Align These 5 Stars and Your Gym Staff Will Execute Like Demons.

The best thing about conventions is what you take away from them. You can go to a convention for a couple of days, talk to like minded operators, tackle key issues and then head home with so many trusty ideas to implement at your facility. Then, you share these ideas with your staff and send them on their way to implement said ideas, only for them to fall apart and fail miserably.

Truth be told, that was bound to happen – you just may have not realized it. One thing you need to remember is that leadership requires you to lead – it’s as simple as that. A good idea that should work, needs to be worked.

In order for these ideas to work, you need to make sure you have the following five areas covered when enlisting staff.

Vision + Resources + Incentives + Skill Set + Action Plan = Change

Without Vision, you will see staff Confusion

Without Resources, you will see staff Anxiety

Without Incentives, you will see staff Resistance

Without a Skill Set, you will see staff Frustration

Without an Action Plan, you will see staff False Starting

To leverage an example to make the above point, let’s say at a recent convention you purchased our platform, Myzone. When you get home from the convention and meet with your team to discuss your recent purchase, here’s how I would address the operational change of how you will effectively implement the product.

1. I would go to my checklist and notice that I must first sell the Vision I have for Myzone at our facility.

I would leverage the 35 year old yet forever relevant “Prochaska Transtheoretical Change Model ” to explain that there is a unique strategy for each stage of the member journey, and that Myzone is designed to engage the members at the maintenance stage. The product is designed to fight off a relapse, when it comes to exercise routine. By painting the big picture of a given member, and giving Myzone a key role to play, the staff can see where you are coming from. Another way I would paint the vision is by sharing the top trends in the fitness industry, according to ACSM. I would show them how wearables, HIIT and Group Training are in the top 3, and that the Myzone programming is designed to harness that wave. This way I avoid confusion, to WHY we are doing this.

2. I would give them Resources to learn more about Myzone.

Don’t expect to just install the system and your staff will ‘figure it out.’ Make sure you supply your staff with videos, talking points, promotional collateral and all the information they would need to learn more about the product and communicate that with your members. At Myzone we provide all of this, but for any given initiative, ask yourself, have you resourced your team so they don't feel anxious walking into the execution phase?

3. Make sure to offer your staff an Incentive.

No, this doesn’t always mean commission. I would break your staff into their designated groups (i.e. personal trainers, group training instructors, sales staff etc) and show them ‘what’s in it for me’ (WIIFM) by using Myzone technology.

For 1-1 trainers, I would show them how it can keep their clients accountable to cardio homework outside of paid sessions, adding value to the relationship and making it harder to sever the situation. (read: retention of 1:1 trainig revenue)

For small and large group training coaches, I would show them how Myzone helps them to validate the HITT workout through calorie burn, points and HIIT protocol. i would show them that by creating a digital community of support using both photos and comments like Facebook or Instagram, it will keep the customers coming back for more.

For your sales team, I would show them how to leverage Myzone to overcome the common sales objection of ‘I have failed before and I’m not sure I will keep it up this time.’ The sales team can see that by helping the prospect focus on the process (earning points on a socially supportive platform) not just the end result, it is achievable, this time.

For club management I would also show them how to create zone match class or a MEPS challenge to drive member usage and drive engagement, and how Myzone users deliver 33% more visits, 2 months more retention, and 11 points more in terms of net promoter score.

4. Nurture your staff’s Skill Set

In a short but sharp staff huddle, I would role play how you can use Myzone in each scenario, practice the talking points. Make sure to walk over any questions they may have so that they feel ready, there is nothing like self-efficacy to drive commitment to an initiative. One thing is for sure, if staff feel weak on a topic, they will be half committed, and they will get frustrated when held to account. Set them up for success!

5. Create an Action Plan

This is the game plan, of who does what, and when. Make sure to check this one pager on an agreed cadence to ensure the roll out is going smoothly. Without a head coach handing out the play and keeping the team accountable, there will a certain false start. So allow them to follow the leader.

If you follow these 5 steps, you will be sure to have a team in sync, executing like demons!