While I personally think it’s somewhat sad, the holiday shopping season has begun.
We are being inundated with promotions for Black Friday, Small Business Monday and beyond.
For many retail operations, the holiday season makes or breaks their financial year. With realities like this, one can’t blame them for getting a head start of the season. Especially in light of the strong economy. we are enjoying.
What about you?
What do you have planned for the holiday season starting with Black Friday and extending through the New Year’s Day holiday?
It’s not too early to create a plan and get things rolling.
At 6 figure Trainers, we teach that the holiday plan should be comprehensive and extend through the entire holiday season and into the postseason.
A plan laid out now puts the small gym owner in a proactive position rather than experiencing the usual reactive response.
We are not all that different than the retail establishments that experience the most sales and successes at this time of the year characterized as standard time as opposed to daylight saving time. This is our season.
On one hand, we can choose to follow the belief that, “if we build it, they will come” or we can recognize that what works for a good movie has little bearing in the reality of an increasingly competitive market.
We can either adapt and evolve or remain stagnate and suffer the consequences.
We teach adaptation and now, right now, the fitness industry offers unprecedented opportunities.
When we look sideways as other industries, Black Friday specials are typically deep price discounts designed to lure shoppers to certain stores. The retail establishment is depending on additional sales to make up for the deeply discounted items that draw the throngs of customers through the doors.
As a reader of these weekly emails, you know my strong position on discounting prices, for your programs. Don’t do it!
However, there are things you can do to draw attention to your services.
Start with thinking what value can you add as an enticement for people to get started on their fitness and wellness goals?
Second, think in terms of how this will impact your existing customers. Better yet, how can they benefit also.
A great example of thinking out of the box is the outdoor company REI. Several years ago they decided to close on Black Friday and promote a program called Op-Outside. They pay their employees to NOT work on Black Friday and go outside, and they encourage their customers to do the same.
The REI program is a huge success. They made a bold brash statement. An interesting side note is that this program started as an employee suggestion.
In the next few days, pull your team together and see what ideas they have for adding value and getting more members starting with Black Friday and even going into 2020.
Want more ideas like this that will separate you from the competition. Then it’s time to take advantage of our free report and make it happen now, before the end of the year.
