors, corporations, and people with chronic issues. Here are some examples:
Mothers in Motion is a water exercise class for women during and after their pregnancy. The class provides fun, safe exercise in a weightless environment. Connect with other mothers in the pool for an hour and take a load off your feet, your back, and your mind.
Cancer Recovery Program is for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer and do not need physical therapy. It’s designed to improve physical strength and endurance and empower patients to regain control of their lives.
Healthy Back Program may prevent or in some cases eliminate chronic back pain for the rest of your life. This 6-week program utilizes the Core Spinal Fitness System equipment by MedX to help strengthen the low back muscles like no other exercise, and the stronger your back is the less pain you will have.
Arthritis Aquatic Center offers hot and cold treatments that can be used to reduce arthritis pain and inflammation. These therapies come in different forms and the best choice depends on the type of arthritis, as well as the perspective of the individual combined with the recommendations of arthritis professionals. Studies have shown heat and cold therapies to be equally effective in reducing pain
We have also created programs that focus on senior’s balance and dizziness, sports specific training, adventure race training, and first time exercisers. Each of these programs are designed to solve the issues most people face and to help our community see Gainesville Health and Fitness as their solution.
By connecting with “the other 85 percent,” our mission has grown from, To make Gainesville the healthiest community in America, to – To keep Gainesville the healthiest community in America, and currently, To create an experience that helps people get the most out of life and inspires them to become their best.
Shawn Stewart is the Operations Manager at Gainesville Health and Fitness Center. Contact him at shawns@ghfc.com
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