Meet Eric Guilleminault, owner, founder, and operations manager at Off The Grid Fitness – Arizona’s very first “green gym.” I had the pleasure of talking with him to learn more about this unique boutique studio and how they do business. And since Off The Grid Fitness has been rated the #1 Scottsdale gym on Yelp, I wanted to learn all that I could. Here are a few of their tips.
1 – Act On Your Clients’ Unarticulated Needs
What makes this place so innovative is the fact that they’re a green gym. This means that every single one of their ellipticals and spin bikes pump out electricity that goes straight back into their facility. And that’s awesome. So when members realize just how valuable their cardio workouts are on these machines, it fulfills an unarticulated need that any other gym they go do most likely won’t offer. All that energy the rider puts into the bikes, etc. gets turned into energy for the community.
2 – Get People Through The Door
The biggest challenge for any boutique studio is usually getting people through the door. While site like Groupon and Living Social are options, this can actually devalue the fitness center – especially when it comes to retention and loyal members. Off The Grid Fitness does offer a free 3 day pass for new students because they realize how important promotions are but… they do so much more than that to get new people to their studio.
They also invest in marketing on both Facebook and Instagram by boosting certain posts. On top of they, they offer unique classes other than boot camp, etc. like “TRX Strong,” “FIT (Fitness Interval Training),” “Sweat,” “Ripped,” and more. These unique class names intrigue people because they’re different and out of the ordinary.
3 – Provide High Quality Customer Service
Once you get people through the door, it’s crucial to provide an exceptional experience. Eric mentioned that they check online reviews all the time, and always respond right away. They ask clients what they love and don’t love about their experience. And since this is a neighborhood, local boutique studio where everyone knows each other’s name, there’s comfort built in this type of open and honest business relationship. During the summer, one of their members mentioned that they tend to feel overheated in the studio. So Eric invested in more fans for the cycling room, and one of the biggest fans I’ve ever seen in the main weight room to help keep temperatures even cooler.
4 – Focus On Your Boutique Studio Reviews
Eric mentioned that the majority of their customers at Off The Grid Fitness come from their Yelp reviews. And every single Yelp review they’ve been given is a 5 star rating. They’ve even made a point to focus on video testimonials from their members which is showcased in an awesome video on their YouTube Channel. This video is 6+ years old and way ahead of its time. All of this adds to credibility, retention in memberships, and the studio’s overall success.
5 – Take Care Of Your Trainers
Off The Grid Fitness rents out their space to independent trainers. This means all their employees care about the gym’s space like it’s their own business – because it is! Off The Grid gives their trainers the freedom to create their own schedule, market themselves and the facility, and be as successful as they can. It’s a win win for both the studio and the team that works there.
For more tips on how to grow your fitness studio, check out our 3 Ways to Own Your Market – the process that got another gym over 400 leads in 31 days!
