When it comes to running and growing a business, having the right tools for the job can make ALL the difference…
The difference between spending three hours on a project, versus a half hour with the right tool.
The difference between recognizing mistakes in a process the first time and correcting it, versus repeating the same mistakes over and over again due to human error.
The difference between the long-term viability and scalability of your gym, versus being stuck in the exchanging-time-for-money rut.
Tools enable gym owners to do MORE in LESS time and with LESS effort and energy. The key is in determining which ones your business actually needs.
Here’s our take: you don’t need all the tools in the world to grow a fantastically successful fitness business. You just need a handful of the right ones.
In fact, you just need seven!
Here are the 7 essential tech tools that every gym owner needs to grow the business of their dreams:
1. A Payment Processing Tool
This is probably the most obvious tool on this list – you NEED a way to accept credit and debit card payments at your gym! Payment processing (or payment gateway) tools create a secure connection between your gym’s website or browser and the credit card processing company. This secure connection is used to encrypt credit card payment data for every transaction, verifying the authenticity of a transaction and keeping sensitive information secure. In other words, these tools enable you to securely and safely charge your members on a recurring basis without you having to reswipe their card for every transaction. If you’re not using a tool that allows you to charge automatically to member accounts, you’re severely limiting your growth [potential.
Our Tip: There are many other tools that have payment processing built into them, such as client management tools like MindBody and Zenplanner. These are great options because they’re already integrated into other business tools. Stand-alone payment processors are an alternative (ie. Square or Stripe) and work for other gyms.
2. A Communication & Collaboration Tool
Communication and collaboration tools are critical for both your team’s success as well as delivering a world-class client experience. They typically have features that enable you to send tasks and notes amongst team members; have shared visibility and response access to your gym’s phone and email; and schedule and even templatize client communication. As you can probably guess, communication and collaboration tools can be MAJOR time-savers.
Our Tip: We’ll admit that we’re biased, but having a communication tool for your gym is non-negotiable. There are many one-off services that specialize in one communication platform (ie. texting) or tracking client data (ie. food logs), but we think it’s just easier to have a tool that does it all 🙂
3. A Client Management Tool
A client management tool is one that acts as an engagement tracker, CRM, scheduling software all in one. Popular choices like MindBody even have billing capabilities. With this tool, every member gets an account they can access at any time to book, reserve spots, and view remaining visits. You can check and update their profiles at any time, eliminating hours of administrative work so you can spend more time on what matters.
Our Tip: There is a large range of client management tools out there – some are best suited for solopreneurs and trainers just starting out, whereas others work best for multi-location gyms. Do your research and ensure the client management tool you land on has the features you will need most.
4. An Email Marketing Tool
Thank goodness for email marketing tools – without them, you (and every other business owner on the planet) would have to manually copy, paste, personalize, and send the same email to every gym member and lead…every single time they wanted to send a mass message. The BEST email marketing tools are ones that save you significant time and energy: they allow you to send branded, great-looking emails in a matter of minutes. You need one of these, trust us.
Our Tip: Email marketing can easily become overwhelming and overcomplicated, but the right tool should alleviate a lot of that stress. Participate in a few free trials and investigate which platform is most intuitive and easy for you to use to connect with leads and clients. We suggest MailerLite and MailChimp.
5. A Social Media Management Tool
According to a Visual Objects survey, over 63% of small businesses use social media to market their services…but less than half of those use a social media management tool to do so. Social media management tools make your life (or the lives of your admins) easier by allowing you to batch schedule and post across your social media platforms. In other words, you can log on to a single dashboard and schedule five different social media posts across three platforms to go out over the upcoming week – captions, hashtags and all. This makes social media more efficient, which in turn frees up more time to connect with your members and build you community on those platforms. It’s a win-win!
Our Tip: We like Creator Studio and Hootsuite for social media management, but there are dozens out there that get the job done.
6. A File Sharing & Storage Tool
You’re probably very familiar with file sharing tools like Google Drive, OneDrive, Box etc. They enable remote people and teams to work on the same docs and spreadsheets. Even if you DON’T have a remote team, file sharing streamlines processes and allows you to create standard operating procedures that can “live in” and be referenced from your file sharing tool. The right solution will help your gym save time and increase productivity.
Our Tip: Don’t think too hard about these – most of the file sharing and storage tools are very similar. Just pick one that feels right for you and stick with it!
7. A Bookkeeping Tool
Unless you’re a mathlete, bookkeeping is probably the most boring and tedious part of being a business owner. Regardless of how much you love or hate it, it must get done. Having an intuitive and simple bookkeeping software can make all the difference when it comes to consistently and accurately tracking and managing your business books. Without a tool like this, you could be facing lost money, missed opportunities, or even a visit from the IRS.
Our Tip: FreshBooks, Quick Books Online, and Xero are all popular options among small business owners – start by checking these options out if you don’t currently have a bookkeeping software.
There you have it – the 7 essential tech tools every gym owner needs. Each one of these tools is powerful and time-saving on its own…but, when they’re combined, they can make a WORLD of difference for a business’s productivity and profitability!
If you’re looking for tools for your gym and are overwhelmed by the sheer number of options out there…we get it. That’s why we created Naamly! We wanted to combine, simplify and systemize the most valuable tools that gyms need into one single platform. Naamly’s simple communications and operations platform helps gym owners everywhere deliver a stellar customer experience while reducing friction, empowering staff, and building strong client-business relationships.