Latest / Gym Business Coach Podcast / What’s the Secret to Retaining Gym Clients? Unveiling the Next Step Strategy
Transcript
- 0:08[SPEAKER_01]: You are listening to the built-to-grow podcast delivering the knowledge in all things, fitness, business.
- 0:16[SPEAKER_01]: We help jimrollers win, hear your hosts, ten lions, and Randy Axton.
- 0:27[SPEAKER_02]: All right, welcome back to the built-to-grow podcast, and my host Tim Lines joined again.
- 0:33[SPEAKER_02]: Can't get rid of this guy.
- 0:34[SPEAKER_02]: He's tried tried twice.
- 0:36[SPEAKER_02]: Randy Aston, what's up, man?
- 0:37[SPEAKER_02]: How are we doing?
- 0:38[SPEAKER_02]: Back in the cabin, man.
- 0:39[SPEAKER_02]: Back from the woods and the white mountains of AZ and join it for the last who raw until now.
- 0:45[SPEAKER_02]: It's gross on the time.
- 0:46[SPEAKER_02]: We're on the squeeze deadline.
- 0:48[SPEAKER_02]: We've got presentations out.
- 0:51[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, you know, we have our speaker called this week.
- 0:52[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
- 0:53[SPEAKER_02]: Lots going on for that.
- 0:54[SPEAKER_02]: Less than a month where it's the, we'll see you.
- 0:58[SPEAKER_02]: And Nashville.
- 0:59[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, let's go.
- 1:00[SPEAKER_02]: We're excited for that.
- 1:00[SPEAKER_02]: So guys if you're still interested you haven't got your tickets yet They are the link will be in the show.
- 1:06[SPEAKER_02]: No, it's fit pro gross some at dot com snag them now.
- 1:09[SPEAKER_02]: Let's get in the episode.
- 1:10[SPEAKER_02]: So this episode's called the next step the real reason we're talking about is too full.
- 1:15[SPEAKER_02]: It's not necessarily the next step in your business your life.
- 1:19[SPEAKER_02]: It's the next step in the journey
- 1:22[SPEAKER_02]: from your marketing into your gym, but also your clients that are in your gym a step closer to their goal.
- 1:30[SPEAKER_02]: So let's take it from the marketing side for a second.
- 1:33[SPEAKER_02]: a lot of marketing thoughts that go through a Jim owner's head is like how do we get somebody's show up in the gym like I need the consultation and you need the membership even one step yeah you know beyond that right right so so you're saying we need members and then by default you say we need more consultations which means you need more leads so let's talk about all of the actions that have to take place from the time your ad is produced
- 1:59[SPEAKER_02]: to the time somebody's handing you a credit card to sign up for a gym membership at your gym.
- 2:04[SPEAKER_02]: And let's first and foremost, not underestimate the task at hand here.
- 2:08[SPEAKER_02]: So let's go ahead and start with, you've got an idea.
- 2:11[SPEAKER_02]: It's time to run an ad.
- 2:13[SPEAKER_02]: First thing got to do is what?
- 2:16[SPEAKER_00]: obviously creative, copy, imagery, understanding the purpose of that, too.
- 2:22[SPEAKER_00]: There's logic and there's psychology around the creation of an ad.
- 2:28[SPEAKER_00]: The goal of the imagery is not to sell a membership.
- 2:30[SPEAKER_00]: It's to stop a scroll.
- 2:32[SPEAKER_00]: I think that starts the process that we're talking about, understanding each of those conversion opportunities and what each of those
- 2:41[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of like lanes or stations in the customer journey.
- 2:45[SPEAKER_00]: What the intent of each of those is very true.
- 2:47[SPEAKER_02]: So you said if the very first one is to get the person to get to get their attention.
- 2:51[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
- 2:52[SPEAKER_02]: When you've created the ad, let's just say we're just going to assume you know what the hook, the story, the offer, what the thing of the ad is is
- 3:01[SPEAKER_02]: providing, like what your offer is there.
- 3:03[SPEAKER_02]: So now we've created the creative.
- 3:04[SPEAKER_02]: The goal of the creative is to stop somebody from scrolling, doom, scrolling on their phone, assuming we're talking about it.
- 3:13[SPEAKER_02]: So that's the first step.
- 3:14[SPEAKER_02]: So step one, get them to stop the scroll.
- 3:16[SPEAKER_02]: Step two, get them to read either the headline or the copy of what the ad is.
- 3:22[SPEAKER_02]: and the goal of that next step is to get them to click a button.
- 3:25[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
- 3:27[SPEAKER_02]: See how far away we are from them coming over the credit card, the side of us.
- 3:31[SPEAKER_02]: So it makes, you really have to break it down this deep.
- 3:35[SPEAKER_02]: Because if you're not getting a result somewhere down the line, you could always go uphill and find where that pinch point is.
- 3:42[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we interpret the data, right?
- 3:44[SPEAKER_00]: The data tells us where to go spend our time and attention on optimizing the process.
- 3:49[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
- 3:50[SPEAKER_00]: This is exactly how you figure out those numbers, the data that is relevant for the actions I have to follow.
- 3:55[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
- 3:56[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
- 3:56[SPEAKER_02]: And the question is, okay, what is a good CPM?
- 3:59[SPEAKER_02]: What is a good click through rate?
- 4:00[SPEAKER_02]: What is, I mean, this is a, that's a deep conversation for another day.
- 4:04[SPEAKER_02]: But I do like to throw out some numbers because that's what I would want to hear.
- 4:08[SPEAKER_02]: Fairfell.
- 4:08[SPEAKER_02]: It's like, well, what is a good click through rate and on the truth is, you know,
- 4:13[SPEAKER_02]: when you start running an ad for the first time usually the click of the rates start high and they start to come down the average out and like we always kind of look for like one and a half percent click through rate or higher.
- 4:24[SPEAKER_02]: We've had ads that have done you know six seven percent and then after you've run them a long time they just start to come down fatigue fatigue they've already hit your market so like something to think about okay so the click through rate to get them to read now where they're clicking now the next step is.
- 4:41[SPEAKER_02]: But my guess reading the the offer on the inside of where that click takes them so you could either take them to a landing page or website to a Facebook form, Instagram form.
- 4:51[SPEAKER_02]: But the next step is to get them to give you their information.
- 4:55[SPEAKER_02]: That's kind of an opt-ins what we call.
- 4:56[SPEAKER_02]: So the opt-in.
- 4:57[SPEAKER_02]: So then there's the opt-in rate.
- 4:59[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
- 5:00[SPEAKER_02]: Which we have to look at that.
- 5:01[SPEAKER_02]: But we're going to streamline this and go really quickly from here and out.
- 5:04[SPEAKER_02]: So the the opt-in, the next step is we want them to book a consultation.
- 5:08[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, a lot of people missed this step.
- 5:11[SPEAKER_00]: I was going to say, yeah, this is this is what, and this is a really crucial part in the process where Jim owners either get it really right or they get it really wrong.
- 5:19[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
- 5:20[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
- 5:20[SPEAKER_02]: A really wrong scenario is they give you their information and nothing happens.
- 5:25[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
- 5:25[SPEAKER_02]: Meaning you get their lead and they don't get any confirmation or any.
- 5:30[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
- 5:31[SPEAKER_00]: We've got your information.
- 5:32[SPEAKER_00]: We'll reach out.
- 5:32[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, maybe that's it.
- 5:34[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
- 5:34[SPEAKER_02]: They've gone to your website.
- 5:35[SPEAKER_02]: They've given you their information.
- 5:36[SPEAKER_02]: And this says, Hey, and the next twenty four to forty eight hours will reach out to you.
- 5:40[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's your debt.
- 5:42[SPEAKER_02]: If you're doing that, you need to fix that ASAP because the guy down the streets giving them an opportunity to book an appointment.
- 5:50[SPEAKER_02]: And that's what we've with what we teach.
- 5:52[SPEAKER_02]: At the point of entry, whether it's your website, a landing page, or a Facebook or Instagram lead form, or even a Google lead form, it is to give them the opportunity to book an appointment right now.
- 6:01[SPEAKER_00]: Make doing business with you easy.
- 6:03[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
- 6:04[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
- 6:05[SPEAKER_02]: Let's say they don't.
- 6:06[SPEAKER_02]: take action okay now that's where your automation system picks up your physical phone calls pick up and you keep reminding them to the next step and then there you go you said you had to go up it's the next step and the next step is the consultation it's not
- 6:23[SPEAKER_02]: selling a membership over a phone call right get them in for the consultation that's the process in play right the next step the next step is the book the consultation so they do book the consultation fantastic Wednesday at three p.m.
- 6:35[SPEAKER_02]: the next step in your process is to get them to show up to said consultation there's a bunch of tactics and things you could do to get them to show up we're looking for you know is seventy plus percent show up right on on those book appointments now again
- 6:53[SPEAKER_02]: what they signed up for if it's free, if it's paid, makes the difference in if they're showing up.
- 7:00[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so just think about that.
- 7:02[SPEAKER_02]: How far out in advance they book that consultation?
- 7:05[SPEAKER_02]: Is it book for tomorrow morning or is it book for next Friday?
- 7:08[SPEAKER_02]: That also plays into your show up rate.
- 7:11[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, we're not talking about show up rates.
- 7:12[SPEAKER_02]: We're talking about the next step.
- 7:13[SPEAKER_02]: The next step is show up.
- 7:15[SPEAKER_02]: Then the next step from there is to sell them into or start them down a journey.
- 7:20[SPEAKER_02]: It doesn't have to be the full-fledged membership that would be nice, maybe it's a trial.
- 7:25[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe it's a short term, like a thirty-day program.
- 7:31[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe it's a three-month program.
- 7:32[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe it's a year long, but just like that's the next step.
- 7:37[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so now they've decided to start on a path.
- 7:40[SPEAKER_02]: Let's just call it a truck.
- 7:41[SPEAKER_02]: What's the next step after that?
- 7:42[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, this is the second half of the conversation, right?
- 7:45[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
- 7:46[SPEAKER_00]: Um, the clients obviously have a goal.
- 7:48[SPEAKER_00]: Some goal, right?
- 7:48[SPEAKER_00]: It might not be weight loss.
- 7:50[SPEAKER_00]: When we talk about the lifestyle client in there, they have goals.
- 7:53[SPEAKER_00]: They don't want to fall.
- 7:54[SPEAKER_00]: They want to reduce injury.
- 7:56[SPEAKER_00]: They want to, whose weight, lose weight, get stronger, tone, you tone, right?
- 8:00[SPEAKER_00]: The way it further.
- 8:01[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, right.
- 8:02[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's sports specific, like golf or maybe they just want to play with their kids in the weekend and not be fatigued and out of shape type of thing.
- 8:10[SPEAKER_00]: But most of those goals take time.
- 8:15[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously in our industry, we know that if you rush some of those goals, the chances that clients, you know, maintain those goals is fairly limited, right?
- 8:24[SPEAKER_00]: We have to create the habits that keep that stuff top of mind and the client continuing to take the action, right?
- 8:30[SPEAKER_00]: So I would go for micro goals, micro commitments.
- 8:33[SPEAKER_00]: What can we deliver in the whether it be the first session or within the first week that kind of provides that little bit of a dopamine dump, right?
- 8:44[SPEAKER_00]: It kind of checks that box so that the client doesn't feel the buyer's remorse, you know what I mean?
- 8:50[SPEAKER_00]: Get them some kind of micro-commitment, micro-win, and that could be everything from, you know, maybe they hit their water intake for, there you go, seven, five, seven days straight or three days straight.
- 9:01[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe they're tracking their diet for the first time and monitoring the food intake.
- 9:06[SPEAKER_00]: But these are the type of goals that lead to the ultimate goal that they're working for, right?
- 9:12[SPEAKER_00]: And so we had to bake these into a system.
- 9:14[SPEAKER_00]: You know, obviously through an onboarding system, email automation, maybe check-ins with Zach or your fitness director, maybe it's a coach.
- 9:24[SPEAKER_00]: What are the things that we want them to be doing at this phase in this part of the journey?
- 9:29[SPEAKER_00]: That's going to continue them down the next step.
- 9:32[SPEAKER_00]: I think those micro commitments.
- 9:33[SPEAKER_00]: Little things, right?
- 9:34[SPEAKER_00]: Crews start creating those habits that lead to the things that's going to give them the bigger results.
- 9:38[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and you said it could be consistency in the gym.
- 9:41[SPEAKER_02]: It could be the water, the sleep, the diet, all those things, supplements.
- 9:47[SPEAKER_02]: Depending on your gym, it could be affirmations and meditation.
- 9:50[SPEAKER_02]: It could be whole plunges and all these things.
- 9:52[SPEAKER_02]: Depending on what your philosophies are.
- 9:55[SPEAKER_02]: But the point of the message is the next step.
- 9:58[SPEAKER_02]: Let's get them to take the water and take that and get them to tell you about it.
- 10:03[SPEAKER_02]: Let's get them to show up.
- 10:05[SPEAKER_02]: Let's get them to drink the protein shake after the workout.
- 10:10[SPEAKER_02]: Let's get them to do whatever those things are.
- 10:14[SPEAKER_02]: And then instead of focusing on a thirty pound weight loss that's going to happen in six to eight months, let's talk about the next day.
- 10:20[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
- 10:21[SPEAKER_02]: And I think if we create, if you can communicate that out front to your clients, like what this is the goal, yes, we're not losing sight of the thirty pound weight loss that's happening in six to eight months for your daughter's wedding.
- 10:34[SPEAKER_02]: That is the goal.
- 10:36[SPEAKER_02]: But in order to get there, let's celebrate every single little win, minor, micro commitment, win next step, whatever you want to call it.
- 10:44[SPEAKER_02]: because without those things, you're never gonna get to the very pounds anyway.
- 10:47[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like journey of a thousand miles because it's one step.
- 10:49[SPEAKER_00]: And that's like that mentality is how we have to, we have to, we have to bake that into our process in the gym.
- 10:53[SPEAKER_00]: Sure.
- 10:54[SPEAKER_00]: People look, I mean, and I think so much evidence is there when it comes to the crash diets, the fast weight loss, like everybody, you know, throwing all the bells and whistles at somebody right out of day one, like don't expect the client who's never been into gym to track their macros,
- 11:11[SPEAKER_00]: You know, cut out sugar, eat the right way, consume the water, show up at every workout, do all that stuff like the first week.
- 11:18[SPEAKER_00]: Come on.
- 11:19[SPEAKER_02]: It's unrealistic.
- 11:20[SPEAKER_02]: It's unrealistic.
- 11:21[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's unrealistic now.
- 11:23[SPEAKER_02]: You may get the client to do that because if you're ever going to do it, it's going to be right then because they're so motivated.
- 11:29[SPEAKER_02]: But what happens if they miss logging their food for two days?
- 11:34[SPEAKER_02]: Do they just give up?
- 11:35[SPEAKER_02]: They might because
- 11:37[SPEAKER_02]: that you know, they let you down, they got busy.
- 11:41[SPEAKER_02]: So going the opposite way and saying we're going to start so slowly like there's no way you can fail is the right way I believe, but most of this industry is front heavy loaded all in kicked the rest, get it all done up front and then maybe they do get the goal faster, put what happens two things, they either
- 12:02[SPEAKER_02]: say thanks and leave you have the result got the result left you or if they do do that how many times have they rebounded the data on all that stuff is insane it's insanity so like the other thing is they they say thanks we don't need you anymore or you don't hit that goal in that short short amount of time and they're mad that they didn't the goal and they leave anyway so it's like we're trying to build lifestyle clients that's like that's our big thing like
- 12:29[SPEAKER_02]: read the book you've heard it on the show it's about that lifelong journey of the client that their goals move throughout the year their goals aren't so static and like they have to admit with you know hit this goal by this date or else type of situation where
- 12:48[SPEAKER_02]: most of the marketing that you're driving people in brings in those type of people.
- 12:52[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, desperate clients, right?
- 12:55[SPEAKER_02]: And it's harder for everybody.
- 12:57[SPEAKER_02]: Let's be evenly.
- 12:58[SPEAKER_02]: You know what I mean?
- 12:59[SPEAKER_02]: So again, something to think about the next step through your marketing, the next step for your client, journey, celebrate the wins.
- 13:09[SPEAKER_02]: Overall, communicate this process of the journey to your clients because without the communication, none of this matters.
- 13:16[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
- 13:17[SPEAKER_02]: You know, we've made many mistakes with communication.
- 13:20[SPEAKER_02]: We've just assumed people understood.
- 13:22[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe we assumed because we did tell them everything in the front end of this thing, we assumed that they heard us.
- 13:28[SPEAKER_00]: The other happens the fact that like this is the second nature for us, for your coaches, for your fitness director, like the lifestyle is what we do every day.
- 13:38[SPEAKER_00]: It's our ethos.
- 13:40[SPEAKER_00]: It's everything that we operate with.
- 13:42[SPEAKER_00]: We assume that everybody is just like us in that regard, right?
- 13:46[SPEAKER_00]: Sure.
- 13:47[SPEAKER_00]: What's that eighty-two percent of the nation still has never had a gym membership?
- 13:50[SPEAKER_00]: They've never stepped forward in a gym.
- 13:52[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
- 13:53[SPEAKER_00]: So if we're talking to, if that's the majority of the people that we're talking to, let's we have to meet them where they're at.
- 13:59[SPEAKER_00]: We can't expect them to just grasp it everything and just adhere to, you know, the life so that we operate with, we want to get them to.
- 14:07[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
- 14:08[SPEAKER_00]: Um, habits say time to formulate and change and
- 14:12[SPEAKER_00]: you know a little bit of that understanding that just meeting them where they're at and getting those little micro goals and the little habit stacking type of thing will lead to that lifestyle client and it might take you know maybe the consultation lays that out or you should lay it out a little bit more clear and transparent instead of just trying to sell that person unlike the ultimate big goal take the money and then now you're in a position of you know
- 14:35[SPEAKER_00]: successor failure right out of the gate with this short-term mentality and that's a big part of the reason why so many of the challenges and the short-term programs that throw every bell and whistle at the client don't have the success of a client staying with you for the majority of them aren't going to stay with you for the long haul because it's unrealistic
- 14:56[SPEAKER_00]: They're throwing, like you're shocking every corner of their world, trying to get this big result.
- 15:02[SPEAKER_00]: And that's all they're focused on.
- 15:03[SPEAKER_00]: And it becomes hard.
- 15:04[SPEAKER_00]: It's difficult, right?
- 15:05[SPEAKER_00]: If you're tracking your workouts and being consistent there, your nutrition and going through all of this type of stuff, is it realistic that this person's going to be able to just
- 15:14[SPEAKER_02]: And here's not everything in the life that they've been used to for the last forty years.
- 15:19[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
- 15:19[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
- 15:20[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
- 15:20[SPEAKER_00]: How realistic is it that the person over overnight because they gave you your credit card can just tomorrow is that's who they are.
- 15:25[SPEAKER_02]: It's not realistic.
- 15:26[SPEAKER_02]: And I think most every Jim owner knows that deep down.
- 15:29[SPEAKER_02]: But that that dopamine dump of that money in the sale.
- 15:34[SPEAKER_02]: And you know, I'm going to throw this out there right here at the end.
- 15:38[SPEAKER_02]: Most everything that you guys, you guys, just most everything that's being taught to Jim owners.
- 15:45[SPEAKER_02]: is how to sell and how to market the thing you're trying to sell.
- 15:51[SPEAKER_02]: It never, the thing you are selling.
- 15:55[SPEAKER_02]: It's never the product itself.
- 15:58[SPEAKER_02]: How amazing is that product?
- 16:00[SPEAKER_02]: How amazing is that journey?
- 16:02[SPEAKER_02]: How are we going to get this client like a lifelong success path that all that stuff here is so overlooked?
- 16:11[SPEAKER_02]: In lieu of how to market and sell the thing, right?
- 16:14[SPEAKER_02]: And yeah, well, Tim, well, the marketing agency's job isn't to market.
- 16:17[SPEAKER_02]: It is to market and help you sell the thing you're doing.
- 16:20[SPEAKER_02]: And they just assume that you've got this amazing product.
- 16:23[SPEAKER_02]: And I think if we just take a real honest look at our, everybody's products here.
- 16:28[SPEAKER_02]: The journey, the product, probably a lot of things that we can improve here, that would keep your clients longer, happier, long getting the better results longer, that you wouldn't need to focus so hard in marketing.
- 16:38[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
- 16:39[SPEAKER_00]: That's a different thing.
- 16:40[SPEAKER_02]: It's a different thing.
- 16:40[SPEAKER_02]: It's a different thing, right?
- 16:41[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
- 16:42[SPEAKER_00]: When you see that, I mean, part of, you know, the reason that Jim owners in this industry, so hell, hell bent on like lead generation is because they have a retention problem.
- 16:52[SPEAKER_00]: It's not because you actually have a lead generation problem.
- 16:56[SPEAKER_00]: If you keep pumping the well and you've got a bucket full of water, you don't have to pump that well.
- 17:00[SPEAKER_00]: So being hard, you know what I mean?
- 17:02[SPEAKER_00]: That's just nice and easy, right?
- 17:04[SPEAKER_00]: But we put so much weight on the new client, the next client that we're watching, we're allowing people to walk back out the door and we're completely ignorant to the fact that
- 17:15[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we are product and the experience, right?
- 17:17[SPEAKER_00]: The product's not just the workout.
- 17:19[SPEAKER_00]: It's everything from the color of the walls, the cleanliness, the schedule, how easy it is to get in there, all those types of things, right?
- 17:26[SPEAKER_00]: When you focus on that, like we talked about them, the podcast, right?
- 17:29[SPEAKER_00]: The what, not just the food and the how.
- 17:32[SPEAKER_00]: If you put some time and attention on the what that you're actually providing to your clients, I guarantee they're going to stick around a little bit longer.
- 17:37[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
- 17:38[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
- 17:38[SPEAKER_02]: So, all right, guys.
- 17:39[SPEAKER_02]: Well, hopefully that helps you kind of take a step back and like, hey, let's not sell
- 17:44[SPEAKER_02]: the final goal.
- 17:45[SPEAKER_02]: Let's sell the final goal.
- 17:46[SPEAKER_02]: Let's position the final goal, but let's always think about how to get the client in the next step, how to get that lead to the next step if you're funnel.
- 17:54[SPEAKER_02]: Hopefully that helps you guys track everything, track the data, make sure everything is right there in front of you because then you can put your finger right on the issue instead of guessing and letting emotions take over.
- 18:06[SPEAKER_02]: Hopefully that helps.
- 18:06[SPEAKER_02]: That's it for this episode.
- 18:08[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see all the Nashville until next episode.
- 18:10[SPEAKER_02]: Keep changing lives.
- 18:11[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see you in the next show.
- 18:13[SPEAKER_02]: Alright, thanks for listening to another episode of the Builds Grow podcast.
- 18:16[SPEAKER_02]: If you want more help growing your business, join our free Facebook group, profit accelerator, hoping training gyms grow to thirty thousand dollars a month and beyond.
- 18:25[SPEAKER_02]: We'd love to see you there, go check out the show notes for the link, and keep building something great, and we'll see you in the next episode.