What motivates you to tell your customer experience stories?

???????????Growing up in Maine, my gym was my backyard.?A one-acre paradise filled with hidden treasures in an area known as the ‘foothills’.?Riding my bicycle, running up the hills, sledding down those same hills, and exploring the fields nearby - well, that was the only gym I needed.

My teens weren’t much different. I hated gym class.?So, I took private dance classes (I was terrible! I showed up every week because it was better than gym!). Music was my love, and marching band my fitness routine.?If you’ve ever played a wind instrument while running around a football field, you’ll know that’s an unparalleled workout! I didn’t need a gym.

???????????Three children later, my story changed.?Over a decade of a sedentary full-time career, I found myself out of breath just walking around the neighborhood.?My waist was expanding. I couldn’t keep up with my kids. ?I was tired of purchasing new clothes – always one size larger.?Something had to change. My husband had been going to Planet Fitness and encouraged me to try it out.?I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach, and then couldn’t deny their presence.?The Gym - my worst nightmare.?I knew I wasn’t ready for a public environment.?So, I found CURVES.?A woman only 30-minute circuit workout.?I joined.?

???????????As a gym novice, CURVES was perfect.?I gained confidence over a few weeks. ?I joined their weight loss program.?Participating in a program with accountability, weekly weigh-ins and measurement, I made great progress.?CURVES built my confidence.?Curves had identified their target customer and crafted their business around pleasing them. My success at Curves was highly correlated with their creative plan for their customers.

Even so, I plateaued after six months and had to make a critical decision.?The 30-minute circuit was no longer challenging. How do I continue my fitness journey??The next step seemed to be one of the only other gym options in my community, Planet Fitness. I thought I’d feel chubby, judged, and vulnerable in front of strangers in a gym. It was a nightmare scenario.?But which fate was worse??Reverting to buying pants one size up or potential humiliation in a public setting??I chose the latter.

???????????My first visit to Planet Fitness was overwhelming.?A sea of machines I didn’t know how to use.?People staring. No simple circuit like CURVES.?I quickly decided to hide on a treadmill. Safe. After a few visits I became confident enough to try an introduction class on the weight machines.?At the class I met Craig, the personal trainer on staff at my location.?Craig was kind, didn’t judge, and was supportive.?I immediately felt comfortable with him.?A couple days later I learned he took personal training clients outside of his schedule at Planet Fitness.?I was in.?I began working with Craig two to three times a week as a personal training client.?He taught me so much about fitness. I flourished. I had abs!

???????????About a year into my relationship with Planet Fitness, their policy changed across the franchises. Personal trainers were no longer allowed to take private clients.?I was crushed. PF stated they felt trainers were not conducting enough free public classes.?In my opinion their response was a gut reaction to a small but vocal group of gym members.?Sadly, they did not conduct a larger study to better understand all their customers’ experiences. This was the end of my membership with Planet Fitness.?As a member of this gym, it was a devastating decision. I resented it. I’ve never joined another Planet Fitness as a result.

???? The next gym I joined I learned about through a colleague.?Title Boxing is a 60-minute full body workout involving nine rounds of boxing, warm up and abs.?My colleague had belonged to a boxing gym and raved about the workout.?After doing some research I agreed to go for a free class.?I thought I was going to die!?The staff was amazing though; welcoming, supportive, encouraging, and instructive. I knew I’d found a great place to get back in shape.?They allowed me to attend as many classes as I wanted through the end of the month before deciding to join.?For the next 10 days I attended several classes, and ultimately joined.?I worked out at Title three to five times a week for a year.?I was in the best shape I’d been in for years, and I learned so much.?

???????????Life brings change, and after a year I had to find another solution.?Travel for work increased and the membership became a reoccurring bill I couldn’t justify.?Fast forward to 2022.?After stepping on the scale over the weekend, I found myself in tears and Googling options for gyms close to me.?I looked for a Title boxing gym and the closest one was about 30 minutes away - much too far.?There was a 9Round – kind of CURVES|Crossfit meets Title boxing.?Why not give it a try??I signed up for a free class.?In our update call I asked my team if they’d heard of 9Round.?The response was very positive, providing encouragement for me to continue forward.

???????????I kept my commitment to the free class.?I met Josh.?I was the only one at the gym during my workout and received a custom designed one on one workout session.?It was challenging, fun, and rewarding to hit the bag again.?I won’t lie, I pictured a few faces on that bag as I jabbed and crossed.?A great way to relieve frustration, indeed.?After completing the 30-minute circuit, Josh patiently answered my questions. I liked the quiet nature of the gym and knowing it would be quiet in the mornings when I wanted to go was appealing. What really sold me was Josh.?I again found myself with someone welcoming, supportive, encouraging, and knowledgeable.?That’s important to me.

???????????I’ve had a few other not so positive experiences at gyms.?A WMCA that didn’t create community or camaraderie for its members.?A local chain where, during my initial assessment, the trainer tried to show me how pathetically out of shape I was, all while pushing me to take their version of a Crossfit class I explicitly said I didn’t want to take.?And the pressure to join and sign a TWO-year contract was off-putting.?I was not their target client, even though they didn’t realize this.?Nor did either of these businesses listen when I clearly articulated my goals.

So, why write this blog??Why does any of this matter??It matters because whether you’re a gym, software entrepreneur, retailer, or any sort of producer of products for customers, research matters.?Understanding your customer is critical to your success and becomes costly when you don’t.?Title’s staff understands their customer.?They know MMA fighters aren’t coming to their one-hour class: regular people are, of all shapes, skillsets, and sizes.?CURVES understands women starting a fitness journey need a safe space where they aren’t judged or stared at.?9Round knows supportive engaged trainers, challenging, fun, quick workouts appeal to their clientele. Understanding your customer matters.

I made the decision to join 9Round.?It’s been a few days since my free class.?I think I’ve recovered enough to head back for a workout in the morning.?I’m excited and motivated to go.?If I was a gym owner, or an owner of any product or service, that’s exactly what I’d want to hear.

Julie Dubuc, VP or People and Client Success, Overture System Solutions