There is a silver lining to the pandemic for smaller fitness business owners willing to innovate, one that could set your studio or gym up for success for years to come. Industry experts predict that the future of fitness is a more intimate, custom-tailored, elite workout experience.
High-value customers in top-tier market segments want a personalized experience with no crowds, no waits, individualized training, high-level of instruction, safety and RESULTS and will seek out trusted, local trainers and boutique studios.
This sets independent training gyms up to capitalize on the trend at a time when big box health clubs have been decimated and are struggling to regain ground.
After working out in the intimacy of home, or one-on-one with a trainer, whether virtually or in-person, not many members of your community are going to want to return to waiting in line to use equipment or packing into huge classrooms full of people. All indicators are that we will emerge from the current COVID-19 crisis tentatively, and forever germ-and-crowd conscious, if not averse.
Plus, the gym-goers who will seek out customized training opportunities are the demographic that has the means to pay for it, and the motivation to stick with it, becoming long-term loyal customers with a big ROI for your fitness business.
Lastly, by targeting higher-net-worth individuals in the 50+ age group, you will capture the customers who will be receiving the first rounds of coronavirus vaccine.
Here’s how to emerge from COVID stronger than ever. You can exponentially increase your gym’s revenue by using your most potent competitive advantage: YOU and your ability to connect personally with your clients on an intimate level, and treat them like royalty.
Create the Small Group Elite Training Experience & Charge Accordingly
The small, elite training group is the future of fitness. By creating programs where 4-5 individuals can attend intimate, custom-tailored and high-support training sessions, you can generate the type of VIP experience that big box health clubs can never compete with.
The benefit to your fitness business is that you can:
- Charge $200-$300/mo. instead of $30 to $90
- Ensure that your clients get specific, measurable results (the kind that will keep them inspired and coming back for more!)
- Deliver a super personalized experience that makes your customers feel ultra-special (and happy to keep paying to be pampered)
- Avoid big crowds and concerns about health and safety
- Attract customers who may not be comfortable working out in front of others
- Get to know your customers on an intimate level and truly change their lives (because this is what it’s all about anyway, right?)
You can continue to give your customers access to your gym or fitness studio for open workout time or larger group classes (in-person or online) as part of their membership package. Your small-group or one-on-one training can be added on through tiered pricing, which your customers may already be familiar with. Punchpass makes it a breeze to set up your pricing packages and sell them online – a convenience both you and your customers will appreciate.
In your pricing tiers, create higher levels of commitment, compliance and value by adding access to on-demand video and content to supplement gym time or live classes.
Combat Gym-Goers Routine Fatigue with Valuable Add-Ons
You can use your Punchpass content library to provide at-home workouts, training session how-to guides, meal planning and other supplemental materials.
Give your VIP’s access to live Zoom calls for group check-ins and convenient coaching from the comfort of their homes. Use social media platforms like Facebook to host private coaching and community groups for your elite training clients.
Complimentary content such as guided meditation and mindfulness practices (live or pre-recorded), meal plans and cooking classes, and recovery classes featuring yoga and stretching exercises are a popular feature of elite training packages that big box health clubs aren’t always offering.
By creating on-demand content and refreshing it regularly, you can easily deliver these valuable add-ons to your customers, and then consider offering the most popular as in-person sessions on your regular class schedule as operations normalize. Punchpass makes it simple and easy to automate what types of customers get access to specific classes. So, if you want to make certain classes available only to your elite training program members, you can.
Generate Community at Your Gym with a Dedicated Before & After Class Space
One of the secrets to creating a loyal community is setting up a space where your customers can gather before and after class. This is invaluable for getting to know your clients and making yourself accessible to answer their questions and make them feel like a part of your fitness family.
If you have the ability to add a coffee or juice bar, this is a sure-fire way to keep customers around post-workout. If you operate in a simpler space, you can bring coffee, juice or healthy snacks and set it out on a tray or little table.
The point is to make it obvious to all that they are invited to hang out and aren’t rushed out the door.
Treat Your Fitness Studio’s Customers Like Luxury VIPs
Give your most loyal customers an ELITE experience where you focus on a long-term relationship – one where you leverage the value of really caring about your clients and getting them results. Here’s how to roll out the red carpet with small investments that will go a long way:
- Supply custom scheduling support. Sit down on the phone or in person with your customers and show them how to pre-book all their workouts for the next 30-60 days. Punchpass software allows your customers to easily book and then add all their bookings to their calendar, and emails them reminders 🙂
- Check in with every no-show. In addition to your client’s Punchpass reminders, it’s a huge motivator for your elite training clients to know that they will get a phone call or text from you if they miss a session. Punchpass gives you every client’s contact information right in your class or training session screen.
- Give them supplemental materials. Use your Punchpass online content library to offer digital access to meal plans, workouts, pro-tips and more.
- Send them little gifts that mean a lot. Give your small group or private clients a branded gym bag, water bottle or t-shirt when they start your program. Give a gift basket with electrolytes, fruit, bars, or ever a bottle of wine on holidays or anniversaries. (They pay you $900, spend $50 on their VIP gifts).
- Host group Zoom calls/progress check-ins. Keep the high-touch, in-person vibe going.
- Provide an onboarding fitness assessment. Instead of just a free workout session, how about providing extra value and support with a baseline review of your new prospects’ health and fitness level.
- Give progress reports that show metrics – Give your customers a progress report, something they’ll never get by going to a big gym on their own. BMI, weightless, resting heart rate, strength measures
- Enhance the Online Experience: Sell at-home equipment kits so that your VIP clients have everything they need to keep up with their regimen between in-person sessions. You can even create tiered kits at different price levels. On your end, make sure you get a professional-grade headset and a big screen TV so you can see and interact with all your clients when doing live, online classes.
