We are told our current economy is strong and that unemployment is at an all time low. That doesn’t necessarily translate to more expendable income for most people. It just means most people are busier.
In this increasingly busy economy people have a finite amount of time and money to spend on gymnastics. Combine this with MANY choices of where to spend their limited time and money. Other factors like on-line gaming and the negative press surrounding gymnastics will continue to make our jobs difficult.
Gymnastics is Gymnastics. We all have basically the same equipment and apparatus. What is going to attract people to your gym and get them to stay?
We can no longer count on the “Olympic Rush” or a bump from major TV events. Your best marketing tool has always been word of mouth and that will continue. Especially in the age of Social Media.
A happy customer is going to tell ONE friend and may post a photo on social media. An UNHAPPY customer is going to tell everyone and post negative photos, reviews all over social media.
To keep a client happy and keep the positive energy flowing you need to exceed their expectations of customer service. If all you do is “teach gymnastics” you are going to struggle. The kids like to bounce on the trampoline and Tumbl Trak. They like to run, jump and the gym should be fun for them. But they do not pay the tuition.
What do you do to improve the experience for the parents? We would love to believe that each parent is going to be engaged watching their child in the gym. Reality is that they are multitasking. They are checking work e-mail. They are making appointments and checking in on their other children.
How have you trained your staff to interact with the parents? I am sure they are all great teachers, but do they know what to say (and what NOT to say) to parents?
- Do they know how to greet a new customer?
- Are they capable of answering questions behind the desk?
- What do they view their job as? Just a coach or teacher? or do they see that they are here to service a family?
My daughter, Maddie, moved out to Colorado late last fall. She started working for a company called The Ski Butlers in December. This company rents ski and snow board equipment and delivers it right to your condo, hotel or house. They have high end equipment and are located in 19 locations serving about 50 ski resorts.
Maddie’s first 2 days of training were NOT spent on getting to know the equipment, the vans, or the computer programs. They were spent learning how to improve every customers experience. How to deliver the best customer service. Only after 2 days of training on customer service were they introduced to the equipment.
This concept radically changed how I started training new employees. Prospective employees are coming in because the already know and at least LIKE gymnastics. What they do not know is what sets us apart from other activities in the area. The experience we want every customer to enjoy. Instead of a prospective employee spending their first few hours of training in the gym, they spend their first hours in the office. Listening to how we interact with our clients. Learning about the expectations we have. Learning where to find the information or who to ask. THEN we let them go into the gym
Every week I try to improve the experience our customers have at my gym. Whether it is a parent of a toddler or an elite gymnast. We need to keep our standards high.
