For many people, good intentions are all that remain when it comes to training and fitness. Although a relatively large number of people then sign up for a gym, they often give up their visits after just a few weeks and cancel their unused membership during the first interval. It is precisely these members, however, who need to be motivated to train - and thus to not only use their membership, but also to renew it. According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer is 5 to 25 times as expensive as retaining an existing customer. At the same time, a 5% improvement in customer retention means a profit increase of 25 to 95%. Another effect: Satisfied members recommend your studio to others - to date, fitness studios gain up to 60% of all new customers through word-of-mouth.
Everyone ticks differently - how does personality affect motivation?
In the late 1990s, Professor Steven Reiss laid the foundation of motivation theory. With the help of international studies, Reiss found that everyone has certain life motives. These life motives are made up of a total of 16 fundamental values and needs , and thus implicit motives, and form the basic motivation of every person:
- Power
- Independence
- Curiosity
- Recognition
- Order
- Saving
- Honor
- Idealism
- Relationships
- Family
- Status
- Revenge
- Beauty
- Food
- Physical activity
- Rest
These factors are already used in competitive sports, but also in personal training, to spur exercisers on to peak performance. In the gym, a complete personality analysis with the 128 questions for the exact determination of the Reiss motivation type would of course be exaggerated as a standard anamnesis for a new member, but parts of this psychological assessment can certainly be asked directly when the member registers. This way you get to know your members better from the beginning and can make suitable offers right from the start of training.
Which dietary supplements and supplements can I offer in the gym?
How can I use my knowledge to increase the motivation of my members?
The better you know your customers, the more accurately you can assess which offers are appealing and which offers are more likely to cause you to never see your member again. A man in his mid-40s will be motivated by different offers than a woman in her late 20s who wants to lose weight after pregnancy. If you offer this customer a time-intensive bootcamp for her workout, it won't work as well as the Pilates class with the male customer.
In addition to offering the right fit, it's important that your members experience success. There isn't a person who doesn't get a boost of motivation from experiencing success. Whether it's at work, in your personal life, with your family, or in sports, success always follows success.
This means that you need to find out the training goals of your members when taking their medical history. By working out a sensible training plan with small, achievable intermediate goals, success will set in, which will automatically boost motivation again. Especially critical for newcomers to the gym are the 8th - 10th week of training. Any beginner who makes it through this time and continues to come to the gym will most likely keep their resolutions.
You can motivate competition-minded members in challenges at your gym or in appropriate training programs - major equipment manufacturers now offer valuable tools and interactive features on their equipment's consoles. For example, exercisers on indoor bikes or treadmills can already compete in interactive competitions with other exercisers around the world. But here too - knowledge is power! There are people who are demotivated by failure even in a fun competition. As always, it is important to use your knowledge about your members.
Members who place a high value on social interaction and relationships enjoy group experiences above all. These can be courses or special workshops. The important thing here is not so much the direct training success through as much sweat and a salty muscle ache as possible, but the communal workout.
Conclusion
Only members who actively use their membership at your gym are members you can retain for the long term. The key here is to keep your members motivated to work out regularly. To do this, you need to know your exercisers well, so you can provide suitable offers, enable them to achieve training success and boost their intrinsic motivation through competitions or group experiences.
Target Best Ager - here you can find special offers!
Attracting new customers: special offers for Best Agers
Editorial fitnessmarkt.de (DG)
Photo credit: #243627169-khwaneigq-AdobeStock
Published on: 6 November 2019