If you’re reading this blog post, you’re most likely a gym owner or manager looking for the best ways to sell more gym memberships. Maybe revenue has been declining and you’re in need of a way to increase your gym’s revenue by bringing in new members and selling more memberships.
Below we’ve compiled what we believe are the top 8 best ways to sell more gym memberships and increase fitness business sales revenue. #2 is a shameless plug for FitnessTexter, our text message marketing service that has generated 1000s of new members for our clients. We offer a free two-week trial too.
1. Get Creative! Offer a Variety of Fitness Classes like BootCamps, Yoga, and Zumba
One of the major complaints of most gym members, and also a reason for low membership-retention rates, is that their facility doesn’t offer enough unique classes. By offering a variety of classes, you’ll increase the chances that your members will stay engaged and continue to pay your monthly membership fees.
2. Use FitnessTexter to Generate New Trial Members
Like we said at the start of this article, we’re going to toss in a shameless plug for FitnessTexter right now. If you’re looking for a hands-free way to get a steady flow of new trial members, using FitnessTexter is your best bet. We turn your business name into a text message marketing coupon code. Whenever someone texts your coupon code to 69302, they’ll receive your promotional offer.
We always suggest clients give out a free week of class. The reason we suggest free is because it doesn’t devalue your service. As soon as you give someone a 50% discount (like Groupon), you’re going to have a very hard time getting them to pay full price once their cheap month/week is over. However, everyone knows “free” has no price, so if they like your facility and workout style, they’ll happily pay full price once the free week is over. Make sense?
Using FitnessTexter the easiest way to convert your website traffic, Facebook traffic, and even sidewalk traffic into new members.
3. Hire Trainers that Understand Customer Service
You might have the most physically fit trainers in your city, but if your trainers aren’t customer-service oriented, you’re going to scare away clients. Quality trainers make the working out process more enjoyable. They offer both encouragement during hard lifts, as well as proper technique to keep members from becoming injured and canceling membership. Here are what we consider to be the most important traits of a good trainer:
1. They understand various physical fitness training techniques
2. They have a body that shows the end-result of working out
3. They possess a personality that makes people like them
If your trainers only have #1 and #2, but don’t has #3, get rid of them!
4. Start a Refer-a-Friend Program…and Make it Worth It!
One of the most successful ways that a fitness business can sell more gym memberships is by starting a “Refer-a-Friend” program. Your current gym members are your best sales people. They’ve been coming to your facility for weeks, months, if not years. Why not leverage their happiness and results into new members and increased revenue?
The parameters of your program don’t need to be complex. Tell your current members that for every new member that they get to sign up for your gym, they’ll get a free month of membership. Free month?!? Yes, we said it, free month. None of that “Refer a Friend, Get a Free Class” crap. Make referring a friend worth it! Don’t worry, you’re not losing any money either.
Think of it this way; if Bill gets his friend Ken to become a member, Ken starts paying membership dues the month he begins membership. Bill gets that month free, so in that month, you’re not losing any revenue, you’re simply making the same 1 month of membership dues. It’s basically the same as if Bill was still just paying membership. The second month though, Ken keeps paying membership and Bill restarts paying for his month of membership. You’re now making twice the revenue you made the previous month, and the cycle continues.
5. Set Up Partnerships with Other Local Fitness Businesses
Let’s say that your gym is a focused on boxing or some other type of MMA fighting technique. There’s most likely a yoga studio in your town that offers only yoga classes. Give the owner of the yoga studio a call and ask them about setting up a fitness partnership. Your boxing members get 4 free yoga sessions per month at the neighboring yoga studio and the yoga students get 4 free cardio boxing classes at your gym.
The results of the fitness partnership are two-fold:
1. Your boxing students get the added benefit of increasing their flexibility as well as their mental focus. Many prize fighters actively practice yoga to keep their bodies flexible and their mind focused. The yoga students get to try out boxing and get a kickass cardio workout. They’ll enjoy the intensity and adrenaline that a boxing workout provides, something their yoga workout might be lacking.
2. You’re probably asking yourself; How am I going to sell more gym membership by giving out free classes to the yoga students? Simple! They’ll get to experience a new type of workout that they have never tried before…and they’ll love it! Set up a cardio-focused boxing class that isn’t as much about fighting as it is about getting a solid workout. It’s only a matter of time until those yoga students sign up for your boxing classes on a membership-paying basis. The cross-pollination of the two businesses will benefit both businesses.
6. Maintain Hours that Cater to Your Client’s Schedules
Not everyone has the same work schedule. Some people really enjoy early morning workout sessions before the go to their day job. Others prefer to sleep in during the morning, and work out after they finish work for the day. With that said, it’s better to be open and well staffed early in the early morning and later in the evening.
By employing a full staff during your slow hours throughout the middle of the day, you’re paying more than you’re earning. Increasing gym revenue is all about efficiently staffing your facility. Cut down your staff to 1 or 2 employees between 9am and 3pm. Because it’s going to be slower during these hours, have your daytime employees focus on making calls to new fitness leads and selling memberships.
7. Increase Corporate Membership Marketing & Promotions
If you’re lucky enough to be located in a busy business district, it’s in your best interests to make sure that you’re in communication with the largest employers in your area. Most large companies, and even some small tech companies, are actively encouraging their employees to pursue more healthy lifestyles. Work out membership agreements with these big businesses. Perhaps offer them a discounted rate for any of their employees. Most companies will cover a percentage of this monthly fee for their employees as well. Say you usually charge $100 per month for membership. Cut the rate to $75 for employees of Company X, and see if they’ll pay $25 per month per member. That gives their employees a 50% discount on the usual membership rate, while also boosting your overall membership sales and revenue.
8. Stop Using Daily Deal Sites. Give Out FREE Membership Passes
This one might sound counter-intuitive, but hear us out. Using daily deal sites isn’t the best way to increase your membership. You’re going to be dealing with people who are more interested in a cheap gym membership than they are about getting in shape. That’s why it best to offer a free week pass. This gives someone the opportunity to give your facility a try, without putting an artificially low price on your services. As soon as you give someone a 75% off discount, you’re going to have a hard time getting them to pay full price. That’s why the free pass is the best. It gives them a chance to try your gym and if they like it, they’ll happily pay full price membership once their promotional offer expires.
Selling gym memberships is hard, time-consuming, work. We know this. We’ve worked with over 100 different types of fitness businesses to help increase their membership (and we have the testimonials to prove it). Our marketing service, FitnessTexter, has generated well over 2000 new member leads for our clients.
We hope you have enjoyed these tips, tricks and the most creative techniques to increase your gym membership and sales revenue. Remember, increasing membership of your fitness business should be a a long-term goal. Getting a quick membership boost isn’t the answer. You want a steady for of new members coming in your door, not a “groupon-like” boost that will last for a month and then half of them will disappear.
So, a recap:
1. Start a Bootcamp Program
Adding new classes is one of the easiest ways to increase your gym’s revenue and sell more memberships. Design a simple “Cardio BootCamp” class that focuses on non-lifting moves. Many people are intimidated by squats and cleans. However, if there’s one thing people love to do when working out, it’s breaking a sweat! A 30-minute, sweat-inducing bootcamp will have your members coming back for more. They’ll even start telling their friends about how much they love the sweaty workouts.
2. Use FitnessTexter
It will boost your membership, we guarantee it.
3. Hire Smart, Friendly, In-Shape, Customer-Service-Oriented Personal Trainers
Though it’s not totally necessary to enjoy your personal training sessions, you need to at least enjoy the personality of the guy/gal training you. Nothing is worse than a personal trainer who doesn’t respect their clients. People are paying their hard-earned money for your trainers’ expertise. If they don’t feel like they’re getting their money’s worth, they’ll high-tail it to your nearest competitor.
4. Create a Refer-a-Friend Program to Get Word-of-Mouth Advertisement Up
5. Build Partnerships With Local Complimentary Fitness Businesses
6. Make Sure Your Business is Open During Popular Workout Hours
7. Create a Corporate Memberships Program to Lure Companies
8. Stop Using Groupon/Living Social/Daily Deal Sites
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If you’re interested in giving FitnessTexter a try at your facility, please sign up for a free two-week trial. No credit card is required and you can get a first-hand view of how well FitnessTexter boosts fitness membership sales.
If you need more convincing, check out our testimonials or look at our client examples.
Image Credits:
Whisper In My Ear by Rennett Stowe, on Flickr
Bondi Beach Yoga by tarotastic, on Flickr
USACE kicks off Health Fair activities by USACE Europe District, on Flickr
Big Bay Boot Camp 2012 by Port of San Diego, on Flickr
The post 8 Best Ways How to Sell More Gym & Fitness Memberships appeared first on Boost Fitness Marketing.