Three Things to do Before Resolution Season Ends

Hopefully this week finds your classes full and your phone ringing off the hook. While it is an exciting time, it is also a busy time in the fitness industry. With a little planning, you can use the January rush/resolution season to set the course for success throughout the entire year. Here are your three must-do items for a successful 2020. 

1. Fix your website.

Local Google searches for gyms double during the first full week in January and steadily decline throughout the year. What does that mean for you? It means you have about six weeks to capture as many leads as possible. 

What does this mean on a practical level? 

It means you must have the ability for visitors landing on your site to quickly and easily give you their contact information — phone number, email address and first name. This can be as simple as a form that visitors fill out to gain access to pricing information or as complex as a free downloadable PDF workout routine they can do from home. 

It’s important to remember the vast majority of website visitors aren’t ready to buy from you just yet. However, this doesn’t mean they won’t become customers come February. Don’t forget the mindset of New Year’s resolutioners. They’re looking for an impulse purchase, not so much a full lifestyle change. Chances are they will fail their resolutions in February, at which point you’ll be there to help them find success. 

2. Experiment with different classes and schedules.

I’d be willing to bet your attendance also doubled from December to January. While this is very exciting, it can pose a logistical nightmare for your coaching staff. Use this excitement as an opportunity to try out new classes and offerings. There’s no rule your class schedule has to be the same throughout the entire year. Why not test out a quarterly class schedule change to bring down overhead or accommodate more athletes? 

If you’ve been wanting to build up a personal training side of your business or introduce a gymnastics course, now is the time to do it. A nutrition challenge? You bet. 

If your gym is anything like mine, there are class times that are clearly more popular than others. Use the beginning of the year as a time to test out simultaneous classes or overlapping classes that start on the half hour. Your creativity is the only limit here. 

3. Re-cap the previous year and plan for the next.

It’s exciting to look ahead at the beginning of the year, but is also a great time to look back on the previous year. When did you experience the most growth? When were things running lean? What was your net new membership? Any peaks or valleys in revenue throughout the year? Any marketing efforts that were particularly effective? 

Make note of these and plug them into your calendar six weeks before they will occur in 2020. At the very least you’ll know what to expect as these things pop up. This can help with your stress levels tremendously. Or, you can begin to predict swings in business and intercept them before they happen. Either way you’re being proactive, which is a huge step forward for most of us. 

If you begin to think of January as the foundation of your entire year, you can capitalize on the natural life rhythms of your athletes and future athletes. It’s the month in which you build up your marketing lead list, adjust classes and look forward with confidence.