How Business Owners Are Using Small Acts to Make a Big Difference
July 31, 2023
When it comes to creating a wellness business that members look forward to coming back to, it’s essential to leave a positive impression. Creating a stellar customer experience goes beyond just providing a great workout—it also includes those wow moments that set your studio apart (which people remember long after they leave).
We tapped into our Mindbody One community for insight on the small acts they do that have a lasting impact on their customers—no detail was too simple. Here are four ways business owners lean into moments of wow to foster community and retain members for the long haul:
1. Make your business feel like home
Making your members feel special doesn’t have to be pricey. Letting your community know that you care can be as easy as crafting something personal or making a homemade treat.
Lora Markova, the owner of Earth and Aerial Yoga, is an expert at this. She makes homemade chocolate chip cookies, creates labels, and hand packs them all individually before passing them out directly to 60+ monthly members. She also sees holidays as an opportunity to do something memorable, like giving out hand-written greeting cards for Valentine’s Day.
Laura isn’t the only business owner who prefers going the extra mile through a homemade treat. Jessica Daly, the owner of Ocean Blue Fitness, also brings that feeling of home into her studio through special touches. She celebrates yearly renewals with homemade granola placed in quality reusable containers, revamps her space annually to make it more upscale, and is currently working on creating a living wall of plants. She also makes an extra effort to foster personal connections in and outside of her gym—some coaches even visit members at home during times of need. This emphasis on connection makes a massive impact on people’s lives and touches many facets of their well-being.
2. Surprise and delight your clients
When your members come to your studio, they know what to expect from your business. Surprising them with unexpected perks is a great strategy to renew their interest, engage them in your business, and generate one of the most effective forms of marketing: word of mouth. Issy Cianchi of Flying Fantastic adopts this regularly, wowing his customers with new aerial and circus workshops. He consistently adds new courses and themed classes, like scratch nights, for them to show what they’ve learned to friends and family.
Troy Teeboom, the owner of Kur Wellness Studios, shows clients he values them through surprise add-ons. He offers holistic services from massage to personal training and hydra-facials—and doesn’t stop there. He adds surprise workshops ranging from a Great Yoga Wall to sound baths and a session with an award-winning medium. Troy’s motto is, “every day at Kur is a wow day.”
Yessica Gonzalez, the owner of The Camp TC, knows this first-hand. She views holidays as an opportune time to add something memorable to her client’s experiences. Yessica offers a member-only Mother’s Day 90-minute workout, followed by a surprise brunch catered by a local vendor. They offer moms mini pancakes, coffee, and a mom-themed shirt.
3. Build trust to inspire a stronger community
Each time your clients take a class, you see their integrity and strength. Trusting your members may feel like a given but making it clear that you can rely on them to do the right thing is a simple step that goes a long way. Mindbody Champ and consultant Terri Fry is a perfect example of how trusting and encouraging members wowed them and strengthened the community in the long run. She allowed members to use their accumulated points through their “pay it forward” program. Clients could donate their earnings into Terri’s Karma account, which they could then use to help cover the cost of memberships for others in financial need. It inspired a solid mutual trust between the business and its members and brought their community together through acts of kindness.
4. Support your members outside of class
There’s hardly anything that compares to our coaches and favorite studios cheering us on when we need it most. Having that extra encouragement and a helping hand outside of the four walls of a studio can be life-changing, to say the least. Giving your clients extra support even when they aren’t taking a class is one way to positively make a difference. This is exactly what Theresa Snyder of City Wide SuperSlow supports in her business. She had a trainer pick up a client for her workout while she was recovering from an accident and unable to drive. After the 30-minute workout, the instructor would drive her home. Theresa says the member “is now a raving fan forever.”
Tara-Lyn Nuniziata, the owner of The Studio Tara-Lyn Pilates, does personal check-in phone calls and notes, client appreciation classes with socials after workouts, and community donation classes to unify their community. She also suggests each of her instructors knows as many clients by name as possible and at least one unique thing about them. She believes genuine exchanges build community and a memorable culture.
These small, personalised moments work wonders in positively influencing your members. Whether you choose something handmade, switch up your offerings, or take a route more tailored to your unique business—taking the time to wow your squad never goes unnoticed and always pays off.
Ready to take your customer experience to the next level at your business? Download our interactive audit template to get started:
