Collecting water is futile when you have a hole in your bucket. You can keep pouring water in, but most of it will flow out the hole. At some point, you will become frustrated, stop and remain thirsty.
Building up gym memberships is similar. You can sign all the members you want, but what good will that be for the gym if they keep leaving for other fitness concepts? If you keep running your gym this way, you’ll eventually go out of business.
But, at Fit Body Boot Camp, we focus on client retention. Of course, you will always want to recruit new clients, but the majority of your effort should be on keeping your current clients happy. Holding fitness challenges throughout the year is an effective way to do that. When you do, you provide incredible results and ultimately end up attracting new clients through referrals.
The team at Fit Body Boot Camp headquarters provides everything you need to run your challenge. Here’s how it works:
Happy Fit Body Boot Camp Clients Stick Around
Throughout the year, our gyms hold challenges for their clients. Some of these challenges allow non-clients to participate so they can get a feel for what being a part of the Fit Body Boot 
Camp community is like.
For example, The Zero Pound Challenge is an internal accountability program designed to keep current clients engaged by inspiring them not to gain weight during the holiday season. We know that the high-calorie and high-fat cookies, desserts, meals, snacks and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks served in November and December are often too tempting to pass up. Challenging people to lose weight during this time of year would be next to impossible and not very fun for clients.
However, motivating Fit Body Boot Camp clients to simply not put on weight is a more realistic and attainable goal. Clients can enjoy the holidays with all the trappings, but they’ll still have to work to make sure it doesn’t become extra weight. We’ve designed the Zero Pound Challenge to include a nutrition plan and group personal training sessions, along with regular workouts at their Fit Body Boot Camp. Clients are spurred on to attain their goal with valuable prizes.
Beyond prizes, the rewards for clients include:
- no weight gain (if done right)
- accomplishing a goal in a community environment they love
- participating in a healthy and fun activity that doesn’t crush their holiday spirit
- the ability to enjoy holiday cuisine and beverages
- sharing their accomplishment with family and friends
Satisfied Clients Share the News about Our Fitness Franchise
Franchisees are also rewarded. By keeping clients engaged and happy with their results, they’re able to retain them. The satisfaction felt by clients can generate interest in the gym by non-clients, too. The word of mouth marketing you generate through satisfied clients can have a big impact on your bottom line. Consider these facts:[i]
- 88 percent of consumers most trust the word-of-mouth recommendations they receive from people they know
- 90 percent of people are more likely to trust and buy from a business recommended by a friend
- Word-of-mouth marketing generates $6 trillion in consumer spending every year
- Word-of-mouth marketing is more powerful than advertising
- Brands that inspire high emotional reaction receive three times as much word-of-mouth marketing than brands that are less emotionally-connected
People Like to Feel Good, Have Fun and Win Prizes
Challenges that are open to the public are effective ways to attract new clients, too.[ii]
Other Fit Body Boot Camp challenges that allow the non-client public to participate along with clients, like New Year New You, Girls Night Out, 14-Day Summertime Meltdown, and more, provide a sample of the Fit Body Boot Camp experience.
Like the Zero Pound Challenge, open-to-the-public challenges include workouts, custom meal plans, recipes and prizes or parties. The challenges provide the fun, camaraderie and, most importantly, the results they would enjoy as a regular client, and provide real opportunities for franchisees to sign new clients.
When you run your Fit Body Boot Camp gym franchise this way – focus on retention first, while providing a sample to the public – your business is scalable and you may choose to open another.
Find Out About Our Franchise Opportunities
To learn more about the franchise opportunity with Fit Body Boot Camp, fill out our franchise form at fbbcfranchise.com or call (888) 638-3222.
[i] https://www.invespcro.com/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing/
[ii] https://blog.wodify.com/post/why-you-should-use-fitness-challenges-to-attract-new-members
