One of the things I always look at when I first start working with a new client is how their business as a whole works.
And if you strip it all down, businesses are made up of just 3 parts:
- Your audience
- Your offer
- Your marketing
There's obviously a lot more to it, but if you're missing one of these 3 parts, you can't sell anything to anyone, in any way.
So, that's the 3 things I look at immediately.
Non-coincidentally, it corresponds with the first 3 sections of my business-building 9 Revenue Raisers framework.
- Revenue Raiser 1: Ideal Audience
- Revenue Raiser 2: Irresistible Offer
- Revenue Raiser 3: Perfect Positioning
Back to the story:
There's 3 Muay Thai gyms in my area and they're largely a fixed-cost type business from what I can see, meaning they're paying basically the same amount each week for their outgoings (rent, trainers, utilities).
Which tells me that if they were using their resources (time, trainers, space) better, they'd be far more profitable.
All the gyms are basically the 'same' from an outsider's perspective (me) looking into it for the first time.
Which means they're likely relying on price-discounting to win business.
A common case when you haven't differentiated your offerings well enough.
So the simplest thing any one of these gyms could do is to CLEARLY highlight who should be joining i.e. RR1.
And, if we consider who's most likely to pay the MOST for the same thing, it's going to be tourists thanks to the exchange rate.
(Quick note: Thai fighters will come regardless, all year round, and the gym makes money from their purse when these fighters win, so we can largely 'ignore' this demographic for now)
So, according to the trainers and who I'm seeing around the place, it's largely Australians, Swedes, Germans, and Russians.
Easiest way to make this work is to mirror the copy on your site in Swedish, German, and Russian (they already have English), making nation-specific changes where relevant.
I checked some freelancer sites, and this would cost less than $100 per language.
Bam.
A very low-cost, high-return activity that makes anyone from these countries feel like they're in the right place because they can read what's going on AND it makes it seem like enough people from their country come to the gym for you to make the effort to translate. A form of subliminal social proof.
Add testimonials in their language as you get them and you're good to go.
Next thing I'd do is tweak their offers i.e. RR2.
Currently, all the gyms just offer 'training'.
And, based on my personal experience with my own boxing gym, that's a great way to sign no one up.
Talking with the owner of the gym I'm at, he said most tourists are here for 2 weeks, stay at hotels within 50 km and hire transport through their hotels...
... and fighters are here for 2-3 months (VISA cut-offs), like to stay close to the gym or at the gym when available (they train 2 - 3 times a day), and need transport.
So, let's create some new packages.
- Offer 1: Muay Thai for fitness: 1 & 2 week passes + gear rental
- Offer 2: Muay Thai technique and sparring: Weekly and monthly passes + gear rental and sales + accommodation + scooter rental
Next, whip up two new pages for each offer and put photos, videos, testimonials, and information that is SPECIFIC to the audience who'll be interested.
Message to market match, we call it.
These pages are also where we'd offer easy online credit card payments through Stripe or PayPal. Now you can start forecasting your revenue and trainer-use ahead of time.
PLUS we can send them an automated email sequence to get them excited about their first session and what they can expect. In a pinch, do it manually.
The following emails would be where we'd make offers for gear and clothing, explaining it'd all be ready for them when they arrive on the first day.
Imagine the excitement and anticipation!
(And, if it were me, because I'm a clever kinda guy, I'd then be running retargeting ads on Facebook and Instagram for anyone who went to these specific offer pages - making sure to STOP running ads when they're no longer in the area. Constant reminders will vastly help with conversions. Oh, and because we made the multi-language pages, we can also run ads in their language too.)
Now to keep things chugging along:
- On the first session, you ask them to fill out a feedback form, asking why they came, why they chose you, and how they found you.
- The feedback form is also where you capture important details such as their email address, what country and city they're from, and how long their time in the area was.
- On the last session, you ask them what difference the lessons have made in their lives and whether you'd recommend others to come and why.
Now you've systemised testimonial gathering and market research, which helps feed the 'growth machine'.
This would TRANSFORM any one of the gyms here and the best bit is we're simply re-allocating the resources they were already using in a better, more profitable format.
In a nutshell, we:
- translated the website
- reworked the offer
- added upsells
- re-positioned the business
- systemised email gathering, testimonials, and market research
And all on a shoestring budget, too.
Just the translations and asking their web person to whip up two new pages. And I guess a couple of cents per page for the feedback forms... but you could also do this for free by emailing everyone and asking them to fill out a Google Forms.
How do I know this would work?
Because it's the same 'formula' I've used for dozens of other gyms. Maybe not the specific details, such as accommodation or scooter rental, but the format.
This kind of thinking works for basically every business or industry I've tried it on.
And I can thank the 9RR for helping me 'systemize' all this so the 'next steps' come out pretty fast.
Want Help Like This?
If you'd like me to work on some schemes like this for your own business, and get clear 'next steps' like I've laid out here, why don't you book some time with me.
I'm re-offering my 'Business Breakthrough Sessions' which is a month-long program where we look at your business, your offers, and how we can make them irresistible to your ideal customers.
It's based on the 9 Revenue Raisers and you'll get 3 structured 20-minute sessions over the month, some action steps for each week, and personal help from me as we work on your offers and marketing together.
Also, it's wildly inexpensive for the value you're getting.
Just reply to this email with your interest, and I'll give you some more details.
