The Bias We Don’t Like to Admit Exists in Customer Service

 

The Bias We Don’t Like to Admit Exists in Customer Service

A few days ago, my daughter and her boyfriend, both 17, went out for dinner at what should have been a really nice restaurant experience.

Instead, they waited around an hour and a half before being properly served.

Eventually, I stepped in and spoke to the manager and we are still in discussions on this one

Bias.

Because if I’m honest, I strongly suspect the experience would have been very different had a middle-aged couple in business attire walked through the door instead of two teenagers.

And that’s uncomfortable to admit.

But it happens everywhere. Including in our industry.

Human beings are naturally wired to make quick assumptions. Psychologists refer to this as unconscious bias or implicit bias. These are the automatic judgements our brains make based on age, appearance, clothing, body language, gender, confidence, attractiveness or perceived status. The difficult part is that most people genuinely do not realise they are doing it.

In customer service, these assumptions influence far more than we think. They affect how quickly somebody is approached, how warmly they are spoken to, how much effort staff put into the interaction and even whether somebody is viewed as a “valuable customer” before they have said a single word.

Once you start noticing it, you see it everywhere.

One of the classic examples often discussed in sales training is the wealthy customer dressed casually. A man walks into a high-end car dealership wearing joggers, trainers and a hoodie. Staff assume he is “just looking”. Meanwhile, another customer walks in wearing a tailored suit and expensive watch and instantly receives full attention.

Yet often the genuinely wealthy people are not trying to impress anybody.

The first customer may have significantly more purchasing power than the second, but perception shapes behaviour. Luxury retail has known this for years. There are countless stories of high-net-worth individuals receiving poor service because they simply did not “look” wealthy enough.

The same thing happens in gyms.

We like to think the fitness industry is welcoming and inclusive, but subconscious bias still exists in many clubs.

Older adults are often treated differently. Somebody overweight walking into a gym for the first time may receive less engagement because staff assume they are unlikely to stay long term. A younger person may be ignored because staff assume they cannot afford membership. Somebody quiet or lacking confidence may receive less support simply because they are not naturally outgoing.

And without even meaning to, staff often gravitate towards people who feel familiar to them. The already fit. The confident. The experienced gym user. The person who looks like they “belong” in that environment.

But if our industry genuinely exists to improve lives, then surely the people who deserve the greatest service are often the ones least comfortable walking through the doors in the first place.

It is easy to impress somebody who already loves fitness.

The real skill is making somebody feel comfortable who never wanted to enter a gym at all.

The nervous beginner. The older adult trying strength training for the first time. The teenager lacking confidence. The overweight member terrified of being judged. These interactions matter more than most businesses realise because people are making emotional decisions within seconds of entering a facility.

Research consistently shows that first impressions within service environments strongly influence long-term loyalty and retention. Not equipment. Not décor. Not technology.

People.

The dangerous thing about bias is that it is rarely intentional. Most staff are not deliberately rude or dismissive. They simply do not realise their assumptions are influencing how they behave.

And that is why training matters so much.

Customer service training should not just focus on sales scripts, tours and objection handling. It should focus on emotional intelligence, awareness, empathy and inclusion. Staff need to understand that every single person walking through the door has a story, an insecurity, a motivation or a fear that may not be immediately visible.

The best operators train teams to treat everybody with the same level of interest, warmth and professionalism regardless of age, appearance, confidence or background. They ask questions before making assumptions. They focus on understanding the individual rather than categorising them.

Because inclusion is not just about race or gender, which is often where these conversations immediately go.

Real inclusion is much broader than that.

It is age. Appearance. Clothing. Tattoos. Hairstyles. Confidence levels. Body shape. Personality. Social background. Education. Culture. Experience.

In reality, it is about how we respond to anybody who appears “different” from what we subconsciously expect.

Bias is rarely obvious discrimination. More often, it appears in smaller ways. Less attention. Less patience. Less warmth. Less effort. And the person on the receiving end feels it immediately.

The teenager who feels ignored. The older adult who feels out of place. The heavily tattooed member judged before speaking. The overweight beginner who assumes everybody is watching them. The quiet person who struggles to approach staff.

These moments matter far more than most businesses realise.

The irony is that the fitness industry constantly talks about wanting to engage more people, yet many clubs unintentionally create environments where huge parts of the population feel uncomfortable, judged or unwelcome. Then we wonder why only a small percentage of the population actively uses gyms.

Perhaps the bigger question is this:

How many people have walked away from businesses feeling unseen, unwelcome or judged purely because of unconscious bias?

And how many businesses had absolutely no idea they were doing it?

The fitness industry talks constantly about inclusion, but inclusion is not posters, campaigns or slogans.

It is how people feel the moment they walk through the door.

That is the real test.

Knowing Your Numbers Could Be the Difference Between Being an Underperformer and Becoming an Industry Leader

 

Knowing Your Numbers Could Be the Difference Between Being an Underperformer and Becoming an Industry Leader

A few nights ago, I was rewatching one of my favourite sports films - Moneyball. If you haven’t seen it, it is genuinely worth your time. On the surface, it is a film about baseball, but underneath it is really a story about challenging assumptions, ignoring conventional thinking and understanding the true power of data.

The film follows Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, a baseball team operating on one of the smallest budgets in Major League Baseball. Financially, they simply could not compete with the giants of the sport. They could not afford the biggest stars, the most famous names or the players with the strongest reputations.

Faced with that reality, they had two choices. Accept mediocrity or find a completely different way to compete.

What followed fundamentally changed not just baseball, but modern sport itself.

Instead of relying on instinct, tradition or hype, the club began drilling down into the numbers. They analysed which statistics genuinely contributed to winning games and ignored decades of accepted thinking within the sport. Players who looked average to traditional scouts suddenly became incredibly valuable because the data showed they contributed in ways the sport had historically overlooked.

The most fascinating thing about the story is that the numbers had always existed. The difference was that somebody finally chose to pay attention to them properly.

Today, versions of this same philosophy exist throughout elite sport. Football clubs now use increasingly sophisticated data analysis to identify players based not on reputation or emotion, but on measurable outputs and predictive performance models. Clubs such as Brentford and Brighton have become famous for outperforming financially stronger rivals through intelligent recruitment and analytics-driven decision making.

Again, not guesswork. Not ego. Not hype.

Numbers.

And this is precisely why understanding data is so important within business.

Because most businesses, including gyms and fitness clubs, still make an extraordinary number of decisions based on feeling rather than evidence. Owners often believe they know why members leave, which marketing works, which staff perform best or what clients truly value. But believing something and proving something are very different things.

The reality is that many businesses operate with surprisingly little operational clarity. They know their total membership numbers, but beyond that the detail becomes vague. Ask many operators about their average length of stay, attrition percentage, lead-to-sale conversion rate, appointment show percentage, cost per acquisition or secondary spend penetration and the answers often become uncertain.

That uncertainty creates a huge problem because businesses without clarity tend to react emotionally instead of strategically.

One slow month suddenly becomes a panic about marketing. One competitor opening nearby suddenly triggers fear-based decision making. One poor sales week results in random offers and discounting.

But often the issue is not the market itself. The issue is that the business does not truly understand what is happening operationally beneath the surface.

Take a simple sales funnel example.

Imagine a club where:

• Lead-to-appointment conversion is 50%
• Appointment show rate is 50%
• Appointment-to-sale conversion is 50%

If that club wants 100 sales, they will need roughly 800 leads to achieve it.

Now imagine improving the latter two conversion points to 75%.

Suddenly the same 100 sales require closer to 355 leads.

That single operational improvement completely changes:

• Marketing spend
• Sales pressure
• Team workload
• Profitability
• Staffing demands
• Advertising strategy

The fascinating part is that nothing revolutionary happened. The club did not suddenly receive magical new marketing. It simply improved the efficiency of the system.

This is where another sporting example becomes incredibly relevant - Sir Dave Brailsford and the philosophy of marginal gains.

When Brailsford took over British Cycling and later Team Sky, cycling was still heavily associated with performance-enhancing drugs. Competing cleanly against riders using banned substances seemed almost impossible. Team Sky estimated that doping could provide roughly a 10-15% performance advantage.

Rather than searching for one huge breakthrough to compensate, Brailsford focused on the idea of marginal gains. The philosophy was simple. Improve enough things by 1-2% and the combined effect becomes enormous.

This led to obsessive attention to detail:

• Improved bike aerodynamics
• Better clothing materials
• More efficient helmets
• Enhanced nutrition
• Better recovery protocols
• Improved hygiene
• Sleep optimisation

Famously, the team even transported their own mattresses, pillows and bedding to hotels during major races to ensure riders achieved the best possible sleep quality.

Individually, many of these decisions sounded insignificant. Collectively, they changed cycling forever.

And the exact same principle applies to business.

Too many gym owners are constantly searching for the huge breakthrough. The game-changing investment. The revolutionary marketing campaign. The one magical idea that suddenly transforms the business overnight.

But often the greatest improvements come from a series of smaller, intelligent operational changes.

Improving your sales conversion by 3%. Reducing attrition by 3%. Increasing class attendance slightly. Extending average length of stay by one month. Improving onboarding completion rates. Increasing referral generation. Reducing wasted ad spend. Improving PT penetration.

Individually, none of these seem dramatic.

Together, they can fundamentally transform profitability.

And importantly, many of these changes require more thought than money.

This is something I believe our industry still struggles with. Too many operators make decisions based primarily on personal preference, emotional attachment or intuition rather than what the data is actually telling them.

I have seen clubs with a very clear niche audience refuse to evolve despite the numbers strongly suggesting a different focus would create significantly stronger commercial performance. I have seen operators insist on continuing strategies that are visibly underperforming because emotionally they remain attached to the idea behind them.

The problem is that businesses do not survive on ideology. They survive on outcomes.

That does not mean data should completely replace instinct or creativity. Far from it. Some of the best operators combine strong intuition with strong analytical thinking. But intuition should be tested against evidence, not replace it.

The strongest businesses understand:

• What is happening
• Why it is happening
• Which numbers matter most
• Which behaviours influence those numbers

And once you understand that, improvement becomes far easier because you stop guessing.

One of the biggest misconceptions within business is that success comes from massive breakthroughs. In reality, success is more often the result of small improvements repeated consistently over time.

Better systems. Better consistency. Better onboarding. Better communication. Better tracking. Better accountability. Better operational discipline.

Small changes.

Compounding results.

Just like Moneyball.

Just like Team Sky.

And just like the strongest businesses in every industry.

Gyms - Who Is Your Real Competition?

 

Who Is Your Real Competition?

Here’s something every gym owner needs to stop and think about.

Who is your competition?

Because it’s probably not who you think it is.

It’s not the local leisure centre.
It’s not the budget gym down the road.
It’s not the boutique studio or the bootcamp in the park.

Yes, they compete for the same audience…

…but only a very small part of it.

Roughly 15–20% of the population actively engages with gyms and structured fitness.

That means the vast majority of people are choosing something else.

And that’s your real competition.

The sofa.
The TV.
The dog walk.
The pub.

Comfort. Habit. Routine.

That’s what you’re up against.

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The Problem We’ve Created

As an industry, we’ve spent years fighting over the same people.

Running offers.
Dropping prices.
Trying to outdo each other.

All focused on the minority who already train.

But if we’re honest…

we haven’t done enough to attract the people who don’t.

Because for many of them, the gym simply isn’t appealing.

It feels intimidating.
It feels unfamiliar.
It feels like something “other people” do.

So they choose what’s easy. What’s comfortable. What they know.

And we lose them before they even consider walking through the door.

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If You Want Growth, You Have to Create Change

If your real competition is comfort and habit…

Then your job isn’t just to sell memberships.

It’s to give people a reason to change their behaviour.

And that’s not easy.

You are asking someone to:

Step into an unfamiliar environment
Do something they may not enjoy (yet)
Feel uncomfortable before they feel confident

That requires more than a good offer.

It requires understanding.

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So What Do We Actually Need to Do?

We need to start thinking differently.

Not just about how we sell…

…but about how we remove barriers.

We need to ask better questions.

Why don’t people enjoy fitness?
What actually makes a gym feel intimidating?
Are we designing environments for beginners… or for experienced users?

Is our marketing speaking to people who don’t train… or just those who already do?

Are we educating people… or assuming they already understand?

Are we building relationships with local health professionals, GPs and community groups?

Are we visible in the community… or just waiting for people to find us?

Are we creating ways for people to try fitness without fear or pressure?

Because if we don’t address these questions…

we will keep getting the same results.

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The Shift That Needs to Happen

We need to stop thinking like gyms.

And start thinking like behaviour change businesses.

Because that’s what we are.

We’re not just selling access to equipment.

We’re helping people change how they live.

And that means:

Making environments more welcoming
Simplifying the first steps
Providing real support from day one
Creating genuine community, not just talking about it
Meeting people where they are, not where we want them to be

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The Opportunity Right in Front of You

The biggest growth opportunity in this industry isn’t stealing members from another gym.

It’s bringing in people who have never stepped foot in one.

People who don’t see themselves as “gym people”.

Yet.

If you can connect with them…
Support them…
And give them a reason to start…

You’re not just gaining a member.

You’re changing a life.

And building a far more sustainable business in the process.

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A Final Thought

Your competition isn’t just down the road.

It’s on the sofa.
It’s in the pub.
It’s in the habits people choose every single day.

If you want to win…

You need to give people a reason to choose something different.

We’re Fighting Over the Same Members – And Missing the Bigger Opportunity

I attended the LFX event this week, and one message stood out above everything else.

The 83%.

Only around 17% of the population currently engages with gyms and fitness facilities. That means the vast majority of people… don’t.

And the real question is not how do we compete better for the 17%.

It’s this:

How do we reach the other 83%?

Because for years, we’ve been stuck fighting over the same people.

The same members.
The same demographics.
The same marginal gains.

And in doing so, we’ve unintentionally created a battleground within our own industry.

Competing on price.
Competing on offers.
Competing on who can shout the loudest.

All while ignoring the biggest growth opportunity sitting right in front of us.

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Have We Built Barriers Without Realising?

If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to ask a difficult question.

Have we actually made it harder for the majority of people to engage with fitness?

Because when you step back and look at it objectively, there are clear barriers that exist across the sector.

Many facilities and programmes are intimidating.
Walk into a lot of gyms for the first time and it’s not hard to feel out of place.

Our marketing is often aimed at people who already train.
We speak to those who already understand the benefits, the language and the environment.

We focus heavily on price and offers.
But very little on outcomes, support and long-term change.

We invest in great technology.
But how much of it genuinely benefits the majority of members?

And perhaps most importantly…

Our onboarding and ongoing support is simply not good enough.

Most clubs would struggle to clearly identify a member’s goals, track their progress and proactively support them through their journey.

We assume people will figure it out.

But most don’t.

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Community… or Just a Word We Like to Use?

“Community” has become one of the most overused words in the industry.

And in some clubs, it absolutely exists.

But if we’re honest, in many cases it’s limited to small pockets of highly engaged members.

The confident ones.
The regulars.
The people who already feel comfortable.

What about everyone else?

The quieter members.
The unsure ones.
The people who come in, do their session and leave without speaking to anyone.

That’s not a community.

That’s a missed opportunity.

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Are We Doing Enough to Bring People In?

Here’s another uncomfortable truth.

In many cases, we expect people to come to us.

We wait for enquiries.
We wait for sign-ups.
We wait for interest.

But what about the people who need us to reach them first?

The public sector has long been involved in outreach work, engaging communities directly and breaking down barriers to participation.

Why isn’t the private sector doing more of this?

“It’s not our job” isn’t good enough anymore.

If we want to grow the market, we have to go and find it.

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The Industry Problem No One Wants to Address

We don’t operate as a single sector.

We operate as competitors.

Constant offers.
Constant discounting.
Very little collaboration.

And in doing so, we limit our own growth.

Imagine a different approach.

Clubs still competing, but also working together to grow participation.

To educate.
To promote the value of fitness.
To make it more accessible.

If we moved engagement from 17% to 25%… or even 30%…

The opportunity for every operator would be enormous.

More members.
More revenue.
More impact.

Without needing to take from each other.

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Where Change Actually Needs to Start

There is also a wider structural issue.

We often look to central government, the NHS or national strategies to drive change.

But the reality is, that’s too big. Too slow. Too complex.

Real change happens locally.

Through local government.
Through community partnerships.
Through operators working together within regions.

We need a more coordinated approach to health and fitness that includes both the public and private sector.

Right now, that simply doesn’t exist in a meaningful way.

And it should.

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The Opportunity in Front of Us

The fitness industry does incredible work.

We change lives.
We improve health.
We build confidence.
We create environments people genuinely enjoy being part of.

But we’re still only reaching a fraction of the population.

The future of this industry isn’t about getting better at selling to the 17%.

It’s about becoming more accessible, more supportive and more relevant to the 83%.

That means:

Better onboarding
Better support
More inclusive environments
Clearer messaging
More collaboration
More outreach

And ultimately, a shift in mindset.

Because growth won’t come from fighting harder over the same people.

It will come from bringing new people in.

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A Final Thought

If we get this right, the impact goes far beyond business.

We improve public health.
We reduce pressure on healthcare systems.
We create stronger communities.

And yes, we build more successful, more sustainable businesses.

17% is not good enough.

We can do better.

The question is… are we ready to change how we think in order to get there?

 

Community Fitness: Are We Missing the Biggest Opportunity?

People sometimes see me criticising the building of expensive new leisure centres and assume that I am against them.

That simply isn’t true.

In fact, many leisure trust facilities are fantastic. They deliver vital services, they support communities that might otherwise have no access to sport or fitness, and they produce some incredible outcomes for public health.

My issue isn’t with the facilities themselves.

My concern is that local government may be missing an enormous opportunity to build something much more powerful around them.

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The Facilities Are Great. The Strategy Often Isn’t.

Across the UK, local authorities are investing significant sums of money into new leisure infrastructure.

It’s not uncommon to see £25 million, £30 million or even £50 million invested into new leisure centres.

And when they open, they can be impressive.

But bricks and mortar alone don’t solve the real problem.

The real challenge is participation.

According to Sport England data, only around 17 percent of the UK population are members of a fitness facility.

That means more than four out of five people are not engaging with gyms or leisure centres at all.

For an industry that plays such an important role in physical and mental wellbeing, that number should concern all of us.

Because it means the vast majority of the population still isn’t being reached.

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The Private Sector Is Being Overlooked

Where I believe we are missing a trick is in how local authorities approach community health and fitness.

If we can find tens of millions of pounds to build these incredible facilities, why can we not allocate even five percent of that investment toward creating a truly integrated community health strategy?

One that includes the private sector as part of the solution.

Across the country there are thousands of independent gyms, studios and health businesses delivering fantastic services.

They already have:

• Facilities

• Staff

• Expertise

• Established communities

Yet very rarely are they included in broader community health initiatives.

Instead, the sectors often operate in isolation from one another.

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Commercial Pressure Is a Real Barrier

Of course, it’s important to recognise that private clubs operate under very different conditions.

Commercial gyms face pressures that public facilities do not.

They must cover rent, staff, equipment finance, utilities and marketing costs every single month.

This creates risk.

Taking part in community health initiatives can feel like a financial gamble if the outcomes are uncertain.

Which is why any integrated strategy must recognise the commercial reality of private operators and create models that allow them to participate without putting their businesses at risk.

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The Industry’s Own Mindset Needs to Change

But we also have to be honest with ourselves.

Sometimes the barriers are not just structural. They are cultural.

The private fitness industry can be relentlessly competitive.

Constant offers.
Discount wars.
Little collaboration between neighbouring clubs.

Every gym trying to win the same customers from each other.

Imagine instead if more clubs focused on growing the market rather than fighting over it.

If we could move overall engagement from 17 percent to 25 percent, or even 30 percent, the growth across the entire industry would be extraordinary.

There would be more members for everyone.

More opportunities.

More impact.

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Why Central Government Isn’t the Starting Point

Whenever the fitness industry talks about change, the conversation usually turns toward central government and the NHS.

We campaign for tax relief.
We campaign for business rate reform.
We talk about partnerships with the NHS.

Those conversations are important.

But in my view they are not where real change will start.

Central government is like a massive oil tanker.

Turning it takes years.

The NHS is under extraordinary pressure financially and operationally. Fitness, however important it is, simply doesn’t sit high enough on their priority list.

And even when central government does make decisions, implementation almost always happens at a local level through commissioning groups and regional authorities.

Even DCMS themselves acknowledge that many of these decisions are ultimately local.

Which is why we need to start there.

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Where Real Change Can Begin

The real opportunity lies with:

Local authorities
Sport England
Local health departments
Community partnerships
National Lottery funding streams

These organisations already control funding, programmes and community initiatives.

But private fitness businesses should not be standing outside those conversations.

They should be inside them.

Because if the goal is better health outcomes, then surely the focus should be on all of the resources available in a community, not just those owned by the council.

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Prove the Impact First

Before we ask for national support or government intervention, we need to do something else first.

We need to prove our value.

That means showing measurable outcomes.

Participation improvements.
Retention improvements.
Health improvements.
Community engagement.

If the industry can demonstrate genuine, measurable impact, the conversation with government becomes much easier.

Evidence changes everything.

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A Call for Cooperation

Right now we have pockets of incredible work happening across the UK.

Brilliant leisure centres.
Innovative private clubs.
Community initiatives that genuinely change lives.

But they often operate independently.

Imagine what could happen if they worked together.

Public and private sector clubs aligned around a shared goal.

Raising participation.
Improving health outcomes.
Building stronger communities.

Because 17 percent participation simply isn’t good enough.

If we truly want to change the nation’s health, that number needs to move closer to 25 or even 30 percent.

And the only way we get there is through cooperation.

The facilities already exist.

The expertise already exists.

The passion certainly exists.

Now we just need the strategy to bring it all together.

 

What Is the Biggest Threat to a Gym’s Success?

Most gym owners believe the biggest threats to their business are external.

Competition.
Equipment quality.
Technology.
The size of the facility.

But after working with gyms across the UK for many years, it becomes clear that the biggest threats are rarely what owners think they are.

Before we explore what actually damages a gym’s performance, it’s worth starting with what doesn’t.

Because many operators spend a huge amount of time, energy and money worrying about the wrong things.

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What It Isn’t

The Brand or Cost of Your Equipment

Gym owners often become obsessed with equipment brands.

Technogym.
Life Fitness.
Matrix.
Hammer Strength.

But the reality is that for the vast majority of members, the brand on the side of a machine is almost meaningless.

Most members simply want equipment that:

• Works properly

• Is clean

• Is maintained

• Does the job it is supposed to do

Outside of a very small group of enthusiasts, most members could not tell you the difference between major equipment manufacturers.

That knowledge largely exists in the minds of gym owners and industry professionals.

What does matter, however, is whether the equipment aligns with the brand and experience you are trying to create.

If you are positioning your gym as a boutique or premium training environment, then equipment needs to reflect that. The visual experience matters.

But if you are operating a mid-market or accessible community gym, investing heavily in ultra-premium equipment rarely produces a return.

Too often equipment decisions are driven by ego rather than strategy.

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The Size of Your Gym

Another common belief is that bigger facilities automatically create more successful businesses.

In reality, larger spaces simply increase both opportunity and risk.

Yes, a larger gym may allow you to accommodate more members. But it also brings:

• Higher rent

• Larger equipment investment

• Increased staffing costs

• Greater utility bills

• More debt and financial exposure

A bigger gym does not guarantee better performance.

Some of the most profitable gyms in the UK operate from relatively modest footprints because their systems, service and member engagement are exceptional.

Meanwhile, many large facilities struggle because the operational foundations are weak.

Bigger is not always better.
Sometimes it is simply bigger.

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The Latest Technology

Technology has become one of the most common selling points in modern fitness clubs.

Apps.
Wearables.
Body composition scanners.
Member platforms.

And whilst these tools can certainly add value, their impact is often overestimated.

Across the industry, average gym app adoption rates sit below 30%. Even among those who download the app, regular engagement is often far lower.

The truth is that many members are impressed by technology during a tour, but once they start training they revert to simple behaviours.

They work out.
They leave.
They repeat.

This does not mean technology has no place in fitness clubs. But investing heavily in technology while neglecting the fundamentals of service and engagement is rarely a winning strategy.

Most members are not looking for more software.

They are looking for support, consistency and results.

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So What Are the Real Threats?

In most gyms, the biggest risks to long-term success are internal rather than external.

And they are often surprisingly simple.

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Poor Systems

Strong businesses run on strong systems.

Weak businesses rely on hope and good intentions.

Operational systems govern everything from how leads are followed up, to how members are welcomed, to how teams communicate and perform.

When systems are unclear or inconsistent:

• Leads go cold

• Members drift away

• Staff improvise rather than deliver a consistent experience

• Time and money are wasted

Well-designed systems do not make a gym robotic. They create clarity, efficiency and reliability.

They also free staff to focus on what matters most: delivering great service.

Without strong systems, even good teams struggle.

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Untrained and Undermanaged Staff

Many gym owners believe that hiring good people is enough.

It isn’t.

Even the most capable employees cannot consistently deliver great service without training, guidance and clear expectations.

As a club owner or manager, you must decide:

• What experience you want members to have

• What behaviours you expect from staff

• What standards define your brand

Then you must train your team to deliver those standards and manage them to maintain them.

Without that structure, staff naturally fall back on their own instincts and habits.

Sometimes those habits are excellent.

Often they are inconsistent.

One of the most uncomfortable conversations you can have with a struggling operator is this:

“What training has your team received?”

All too often, the answer is none.

Blaming staff without investing in their development is not leadership. It is abdication of responsibility.

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No Real Focus on Member Engagement

One of the most overlooked areas of gym management is structured member engagement.

Many clubs assume that community happens naturally.

It rarely does.

The reality is that in every gym there are members who are confident, social and outgoing. These members naturally interact with staff and quickly become part of the culture.

But there is another group who behave very differently.

They arrive quietly.
They train quietly.
They leave quietly.

These members rarely ask questions. They rarely seek help. They rarely initiate conversations.

And because of that, they are often the ones who drift away unnoticed.

Engagement should not rely on personality.

It should be planned.

Successful gyms establish clear protocols for interaction and communication, ensuring members receive regular touchpoints that encourage participation, connection and support.

Because the members who need engagement the most are often the least likely to ask for it.

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Not Understanding the Numbers

Perhaps the most dangerous weakness in many gyms is a lack of understanding around performance metrics.

Ask many operators how many members they signed up last month and they can answer immediately.

Ask them how many members they lost and the answer becomes far less certain.

Growth in a gym is not simply about new joins. In fact, the biggest performance issue in many clubs is not sales at all.

It is attrition.

Yet surprisingly, many gyms do not track attrition accurately, do not analyse it and do not set clear targets for improvement.

Even more concerning is the number of operators who run businesses without clearly defined performance targets at all.

Without measurement there is no clarity.

Without clarity there is no control.

And without control there is no sustainable growth.

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The Real Difference Between Average and Exceptional Gyms

When you look closely at the most successful clubs in the industry, their advantage rarely comes from equipment, technology or size.

It comes from fundamentals.

Strong systems.
Well-trained teams.
Structured member engagement.
Clear performance tracking.

These are not glamorous topics. They do not make exciting marketing headlines.

But they are the foundations of a stable, profitable and resilient fitness business.

The uncomfortable reality is that when a gym struggles, the cause is often much closer to home than the owner would like to admit.

The question every operator should ask is simple:

Are the real threats to my business external…

Or are they internal?

Because once you understand that, improvement becomes far easier.

Are We Focusing on the Wrong People in Fitness?

 

Are We Focusing on the Wrong People in Fitness?

For years, the fitness industry has faced the same two problems.

We either struggle to attract the majority of the population into our clubs, or we attract them and fail to keep them.

With more than 11 million people in the UK having previously been members of fitness clubs but no longer active, a number that exceeds current active membership, it is difficult to avoid one conclusion. Somewhere along the line, we are getting something wrong.

This is not a criticism of effort or intent. As an industry, we work hard. We innovate. We invest. We care.

But the results tell us that effort alone is not enough.

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We’ve Become Very Good at Serving One Type of Person

The fitness industry has become exceptionally good at serving people who already love exercise.

Those who feel confident walking into a gym.
Those who understand the benefits.
Those who actively seek interaction, advice and progression.

For these people, our environments often work brilliantly.

The problem is that they represent only a fraction of the population.

If we want participation to grow meaningfully, we have to stop designing our clubs, messaging and systems primarily for people who are already bought in.

It may be time to focus on the other side of the coin.

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The People We Are Not Reaching or Retaining

There is a large group of people who are not naturally drawn to fitness environments.

People who feel nervous about joining.
People who lack confidence.
People who do not fully understand the benefits of exercise.
People living with long-term illness, injury or health anxiety.
People who feel they do not belong.

These individuals are not lazy or uninterested. More often than not, they are unsure, intimidated or unconvinced that fitness spaces are built for them.

If we are honest, many clubs are not.

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The First Challenge: Attraction

Our marketing needs to change.

Much of our messaging still assumes a level of confidence, motivation and understanding that many people simply do not have. We talk to those who already “get it”, rather than those who need reassurance, clarity and empathy.

If we want to attract this group, we need to:

• Demystify fitness rather than glamorise it

• Normalise nervousness instead of ignoring it

• Talk about support, safety and progression, not just results

• Show real people, not just confident regulars

Attraction should be about lowering barriers, not raising expectations.

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The Second Challenge: Retention

Getting someone through the door is only the beginning.

For people who lack confidence or familiarity, the early weeks matter more than anything else. This is where many clubs lose them.

Our onboarding needs to improve.
Our monitoring and touchpoints need to be organised and deliberate.
Our follow-up needs to be proactive, not reactive.

These members do not need to be left alone to “figure it out”. They need to be guided.

In many cases, they need to be actively supported, reassured and checked in on. Not indefinitely, but intentionally. We need to babysit them early so that, over time, they can become part of the community.

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Treating Different People the Same Is Not Equality

One of the biggest mistakes we make is treating all members the same.

Confident members seek interaction. They ask questions. They put themselves forward. As a result, they receive the most attention.

Less confident members do the opposite. They keep their heads down. They avoid conversation. They hope they are not noticed.

In many clubs, this means the people who need the most support receive the least.

Equality in fitness does not mean identical treatment.
It means appropriate treatment.

If we want better outcomes, we have to design systems that identify who needs more support and ensure they receive it without having to ask.

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Building a Different Kind of Community

If we truly want to grow participation, we must stop designing clubs purely around those who already believe in what we do.

We need:

• Better onboarding journeys

• Clear, deliberate touchpoints

• Structured check-ins

• Staff trained to notice who is not engaging

• A culture that values inclusion as much as performance

Community should not be something people have to earn. It should be something they are welcomed into.

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A Final Thought

The future growth of fitness will not come from converting people who already love exercise.

It will come from supporting those who are unsure, nervous or unconvinced, and helping them feel safe, capable and included.

We have proven that we can serve the confident and committed.
Now we need to prove that we can serve everyone else.

If we can do that, participation will rise, retention will improve, and fitness will finally begin to reach the people who need it most.

What If the Fitness Industry Stopped Competing on Price and Started Competing on Value?

 

What If the Fitness Industry Stopped Competing on Price and Started Competing on Value?

Let’s be honest about something first.

Offers and price-led promotions are always going to exist. Clubs have bills to pay, teams to support and targets to hit. In the short term, dropping price works. It brings enquiries through the door and fills quieter periods.

The problem is not that price is used.
The problem is that price has become the default.

Over time, the fitness industry has trained the public to believe that gyms are cheap, interchangeable and disposable. Free months. Zero joining fees. Flash sales. Permanent discounts. Price has become the headline, not the experience, not the service, not the outcome.

And once price becomes the anchor, everything else loses its perceived value.

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What If Clubs Worked Together Instead of Against Each Other?

Imagine a different approach.

Not price fixing. Not identical pricing. Not pretending every club is the same.

But a shared understanding across the sector that while price points may differ, the messaging does not need to be competitive or destructive.

Instead of “we’re cheaper than them”, the message becomes more collective and positive. This is what fitness gives you. This is why movement matters. This is how gyms improve lives. This is how to choose the right environment for you.

Clubs would still compete, but not on who can discount the hardest. They would compete on service standards, community, coaching quality and delivery.

That is a far healthier battleground.

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Different Clubs Will Always Perform Differently and That’s Fine

Some clubs will outperform others. That’s reality.

They may be better located, better suited to a particular demographic, more premium, more community-driven or more specialised. That isn’t a failure of the market. That is choice.

The aim should not be to eliminate competition.
The aim should be to grow the total market.

Right now, only around 16.9 percent of the population engages with fitness clubs. That means more than 80 percent do not.

Imagine if that figure was 25 percent. Or 30 percent.

The opportunity for every operator would be enormous, without anyone needing to steal members from each other.

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Competing on Value Changes the Conversation Completely

If the industry stopped shouting about price and started talking consistently about value, the conversation would shift almost immediately.

Customers would no longer choose purely on cost. They would compare clubs based on environment and culture, coaching and support, community and belonging, values and ethos, and how well a club fits their lifestyle.

Instead of asking “which is the cheapest?”, people would ask “which is right for me?”.

That single shift improves retention, results and long-term satisfaction.

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The Impact on Businesses, Staff and Standards

When price stops being the primary lever, businesses gain breathing room.

Healthier margins allow clubs to reinvest in staff, improve facilities, add services, increase education and development, and deliver stronger member experiences.

Staff benefit too. Competing on price often squeezes wages, increases pressure and lowers expectations. Competing on value allows coaching, service and leadership to be treated as professions rather than commodities.

Standards rise across the board.

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How This Changes External Perception of the Industry

A fragmented industry arguing over price is easy to ignore.

A united industry speaking positively about health, wellbeing, prevention and long-term outcomes is not.

If the sector presented a more consistent message, it would be far easier to defend gyms against rising costs and business rates, position fitness as part of the health solution rather than a luxury, gain credibility with local authorities, healthcare and government, and be taken seriously as a contributor to public wellbeing.

Messaging matters. And right now, ours is confused.

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The Real Challenge

Price competition feels safe. It is immediate, measurable and familiar.

Positive, collective messaging requires confidence. It requires patience. It requires clubs to genuinely deliver on the promises they make.

It also requires a shift in mindset from short-term wins to long-term impact.

That is uncomfortable. But it is necessary.

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A Better Future Is Possible

If the fitness industry stopped competing on price and started working together on positive messaging, the change would be far greater than most people expect.

We would grow participation.
We would improve standards.
We would retain members longer.
We would build stronger businesses.
We would elevate the profession.

The question is not whether it would work.

The question is whether we are willing to move beyond short-term tactics and build something better together.

Is The Fitness Industry Really Delivering the Health Outcomes We Claim?

Are We Really Delivering the Health Outcomes We Claim?

I had an interesting conversation recently with someone who works closely with our industry but sits just outside it. They’re not a gym owner. Not a trainer. Not a consultant. But they work alongside many fitness businesses and see how they operate day to day.

What struck me was how quickly the conversation landed on the same conclusions I’ve been talking about for years.

As an industry, we talk a great game about health.
But we don’t consistently deliver the outcomes we claim.

And when someone from outside the bubble says it out loud, it lands differently.

Let’s start with the uncomfortable facts.

Less than 17 percent of the population are members of a gym.
That means over 83 percent are choosing not to engage with what we offer.

Even more concerning, there are now more ex-members than current members in the fitness industry. Millions of people have tried our services and decided they weren’t for them.

That alone should force us to pause.

Yet we still measure success largely by member numbers. We celebrate openings, growth and headline figures, while ignoring what those numbers actually represent. Short stays. Early drop-outs. Cycles of joining and leaving.

If we were genuinely delivering on the health promises we make, those numbers would look very different.

Dig a little deeper and the cracks become clearer.

Many clubs do not track client journeys in any meaningful way. They don’t measure improvement, confidence, adherence or long-term behaviour change. They don’t even consistently monitor attendance beyond basic usage.

Most clubs still don’t have a structured onboarding process. No clear first 90 days. No defined checkpoints. No planned education or reassurance. Yet we confidently claim we “support” members.

How can we support people if we don’t guide them?

On top of that, many clubs don’t properly monitor their own business performance. Attrition, engagement, conversion, secondary spend, length of stay. Either not tracked at all, or looked at too infrequently to drive real decisions.

And yet, as an industry, we’re quick to position ourselves as the “first line of defence for the NHS”.

In reality, most of what we offer is access to facilities.

That doesn’t mean facilities aren’t valuable. They absolutely are. But facilities alone don’t change behaviour. They don’t build confidence. They don’t remove fear. And they don’t keep people engaged long enough to see real health outcomes.

To be clear, this isn’t an attack on every gym.

There are some outstanding operators out there. Clubs that genuinely care about service delivery. Businesses that prioritise onboarding, education, retention and long-term relationships. Operators who understand that fitness is about people, not programming.

They deserve huge credit.

But they are not yet the norm.

Too often we congratulate ourselves as an industry. We attend conferences, share success stories and talk about innovation, while avoiding the harder conversation about why the majority of the population still doesn’t feel that gyms are for them.

We’ve leaned heavily into hype and trends. HIIT. Six-week transformations. Challenges. Before-and-after photos. All of these have their place, but they are not the foundation of long-term engagement.

Exercise should not feel intimidating.
It should not feel competitive.
And it certainly shouldn’t feel like failure if someone doesn’t “stick to the plan”.

If we want to move the needle on engagement, we have to rethink how we deliver our services.

That means taking service delivery seriously. Designing real client journeys. Building onboarding that educates and reassures. Measuring success by retention, confidence and consistency, not just sign-ups.

It means recognising that health outcomes are built slowly, through trust, guidance and support, not through hype or intensity.

And it means being honest with ourselves.

If we want to be taken seriously as part of the health solution, we have to act like it. Not just talk about it.

This isn’t about blaming. It’s about responsibility.

If we genuinely believe fitness can change lives, then we need to do the work to make that true for more than just the already confident, already active minority.

Because if we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting the same results.

And the numbers already tell us that isn’t good enough.

Hotel Leisure Clubs: One of the Biggest Missed Opportunities in Fitness

 

Hotel Leisure Clubs: One of the Biggest Missed Opportunities in Fitness

Hotel leisure clubs sit in a unique position in the fitness industry.

They have strong locations.
High service standards.
Built-in footfall.
Premium facilities.
And access to audiences most gyms would love to attract.

Yet despite all of that, many hotel leisure clubs consistently underperform compared to their potential.

Not because the opportunity isn’t there.
But because of how leisure is positioned, prioritised and managed within the wider hotel business.

Why hotel leisure clubs should be winning

On paper, hotel leisure clubs have advantages most independent gyms can only dream of.

They are designed to high standards.
They operate within hospitality environments where service is already embedded.
They attract a non-intimidating mix of users: guests, members, spa users, corporate clients and local residents.
They are often seen as calm, welcoming and premium rather than aggressive or intimidating.

In many cases, hotel leisure clubs are not just gyms. They are mini health clubs. Pools, spas, studios, thermal areas, treatment rooms and social spaces all under one roof.

That should put them in an incredibly strong position.

So why do so many fail to truly capitalise on it?

Leisure is still viewed as a service, not a commercial asset

One of the biggest challenges is not operational. It’s cultural.

In many hotels, leisure is still treated as a guest amenity rather than a commercial driver. Something that supports room sales, rather than something that deserves its own performance focus.

Rooms, food and beverage, events and conferences are rightly measured relentlessly.
Leisure often isn’t.

When leisure is positioned as a service rather than a profit centre, a few things usually follow:

• Limited commercial accountability

• Conservative pricing decisions

• Underdeveloped membership strategies

• Little focus on conversion, yield or retention

• Minimal investment in systems and sales capability

The result is a department that is busy, well-intentioned and liked by guests, but underperforming financially.

And the irony is, when leisure performs well, it lifts everything else around it.

Service-led environments can struggle with performance focus

Hospitality breeds excellent service standards. That is a huge strength.

But it can also create a reluctance to sell.

Many leisure teams are fantastic at welcoming, supporting and helping guests. They are less confident when it comes to conversations about membership, upgrades, PT, spa packages or long-term commitment.

Sales is often seen as something that might compromise service.

In reality, done properly, it enhances it.

Helping a guest or local member commit to a programme, routine or membership is not selling for the sake of revenue. It’s supporting outcomes, consistency and experience.

Without structure, leisure teams default to passive service. Friendly, helpful, but reactive.

And passive service rarely drives commercial performance.

Decision-making is often slow by design

Hotels are complex businesses. Layers of approval, brand standards, ownership structures and reporting lines all exist for good reason.

But they can slow innovation.

Pricing changes take time.
New programmes take time.
Marketing initiatives take time.
Local partnerships take time.

While independent gyms can test, adjust and move quickly, hotel leisure clubs often operate cautiously. That caution protects the brand, but it also means opportunities are missed.

Especially in local markets where agility matters.

Leisure often lacks its own clear strategy

Another common issue is the absence of a clear leisure-specific strategy.

Not a hotel strategy that includes leisure.
A leisure strategy in its own right.

That means clarity on:

• Who the club is for locally

• What success looks like commercially

• How members, guests and spa users flow through the business

• What the core revenue drivers actually are

• How teams are measured and developed

Without this, leisure drifts. It reacts to demand instead of shaping it.

The opportunity hotels are sitting on

When leisure is positioned correctly, it becomes far more than a gym.

It becomes:

• A driver of repeat stays

• A differentiator for corporate contracts

• A gateway to spa and wellness spend

• A local community hub

• A stable, recurring revenue stream

• A brand amplifier rather than a cost centre

The best hotel leisure clubs prove this is possible. They combine hospitality-level service with fitness-industry performance thinking.

They don’t choose between service and sales. They align them.

What needs to change

Hotel leisure clubs don’t need radical reinvention. They need focus.

They need:

• Clear commercial ownership of leisure performance

• Confidence that selling well is part of great service

• Simple, consistent systems for enquiries, onboarding and retention

• Teams trained to support outcomes, not just access

• Leadership that sees leisure as a strategic asset, not a support function

When that shift happens, the results can be transformational.

Not just for leisure.
For the entire hotel business.

Final thought

Hotel leisure clubs are not underperforming because they lack facilities, people or opportunity.

They underperform because they are often treated as something they are not.

They are not just a guest service.
They are not just an amenity.

They are one of the most underutilised commercial assets in hospitality.

And the hotels that recognise that will be the ones that lead the next phase of fitness and wellness growth.