Turn Your Gym Core Competncies into Competitive Advantages

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 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 and satisfaction:  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 mebers 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 staffers 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 chasing the hot group fitness trends and technology; try to be a leader in the market. 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:  Sure, 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, use your social media to let members and potential members know about new group ex 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 you can get for your health club developing and differentiating yourself with the basics may be the way to not only improving your own gym but beating the competition in no time.