Winning The Women’s Market

How to market, service and retain female clients at your club

For club operators who offer consumers a traditional “fitness-only” facility*, a common concern is whether or not they are doing enough to cater to their female clientele. This is a valid concern since 51.6% of health club members last year were women. The challenge, of course, is knowing what women want. Let’s face it, ask any man and he’ll tell you, “Women are complex beings.” I agree. (As a woman, I can say this at a much lower risk of taking criticism!) This is especially true when it refers to their buying patterns and values for a health club facility and environment. This article, therefore, is going to help you better understand what women want in a fitness facility and provide tangible suggestions that will allow your club to capture a larger share of the women’s market in your community.

What do women want?

Remember earlier I stated that women had complex buying patterns and values—especially as it relates to buying a health club environment? If for some strange reason you didn’t believe me, let me prove the point with a one-word example. “Curves.” That’s right, I’m talking about the woman only “fitness” phenomenon that has spread like wild fire across the US and now other countries, with over 8,000 locations worldwide. And those numbers don’t include all the other 30-minute circuit franchises and single owner locations that have popped up. Six years ago, if you mentioned the word “Curves” to any club operator, (male OR female) they would snicker and say, “That place is a joke. I went over there and looked in the window. That isn’t a fitness facility and it certainly isn’t my competition.” Today, although many would still say a Curves-like facility isn’t “their competition,” there is a certain level of respect and acknowledgement for the concept. Of course, regardless of your personal opinions, how can you not respect the fact that these facilities have attracted huge numbers of women who would never have walked into a traditional health club?

So, what is the point as it relates to your club and how to cater to a broader population of women? Simple, identify those elements of this successful strategy and apply them to your already successful facility. The end result will be selling more memberships. What, then, are the elements of the 30-minute circuit facility that women gravitate towards? Generally speaking, three primary elements come to mind; simplicity, privacy, and sociability. In fact, if you ask any woman who is a member of a circuit facility, “What do you like about that place,” you will usually get this response, “I love it, it is so simple to do and there are no men and it’s fun because other women are right there with you.” Knowing that these are important elements to women, let’s take a closer look at each as it relates to your clubs set up and offerings.

Simplicity

There is no debating the fact that women who have never been a member of a fitness facility before—and especially those that were not athletic in their younger years—are intimidated by typical health club equipment. It looks intimidating, there are lots of different adjustments to remember and can easily cause muscle soreness after use. (Remember, although you and I may love post work out muscle soreness because it means growth, we represent a very small percentage of the population!) This is why the hydraulic circuit appeals to women. It is simple to learn, simple to use, simple to do and gives toning and firming benefits without muscle soreness because no concentric movement is involved. Further, there are no program cards to monitor, no seats to adjust and no specific techniques to follow. These aspects of simplicity appeal to a huge population of women. Think about it; there have been women’s only fitness clubs for years, but they typically offered nothing more than the usual gym equipment without the men. This is also the case for clubs that put in women’s only areas but filled it with typical gym equipment. Neither of those environments attracted the de-conditioned woman’s population like the circuit facilities have. This is a huge lesson to all of us in the industry.

So, instead of criticizing the concept or the equipment because it isn’t “real weight training,” you must find ways to integrate a simpler workout into your fitness floor. And I’m not suggesting you run out and buy a line of hydraulic equipment, although many clubs are doing just that. Even without making any additional investment, how about utilizing a system where you place a “line” of equipment against one wall of your club and designate it as the “circuit,” where clients start at one end and use all pieces in a row. Clubs that use this successfully enforce the policy that no one can cut into the line, no multiple sets can be done on one machine and that it is monitored by the fitness staff during peak times, helping clients remember the technique, and assist in seat and weight settings. Of course, if such a “line” can be placed in a more secluded area, it will further appeal to women, which brings us to the next important element; privacy.

Privacy

Certainly creating a simpler workout is extremely important to women (and usually is the first thing they will tell you when asked why they like a “circuit” workout), but there is actually a pre-requisite to joining a club for many older de-conditioned women. That pre-requisite is privacy. Many, many women are completely turned off at the idea of having to exercise around men. Although a generalization, women are typically critical about their appearance—never happy even if they are thin or fit. This concern of “how do I look,” is magnified when a woman knows she is going to be in workout clothes and sweating.

So, how can you create more privacy for the women at your facility? Certainly, having a woman’s only area is ideal but not everyone has that luxury. How about finding an area of the club that has structural boundaries. This may be one or more walls in existence or it could simply be ensuring that equipment the women will use far away from the heavy free-weights. It might be that you place a line of equipment designated as the “circuit” closer to the front desk area allowing for better supervision. If none of these options exist you still can explore things like ½ walls and planters—just be a little creative. Remember, anything that creates a feeling of privacy is going to make the women more comfortable and happier to be a member of your club.

Sociability

Another important buying element for women is sociability. Let’s face it, woman are much more social beings than men. Before I take any heat for that comment, let me clarify what I mean:

The Sales Approach

Just because your advertising efforts have gotten a woman through the club doors doesn’t mean the marketing process ends. In fact, for a woman, it is just beginning. It’s all about the relationship with a company that counts. One of the first and most important relationships is with a salesperson. Simply put, women hate to be “sold.” Rather, they like to buy. In fact, even deeper than that, women love the process of buying. This is why a woman can go out for an entire day of shopping, come home with nothing but have had a fabulous time. (For a man this seems incomprehensible because you only go shopping when you “need” something, hence “you go, you find and you buy.”)

Because the process of buying is so important to a woman, club salespeople need to approach the sale as a relationship building process. This means a number of important sales strategies need to be used. (This isn’t to say that you wouldn’t want to do all these things with male prospects, just that they MUST be done with female prospects in order for the relationship to be built.)

A more casual, “get to know you” introduction where time is spent letting the female prospect know what a visit entails as well as getting permission to move forward with the sales process.
A thorough and personal Needs Analysis should be done prior to any tour of the facility. This is a rapport-building process where the salesperson uncovers exactly why the woman is at the club—emotionally, not just logically. When done correctly this can take 20-40 minutes.
Every effort should be made to introduce female prospects to both staff and members of the club, allowing for interaction as well as questions the woman may want to ask. This type of connecting is very important for a woman when buying.
When possible, allow female members to go through a sample workout by meeting with fitness staff member or even taking a class. At the very least, get the woman to physically try one or two pieces of equipment while touring the facility. This is particularly important because so many women are concerned about being able to use the equipment. Sampling will eliminate or reduce much of the worry and doubt.
During the tour it is imperative that the salesperson emphasize how the woman will be integrated into the club. This should include the details of her first full visit, any ongoing instruction and/or club contact as well as discussing how she will be meeting other people easily and naturally. Remember that women like to be part of a group and the thought of going it alone will push them towards the door!
Finally, salespeople should avoid any type of hard closes with women. Pressuring them with “today only specials” or manipulative tactics will only enrage a woman and encourage thoughts of distaste for the salesperson. Ask any woman and she will tell you, “I don’t like the salesperson so I bought somewhere else.” This is true even if she will be inconvenienced to buy elsewhere! Instead of hard closes, encourage discussion with the women to understand what is holding her back and, most importantly, uncovering what needs to happen in order to move forward with the buying decision. (Please note that NOT hard closing should not be confused with lack of closing. There is a big difference.)

Services

Now that you have gotten a woman to buy a membership (or trail) at your club, the marketing process must still continue because, although she may have bought, she isn’t yet convinced that you are who you said you were. In order to create a happy, long-term member, there are three things that you should be doing to ensure that a woman is adequately integrated into your facility.

First of all, offer a complete club orientation, which is much more than the typical fitness orientation. Specifically, a club orientation is typically a one-hour group orientation that will give the new member a complete run-down on the entire club’s services and policies as well as making staff introductions. Such orientation is something that would be offered only two times a month but would be open to any new member. (One club got very creative and opened the Club Orientation to all missed guests. On any given orientation, four to eight missed guests would show up and about 80 percent of those would join!)

During the orientation visual aids and maps are used, appropriate handouts are given, time is allotted for questions and answers and refreshments are served at the end to promote interaction amongst the staff, new members and guests. Although both men and women attend the orientations, the women far outnumber the men. Perhaps it’s the opportunity to network and meet people or maybe it is the desire to get comfortable with a new environment. Whatever the reason, offering these orientations seem to allow the women to integrate to the club more easily, resulting in a better feeling for the facility.

The second way to successfully integrate female members into your club is by offering them numerous fitness workouts as part of their membership. Where most clubs offer one to three workouts, why not just say, “We’ll help you for as long as you need.” Of course, the fear is that members will think that they get personal attention at each workout. This is an unnecessary fear so long as expectations are established from the on-set. Simply let all clients know that most people get anywhere from one to three instructional sessions with a fitness specialist (not a personal trainer), but that every client is different. If she needs six instructional sessions before she is comfortable, you will be glad to accommodate her. When done in a supportive, non-condescending tone, this will convey comfort and warmth to any female member.

The final way to successfully integrate female members into your club is by having a system for follow up phone calls to new members. This isn’t a new idea and it certainly isn’t rocket science but far too few clubs actually do it. By taking the time to call a all new members at the one-week, three-week and six-week mark just to say, “Hi, how are you, can we do anything for you” will make a woman feel her business is appreciated. Further, such calls can also flush out any concerns or issues that she may have but has not been willing to discuss with anyone. Where a man is more likely to verbally express his unhappiness with something, a woman is more likely to just go away and never come back AND tell 10 friends about it in the process! The key, of course, is having a system to ensure such calls are made and are being handled well.

Another aspect of your clubs services is cleanliness, which is a key attraction (or detraction as the case may be) for women. Even if a woman doesn’t keep her house spotless, as a general rule, women frown upon facilities that are less than neat and tidy. Unfortunately, like any individual, businesses can become a bit blind to their own dust and clutter. Corners of the locker room don’t get scrubbed, a light film of dust sits on the leaves of the plants and papers build up at the front desk and underneath employee workstations. For a woman there is nothing as nice as walking into a new home—fresh paint, new carpet and no track marks on the tile floor! She’s in heaven. Even the smell of a freshly cleaned home makes a woman feel more comfortable. This same concept holds true for women when as it relates to a club membership. The more you can make your facility seem “like new” the more at ease a woman will be when touring and the more comfortable she will be as a member. Ensure that carpets are regularly steam cleaned, extra paint is purchased to allow for touchups one weekend a month and that cleaning is never sacrificed. Never have the club smelling like a gym locker room-including the locker rooms!

* A “fitness-only” facility is one that focuses on core fitness products like strength training, cardiovascular equipment and group fitness and typically do not have pools, wet areas or spa services.

Advertising

It goes without saying that whatever advertising medium is used when marketing to women you still need to follow the basic steps to creating a successful piece. This is, create a compelling headline, clearly state the benefits, make a strong offer, add a guarantee when appropriate, have a definitive call to action by using a deadline or incentive and, when possible, make the offer better than risk free. (Refer to any of the previous columns for more specifics or access past “Marketing Tutorials” online at clubindustry.com)

In addition to the basics, there are other things you will need in your efforts to advertise to women. First, you must remember that women like a softer approach to selling than men. Big, blocky letters and heavy borders just won’t do it. Rather women like softer colors (when possible); more feminine fonts; and tasteful photos that focus on groups and families rather than a skinny women in a miniscule sports bra with a half naked, abdominal-wielding man in the background.

Secondly, know that women are much more apt to buy a product when then are referred to it by someone (even if they don’t know the person but can relate to them). This means that testimonial-based advertising is key with women. Women are relationship builders and they love to hear about what others are doing. Creating an advertising campaign that features happy, female members of your club sharing a small story about their experiences will go a long way to attracting other women. (One time we used a staff member as the testimonial and people came in with the flyer in their hands saying, “I want to work with this person” because they related to her story and wanted her as their consultant.)

Finally, remember that women like the concept of trials. Today’s women juggles many things at once; therefore, she will want to make sure that a health club investment will fit into her lifestyle without sacrificing too many other things. Free trial periods, money-back guarantees and short-term programs give women a comfort level in trying out a facility at little or no risk.

Throughout these marketing tutorials we referred to such offers as “lowering the barrier to entry” and this strategy is more important than ever with women. Even in cases where she tries but doesn’t buy, if you give a woman a great club experience not only will she tell others about you, but also she will be more likely to come back to you when her schedule permits a regular exercise program.