As fitness business owners, we all know that having a great team is the secret to keeping our gyms and studios running smoothly. But when it comes to putting that team together, it can be tricky to identify who has what it takes and who doesn’t.
Here are some of my best tips for hiring and retaining great people to be part of your team:
1. STOP LOOKING FOR ANOTHER YOU
Your clients chose your gym for a reason. And it’s important to ask them why they chose to train with you, because this gives you an idea for what to look for when you hire coaches. If you are in tune with what your clients want, you’ll want to hire staff that will be able to accommodate the needs of your current client base and help your business to grow.
Make sure to hire at least one coach that has a similar training style to you to give your clients an alternate person to train with in case you decide to work a little less, or go on a vacation, etc. However, it is equally important to not just hire “another you” because coaches with a different skill set or coaching style than you allows your business to reach out to a wider clientele.
2. LOOK TO THE UNI
Educational institutions keep producing great candidates for interns and new coaches who are in need of a mentor. Make the most out of these resources and you will surely find a future coach or trainer who is eager to learn and has good training habits. Taking on an intern also allows them to learn about more your program design and allows you to train them up to be the perfect fit for your team. Not to mention that they will often work solely for academic credit, or at least for much less than an established coach.
But, of course, the intern isn’t the only one who benefits from hiring. Using these types of staffing strategies can help build your credibility and could open the door to a ton of other marketing opportunities.
3. MAINTAIN A TEAM FIRST MENTALITY
TRX founder, Randy Hetrick, said, “Always feed the troops first.” And I think that is spot on when it comes to our mentality fitness business owners. It is our responsibility to put your team first. Loyalty breeds loyalty. If you are loyal to your staff, they will be loyal to you.
4. BE FAIR
Owners and staff want to make as much money as they can. And to achieve a win-win situation, you must have a system in place. This system must incorporate ways in which your team can be recognised and even financially compensated when they go above and beyond. Reward good behaviour, particularly when they help with the areas you want to improve. Some ways to do this are:
- Reward the coach who services the most clients over a 4-8 week period
- Run a social media challenge and reward the coach who gets your business page the most likes
- Reward the coach who signs up the most new clients in a month
- Have a transformation challenge, and reward both the winning client and their coach
5. TEAM BUILDING
Take your team out every quarter (or possibly more often) and do something fun! You could take them swimming, hiking, bowling, mini-golfing, play laser tag, go through an obstacle course together, or you could even just have them over for dinner.
Whichever one you choose, remember to not to talk about business and make an effort to get to know them on a personal level. The more connected you are to your team — and them to you — the more likely you’ll stay together.
6. LET THEM HELP YOU MAKE DECISIONS
Ask your team for their input. Whether it’s for additional equipment, painting the studio, or rearranging the layout. Ask your coaches what they think. The more they feel like they are a part of the decision process the more likely they are to stay.
7. ENCOURAGE THEM
One of the best ways to make sure your staff always loves working at your studio is to create a culture of learning. Continuing education will not only make the coach better at his job, but the other coaches will see this and want to educate themselves as well. This also creates a great environment for clients as they hear the coaches talking about all the new concepts they learn.
#Highperformanceteams #staffretention #gymhub
