You’ve watched the news, read the papers and had a terrified glance at your bank statement, you know there’s a recession happening, and you know what this means for your business. In these economic times everyone’s trying to cut back where they can; goodbye fancy nights out on the town, sayonara cinema night and see you soon gym membership? These days some businesses are booming while others are wilting into the ground, if you want to make sure your customers don’t decide to walk out of your door you need to familiarise yourself with their concerns.

Lack Of Quality Help

Having at least one qualified, quality personal trainer on your floor speaks volumes about your gym. Even if the majority of your members don’t require a full time personal trainer service having a member of staff who not only knows what they’re doing but has studied and passed exams to prove it means members can be sure when they ask for workout advice they’re getting top quality. Having someone on your gym floor with passion and skill inspires your members to work to their full capacity, if you employ ‘trainers’ who are looking for fast money with no hard work then trust me, your members will be able to tell, and they won’t be interested.

Drab, Outdated Equipment

Think about how you spend your money, would you buy an old TV that doesn’t get the latest channels? Would you splash out on a brand new phone with none of the mod cons? Neither would we, and we wouldn’t pay out every month for a membership to a gym with out of date equipment when we can find the latest technology elsewhere. If you have the latest equipment in your gym your members will know you take your business seriously and you keep on top of innovation to enhance their experience, you’re not just taking their money and leaving them to it.

Think about it this way, your staff are the brain of your gym, your members the soul and your equipment the body, you want your body in full working order so everything else runs in harmony.

They’re Going It Alone

You want your gym to have a sense of community and camaraderie so your gym is more than just a fitness factory, it should be a place where people build relationships they don’t want to leave behind. Create group activities so people can get to know each other, work out together and boost morale together.

There’s No Familiarity

If there’s one thing that sets a great gym apart from good gym it’s familiarity, it’s keeping up personal communication between yourself and your members. There’s nothing that causes more ill feelings than being pursued and pampered right up until the moment you sign your name (and your direct debit details) on the dotted line and then everyone disappears in a flash. If you want your members to feel like part of the gym and not just walking cash machines make sure to keep the lines of communication open.

After a new member has been with you 1-3 months give them a call and ask them how their experience has been and what, if anything, they would like improving. Don’t try and sell them anything, don’t push them for compliments and don’t chase them if they don’t want to talk, just let them know their business is appreciated and your door is open.

Lack Of Child Care

Lack of child care is one of the most popular reasons people leave gyms, and it’s so simple to fix. As we’ve said before, it’s a recession out there and people can’t pay for gym memberships and babysitters, so make sure they don’t have to. Hire a childminder (and entice them with membership reductions to save yourself money) to look after children at certain times of day so mums and dads can work out without having to shell out on extras.

Go Straight To The Source

If you really want to know why your members are leaving your gym, all you have to do is ask. Send your members a questionnaire asking them about the quality of their experience and what they feel could me improved, and do your best to meet expectations so your business can go from strength to strength.

This post was written by Emma Smith on behalf of JLL Electronics, a leading tread mill suppliers currently supplying the UK’s first digital treadmills.