While all systems are truly important to a gym functioning, the first systems you implement in your gym should save you a tremendous about of time. We often get the question, “Should I make all my systems first and then introduce them to my staff?” This can be a challenge, because when you first begin writing and implementing systems, there will be a training process. As the gym owner, you’re learning how to write detailed systems with an effective results statement, and your staff is adapting to working with systems themselves. For that reason, it’s good to write 2-3 systems and introduce them to your staff. Test them out by having your staff use them, and then tweak them as necessary until you believe you have a complete and final product that any staff member could complete easily. Below, we’ve provided the Top 10 Systems we believe Every Gym Should Have:

  1. Opening System: Think about all the time you spend opening your gym each day. These simple tasks of turning on lights, turning on announcement TVs, etc. are something anyone could do if they have the system in place to do so. Because every gym is different, this system should be used as an example. Walk through your own opening procedures and document in this format to build your own system.
  2. Closing System: By allowing members of your staff to close (and having the confidence they will do exactly as you would) you can head home for the night to get in valuable time with your family, and dare we say it….a few extra minutes of sleep! Document your own process of closing your building and walk through this with a staff member a few times before handing it off. The system provides value because with it – it’s impossible to forget any important steps.
  3. Cleaning Systems: There are many cleaning systems you can use in your gym (and each area should have a specific system so it can be divided and delegated). This system should provide an example of how specific your system needs to be. (This is a kitchenette cleaning system.)
  4. Front Desk End-of-Day Form: While we believe every employee should complete an end-of-shift form, your front desk often acts as the “command post” for everything happening in the gym. Using this form, you can get a gauge for what happened each day without having to hover at the front desk.
  5. On-Boarding Checklist: This is a system used for staffing. When hiring and on-boarding, there are so many steps along the way, that often – we forget vital steps. By using this checklist, you can hire, on-board, train and off-board like a pro! Make a new document for each employee.
  6. Greeting System: First impressions are everything! By having a specific greeting system, you know that any employee near the door or front desk will give a new client the same impression you would upon entering your facility. This should be one of the first things you train new employees on – as they are a representation of your gym from their first day.
  7. Autoresponders: When using a proper sales funnel, a prospect will opt in on your landing page to view the class schedule. Upon entering the name and email address, they will be filtered into an email marketing system where a drip campaign will begin. A series of 7-11 emails should be sent over the next 30 days to increase your trial sales by up to 40% as people engage through email marketing. This system is actually an example of our first email autoresponder in the Next Generation Academy complete set of autoresponders.
  8. Social Media Scheduling System: It’s tough to delegate out your social media unless you’ve systemized how you’d like it done. In this system, we give an example of how you can begin a social media scheduling system to provide for a key leader in your organization who may be ready to take on social media. (This is one of several systems in the series of what should be used.)
  9. Position Agreements: A position agreement should be given to a potential hire to explain all areas of a job and ensure you’re on the same page prior to hiring. Upon hiring, the staff member would sign the document and the on-boarding and training process would begin. Position agreements are vital to ensuring good communication and expectations among your staff. (This is one of many position agreements in our Next Gen Academy Members Area.)
  10. Field Trip System: Ok, so it’s not just a field trip system we believe you should have. Ideally, you’d have a system for every event that takes place in your gym. These detailed systems allow your staff to run events that rival one another in quality and excitement time over time. This is an example of a field trip system used in our gym.

For complete access to all systems in the Next Generation Gym Owners Members Area, please consider an Academy Membership. There are hundreds of systems in our files with new ones uploaded weekly! More information on the Next Gen Academy (U.S.) may be found HERE and more information on the Next Gen Academy (Canada, U.K. & Australia) may be found HERE.