Turn Your Gym Core Competencies into Competitive Advantages
Key Points
- Focus on hiring skilled, friendly staff and delivering exceptional customer service to differentiate your gym and retain members.
- Continuously improve your gym by upgrading equipment, maintaining cleanliness, and training staff to stay ahead of the competition.
- Leverage online tools like updated websites, social media, and online sign-ups to attract and engage potential members effectively.
Table of Contents
The odds are that no matter how small of a town you operate in, you are not the only choice when it comes to health clubs. Even if you are, you are still going to have competition from online training, home equipment, boot camps, town rec departments, and more.
Many potential members really can’t see the difference from club-to-club. Every gym has fitness equipment. Some have classes, others have tennis or a pool. While it isn’t easy to stand out from the crowded fitness club competition on the basics, it is possible with a little time and some focus to excel at your core competencies.
Before starting, however, it is important to know not only what you do well, but what your competition is doing well. To learn what you do really well, ask your members. Ask new ones why they joined. Ask long-time members why they stay. As for the competition, this can come from reading their online reviews, speaking with former members, mystery shopping their locations, and more.
Regardless of the competition, here are ways you can gain a competitive advantage in your market:
Always Hire Well
Your people really are your business. Your front desk staff members are the first and last people your prospects, customers, and guests see at your gym. Your trainers and instructors are the heartbeats of your health club.
Be known in the market as the health club with the fun group of fitness professionals who are not only fitness experts and hardworking, but who are also friendly, conscientious, and empathetic.
Be known as the company whose employees greet every member with a friendly smile, motivate every member, come up with solutions before there is a problem, and make every member and guest feel like they are the most important one in the gym. Be known as the health club with the staff everyone wants.
Always Provide Top-Notch Customer Service
In the end, your fitness center is really about hospitality. Sure, your main business is to provide expert wellness and fitness advice and equipment, but if the customer is not happy with their experience, they will not keep coming back.
All members have expectations of great service and will not put up with poor response time and bad attitudes. Around 75% of customers consider customer service a true test of a company’s competency. So, regardless of how you stack up against the competition in other areas, your customer service from all staff needs to be on point to stay ahead of the other health clubs.
Always Be Improving Your Business
Fix mistakes and resolve issues as quickly as possible, whether they are your fault or not. Upgrade your fitness equipment regularly. Ensure that the health club is clean. Replace worn-out carpet and padding.
And, perhaps most importantly, keep training your staff. Don’t allow them to get stale or into bad habits.
Always Be Reinventing Yourself
Make sure you’re not always chasing the hot group fitness trends and technology; try to be a leader in the market. And if you’ve “always done it that way,” perhaps it is time to try it a different way to help your gym grow.
Try new pricing structures or add new exercise classes you haven’t had. The key is to try things, get good at them, and let potential customers know that you are the best in town, not just by saying it, but by showing it.
Always Keep Up Your Online Game
You’re not a tech company, so how can this be a competitive advantage? Well, according to Google, 97% of consumers use the web to search for local businesses – and if most of your potential customers are online, you should be too.
Make sure your website is updated regularly, and use your social media to let members and potential members know about new group exercise classes or personal training promotions.
If you aren’t, make sure you have online membership sign-ups. There is no better advantage than getting a prospect to sign immediately instead of shopping around.
In a world where every advantage matters, developing and differentiating your health club by mastering the basics may be the key to not only improving your gym but also outpacing the competition in no time.
Key Takeaways
- You can stand out in a competitive market by hiring a team that is not only knowledgeable but also empathetic and customer-focused.
- Remember to prioritize customer satisfaction by addressing issues quickly, maintaining a clean facility, and regularly upgrading equipment.
- Stay innovative by trying new pricing models, introducing unique classes, and leading trends to keep your gym fresh and appealing.
- Use your online presence strategically to reach potential members, promote your offerings, and make it easy for prospects to join your gym.
