It is common to observe that when talking about Marketing, this term is generally confused with management, and it is even given a purely commercial character. In reality, Marketing has been readjusting to the changes that companies have suffered over time and of course it has been readjusting to the demands of the market. At this time we could say that Marketing not simply serves to "sell more and better" but to identify what the customer wants to buy or achieve, also defining who and how we are going to plan not only the sale, but also the loyalty of this customer.
Marketing, when misused, becomes only an overselling system that violates our real ability to offer effective responses to customers: it often turns into promises that are very well sold but difficult to fulfill: what is generally known as " sell smoke ”.
However, well understood Marketing is a great tool for empowering our own resources and above all an excellent "translator" of our service offerings for the client. Communication must speak the language of our clients.
But it is not only communication, Marketing is above all the common thread between the quality of our services, the operation of our processes, the correct customer service, the effective use of our resources and the correct management of human resources.
In short, this article explains that it is not possible to communicate anything to our partner if we do not have some very well defined points, because ultimately it is about selling how well we serve the client, how prepared our professionals are and how excellent they are. our services and facilities. And of course, it's about us being able to accomplish all of this.
At the end of the day, it is only about looking at the management processes and giving way to Management Marketing: we must avoid selling our installation or selling our services by ignoring who they are directed to, if they are really capable of meeting the demands of our customers, or if what reaches them is really what they need.
" First identify, then plan, then improve and finally sell "
In the end, everything depends on the work of a human team, it does not matter if our installation has excellent infrastructures, it does not matter if our management software is capable of accurately calculating a thousand variables, it is indifferent that we are able to copy services as fast as new holdings appear. If our human team does not breathe to the rhythm of our clients, what we are selling is smoke.
To correctly plan the management of our human resources we must:
- Know the characteristics of our clients and their objectives in our facility Verify if our staff is able to satisfy and cover all or part of these objectives Develop the functions of each worker based on the achievement of these objectives Develop the flow chart internal customer service (who does what and when). Develop the appropriate communication channels.
1. Know the characteristics of our clients and their objectives in our facility.
Sometimes, when human resource management is not correct, the success of our facility or our services depends solely on the demand of a single segment of our domestic market. That is, if we have a very empathic staff prepared for directed activities and very poorly prepared in the Fitness room, we will gradually observe that the client “type” of directed activities is varied and enjoys this activity for the most part. However, in the Fitness room we will observe that the typology of clients is uniform and little mixed, this is because we have only kept the client with “own objectives”, losing the member who needs special support or motivation.
This is due to the lack of "adaptability" to the client: lack of preparation, lack of resources to meet specific needs… and ultimately poor service.
Knowing what are the objectives that our client seeks in the center is decisive for the choice and training of our staff.
2. Verify whether our staff is capable of meeting and meeting these objectives in whole or in part.
We already know what our client needs, but do we also know if our staff is capable of offering it?
It is important to determine if our staff is capable of meeting all the needs of our clients. In this sense, it is easy to observe how many facilities launch different services in response to competition: Pilates, Personal Training, etc. But too many times the existing staff is taken advantage of or else these staff receive minimal training on these and other issues, with which we are finally -from the Marketing point of view- selling something that we don't really know how to do, which at the long it makes us lose credibility and strength in the face of the client.
We want to sell that we are able to offer a good level of quality. Quality training, quality social club, quality personalized attention, quality classes… but to arrive at this magnificent proposal we must be professionals and try to offer it from the most realistic position possible.
At this point it would be interesting to design a continuing training program. So we are going to be positive, and to train our workers through talks with qualified professionals in different areas (biomechanics, nutrition, etc.), “round tables”, presentation of articles to be exhibited in the club by our staff, attending courses and seminars etc. Without a doubt, the best remedy against the demotivation of our staff is to promote restlessness and internal activity.
3. Develop the functions of each worker based on the achievement of these objectives.
"We are what we sell", this statement is not true, of course, but it is not entirely false either: within the structure of any company that works with the client, there are strategic aspects. We can have identified the aspirational values of our clients and have the best monitors, but if from the reception -for example- of our center, the client is poorly served, we have lost 80% of our value.
This explains that we must precisely select the personnel who will occupy each position in our facility, regardless of its size. Almost always a "good morning!" or a smile is a factor of great value for the one who receives it. In the same sense, a client who feels that she is simply "renting" the facility with a monthly fee, without monitoring its progress or failures is the ideal candidate to become part of our migratory flow.
Carrying out a "Function Manual" is a good option to face the next step:
4. Develop the internal flowchart for customer service (who does what and when).
This is the simplest part, but also one of the most important. For this, it is necessary to design an organization chart of actions and processes in which all staff are involved: What happens from the moment a client requests information, what data is requested, how do we subsequently manage this information? Information is something very important in our facility: data such as the children a client has, their hobbies, if they are married, etc. They are as important from the point of view of Marketing, as knowing the possible pathologies that you may have.
If I know I can create, if I believe I can offer and if I offer I can sell.
Do you accompany this client to the changing rooms? Do you indicate the services that you can enjoy? Who shows you the facilities? Do you meet with the area coordinator or is it the receptionist (it does not have to have knowledge in physical education) who evaluates and offers a PT or Pilates service at their discretion?
After a few weeks, does someone call you to inquire about your evolution at the center? How do we act afterwards?
Of course, who does what is important, and at this point aspects related to Quality, Management and Excellence converge, but without a doubt we cannot talk about Marketing without taking into account that ethically, we should not sell or communicate anything that it's not really true, and for it to be true you have to plan it and then execute it.
5. Develop the appropriate communication channels.
A communication channel must be internal as well as external to be truly effective.
Internally, the design of an "Entry Manual" for new workers is very effective in informing the worker of the direct channels that allow them to know the company and its modus operandi. The "Internal Manual", in addition to informing the worker of the specific functions of each position, may mention the labor regulations, agreement, possibilities for internal training and promotion, system of remuneration and bonuses, vacation periods, etc.
The effectiveness of these "Manuals" does not simply lie in the information they provide, but in making all the information and formal communication channels available to staff to manage and discuss this information, avoiding distortions that are introduced into the communication channels. internal when these are not well defined.
Externally, we must bear in mind that a good communication strategy for our clients must be informative and also formative since the trained client is much more loyal than a “free” client.
The "free" client
The free client is generally a partner of our facility who we have not attended, we have not trained and we have not been able to introduce him into our business dynamics, either due to laziness, ignorance, not having the appropriate professionals or not having identified your needs. In this sense, we would say that we have not known how to "sell" the product. And that responsibility is not a responsibility that floats in words that are sometimes difficult to understand for many of our workers: Management, management pyramid, etc. that responsibility belongs to our human resources and is called: devotion to service.
Surely we have a differential advantage, but… have we been able to transmit it? And if we have a differential advantage, what is it? Do my employees know about it, do they pass it on to the customer?
Small installations may find this not very important. Well, the less important we consider these aspects to be, the further we will be from the optimal level of quality that our customers expect. The so-called "total quality" seeks, among other things, excellence in service, that is, to offer the customer more than what they expect to achieve, and this is essential in smaller facilities as it configures one of the most powerful competitive systems.
As we can see, Marketing and human resources go hand in hand and are often inseparable from other terms related to business management.
