How do you, as an SGPT owner, measure success? Success is defined, by the Oxford Dictionary, as The “accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. Success is a measure of progress, but what happens if Gym owners measure the wrong performance indicators?
Alongside words like “accountability” and “high value” (and many other words with little meaning), “success” is just one buzzword amongst many thrown around in this industry. With the SGPT industry still being established within the UK, many gym owners turn to “mentors” or compare their gyms to “influencing” SGPT gyms. Social media does not help with this fad, where gym owners mistake high followings to instance trust. These mentors and influencers play on the gyms owners’ lack of confidence in a new industry and charge a lot of money to give their opinions on success. But what makes these “gurus” successful? Do they have a successful SGPT facility on which they base statistics, or are they faking it till they make it through an Instagram platform?
The SGPT industry is constantly changing and moving forward as it becomes more popular and members want to invest in their health. The performance indicators should change also. Many “gurus” focus on lead generation, campaigns, and conversions through social media. Although this is needed to bring new members, is it alone an indication of success? When these experts shout certain buzzwords, gym owners tunnel vision on specific performance indicators. There is a bigger picture to success; this is where a gym workflow emerges. Lead generation is important, but we sometimes forget existing members if we focus on all new members. Member retention is vital. We want to keep members as long as possible and build a long-lasting community. If member retention is high, then the pressure of lead generation is lifted as fewer members need replacing. Is loyalty more rewarding than new Instagram followers?
Our next food for thought is the pressure of social media. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and many more platforms have revolutionised our everyday lives. For marketing purposes, it makes our lives so much easier. With a few clicks of a button, you can post experiences, adverts, and success stories leading to new followers.
But there is a dark side to social media. The constant comparison with other Gym owners and the following of influencers who guide you down the wrong paths. Social media adds a filter (pardon the pun) to reality; it’s hard to believe what’s real and what’s not. While you are busy making videos and enhancing your muscles on social media, you forget about your in-person effect on building a community.
On average most members of SGPT are 40 and above, so it is safe to assume that most of them may not have Instagram. What do you value more, five followers from age 20-something or a word-of-mouth referral from age 55 Dorine, because you changed her lifestyle and improved her health?
Another consideration is, does wealth show success? To a certain extent, A good paycheque and food for your family can indicate that your business is going well. But then it is looking at the bigger picture and understanding how we got the wealth. Gym owners can get lost, taking in instant money through trialists, extra classes, summer shred packages etc. – does this take away the value of what you are selling? Wealth is not only measured in money. A wealth of knowledge should also be considered for SGPT facilities. Do you invest in your staff’s qualifications to further support your member’s journey?
This blog has many questions, but they are there to get you thinking out of the box. Your values measure your success. Ask yourself this, why did you become a PT? Is it because you wanted to support people during a health/fitness journey? Or because you wanted to post muscles on Instagram and gain followers? As a gym owner, Quoox wants you to question why we trust one person’s opinion. Are they successful, or do they have a lot of Instagram followers? What does success mean to you? Do not be afraid to have a different answer to the “experts”.
