Xplor Xperience: 7 growth lessons for ambitious gym owners & operators

The Xplor Xperience took place on 9 November 2023 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry. Here are 7 growth lessons for ambitious gym owners and operators from our expert line up of speakers.

Gym owners and operators, along with industry experts and partners, gathered on 9 November 2023 for the second Xplor Xperience. We had a packed schedule of insight and inspiration. Delivered by the most accomplished and experienced people in our industry.

This event was curated to leave owners and operators feeling motivated and inspired. Empowered to take their businesses to new heights in 2024.

Thank you to everyone who attended and made the day a success. If you couldn’t make it (or want to relive it like us!), we’ve got you covered with our top 7 growth lessons from the day.

7 growth lessons from the Xplor Xperience

We’ll deep dive into each of these lessons in this article.

Pressed for time? No sweat! Here’s a grab and go summary of the 7 growth lessons that will supercharge your success in 2024:

Let’s get stuck in to the detail…

#1: Focus on your members

The Xplor Xperience kicked off with our inspirational headliner – Al Barratt, Founder & CEO of Grenade. In an unmissable session, Al shared his story. And explained the ingredients that have made Grenade the success it is today.

Al has spent his career in and around the fitness industry. He left school to work in the gym he did work experience in.

Al quickly learnt the importance of personality, hard work and hustle. As well as the value of building personal relationships with his members. He is still applying much of what he learnt in those early days working in the gym in his business today.

Fulfilling a need, driving repeat custom

A poor eater, Al found it tough to get the nutrition needed to see the results he wanted. And observed that most of the supplements available at that time were imported from the US. He also saw that the best supplements weren’t the best marketed. And the best marketed weren’t the best quality.

So, Al set out to offer the best marketed, best quality supplements available. And knowing that people, relationships, and results matter, he knew he must focus on repeat sales. Making sure people would come back time and time again.

Deciding to focus specifically on supplements for weight loss, Al asked a friend who was training for the Special Forces to test them out. The feedback received inspired the brand name today. The supplements were ‘like swallowing a Grenade’.

To grow the Grenade brand, Al knew the right mix of personality and playfulness would be essential. Grenade has never failed to make an impression. Stunts like driving a tank into the 2011 Bodypower Expo keep pushing boundaries.

Fired up by belief

Always determined to do better for customers. And with Grenade supplements selling across all major health and nutrition retailers, Al set out on his next mission. To create a protein bar, one that people would actually enjoy.

Despite many saying it wasn’t possible, and after 43 attempts, Al created a protein bar that would sell. In fact, the first 50,000 bars sold in 2 hours and the bars were consistently out of stock for the 2 years that followed.

Today there are approx. 200,000 locations across the UK selling over 100,000 Grenade bars. Al has achieved his goal of making the bars the number one confectionery selling bar in the UK. And in March 2021, Mondelez acquired a significant majority interest acquisition in Grenade.

Al continues to drive Grenade forward to keep innovating and reach more people across the UK and Western Europe.

Al’s advice for owners looking to open new locations

Tip

Remember the basics. Provide the best possible product/services. Create a friendly environment. Keep standards of cleanliness high. Help your members get the best results. As you scale and open more sites, remember to keep existing members happy. It’s cheaper to keep existing customers happy, than to attract new ones. And happy customers will help you grow organically. Plus, focus on what you can control. Consistency is key. It takes time, but consistency will lead to results.

#2: Build a brand people buy into

Next up on the Xplor Xperience line up was Adrian Marks, Founder & CEO of marketing agency enjoy! and Managing Partner of coaching business Acceleratr Consulting.

A serial entrepreneur and customer acquisition specialist, Adrian has helped 650+ gyms attract 1.5 million members and generate £1.2 billion in revenue. He has also built and sold 2 multi-million pound gym chains in 1999 and 2004.

Adrian shared some insights from the frameworks he uses to help gym owners and operators grow their brands. He explained that successful brands get people to go ‘that’s me’, connecting and buying into the brand. That buy-in fuels growth.

How do you create a brand that people buy into? Adrian outlined 3 key steps:

Step 1: Understand why people buy stuff

Most people don’t buy things logically. 90% of the buying decision is driven by emotion and instinct.

People are motivated by pain and pleasure. Moving away from pain or moving towards pleasure. They are looking to solve basic needs: Survival, growth, certainty/uncertainty, love & connection, significance, contribution. In the buying decision these needs become values.

So, the more people value these needs, the more they’ll be willing to invest in them. Especially if they can achieve results faster and/or with less effort.

Step 2: Know how people buy stuff

Once you understand why people buy things, you need to understand how they buy. There are 7 steps:

As people move through these steps:

Step 3: Align sales and marketing around why and how people buy

Create a brand that appeals to the why of your members. Fulfil a need that your target audience places a value on.

And then build a sales and marketing funnel that takes your prospective members through the stages of buying. So, you’ll have a brand that will skyrocket your sales.

Gym growth secrets

Adrian then shared a few gym growth secrets from the 7-figure gym formula:

Tip

Movement and consistency matter in building a scalable brand.

#3: Get closer to your members

In the final morning session of the Xplor Xperience, Dave Gerrish (ukactive), Martin Perry (Technogym), and Dave Alstead (Xplor), took to the stage. The trio discussed the growth opportunity that digital technologies hold for independent operators.

In today’s world, people want to interact with businesses, products, and services both digitally and in-person. Often this experience is fluid, catering to the needs and desires of the customer at that time.

For example, supermarkets now let customers in-store use their phone to scan and pay for items. This complements the traditional experience of visiting a sales assistant to check out and pay.

The latest ukactive Digital Futures research found that the industry is in ‘digital experimenter phase’. That means we’re just getting started.

For many independent gyms, the potential to use digital technologies remains almost untapped. Often the in-person and digital member experience are in many ways separate. And gym teams are stuck with inefficient processes and time consuming tasks.

Digital Futures exists to help gyms use digital technologies to full potential. So, the member and staff experience is transformed. Driving lasting, scalable growth.

By taking part in Digital Futures, independents can collaboratively shape the development of technologies. Like those provided by Technogym and Xplor Gym.

Plus, gyms can see exactly where their business sits digitally. So, it’s easy to make practical changes to improve performance.

Uncover the opportunity that tech can bring

Tip

Retention becomes easier with tech. Tech that helps you deliver a consistent member experience at scale. And blends both in-person and digital touch-points. Collaborate to better serve both members and your team.

#4: See and hear members more often

Xplor Xperience attendees were fuelled up thanks to a delicious lunch freshly prepared by the awesome team at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry. So, the Xplor Xperience educational sessions picked back up for the afternoon.

First up on stage, a fireside chat with Guy Griffiths (GGFit) and Julie Allen (Active Insight). The session was packed with actionable insights to help gyms supercharge retention.

The pair shared findings from the Winning The War On Attrition report to shed light on the state of retention in the fitness industry.

With a proactive mindset and approach, gyms can unlock lasting growth. All by tackling attrition to keep more members coming back (and paying) for longer.

Reimagining inductions

Start by looking at the member journey. When designing a journey, clubs are really designing the experience members will get. Many clubs will welcome new members with an induction of some kind.

If a member has had an induction they keep visiting and using their membership for an extra 4 months on average. And for new members who’ve not been active regularly, Active Insight found that 67% value a warm welcome when attending an induction.

This first starting point has the potential to make a big difference to fitness businesses. And members too.

For those who’ve been a gym member at some point in the past, it’s likely they’ve had an underwhelming induction. So, it needs to be easy for all new members to understand the value of this session.

That could mean renaming it. And it definitely means getting feedback on inductions to understand what’s working and what’s not. Think beyond a one size fits all approach. Meet the member where they are at. Offer a personalised session to fit member experience, interests, and goals.

Recovering sleepers

The attrition research found that 31% of current members in the UK & Ireland are sleeping. That means they’ve not visited for 30+ days.

And while recent Active Insight & HCM research found that 16% of sleepers keep paying because they think it’ll encourage them to return, Julie and Guy urge that as an industry we have the responsibility to turn that around. After all, most members will cancel around 5 months after their last visit, never returning as they’d hoped.

Timing is everything when tackling sleepers, contact members sooner rather than later. And take a multichannel approach getting in touch by text, email, letter, phone call etc.

Finally, use the data you have available to tailor that approach and messaging. Effectively reaching and appealing to each member.

Keep listening to members

The attrition research found that 52% of former gym members never told clubs why they were leaving. This creates a tricky situation for gyms looking to grow. Without this insight it’s tough to make improvements that stop more members quitting for the same reasons.

Clubs should consider reaching out with a feedback survey to these members. And the most effective approach is to start asking for member feedback right from the start of their journey. Build a culture where feedback is valued. And members know action will be taken. This can both cut attrition and reduce the likelihood of members quietly quitting.

Use what members tell you to continuously redesign and improve your gym member journey. Above all, engage members to drive behavioural change. Keep working to encourage members to make that next visit.

Help new joiners build the habit of visiting when joining

Tip

Make it easier by helping each new member create a weekly activity plan during induction and as part of your onboarding process. Even put in place reminders to help members stick to their planned schedule.

#5: Nail fast lane marketing

In our penultimate session of the day, we had the pleasure of welcoming Charlie Horton to the stage. Head of Growth at the Fitness Marketing Agency (FMA), Charlie is an exceptional speaker. And a leading authority on lead generation in the gym and fitness space.

Full funnel marketing

Charlie explained that there are 3 types of marketing that gyms need for success:

To create marketing that drives long-term growth, gyms need to run marketing in each lane. Planting seeds and harvesting crops at the same time.

At FMA, Charlie has helped over 400 fitness businesses to acquire new members and clients. Most businesses are getting their leads and new members through slow lane (organic and website) and medium lane (referrals/word of mouth) marketing.

That leaves many missing out on fast lane marketing attracting those ready to buy. And if gyms are struggling to grow, nailing fast lane marketing can make all the difference.

Get Meta ads firing on all cylinders

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads are the most effective paid way for fitness businesses to get new leads and members.

FMA find that businesses who have tried Facebook or Instagram ads in the past without success make common mistakes. These impact performance and can easily be fixed:

Want to create a winning ad that attracts new members?

Tip

Speak to a specific audience as directly as possible. Highlight the problem that audience faces. Include details of a straightforward appealing offer. Explain the benefit your audience will get. Add a clear call to action.

#6: Dust yourself off and go again!

To top off our uplifting Xplor Xperience line up we were treated to a session delivered by the uplifting Jamie Cartwright.

An industry legend with 25 years of experience, Jamie shared his wisdom from scaling a fitness franchise from start-up. And then going onto launch the hugely successful BOX12. Plus, of course, he spoke of his experience taking part in series 6 of Channel 4’s hit SAS Who Dares Wins.

SAS Who Dares Wins puts recruits through the Special Air Services screening process. It tests their mental, emotional and physical strength. Many of the same strengths that leaders need to build a successful business.

Experience and learn

In 2006, Jamie along with a childhood friend, launched Ladyzone. A ladies-only gym offering a 30-minute circuit-based workout. The pair aspired to grow the business into a national and then international franchise.

The business was always cashflow positive. It grew to 15 sites (10 of which were franchised). And achieved £2 million turnover per year. But, ultimately, by 2015 the business went into liquidation.

Some would have walked away. Yet, Jamie reflected on the experience of building and scaling this business, taking lessons for success into his next venture.

Grit and determination

Jamie adopted a true growth mindset. Identifying and working on what went wrong in this first franchise venture. And then feeding that into his next business to make it even more successful.

Having met John Eade, Managing Director of Hatton Boxing, the pair combined forces. Together they created BOX12, a boxing and functional fitness tech-led workout.

Since launch in 2019, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has scaled rapidly. And now provides tech-led workout solutions to clubs across the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Jamie explained the lessons he’s applied. Addressing the factors that led to failure last time. And powering the growth of BOX12. Here are those lessons:

Have an exit strategy

Tip

When building a fitness business make sure you have an exit strategy in place. That will guide you in achieving what you’ve set out to. And, you can always choose to stay on once you’ve hit your initial goals!

#7: Go further together

Finally, we wanted to share a growth lesson that ran across most of the sessions at the Xplor Xperience.

Gym owners and operators can go further, faster, by leaning on and learning from others. The more we connect and partner together, the bigger and better our achievements will be.

For example:

The Xplor Xperience is all about creating opportunities for gym owners and operators to go further together. Creating connections with likeminded peers, as well as building relationships with industry experts and partners, to learn from and grow with one another.

The wrap up…

Those were our 7 growth lessons from the Xplor Xperience:

Watch this space for details of the next Xplor Xperience!