Wellness Marketing Tip: Learn from My Gym's Mistakes

In my town, there is a relatively new gym. They've been around for a little over a year.

The word on the street is they spent millions building it. They did a really great job. I love it.

The staff is friendly, the place is always super clean, it looks nice and it has everything you want.

Yet here is where they unwittingly force me to, again and again, question my membership.

There is always, and has always been, a willingness to cancel poorly attended classes.

In fact, in an effort to figure out what's working and what's not, they request that people sign into a clip board for each class (I never do this - nor does anyone else in my class or any other classes I've attended). So that's not a reliable tracking method.

As it is we all check in when we arrive at the gym via an electronic pass. And the gym is small enough for the staff to quickly assess who attends what classes with a quick check. So here's my first Wellness Marketing Tip: Stop asking your customers to check in twice. Your staff can do this.

Sometimes I hear the teachers or members say things like this. "Oh, I hope they don't cancel this class."

I missed my favorite yoga class for two weeks (as is common for gym members). I finally made it back into class, and the word in the class was "Oh, thank goodness everyone came to class today, they were going to cancel this class."

What the what!!??

If you are in the wellness field, cancelling classes does not project confidence in your business.

Here's why:

- First, understand the bigger picture of wellness field. People start and stop programs, classes and diets all the time. It's the nature of the field. You will never change this. Willpower isn't most people's forte.

Especially in the fitness field. You sell memberships and know that only 20% will show up and use the gym.

So running your business based on your customers ability to "show up" and stick to something doesn't make sense - numbers-wise and by the nature of the field.

If you are going to be a successful in a wellness business you must do more than simply run a business.

You must lead, inspire and be an oasis of confidence and certainty. Especially in these times.

When people are a bit more careful about where they spend their money, you must project a sense of certainty in your offerings. Anything else will not be supported. And the looming threat of class cancellation projects uncertainty. (I already have enough of that in my life, I don't need this at the gym.)

What my gym is doing is letting members lead the program offerings. It seems like a good idea on paper. After all, you want to give people what they want.

But that business model doesn't work in the wellness field. And it certainly doesn't makes sense when you understand the nature of membership patterns and the inner challenges people face when tackling a long-held pattern of resistance to healthy living.

- Second, here's the energetic signal you send to your customers when you are willing to cancel classes

It communcates an energy of lack and limitation. (It doesn't feel abundant and inspiring and no one wants to be around this. Your members may not intellectually understand this, but they feel it.)

I took my husband to check out a class with me, as he wanted to join. In that class, everyone was talking about the possiblity of cancellation. He said — "Why would I invest my money when I'm not certain it will be here? What if I can't make it to class one or two weeks, will it be gone??" Good point.

The willingness to cancel classes says, "Show up if you want. I may or may not be here."

It also says, "I'll only show up if you show up."

That is not a position of leadership. It's a wishy washy, wimpy energy.

Understand that the wellness business is an emotional business. You only have to watch an episode of the Biggest Looser to get this. And so you need strong leadership to help people overcome their emotional blocks to health success.

The energy you must project is that I will be here no matter what. And when you are here, you can count on us to inspire and motivate you and show you such a great time that you will want to come back. If you can't or are unwilling to do this, you shouldn't be in this business.

Many wellness professionals run their business the other way. They become indignant about their clients ability to value their services, not realizing that what comes easy for them, is challenging on many levels for their clients. And they have never taken the time to study the business side of their modality.

Here is the greater truth: I am paying for those classes to be there, whether or not I attend. 

If you run your business based on your customers ability to stick with a class/program you are not leading your business. You are reacting.

So every month, when my membership dues go through, I wonder if my classes will still be there. And I start to wonder if there is another more certain solution I can invest in (read: another gym).

And you can bet there is no way the teachers are really committed to teaching classes at the gym with the looming threat of cancellation. They only have to wait for a better offer.

So what's the solution?

1. Add MORE classes.

Yep. It feels contrarian but it's gotta be done. There should be more classes to choose from to ramp up the energy of the place. Request your staff to take a certain number of classes each week to get some bodies in there. Advertise your classes in the area. Create a special offer to give friends a 3-class pass. More people need to know about your classes. Classes are easy to say yes to. When I look at the list of classes, it feels sparse. For people who like taking classes, they want more, in case they miss a class (because you know that they will) Make it super easy for people to never miss a class, by having several options to choose from.

2. Change the agreement with your teachers to make this work.

If it's a budget issue, change the agreement. Think more creatively to solve this challenge. For example, lower your teacher rate and offer an additional $2 per student. The more students, the more money they make. Give them incentives for sustaining high class enrollment every 90 days. Study the teacher who is attracting lots of members to their classes (I notice he's always early and never, ever late for his classes, always inspiring, super fun and always makes everyone feel special. It feels great to be in his presence. Train all your teachers to do this.)

3. Start studying the super stars in your field for fresh ideas and inspiration.

If you're in the business of inspiring others, you'll need to invest in keeping yourself inspired too. I suggest you start with Joe Cirulli's story of how he built his Gainseville Florida Health and Fitness Center.

Here to your continued success,

Karin

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