Welcome to our blog post series on how to increase nutrition revenue in a gym!
Are you a gym owner that needs more money? Do you consistently find yourself looking for ways to help people, but also help yourself gain more gym revenue?
Well we can help! In this article we will talk about how you can help more people see better results, and make more money in the process with a nutrition program.
If you don’t currently have a nutrition coaching program in your gym it’s a great revenue stream to add, and also helps increase member retention. Some gym owners running the HSN Mentoring nutrition program in their gyms get additional revenue of between 5k – 15k per month.
They have their systems dialed in, and their nutrition coaches basically have their own business within the walls of the gym.
Check out how Rob Schwartz, owner of All Fit Orlando brings in $15,000 per month with his nutrition coaching program.
This could be you!
Making it a point to assess how you are marketing your nutrition program to your current members could ultimately help you increase gym revenue by thousands. Many times gym owners, and nutrition coaches are so fixed on getting external new clients for their nutrition program that they forget about the low hanging fruit right in front of them; the current members in their fitness business.
In this blog post we will give you 5 tips to get buy in for your nutrition program from your existing members.
5 Ways To Increase Gym Revenue Through A Nutrition Program With Buy In From Your Existing Members
If you started a nutrition coaching program after you opened your gym, then the members who were onboarded before the program started will not know about the program unless you tell them. Changing the former culture of a fitness facility to a fitness and nutrition facility takes some effort.
New members understand their nutrition options. They are onboarded through the free intro process that includes nutrition, and health coaching from the start. It is the current clients we need to work on.
Asking yourself a few questions specifically related to how you promote, and talk about your nutrition program internally will help you determine what changes you need to make to your internal marketing plan.
Do you consistently highlight your current nutrition clients?
Do you ask a nutrition question of the day?
Do you have a nutrition board?
Do you have any signs and banners?
Does your staff know how to refer existing customers to the nutrition program?
In the next section we will break down the answers to these questions and provide tips on how to develop a strategy related to each one.
Tip #1 - Consistently Highlight Your Current Nutrition Coaching Clients
There are a couple of ways we do this at Healthy Steps Nutrition and HSN Mentoring:
Wall of Success
The wall of success is a wall with pictures of your current and past gym members and nutrition clients. Each picture has a breakdown of what each client gained, lost and learned.
The wall provides visual proof of your programs efficacy. Current clients see it when they walk by it daily. Leads walking into your facility also see it which increases the integrity of the program they are about to buy into.
Client Success Stories
Client success stories will help grow your business and increase your gym’s revenue more than any other type of marketing! We have an entire article dedicated to teaching gym owners how to use client success stories in their marketing and social media. The truth is that when people see the success of others, they want the same thing.
And research shows that 92% of people research reviews and testimonials before they make a purchase. After seeing visual proof of other’s success, people will gladly pay extra in order to get the same results.
Having a current and consistent stream of success stories on your social media platforms, in your newsletters and emails, and on your nutrition board will definitely help you sell more memberships to your nutrition coaching program and increase recurring revenue.
Tip #2 - Implement A Nutrition Question Of The Day
Nutrition Questions of the day provide some free help for your members centered around nutrition. But more importantly they keep the conversation around nutrition going in your facility. Fitness classes provide the perfect target audience. People are there to get in better shape and improve their bodies.
When clients learn how much of a priority nutrition is, and you model that importance, they begin to shift their mindset to put nutrition as the foundation of their health.
How Does The Nutrition Question Of The Day Get Asked
We like to see the nutrition question of the day get asked in class and in any of the gym’s private community groups get asked one time per week. The nutrition coach will come up with a nutrition question to ask the gym membership. They will relay that question, and answers to the fitness staff coaching classes that week. The question will be asked each class on that designated day.
At the start of class during the whiteboard brief the fitness coach will give a brief intro and let the class know it’s “Wellness Wednesday”, or “Food For Thought Friday”. Something catchy like that. They will ask the question and go around the class getting responses from clients.
There is usually some laughter and joking around which is great. This question gives opportunity to the gym to bring nutrition into the conversation, and gives opportunity to the client to learn something about nutrition.
Here are some examples of nutrition questions of the day:
How much water have you drank today?
What did you eat for breakfast?
What is your favorite ways to eat veggies?
What sources of protein do you plan to eat today?
You can find a complete list of nutrition questions of the day in this blog post, and learn in detail how to use them to engage your current members!
Tip #3 - Make A Nutrition Board
Having a nutrition board is another great way to increase the presence of nutrition in your facility.
A nutrition board is like a white board. It is hung on a very visible wall that many new clients, and current clients see on a regular basis. Putting nutrition tips, recipes, and success stories on the nutrition board helps you get more clients by keeping nutrition at the forefront of people’s minds.
Additionally you can put the nutrition coaches email address, and office hours on the board. This lets potential clients know how to reach the coach.
QR codes are a great way to keep things simple. Adding a QR code that links directly to the nutrition coaches free intro calendar, or email is sure to ultimately end in a sale that will increase revenue.
Because the nutrition board is in a visible location, leads and members continue to see the consistent message of how important nutrition is.
Tip #4 - Put Up Some Signs And Banners
Don’t be shy! I’m a big proponent of just say it!!! If you have something that will help improve someones life, not letting them know all about it is a disservice.
Hang your signs up in one of the most visible spots in the gym. A spot where almost EVERY clients ends up at some point during their one hour daily visit…the bathroom!
You heard it! We suggest that our clients post signs and banners about the nutrition in the bathroom. Every client will see it. Comments are made by many of our clients regarding how they only noticed the flyers about nutrition because they were in the bathroom.
Just like the nutrition board, use a QR code that links to the nutrition coach somehow. If you have a nutrition challenge or nutrition talk coming up, hanging literature on those events in the bathroom is also a great idea!
Tip #5 - A Gym Owner Should Ensure Their Fitness Staff Knows How To Refer Clients To The Nutrition Program
Most gym owners forget this part! There is quite a bit of education that goes into building a nutrition program. After all the certifications are passed, the pricing is set, the nutrition board is made, and program is up and running, we forget about our current fitness staff.
They play an integral part in growing the program. Getting them bought in and knowing how to make a referral to the nutrition coach is huge. Ensure that every fitness coach understands how to get a potential client in touch with the nutrition coach.
If you do not, you are leaving money on the table.
When Sally asks coach Johnny why she can’t lose fat in her arms, coach Johnny has the perfect lead in to refer Sally to the program. But if he doesn’t know how, he’s going to tell Sally that you can’t spot lose fat and wear long sleeve shirts.
This becomes a missed opportunity to help someone deeper than with just their fitness goals, and is also a missed opportunity to gain more revenue.
Educating all staff in your fitness center how to refer clients to the nutrition program is huge.
Wrap Up
We understand there is a lot on a gym owners to do list. The great thing about some of these tips is they can be delegated to the nutrition coach. Consistency is key. Our suggestion is to start implementing one tip at a time until it’s consistent.
Only then should another be added.
If you are looking to start a nutrition program in your gym but don’t know where to begin, we can help!
