Maybe it’s time to slow down your never-ending search for ways to incrementally change your business and instead simply focus on making it easier to do business with you.
I’m not necessarily talking about implementation of fancy systems or cutting-edge technology. I’m talking about simplifying someone’s life each time they walk through your doors.
Small gestures Matter
This past Sunday, as my wife and I were laboring our way through the grocery store produce section and past the bakery with two young kids in tow, a nice gentleman in an apron stepped out from behind the counter and approached us:
“Would you mind if I gave these two handsome young men a cookie?”
Collin didn’t need to be asked twice if he wanted a baked snack, and Owen has never said no to anything edible.
It was just a couple of cookies. Maybe $0.50 of actual goods gifted. But the gesture brought far more value to us than that. Anyone who’s attempted to work their way through a lengthy grocery list with two kids on a busy Sunday afternoon knows that a successful trip typically involves less than two meltdowns, complete avoidance of cleanup scenarios involving a mop, and minimal screaming.
Once those cookies were in-hand, it was smooth sailing for mom and dad.
Again, a little bit of complementary product costed this business some money, but far less than the value of products I will be purchasing during future visits that are all but ensured to take place thanks to the success of this most recent one.
are you Simplifying Life for Clients today?
This simple and inexpensive gesture by a grocery store employee made my life easier. It isn't difficult to create similarly convenient experiences for clients at your gym.
Do you have a comfortable lounge for parents of your athletes to wait in as their children are training in your gym, or are you sending them back to their cars with a mandate that they return in 90-minutes?
Have you provided a Wi-Fi connection for the mom who cut out of work early to provide transportation but still needs to clear a few emails out of the account before signing off for the day?
How about a desk or two for high school athletes to get some homework done before stepping into the gym to take care of the training that is appropriately situated behind academic objectives on their priority list?
Are you modifying your hours to make Sunday sessions available during a popular sports season? It may be the only time youth athletes can escape their packed sports schedules to get a lift in, and they'd probably like to maintain the hard-earned progress they achieved during the off-season.
Deliver more than just a fitness system
If you want to just get by, call it quits at preparing an adequate training philosophy and system through which it can be delivered.
If your objective is to make life easier for your clients, you need to look beyond just the mechanics of fitness instruction. Think about the many ways you can simplify their lives. Make the time they have tied up in trips to your space more efficient.
And don’t forget: If all else fails, learn from the guy in the apron, and hand out a few cookies.