Remember when you first opened your club? When you were installing fitness equipment, arranged final details, had your first staff meeting? Do you remember your first member typed into the system? Of course you do. We always go down memory lane, to remind ourselves of the times when anything was possible. But life does go on, and so is your business. It evolves, it succeeds and it fails. This is why it’s extremely crucial to observe and draw conclusions, when things start to go bad.
Here are the most significant signs, that your club needs change:
1. You stopped wanting it. You stopped educating yourself.
2. You’re strategy is failing, no matter what you try. Are you doing the same thing and expecting different results? Well, you know what they say about that…
3. Your staff rotates faster than a rollercoaster. Is your staff not engaged enough? Are the morals low? Where is the source of the problem?
4. Your members come less frequently. Club activities drop, class attendance decreases. How come?
5. Your club technology and software are outdated. Is your software a Nokia 5210 in a iPhone 7 world?
6. Your leadership skills are questionable. Do you have what it takes to be a leader?
At any point, did you feel like those signs relate to you? Try to be honest. Admitting failure is the first step of recovery and improvement. Being aware of existing problems can actually be exciting. Once you defined your club issues, you can start building your new game plan. Remember it all starts with you: you need to find your internal motivation. Go back in time, find your “thing” which has driven you at the very beginning. Once you have found it, think about what type of leader you would like to become and stick to it. Your staff will find it extremely refreshing to see their leader making positive changes, which definitely influences their job satisfaction.
Another important issue is your strategy. Try to sit down with your marketing team and analyze your previous campaigns and think of new strategies, which might benefit your club. Don’t be afraid to involve marketing agencies and marketing experts for consultation.
Last, but definitely not least: your technology and software. Remember your members are nerds, when it comes to tech innovations. They like, when owners go the extra mile and implement new technologies and solutions. It makes them feel special. Intelligent access control, locker system and a member management software which actually gives them control over their membership. This is what keeps your members happy and increases their club activities.
Now go take a good look at your club.