Gym owners in the competitive fitness landscape can often fall victim to the pressure of trying to please everyone. But with the ever-present goal of gym growth in mind, it’s imperative that you find ways to resist.
In theory, making all of your members happy is a worthy goal! But in reality, people pleasing as a gym owner can lead to frustration and even burnout. So the goal is actually to find a happy medium, and actionable tactics to achieve balance.
Welcome to the Gym Growth Blueprint Series! We asked gym owners, “What’s the one piece of advice you’d give a new gym owner?” As gym owners ourselves, the PushPress team is passionate about helping others succeed.
Today’s advice comes from Irene Lea Smith, owner of CrossFit Prescott Valley in Prescott Valley, AZ.
“Don't try to please everyone,” she said. “No suggestions boxes. This doesn’t mean you don’t listen to your members, but never make decisions in haste. Give things time. And if you try something and it doesn’t work, move on to the next.”
Three Ways People Pleasing Can Prohibit Gym Growth.
1. Diluting Your Brand.
Chances are, you have a unique vision for your gym and a mission statement that helps to guide it. As part of the vision, you likely determined the type of client you want to serve. Perhaps you’ve even created gym buyer personas for your marketing.
Whether you cater to elite athletes, or your gym is filled with everyday athletes, it’s nearly impossible to effectively accommodate every demographic. Therefore, the key to building a strong brand and cohesive community is to focus on your ideal client. This doesn’t mean you’re trying to be exclusive, but instead simply sticking to your goals for the community you want to serve.
Sometimes this might even mean directing a prospective member elsewhere. If someone shows up looking for a gym culture that doesn’t match yours, it’s better for your long-term gym growth if you’re transparent. Recommend a nearby gym where they’ll find what they’re looking for. This type of customer service will pay off in the long run for you and them.
2. Draining Your Resources.
Constantly trying to implement every suggestion you receive can really stretch your resources thin. Or at the very least, can lead to hasty decisions made under pressure that don’t reflect your long-term goals.
Whether it’s hiring additional staff, investing in new equipment, or updating your group class schedule, quick decisions can sometimes be inefficient.
For example, let’s say you have that one member who keeps requesting an 8am class. Eventually you give in, despite not having enough coaches to cover it. Over time, you end up being the only one able to coach it, and attendance is consistently low. Not only could you be jeopardizing the quality of your service, you might have also put yourself on the path to gym owner burnout.
It’s critical that you give yourself adequate time to evaluate any member feedback. Ask yourself if it’s beneficial for your members and coaches, and what its impact will be on your gym growth. The right decision will positively affect all three.
3. Limiting Gym Growth Due to a Fractured Community.
Ultimately, trying to please everyone comes with the risk of creating a fractured gym community.
Every gym has outspoken members, which is not always a bad thing. If these members are informing you about shared opinions from your community that can help to make it better, that’s a good thing!
On the other hand, a few vocal members should not encourage you to make changes based on their own personal requests. For example, adding open gym time simply because a few members requested it could result in less members attending class, and a fractured community. Then, in a worst-case scenario, you could start losing members because your gym is no longer what it was when they joined.
Five Tips for Gathering Member Feedback the Right Way.
With an ultimate goal of gym growth in mind, the emphasis should be on avoiding the people-pleasing pitfall. However, that doesn’t mean you should ignore what your members have to say.
Listening to your community is crucial. It fosters a sense of belonging and shows that you value their input. However, the key is find ways to listen without promising, and to filter feedback through the lens of your gym’s mission and vision.
1. Create an Official Feedback Procedure.
Instead of a suggestion box or focus groups, consider a more structured way to gather feedback. A quarterly or bi-annual survey that focuses on specific areas can be highly beneficial for gym growth. It will allow you to gather valuable insights on your timeline, versus the sporadic, scattered opinions you might get from a suggestion box.
With that in mind, there’s one essential piece of info that must be included. Your members should fully understand that you’re asking for feedback without making promises. Be transparent that not all suggestions will be implemented.
After all, decisions should be made based on how they align with your gym’s vision and goals. This should make it easy for you to provide good reasoning as to why you’ve opted not to implement someone’s suggestion. Hopefully then, members will be more understanding and accepting.
2. Less Is More.
This might be an obvious one, but be sure to keep your survey short and sweet. If you can get the info you need in two questions, no need to add extras for the sake of adding extras.
Think about how you’d react to a lengthy survey. You might bail halfway through or even opt not to participate at all. So keep brevity in mind and create specific questions that allow you to gather feedback quickly.
3. Ask The Right Questions for Gym Growth.
The most helpful answers will come from asking questions the right way.
Here’s an example. Many gym owners, when contemplating adding a new morning class time will ask, “Would you attend a 9am class?” In this case, they’ll likely get a thumbs up from anyone who might attend that class time ever.
Instead, try asking something like, “If we added a 9am class, would you consistently attend at least three times per week?” This will likely yield a very different response, gaining votes only from those who would actually be consistent with this new class time.
4. Avoid Certain Topics Altogether.
Topics like coach feedback and class scheduling are often prevalent topics for collecting feedback. But there are others that you may want to tread lightly toward, like equipment or gym programming.
Oftentimes, people don’t give much thought to - or having strong opinions about - equipment. But the minute you ask about preferences, you can inadvertently open the flood gates. Worms, pegboards and other expensive equipment can often be impractical for classes and your budget alike.
The same is true of programming. Because members’ goals can be so widely varied, asking for programming feedback can turn out to be overwhelming.
With that in mind, a simple way to gather gym growth-focused feedback is to include a general question to wrap it all up. Ask something like, “Is there anything on your mind that wasn’t covered in this survey?” This way, if a member feels strongly about equipment or programming, they might include it here. Further, this option will surface topics that members truly care about.
5. Consider Pilot Programs.
When considering new ideas for better operations or gym growth, consider a pilot program. That way, instead of committing to something long-term that you might find out wasn’t ideal, you simply have the option to cancel the pilot.
Explain to members that your plan is to test the performance or effectiveness of a new idea, that you may or may not stick with for the long run. For example, you could pilot a new class or service for six weeks to gauge interest before making permanent changes. This approach allows you to gather data and member feedback before committing.
In Summary: Be Choosy About the Feedback You Accept for Gym Growth.
Building a thriving gym community starts with aligning your members with your brand’s vision and mission. For long-term gym growth, it’s important to focus on your target audience and avoid trying to please everyone else. Excessive people pleasing can actually dilute your brand, drain your resources and fracture your community.
Start by creating an official feedback procedure, and keep it short and sweet. Be specific about the topics you want by asking the right questions and avoiding certain topics altogether. And finally, consider piloting any new ideas before committing for the long run.
Together, these steps will help you to avoid trying to please everyone, and will instead lead to greater satisfaction and member loyalty in your fitness business.
