Gyms are unique and incredible places — they offer a respite from the stresses of daily life and allow clients to come in, work out, and leave with a positive mentality.
As gym owners, we know it’s crucial to keep clients smiling, referring friends and family, and coming back for more workouts. From remote classes to diversifying trainers to getting involved in the community, here are 8 ways to keep your gym clients happy.
Because at the end of the day — client relationships and client happiness are what makes the gym-world turn.
Offer Remote Classes
One of the best (and creative) ways to keep gym clients happy is to offer remote classes. Remote classes let your clients workout anytime, from anywhere. They can be held virtually — which means clients can exercise from the comfort of their living room or hotel room. This is an ideal way to go for customers who travel frequently. If they can maintain their fitness routine when they’re on the road, they’ll probably be more likely to show up for classes when they’re back in town. You can opt for making your remote classes available 24/7 and taught by your gym’s own certified personal trainers. Whether it’s a yoga class, a weightlifting session, or a deep breathing morning meditation — remote classes will keep your gym clients coming back for more.
Market to Seniors
Often, gyms focus on those who are already fit and dedicated to their workout routine. If you market to seniors, you can learn how to increase gym membership sales by expanding the range of your clients and reach a broader audience. Unlike young parents or professionals who are leading crazed and busy lives, seniors have the time to workout regularly. Like the younger generations, they’re interested in maintaining a wellness routine and investing in their health. Consider holding classes specifically for seniors, like a senior’s aquatic class or senior’s yoga. Make sure to gear your fitness programs towards safety and advise instructors to come up with courses that move at a slower pace. Once you remember that gym clients come in all ages and lifestyles, you’ll increase the diversity in your gym and keep current clients coming back for the long run.
Diversify Your Trainers
It’s no surprise that certain gym clients work well with certain fitness trainers. There’s a unique sort of synergy that happens when a client and a trainer work well together. If you diversify your trainers, you’re giving your clients more to choose form. Perhaps a female is looking for a female trainer — or a senior is looking for a trainer who is a little older. Some prefer trainers who are tough while others like trainers who are softer and more nurturing. Bring on trainers who are passionate about what they do and interested in investing their time into the health and lives of others.
Be Involved in the Community
Community outreach is a fantastic way to keep current gym clients, and potential clients, connected and happy. Being involved in the community is a wonderful way to promote and market your gym and give back to those who support you with their membership. There are several ways a gym can be involved in the community, from supporting the local kids’ soccer team to taking part in the annual holiday festivities with a booth or with free mini-training sessions on site. You can also get involved by coming up with something that’s new and unique to your gym. You’d be surprised what a big impact standing outside the gym, handing out flyers, and hosting a community night can have. Open up the gym for a wholesome Sunday breakfast or a once-a-month free day where clients can bring their families and friends.
Go One Step Beyond
The thing that separates good gyms and great gyms are management’s dedication to going one step beyond. If you personalize training to each individual, they’ll see the value of coming to your gym rather than signing up for the one down the street instead. Going one step beyond can mean a variety of things. Maybe you hand out a coupon once a week for a free class of their choice or offer complimentary personal training sessions after a member has been signed up for six months or longer. Going a step beyond can often mean surprising or delighting gym clients with something they aren’t expecting, like offering childcare during the weekend or themed classes that are festive and fun.
Be Part of Their Day
When you own or manage a gym, it’s important to become part of a client’s day. Rather than being a gym that’s transactional — a client comes in, swipes their membership card, works out, goes home — be a gym that keeps things personal. Remember gym clients’ names when they walk in the door and ask how their day is going. Show compassion if they’re having a rough afternoon and rejoice in their victories, like a new job or a new baby, with cards or other small gift ideas for fitness clients. When you become part of a client’s day, they’ll be more likely to get into the daily routine of a gym. Pretty soon, the gym will feel like a second home, and working out will feel as natural as going to work in the morning or making dinner in the evening. As a bonus, becoming part of their day will give you a personal connection, too, and make you feel good about the environment you’ve created.
Implement a FloWater Dispenser
Whatever type of workout they’re practicing, a key to gym clients’ success is hydration through drinking gym water that is fresh and filtered. Keep clients happy and add value to their workouts by implementing a FloWater dispenser. FloWater offers the best tasting, healthiest filtered water on the planet for a fraction of the cost of bottled water. If clients are staying hydrated with tasty water, they’ll have better workouts and feel more enthusiastic about their workouts. From 24 Hour Fitness to Club Pilates, brands everywhere are going the route of a FloWater dispenser. It protects the planet, offers advanced hydration, and a pure taste — when it comes to water, it’s the best of all worlds.
Celebrate Client Success
One of the most important things you can do for gym clients is to celebrate their success. When a client does something exciting in the gym world or reaches a milestone, it’s time to celebrate! Luckily, there are so many fun and creative ways to recognize success at the gym. Some gyms go the route of promoting their clients on social media or through their website. You can also increase client motivation by posting success stories in the gym. Clients are encouraged when they can see how dedication of fellow gym members pays off. Maybe it’s a client who started at a one minute plank and progressed to a five minute plank — or a positive weight loss story. Always remind clients that there is no such thing as failure — there is only growth. Sometimes, they might get thrown off course, but there is always the opportunity to hop back on the workout bandwagon and get motivated.
More Ways to Keep Gym Clients Happy
Once you tackle the 8 strategies above and implement them in your fitness gym floor plan, try some of these additional ways to keep your gym clients in a state of workout bliss.
- Use rewards like gift cards or branded items like towels, shirts, and headbands.
- Host nutrition classes so that gym clients stay committed to their health both in and out of the fitness facility.
- Turn to social media to market and spread the word using videos, images, and updates.
- Encourage clients to set goals and create vision boards for what they want to achieve.
- Try using an online management system where clients can book classes and view upcoming events.
- Focus on attracting new members and remember to appreciate and acknowledge the longtime members.
- Keep your staff happy and engaged with regular events, classes, and seminars.
- Focus on some ideas for promoting your events. For example, pilates promotion can help you win some clients.
- Work on connecting your clients together through networking events and hosted parties.
Whether you’re putting in a FloWater dispenser or making sure you take the extra step and go above and beyond — client happiness is at the core of any thriving fitness business or gym.
If you keep your clients engaged through marketing, fun classes, and attention to all the small details, they’ll keep coming back for more year after year. We’ve even heard of gyms that sing group renditions of happy birthday before class starts! The key is to find a way to make yourself and your gym stand out in a competitive market and keep your gym clients smiling.
From all of us at FloWater, thanks for reading! We hope you enjoy implementing these tips and tricks into your everyday work routine.
Are you a gym member who wants to mention something your gym does? Or a gym owner who has found the perfect way to keep your clients engaged? Feel free to share your story with us and our community in the comments below.
