How do you pick your fitness?
Part of living or committing to a healthier lifestyle is picking your fitness. People tend to pick their fitness based on what motivates them to stay consistent. Whether it’s barre, spin, weightlifting or any other form of physical exercise that they enjoy, and gets them to stick with it to reach their goals, that’s what they pick. Picking your fitness will help you stay consistent and committed, which will in turn lead to living a healthier lifestyle.
What sets your fitness facility apart from your neighbors? Anyone can come in for a complimentary session to try it out, while you hope they like it and sign up. But why should they love it so much that they sign up and want to become a regular? It’s all about the environment you create and the customer service you give at your facility that will set you apart from your neighbor.
New York is busy. The hustle and bustle of this city is what drives it and its people. We usually are all running around with our headphones on or our cell phones, not really paying attention to what’s going on around us as we perform our day-to-day transactions. In New York, you can literally do all of your errands without ever having a conversation with someone. It’s insane. All it takes is that one person to say, “How’s your day going?” or “Have a good day” to refocus and make you stop and think, “Wow. That was nice.” That feeling is what humans like. That someone took 5 seconds out of their day to ask about yours or wish it well.
Let’s start with the basics.
The First Impression
Chances are, if it’s the first time someone is walking into your facility, they are a little nervous not knowing what to expect. Maybe they haven’t worked out in a while? Maybe they are shy? For whatever reason, you never know what someone is going through, feeling or thinking. Have your facility be clean. Have it organized. So, all the client has to do is simply walk in.
The Welcome
People want to feel welcomed and valued. Do yourself and your business a favor and hire nice people that want to smile and make someone’s day. A simple “Hey! Welcome to…” goes a long way. If you know which clients coming through your door are new, look for them. Have them ask for the point person by name. That way it eliminates the awkwardness of being new and makes that client feel comfortable from before they even walk through those doors.
The Facility and Environment.
Let your facility speak (and sell) for itself. Develop a rapport with all members, trainers and staff. Make the environment at your facility so positive and friendly, kind of like a family, that it motivates the people that are a part of it. New clients will see and feel that vibe and it’ll make them want to be a part of that community. You could have the oldest equipment with the paint peeling but people will forget that once they remember how they felt.
The Departure
Train your staff to talk to clients. Make it a point to ask them how their workout was or what they thought of it. Did they enjoy it or did they not? Tell them you’d love to have them be a part of your community and can’t wait to start working with them. Everyone has a why. Don’t push people to tell you why they decided to have a day one. Everyone has a day one. Once you develop that rapport, they will tell you their why. That will only further motivate you both. Reaching your own goals is amazing, but the feeling you get from helping a stranger reach theirs, is even more fulfilling.
Listen, after the year we just had, we all want to be successful. The one thing we learned from this pandemic is that health is everything. Making fitness essential needs to be in everyone’s life. A negative review about how the people in your gym were rude, that no one paid attention to them or lack of customer service, are the most preventable reviews. Customer service can make or break you. You decide how you want your facility to be known as.
A. Giannakas
