Why you need to wake your sleepers

Every gym has members that don’t use the gym. It’s natural. People join your gym and get excited about changing their lives and getting healthy. It’s why you got into this business too! In this article we’ll explore the top 3 reason you need to wake your sleepers including:

• Happy customers tell their friends – sleepers don’t
• Sleepers cost you money
• Your business growth depends on new customers.

What exactly are sleepers? Sleepers are members that join your gym and never come. They pay their membership, and they don’t get any benefit whatsoever. There are a lot of myths about sleepers and how they are the silent cash cow of your gym. Read on to discover how your sleepers are actually costing your money and holding back your business. Why you need to wake your sleepers: Ezidebit

Happy customers tell their friends – sleepers don’t

Can you imagine just how many of your sleepers are out there actively telling their friends how amazing your gym is? Neither can we. Your best buzz comes from your active members, and the more active members you have the more buzz you’ll create. Referrals are a great way to get new members walking in your door. So wake up those sleepers and get them excited and talking about your gym to their friends.

Your business growth depends on new customers

If you have growth plans for your gym and want new members, you need to wake your sleepers. Re-engaging your sleepers is your cheapest sales push and is a great way to boost class numbers and foot traffic outside of your normal spikes in membership. You know who these sleepers are. You know where they live and how to get in touch with them. So call them personally and see what you can do to get them back to your gym.

Sleepers cost you money

Most gym owners and managers will know what percentage of their membership are regular users versus sleepers. We’ve seen this number as high as 25% sleepers. Contrary to what you might think, sleepers are actually costing you money. When you have a large percentage of your membership coming very infrequently it means every one of those members is a flight risk. They could all walk in your door tomorrow and cancel, leaving you with 25% less members and 25% less cashflow. Think about that: 25% less cashflow. Tomorrow. It’s a figure that is very real and would break most small businesses.

Waking the sleepers doesn’t mean they will all cancel their membership. You need to think creatively about re-engaging them so they get the most out of their membership. You could throw in some PT sessions to get them excited about being a member of your gym. Every single member of your gym had that enthusiasm at one point, and it’s not hard to awaken the urge to walk back in. Try it with a segment of your sleepers to see what low-cost offers you have to get them coming back. If your offer of two free PT sessions is well-received, they might sign up to more PT sessions.

What you can do right now

If you wake the sleepers, you’ll get them engaged in your gym and you’ll have them actively attending. You sold them on feeling better about themselves, and it’s time to deliver. As a proud member of the fitness industry you want to help people get fit, active and healthy. So the very nature of sleepers should make you feel uneasy. Wake them up. Get them active. Get them creating buzz and talking about your gym to their friends.

Now that you’re ready to get more regular members and some new ones, you need to make sure your gym management software is up to scratch.

PS: Want to make it fun for all of your members? You can help your most active members make money from your sleepers!