321 Go Project
CrossFit Endurance
When that fresh new client walks through the door for the first time their eyes are like a ping pong ball and their head is on a swivel. They are checking out your spot, your digs, your joint. Sizing you up to see if they like it, can handle it or if it even feels good. Yeah, people can even feel it.
When you meet a new person, your watching, judging, (you are so judging) and listening to see and feel what kind of person they are. People are doing the same thing with your facility, your gym or your studio. They walk in for the first time and judge the whole thing to see if it will be a place for them.
When we have an encounter with another human we go through a processes. According to psychology major William Del Grande there are eight steps that we go through when meeting a new person. Well, how does this processes relate to what people think about your gym? Let me explain with the five steps listed below.
1) A mental picture is taken of the facility and images around us. So first overall impression is based on looks. Is your facility clean? Is the entrance well lit with natural light and look welcoming? An awesome way to test this is find a friend or local coffee shop Batista to walk into your facility. A week later ask them what they remember the entrance looking like. Now you will know what sticks out.
2 ) Next up are the dreaded critique questions. “This place is small. Wow they have no equipment. The light looks cool, but wall color is horrible.” The worst part about this is they are all going on inside your prospects head. We have all had a conversation with ourselves when we walk into a new place do not act like it is weird to talk to yourself. The best solution for this is to take the criticism that you do get to heart. As your facility grows you will develop relationships with your clients and they will let you know their critiques.
3) Next, comes the question, “What does this remind me of?” This is where they take your facility and compare it to the gym or studio they use to be a member of. Obviously this could be a good or bad thing. You can be the hero or the zero. You can ask a few questions here to get some feedback. Where did you workout before? How was your experience? Next step and this is might be a hard one for the loud, red bull drinking, energizer bunny, but just listen. Close your lips and listen.
4) Smells and odors are number five and should not be overlooked. According to Robin Reineke “the olfactory system is related to so many mysterious parts of the brain-such as memory, recognition, and emotion. Wherever we go, our nose goes first, leading us, in a sense. Science is increasingly showing us that there is a reason for this.” Gyms should not smell like roses, but we all know the disgusting smell of sweat and odor that a small gym can have. Of course your gym is the cleanest in town right? Clean, but not smelling like you just spilled Clorox. Simple Green is good product to use that does not elicit a strong “cleaning smell.” In this situation just be aware of the smells in the gym if something is off or a few people comment then fix it pronto.
5) Coming in at number five is sound. Do weights drop or does light classical music play? You want to give off sounds that will attract your type of clients. Lets dive deeper then the obvious. What other noises are going on in your facility that you can prevent. Do neighbors create interruptions during class? Does your trainer have their cell phone turned on. Think about this from the clients perspective. They need an atmosphere when they first walk in where they can processes what is going on. Loud, distracting noises prevent this.
The main issue is most of this conversation is going on in a persons head and happens so quickly. About 10% of the time you will get a person that speaks their mind and they will give you some feedback. For the other 90% it is your job to make them feel comfortable and get feedback from people who feel comfortable enough to tell you something sucks.
Go through each step and get in the mindset of new client and walk through your front door. What can you do to improve that first impression. From a new coat of paint to organizing your equipment. There are simple changes in every facility that you can do right now to make that first impression even better.
Leave your comments below on how you improved your first impression.
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