Having helps with the launch of numerous gyms over the years we thought this may be of help to all current anf future customers.
11 CRITICAL POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL GYM
- Consider your clientele.
Who is likely to use your gym? Male/Female
What is the likely customer demographic? How far will they travel, how old are they and how much money do they have to spend?
What are they expecting from a gym? Fitness/Facilities/Social etc
How much will they pay for Annual Membership?
Is there any Local competition? What are you going to offer that is different, more exciting and get more people through the door?
What facilities do you have available, what are your strengths over the competition?
- Parking Facilities.
Is there Sufficient Parking? Yes/No?
Unless your gym is very urban with excellent communications and passing customers, (or a workforce very local) you are likely to need sufficient parking for customers.
Consider how many are likely to be training at peak times and how much parking will be required. Ideally you will have adequate free parking on site, if not where can they park?
Customers will not be delighted with the prospect of paying for parking on a regular bases. Is there a local business with parking that will be closed during peak hours? Could you do a deal with them? Could you offer them an incentive (like give them 1 hours free parking?)
- What Equipment to equip your Gym with?
Consider who your target customer is? What exercises they perform or would like to Perform? Speak to your potential customers.
Just because you may like an exercise it does not mean everyone else does. Do not fall into the trap of other Gym owners and purchase what is right for your Personal Training at the expense of your customer.
Frequently we see customers specifying what machines they want in their gym based on their only exercise routine.
- Maintenance!
Create a Timetable for Maintenance and ensure all Staff are aware of their Duties and deliver training so you are not the only one that is held responsible for this really important regime.
Prepare a first line maintenance programming for inspection, checking, cleaning, lubrication and repair of machines. Ideally all machines should be checked on a weekly basis, tabulate and document the process.
If you are employing staff, most will have quiet parts of the day where this could be undertaken. The process of cleaning the machines will not only delight your customer but also highlight any potential issues that may arise.
If you are not comfortable with the more in depth maintenance then employ a specialist to undertake on a regular basis and adjust the frequency as you see fit. If you have a breakdown ask for a full service while the engineer is out.
The callout you have to pay may be more expensive that the service.
Remember that people always remember the bad things (when a machine they train on is out of action and they cannot complete their full routine). Research has shown that if Machines are poorly maintained this is the biggest reasons your customers will leave you and move to the Competition
- Extra Services
Ramp up your profits buy offering extra services. Protein shakes, supplements and snacks are becoming increasingly popular offering these as drinks or in bulk will generate extra revenue.
You WILL BE approached by water cooler companies offering free trials on water coolers, DON’T FALL INTO THIS TRAP!. Once you get one, customers will expect it. Great if you are a top end gym with expensive membership. If not the best option is to sell water bottles. These are easily kept and cooled and sell at a tidy profit. Make some revenue on selling water rather than paying for cooler hire, bulk water and cups which are then given away for free.
- Noise
Consider your members and their needs. Try to be neutral with no exotic tastes or inappropriate material / language. If you decide to run TV in some areas take care with volume levels so they do not complete with music in other areas.
Music TV or Radio can be good if you find the correct station as this alleviates the need for you to select tracks to play. You may also consider some companies that will stream playlists to you with some sold advertising. These tend to be bespoke to your gym and will advertise your gym and local businesses, these can be very professional.
DON’T FORGET YOU WILL REQUIRE A PPL LICENSE.
- Respect Equipment
Do not tolerate abuse of your investment.
Occasionally you will come across a client who likes to throw dumbbells, drop weights and clank selectorised machine plates. Ensure that you Drop on them equally as hard. This behaviour is contagious and allowing it to happen will damage you investment and reduce the equipment’s life expectancy. Don’t forget that your equipment is your livelihood. If you do want to offer powerlifting then get a platform, Bumper plates, HD bar and insist this is the only area where this type of exercise is performed.
- Membership Rates
Spend some time considering your desired monthly membership rates. This will be chiefly governed by the facilities you have and the competition in the local area. Offering a good rate in January is a good idea if it will hold a customer through the year. For contractual membership there are companies that will run this for you and deal with customers who miss payments, this can be an awkward process best avoided. Consider the Businesses you have within a 5 Mile radius and work with them so they can offer their employees the benefits of using your Gym as a Preferred Supplier. Do they offer something as part of the Employees Benefits Package? This will bring you extra custom. Also, if running a promotion you might wish to consider what freebies you can offer, (i.e. free Personal Training session, Branded Water Bottles, Branded Tops) as opposed to rate reductions or discounts as these will hit your bottom line.
- Staffing
It is great to have staff there to help customers but don’t overdo it. Often a gym will run just as well with one member of staff present as 2. Sometimes they will be short on work so utilise their time with maintenance/administration/Cleaning equipment rather than paying an extra employee to be standing around looking like a spare piece of furniture. Customers will require assistance from time to time. If they become very demanding they should be looking at personal training and paying for advice/encouragement.
- Personal Training
Personal Training can be a huge money spinner and adds a significant amount to your bottom line. A good Personal Trainer will retain your customers and bring new ones in. Also, be aware that at the same time if they decide to move to another gym the likelihood is they will take their clients with them. Work on a fair and mutually beneficial system that will reward their hard work and bring you members. Most gyms will have a Self Employed Personal Trainer on site but consider what works best for your gym.
- Promotion
Work out a Plan on how you are going to keep the Vibe going when you are Open – Social Media/Website/Advertising. Who is your Ideal Client and how are you going to retain the ones you have and encourage new ones to join. Sell Branded Tops, your customers will walk around wearing these and be a free Walking Promo for you, with this, you need to ensure that they are a good quality so people will want to wear them. Team up with a Chosen Charity – Help for Heroes etc as this will give you huge Brand exposure and the limit to this is your imagination.
Thank you for taking the time to read’ CRITICAL POINTS TO OPENING YOUR GYM!!!’ please forward any comments / questions.
