As a fitness studio owner, your goal is to help more people become the healthiest and most confident versions of themselves. Measurements help you do that (and retain members even longer)…
So, wouldn’t it be great if your current paying members were already highly motivated to work on their fitness goals? Tracking specific metrics helps, and it’s actually a selling point for your studio!
Signing up ideal members starts with your lead flow. And while all leads are good leads, some leads are better than others. And as it turns out, you can generate more of those qualified leads by monetizing a service you may even already offer: fitness measurements.
The Measurements
Measurements exist in the fitness industry to show progress and results. But too often, fitness studios only look at the number of pounds lost through their program. Not everybody has the same fitness goals, and as they burn fat and gain muscle, the number on the scale doesn’t always reflect the change in their body.
It’s best to look at these metrics to get a sense of your members’ progress:
- Resting heart rate
- Body weight on a scale
- BMI
- Body fat percentage
- Size (in inches) of various areas of the body
To accurately measure your members’ size, use a tape to measure the circumference (distance around) specific parts of their body. This gives a better idea of their transformation from your workouts and guidance. You don’t have to measure both sides, but it’s best to stick with the same side consistently so your members get an accurate picture of their progress.
Because men and women’s bodies are different, the ideal measurement areas vary slightly. For men, measure the circumference of:
- Upper arm, both flexed and relaxed
- Chest at the widest point
- Natural waist
- Buttocks at the widest point
- Thigh, both flexed and relaxed
- Calf, both flexed and relaxed
For women, measure:
- Upper arm, both flexed and relaxed
- Chest, just above the bust (not at the widest point)
- Natural waist
- Buttocks at the widest point
- Thigh, both flexed and relaxed
- Calf, both flexed and relaxed
Next, you’ll perform a fitness assessment that measures the person’s physical capabilities. I always include:
- The number of push-ups performed in 1 minute
- Elevated heart rate (measured right after the push ups)
- How long they can hold a plank without shifting
- The number of ball squats they can do against a wall in 1 minute
Remember that these go quickly and if you do it right, you should be able to measure about 4 members per hour.
But it’s not enough just to know how to measure your members accurately. If you want to implement this as a successful service, you need to know why it’s such a good strategy. So let’s dive into that now …
1. Generate Extra Revenue
When you approach measurements the smart way, they bring in additional revenue for your fitness studio. I actually tested this years ago when I owned a personal training business and got some pretty great results.
I charged $59 per month for weekly measurements. If my members wanted one-time measurements, I charged $19 per session. I could usually measure about 4 people per hour.
On average, I measured about 30 new people each month and converted around 25% of them to paying members. So not only did I gain the revenue from the cost of their measurements, but I also gained new members who paid monthly for my workout services.
2. Attract the Right Members
As a fitness studio owner, you know how important it is that your members are motivated to work on their fitness goals. Low motivation leads to poor habits both inside and outside of the gym, like unhealthy nutrition, not working out efficiently, and so on. That’s typically when people start to cancel their memberships because they no longer see the value.
People who care about their measurements are the kind of motivated people you want to have around your gym.
They’re the people who work out more often and are actually interested in additional ways to achieve their goals — like with meal plans, additional services you offer, etc. They’re more likely to invest more in you because they know it’ll help them. And that motivation rubs off on your other members, making them want to work harder on their own goals, too.
3. Provide Referral Opportunities
You can also use measurements to as an incentive in your member referral program. Here’s how I implemented it when I ran this program and how I recommend you do it at your fitness studio:
Give each member 3 passes for free measurements that they can give out to friends and family. Once a pass is redeemed, the original referring member can share more discounts with more friends and family (this time a VIP 50% off discount). They also earn a $9.50 discount on their individual measurements or $30 off of their monthly measurement package.
When done right, this strategy brings a ton of new people into your studio. It’s a great lead generator. But to convert them into full, paying members, make sure your referral and sales processes are fully operational. We walk you through the steps of setting up your membership referral program here:
4. Prove Results
People love to see progress, especially when it comes to their fitness. Measurements give a standard of comparison that your members can go back to each week to see how they’ve progressed toward their goals.
This also works for you because it proves the efficacy of your fitness studio and the classes you offer. With your members’ permission, use these measurements in testimonial videos to show the awesome results people get at your studio.
Do you offer measurements as a service at your fitness studio, or do you plan to? Let us know how this strategy works for your location! For more tips for not only growing your business, but enjoy it, check out my YouTube Channel HERE!
