Keeping Members Happy is Key When Growing Your Fitness Business

Grow or die. It is true of people, plants, and businesses.

The one thing that every business owner wants to do is grow their business.  It doesn’t matter if that business is a restaurant, retail store, or a fitness club or studio.

However, in a membership and service-oriented business such as fitness, that quest for growth can sometimes backfire as looking at the shiny new club or concept can lead to taking your eye off of your current club and members. And in the end, that loss of focus can have the opposite effect on your business.

Your current gym or studio members are vital to your continuing success and even more so for your future growth. It is imperative to remember them and not lose sight of keeping them as happy as possible as your business expands and grows be it in locations or just services and membership numbers.

Here are some key points to keep in mind to keep your members happy and engaged as you grow your business.

• As obvious as it sounds, your members will let you know if your growing pains are reaching them.  Keep your eyes and ears open for frustrated chats and feedback to ensure that your members aren’t getting lost in the shuffle of your growth.
• Show your members that you still care. Everyone wants to be appreciated, and that extends to your members—especially some of your long-term members. This can be anything from “Thank you” messages sent to them all to a members-only party or “Thank-You”.
• Unlike many aspects of your business, you can uniquely tie customer service to the strength of your company values. A strong drive and belief toward customer service is a hallmark of most industry-leading companies. Ultimately, customers know the difference between companies that focus substantially on customer service and others that simply pay lip service to it.
• While you are growing, it is important to keep your current members in the loop. Make sure that they know what is going on as change is hard and uncertainty about it from a lack of transparency can only make it worse. If you can be transparent with your staff and your members, you will ensure that they don’t just imagine what is going on – and what is going to happen in the future. This will keep them happy, engaged and on your side while you grow you fitness club or studio.
• Your staff can not only help keep your current members informed on what is happening, but also make sure that your service standards aren’t only kept up to their usual level, but exceed them while your business is in flux. This means making sure you are staying in communication with your team as well as making sure they are trained and focused on helping your fitness facility thrive during the growth. Making sure your staff is constantly asking themselves, “How can I make this member’s day?” is a necessity to stay ahead of the issues that may arise during the time of growth.

Keeping your current members happy is as important as all the planning and work you are doing to grow your business. By retaining them they will not only continue to keep your business afloat as you expand, but they will be drivers in growing your membership base through referrals.