When you think about it, there are a lot of shuffles out there. There is the IPod shuffle, the playing card shuffler, and even a dance called the Cupid Shuffle! However, as a gym and health club owner the worst shuffle you may be all too familiar with is the shuffle clients and prospective clients can get lost in. So, let’s chat about how technology can act as the light at the end of the tunnel.
Prospective Clients
To be honest, new clients sometimes get lost in the shuffle. As much as you would like to think it doesn’t happen, it does. In fact it is pretty easy to lose someone you do not know much about. Think about it ; they are able to come and go from your gym with ninja stealth because the only thing that even resembles a record that they were there was that paper flyer you handed out at a local café offering a free pass. However, if your front desk is not paying attention or the pile of flyers is lost, then so are your records. With gym management software that has a strong CRM component, being able to not only report on who walked through the door, but what they did and where they spent their money is a vital tool. So it should be obvious that having a strong CRM is key, but let’s also talk about hanging paper flyers. With so much business being done online it is essential that your gym management software also contain the tools to get your business online. Having an online portal where clients can go to register eliminates the need to manually enter prospects into the system and allows for a place clients can peruse current facility offerings, and even see a full list of available classes. With potential clients being far more educated now than at any other given point in history, providing them the tools to educate themselves can go a long way in getting them to visit your facility. Having the client do a bulk of the “heavy lifting” at home ensures they are not just another paper in the stack.
Current Members
After learning about prospective clients you may be thinking how could I lose current clients—I have all of their information already! Gaining client information is important; however, gaining the right information is even more so. An overwhelming fact we should all be able to agree upon is that current clients have extremely valuable information—you just need to know how to organize and access it. Sure, you can tell how much your members are paying from your bank statements, but this can be both time-consuming and rarely gives you any insight into the success or failure of the products and services you offer. With competent software, not only can you track how much each member is paying, you will also have immediate access to an array of crucial information including clients with expiring memberships, clients with class packages that are about to run out and, most importantly, who’s memberships or packages have already expired. Think about it, every package that goes un-renewed or sits expired is, for the most part, money left on the table. Strong software will provide notifications and ample reporting to keep the business owner always in the know. For example, “ALERT: Bryant has 1 session remaining on his Personal Training 10-Pack” may be an inconvenience in terms of the email, yet the possible return is well worth it. Furthermore, with a POS system, you can associate purchases with clients. Although it may be something as simple as a Gatorade with every Zumba class, that info creates a buying profile for the client. Once you know what products a client prefers you can expand upon those offerings and sell more! Without management software, you may struggle to track these critical variables that help you smoothly manage your business. How do you know that John Doe, whom you see every Monday come in for this 5:30 workout is paid up on his membership? With management software, your staff is able to access a client’s history with the touch of a button.
If you think about it, the ultimate goal—for a gym or health club –is to gain more clients and, in turn, gain more money. A huge key to that principle is not only attracting, but also signing prospective clients. Yet, a lot of businesses can find themselves struggling with this due to poor tracking. From tracking interested prospects coming into a facility to tracking what prospects are doing and buying — Gym Management Software can be a great way to ensure no one gets lost in the shuffle.