CLUB MANAGEMENT
NEWS

After the Coronavirus pandemic, the vastly profitable and high-demand fitness industry experienced a drastic pivot. What was traditionally and popularly the most opted-for mode of exercising– physical fitness studios, were no longer accessible. Thus, members turned to an already-present-but-not-as-widely-adopted mode of virtual fitness services. While virtual fitness services have been around for over a decade now, it’s the sudden and complete transition to digital platforms due to the nationwide lockdowns that people have evolved and adapted to this new normal. So, what does this mean for you as a fitness club owner?

Although the transition seems quite straightforward from the surface – the physical fitness services become accessible digitally, but on the ground level, things are a little more complicated and new, especially for most gym owners. With the opportunity to reach more clientele by offering classes online also comes the challenge of acquiring more sales and, more importantly, retaining the current members as well? The answer lies in the right techniques your team needs to implement to get the best out of this transition.

Primarily, what do sales and retention mean for a fitness club, and how do they differ?

Sales play a pivotal role in every industry. It’s the life and blood of a business. However, retention is given more importance in the fitness industry as acquiring new clients constantly can be hard and unachievable at times, whereas retaining the current ones brings multifold benefits. As a result, Shapenet Software offers complete Sales & Retention solutions to help streamline this delicate area of your business, along with the following strategies to garner your fitness center with loyal clients at a steady rate:

Attract your target audience through organic methods.

Do you still believe that it takes investing in a marketing campaign to bring in sales? In reality, marketing and data mining can only bring in leads; it’s your standard of services and your team that convert those leads into sales and bring revenue. Hence, focus on your services’ quality and advertise those unique areas that give you an edge over the competition. Also, leveraging the power of social media and other low-cost digital tools is a fail-proof method of making the right moves. For example, establish authority through your social media handles on Meta, Instagram, etc., and deliver high-value free content in the form of quick workout videos, diet tips, or other related freebies.

Offer a one-of-kind plan that your ideal clients can’t resist.

Fitness services-based businesses have to shun the ‘convert and forget’ ideology of treating their clients in the digital arena. This not only creates distrust but is also an unsustainable business practice at so many levels. Instead, the focus should remain on the customer from the beginning after they’ve purchased a membership, especially after they’ve joined you. To achieve this seamlessly, your virtual fitness services should solve members’ problems that make joining an obvious rather a necessary decision for them. Simply engage your target audience through interactive online sessions, polls, etc. Once you have a bifurcated list of highly interested people, offer them a membership plan that makes the transition smooth and gradual.

Provide unbeatable customer satisfaction.

That’s every business’ goal, right? Yes, but how many do actually succeed at it? And consistently? Not many. The reason businesses fall behind customer satisfaction after acquiring clients is the team fails to understand the difference between engaging and annoying. As a customer for numerous service-based businesses yourself, you’d surely have experienced how some businesses span their customers incessantly through low-value emails and messages that focus on offers but don’t really address any issues. This spamming method is the biggest contributor to lowering your fitness center’s client satisfaction. Remedy this by offering personalized communication to your customers and engaging with them through Shapenet Software’s one-to-one chat portal. Knowing what your clients like and are facing difficulty with as your customer is the first step in providing directed solutions.

Virtual Fitness Services are a ray of hope in these uncertain times, especially for the fitness club that has already endured a financial loss. Grab this opportunity to provide high-quality, personalized fitness services to clients all over the globe by requesting a free demo with our team. Join the Shapenet Software community and make the coming year your most successful one yet! !