Everyone has a reason for choosing one gym over all the others available. Some of the reasons are widespread, while other reasons are based on highly individualized preferences.
I certainly have my own list of reasons for bypassing gyms. My reasons range from no indoor cycle classes offered, to not having carpet in the locker room. Hey, sometimes my feet had to hit the floor, and it was better for me when that floor is not ice cold.
Admit it; you have some quirks too, right?
But those are personal preferences, and when it comes to things like that, there will be no pleasing everyone. After all, even I can see the practicality in not installing carpet in the locker room!
But what about the more mainstream reasons that sway clients toward signing up with a gym? Of course, there are the usual suspects: location and price. But, a lot of gym goers aren’t necessarily opting for the cheapest option or the one in walking distance.
So, what could make people pay more or go out of their way for a workout?
The Mainstay Classes Are Offered
There’s always a new fitness fad taking over for a time. And while there’s no need to try to keep up with them all (because you’ll be dizzy), it’s important to sniff out the ones with staying power. You know, the ones clients keep asking about.
When fads are followed too closely and integrated into the class schedule all the time, people don’t know what to expect or count on. Plus, as the fads inevitably fade and new ones take over, it can be disorienting to some to see the schedule changing yet again with a roster of new classes they don’t understand.
The Gym Tries to be Clean
This paragraph should simply read “enough said.” But to elaborate, a good translation might read something like, “the gym helps protect people from getting sick.”
Things like effective materials for a good, sanitizing hand-and-equipment wipe down, and soap in the bathroom dispensers matter a lot (especially during the winter germ season). Plus, when people are wiping down, they are helping maintain the overall cleanliness of the gym!
The Gym Consistently Offers the “Right” Environment
This means different things to different people, so creating the perfect environment for everyone will be impossible. For instance, some goers love a cozy atmosphere where the staff regularly walks the floor interacting and conversing with them. Others prefer to be left to their own devices to get lost in their music and workout session: they figure if they have a question, they’ll go ask someone.
Here, it’s important to know your brand and how you want to do things, and then to be consistent with that idea so everyone knows what to expect with every single visit.
Could you BE the reason a person chooses your gym? Check out Why Clients Choose a Particular Trainer
What reasons have you, or your clients, chosen a particular gym? Let us know in our Facebook comments.
NFPT trainers, don’t forget to join our Facebook community! We look forward to chatting with you!
Tanisha Rule has a BA in English and is a former Mad Dogg-certified Spinning instructor. She taught indoor cycle and boot camp and has now combined her passions as a full-time writer for the health and fitness industries, check out her site at www.ruleboutiquewritingservices.com. If she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found happily training for an endurance event, likely after having said, “This is my last one for a while,” because there is no finish line; there is only progress.
