Is Group
Fitness Dead?
Did Group Ex. peak in the 80s and 90s and is zero service 24 hour gyms the “New Black”?
Many
commentators would have you believe that the future of the fitness industry
hinges on swipe cards and virtual coaches.
And alas, many more health clubs around the country are suffering fear
that their livelihoods, and that of their long suffering staff, is in jeopardy.
This fear has
led to a rise in negative self talk by club owners and a knee jerk reaction of
shedding staff, reducing services and trying to compete in the rapid race to
the bottom end of the membership price point.
The Australian
fitness industry has been built by the passion and professionalism of the
people -- the PTs, the Group Exercise instructors, and the engaging and
encouraging club owner/manager. What has served the industry well and will do
so for many more years to come is exceptional customer service that exceeds
customer expectation.
In a very
interesting article by Lauretta Stace, the Chief Executive of Fitness
Australia, she writes:
“Consumers of fitness services have become
more demanding and discerning in their choices. In fact, many now want fitness
services shaped around them as distinct from the more traditional gym-centric
services.”
In Lauretta’s
article, in the magazine What’s New In Fitness, she highlights the results of a
worldwide survey of fitness trends in 2012 conducted by the American College of
Sports Medicine. The survey revealed that out of the top 20 fitness consumer
trends the number one aspect they wanted was access to educated, certified and
experienced professionals.
One further
noteworthy comment Lauretta made in her piece was “the pursuit of innovation must not come at the cost of ensuring a high
standard of customer care, safety and service.”
Whilst I 100%
share Lauretta’s views and passion, and I have made it my life’s mission to
deliver world class customer service through millions of hours of teaching
group exercise, I was intrigued to study
another survey in the same magazine by Simon Hall.
Simon was
analysing the Australia and New Zealand Fitness Industry Survey. The survey
sample was 13,755 gym members. Of that number 68% were female and 32% male.
The survey was
fascinating and exposed some very insightful findings.
This is a sample
of the facts revealed:
·
35% of fitness clubs members
were very satisfied
·
The biggest influence in
deciding a fitness club was 81% location
·
42% Members said receiving a
motivational call was annoying
·
74% preferred club
communication via email and social media
·
Of all the social media
channels 76% of members had an active Face Book account
The most revealing aspect of the survey for me was that Group Exercise was not mentioned in any
of the featured results.
Does that mean that no one looks for clubs running great group
fitness classes?
Quite clearly the answer is NO. We mammals are tribal in nature. We
love coming together in groups.
There is power in numbers.
Here are just two simple examples:
·
Corporations wishing to market
a product sponsor sporting events because there are tens of thousands of people
watching the game accessing a Tribal gathering.
·
If hi tech home entertainment
was the death of cinema, theatres and music events, then how come tickets to
shows get sold out minutes after they go on sale – accessing a Tribal
gathering.
People love coming together with other like minded souls. We enjoy
the sound of a chorus. We enjoy the shared experience. We like being liked. We
find solidarity and kinship in a group.
Group Ex is NOT dead – it
just needs a LOUDER uniform voice
Well managed clubs, with an exciting and diverse Group Exercise
timetable, have proven time and again that it is a cost effective profit centre
and the only division of a company that will generate endorsed, unsolicited
referrals and emotional membership retention based on strong relationships.
You get that relationships
from person to person. Not from machine to person.
All managers know that in a highly competitive industry what
attracts attention from potential buyers is a unique selling point (USP) or
points of differentiation (POD).
There is an obvious POD for clubs running excellent Group Fitness
classes compared to zero service 24 hour gyms. – People to people. In other words a Health Club with a community
focussed and customer care culture as opposed to a garage of machines, a video
screen and a swipe card.
There are many highly successful health clubs in Australia that have
outstanding group fitness class attendance. How would you like to have class attendances
at your club in the 80 percentile range? These clubs thrive because of a
passionate and professional club owner/ manager who also teach group exercise
classes. They love people and they love what they sell.
We need to celebrate the growth of the 24 hour clubs in this
country. It only serves to help us in our mission to get Australians moving. BUT
. . .
Remember that 81% of
people list location as the aspect that affects their decision to join a club.
This is screaming out the need for clubs to let people in their immediate
geographic location know that they have life changing, inspirational, trained
& certified, experienced Group Exercise professionals waiting to help them
achieve whatever it is they want from a Health Club membership.
Let’s Move and
Let’s Move with a unified message of Long Live the Tribal Gathering of Group
Fitness.
Author:
Garry Hart, Program and Training Director,
Body Training Solutions Australia.
