Meet A Successful Value Proposition Concept

On rainy mornings when the door lock is jammed, the pool has turned green, a sub is needed, and the software system has crashed, the leadership team steps in with smiles the members have grown to love. The team has been in place for 18-28 years, sharing the facility’s vision to assist women in understanding that walking through the front door can be the start of a habit that can transfer to years of pain free movement, leading to a longer health span, and a great feeling of confidence.

Community, Camaraderie & Confidence

A community is defined as a social unit with a sense of commonality, mutual respect, overall comfort, and safety. The feeling of community is not about a number, a measurement, or a physical achievement. It is the feeling of being in a safe place. It means being in an environment that makes the customer shout, “I love the skin I am in”!

A community promotes a nonjudgmental atmosphere, creating a true sense of camaraderie and support. All the above can be sewn into one tapestry that nurtures the “I belong” mentality and keeps our clients staying put for years beyond the national average.

The growth of small studios and wellness communities is on the rise and seen climbing up the trend list as something to study with a growth of 6.3% expected before 2030. The following have and will contribute to the growth, in the community driven business.

Having a T.E.A.M. who shares a vision and is willing to assist in decision making, meeting the customers where their needs are.

Having a T.E.A.M. that focuses on customer experience, taking initiative beyond a job description.

Having a T.E.A.M. with an entrepreneurial mind-set, owning a piece of all systems, and management changes.

Having a customer specific on-boarding process allows for the proper introduction of unique value-added programming options that make the community stand out.

Innovative program options are essential when focusing on creating an experience that will lead to the community’s growth. This is a sample list of customer-centric programs that we deliver at SHAPES Fitness For Women.

56 Day Wellness Challenge

Yes, You Can with Cancer

Aging Fit

S.E.A.T. Supported Exercise for Ageless Training

Walk a Marathon Training

Elite Small Group Functional Training

Smart Start Integration Option

Pre-Post Surgical Training

The options must be specific to the demographic attending, in compliance with the Club or Studio’s vision & mission and have earned the respect and support of the staff and customers. Having innovative programming in place enhances the value proposition of the facility in the eyes of the client and staff. The choices must stand out, be unique and be seen as only available to those in the community itself. Gone are the days of every facility offering the same dance, strength, or mind body options. One must strive to be different and deliver the “difference making” options. If so, price is no longer a concern or sales obstacle. Some argue that you may cut off a supply or percentage of potential customers by niching down. I argue the opposite! Retaining a customer base due to having unique offerings is more important than working for the next sale off the street.

Meet Our Relationship Building Tree

There are 3 interrelated components in our Relationship Building Tree: The Root System (Our Value Propositions); The Branch System (Our Customer-Specific Programming); and our Delivery System (Our Hybrid FitPros).

The Root System: The components in our Root System represent the various components of our culture. These individual components represent our community values that represent the reasons for customers to join us; the reasons for our customers to stay with us; and the reasons for our customers to refer their friends, family members and work colleagues to join our community.

The Branch System: Our Branch System represents all the customer-specific that are delivered to our customers. The content of our Branded Programs makes our culture, our value propositions come to life. All our Programs have an omni-channel option that keeps our customers engaged both inside and outside our 4 walls.

Delivery System: Our Hybrid Fitness Professionals are our Delivery System. Our T.E.A.M. has been recruited because they have, as a minimum, the following skill-sets: have a foundation in Emotional Intelligence; are looking for purpose & meaning instead of looking for just a “Job”; see themselves as a contributor to the picture and vision; they are non-judgmental; have empathy skills; and know what they don’t know but want to learn so they can improve themselves.

Taken together, these 3 interrelated components create an environment that (1) non-customers want to join; (2) customers want to stay; and (3) customers want to share their positive experiences with by referring their friends, family members and colleagues to join.

As Hybrid Fit-Pros, we all have the expertise to find the answer to any member’s need. Each need can be addressed by any or all of those on our Hybrid Fit-Pro T.E.A.M. Each Hybrid can, and will teach, any Group-Ex Session. Each Hybrid who delivers Group-EX Programming is certified. Each T.E.A.M. Member can deliver Personal Training Sessions, Small & Large Group Training Sessions. The Hybrid Fit-Pro staff continues to grow as a customer-focused T.E.A.M. because they all participate in an In-House Continuing Education Program that is staffed by outside subject-mater-experts. The graphic below captures the essence of what our T.E.A.M. provides to our customers.

Integration or on boarding of the new customer remains the third key to success in growing a culture. We now use a popular 12 week start up programming option. Customers no longer join a gym and instead brag of starting a journey within the walls of the location. Gym or Journey is the conversation during the get to know you or needs assessment on day one. Those interested are now seeking us out for a specific program rather than a price.

To summarize, it’s the blend between staff, programming and integration that will be key to the growth of a flourishing tree that will generate a dynamic Return-On-Investment on our initial investment.