Rising to the Challenge - Letter to HCM May 2020

The fitness industry is in a state of shock due to COVID-19. Two-thirds of the world’s gyms are closed, and 230 million members are unable to visit their clubs. But we are resourceful and resilient, and will fight to stay in business. 

You need a plan, and it needs to be flexible, to adapt as the situation changes.

Health Club Management Magazine May 2020

Surviving COVID 19 in the Fitness Industry with Guy Griffiths | Conversations with ClubRight

We joined Wayne Heath on the ClubRight podcast last week to discuss surviving and thriving in the fitness industry

Amongst other things, we talk about

• taking payments or not, and giving members a choice
• turning cancellations into feedback opportunities
• key communications for the industry at the moment
• email, follow up with calls, sms, post
• re-opening process and plans
• what should your systems do to help you out of lockdown
• working harder to retain digital members, learning about them
• new business models

Find out more about ClubRight here.

Managing Member Payments in Lockdown - Webinar

Our latest 20 minute webinar talks about the different options for taking member payments while your physical club is closed.

We also discuss what happens in month 2, how to manage payments once clubs re-open, and reference Eric B & Rakim.

Who you gonna call? Gym Owner Monthly Article

The phone has become such a vital part of our lives, we sometimes need reminding where it started. Your members might have an app (or several) that track their fitness, enable them to book classes, stay in touch with their PT, or receive a reminder about their next appointment. But did you know you can also make and receive phone calls?

Despite privacy concerns and worries over app addiction, the fitness industry is racing along on the wave of social media and internet, particularly for sales and marketing, but also for member engagement. In September 2017, the average person scrolled through 300 feet of social feed per day [socialmediaweek], which is the same size as the Statue of Liberty. (The article talks about engagement in a faster flowing social stream). I’m a big fan of technology, and have published some compelling case studies showing the positive effect of apps and software on member retention. But I want to show you that we shouldn’t forget the old methods too.

Fitness Business Survival & Minimising Cancellations

The global fitness industry has taken a massive hit from COVID-19. But health and fitness are now trending keywords, and everyone is talking about being more active, from Boris Johnson to Joe Wicks. If you’re ready, being a gym owner or personal trainer is about to become the new astronaut - one of the best jobs ever!

Gyms have had to close their doors, but the transition to online digital solutions is incredible. The industry was slowly heading in this direction, but now our hand has been forced, and we’re adapting quickly to change. At the same time as adopting tech solutions, we also need to keep a positive mindset, be more kind, and talk more.

Membership sales focus is out of the window. Now is the time to work harder than ever on your member retention. Here are 3 tips for fitness business survival and coming out the other side fighting fit with as many members as possible.

EGYM Webinar - Member Retention in Times of Crisis

This is a version of the webinar comissioned by eGym broadcast on 25th and 31st March. We discuss keeping members engaged through digital and traditional channels, with apps, challenges, and phone calls, email and sms. Also maintaining staff engagement - do they need a sense of purpose, or want to help with club comms. Finally, how to manage membership subscriptions, and minimise cancellations.

How to adapt your fitness challenges during Coronavirus

A lot of club-based fitness challenges aren’t feasible right now. Whether you’re in a country on lock-down, or your club is still open but practicing social distancing, you can’t reward members for attending the club or encourage them to visit more if they don’t want to. 

Here’s a handful of challenges that you can still set your members. Some will depend on your business model, systems and software. But you can adapt a lot of these, and as always, simplest is best.

Minimising Membership Cancellations at Gyms and Health Clubs

Health Clubs and Gyms across the world are facing tough times right now. Here's a bunch of ideas and pointers that might help you to minimise membership losses and make the best of a bad situation.

Before they try to cancel...

• Tell them what you're doing at the club, other options you have for remote training/support/exercise (see below)
• Any PTs to offer calls to their clients and any other members for an at-home programme, or general support chat, and book a weekly/fortnightly follow-up
• Be proactive - reach out and appeal to your members goodwill. {e.g. Many of our members have asked how they can help us at this challenging time - if you buy a PT pack now, we'll give you extra credits (e.g. buy 10 sessions get 12)}

Handling Membership Cancellations

To help support clubs, particularly independent gyms and studios, I recorded a 10 minute version of an adapted version of the leavers section of our Retention Bootcamp. 

I hope it helps you to show your members that you care, get some good feedback from processing leavers better, and possibly turn a few cancellations around.

LetsMove Challenge postponed to 5 October

Technogym have taken the difficult decision to postpone their Let's Move for a Better World campaign due to the restrictions in place around the world.

Let's Move is more than just a fitness challenge, it is a movement in the fight against inactivity, a community engagement campaign with clubs at the heart of the community. 2020 will be the 7th year of LetsMove, with over 500,000 people expected to take part in 1,600+ clubs across 46 countries, so we support and respect their decision to delay Let's Move until 5th October 2020.