“If I knew someone was only going to stay six months, I would have never taken them on as a student.” Those exact words were spoken by a coach, describing a younger athlete who’d switched gyms at the end of a six-month contract.

Whether you empathize and are in complete agreement or whether you really can’t fathom sharing that perspective, you may not realize just how much generational differences can have an impact. When Millennials clash with coaches who have old-school views on loyalty, an unholy mess starts to brew. And gym owners are certainly welcome to stick to their standards and simply shake their head at "kids these days." But not all coaches have that luxury. Since Millennials will have more buying power than Baby Boomers by 2020, perhaps you might be interested in understanding how they’re wired and learning the best ways to keep them in your gym without compromising your own standards and integrity.

Gen Y Defined

Experts disagree on when “Generation X” and “Generation Y,” or the “Millennial Generation,” begins, but years of birth for Millennials are generally believed to be between 1978 and 2000, so Gen Y’ers at your gym could be anywhere from 13 to 34 years old. As with anything, there are of course individual variations, so I view Gen Y as more of a state of mind than an exact age demographic, depending on someone’s personal philosophy and upbringing.

Millennials can have a bad rep. Other generations see them as disloyal, entitled, needy and difficult, but they can bring intensity, drive, focus and even fierce loyalty to your gym as well. This is the generation that grew up with social media and instant connectivity. They are highly connected and embrace change - technological or otherwise. They’re not as destabilized by situations that are in flux. They’re highly diverse and like to actively curate their lives, looking for specific aspects or combinations of things they like (body art, clothing, music, spiritual principles, etc.) rather than sticking to a well-defined norm. And they refuse to settle; they don’t resonate with old school principles of gym loyalty for the sake of it — if they don’t like the gym culture or feel that their needs aren’t being met, they won’t think twice about leaving. So they’re not thinking about how they fit into your gym, but rather how your gym fits into their lives.

What are some strategies for creating a gym environment where Millennials thrive? They’re actually probably not all that different from what you’re already doing, but understanding their traits gives you a bit more focus. Let’s take a look at some best practices for attracting and retaining this new generation.

Building relationships

Gen Y athletes are the ones who’ll notice if you’re at the gym a lot less or are completely distracted if you’re there. They can tell when you’re not aware of their progress, aren’t communicating with other coaches, or can’t pronounce their name.

If you are really committed to retention at your gym, getting to know people is crucial. And this goes beyond memorizing first names. Here are some questions you should be able to answer about each one of your athletes: How long have they been training, both in and out of your gym? What are their short-term and long-term goals? How often do they come in? What exercises do they really love and really hate? Which ones are they great at, and which are they struggling with? Any injuries, illnesses or challenges they’re trying to overcome? What do they do outside of training at your gym? Do they have a family? What kind of work do they do and what are their hours?

Can you talk to one or two people each session, and keep notes on an index card or on your laptop? If you have so many clients that there’s no way you can get to know them all (even through social media or sign-up surveys), can you find assistant coaches to help you, or can you come up with another process or strategy to check in with them, at least to help with their short-term goals?

Give specific feedback

Millennials want to know exactly how they’re doing in their workouts, not just in relation to others, but also compared to where they once were and where they’re headed in the not-too-distant future. This is the opposite of [older] athletes who work out hard and trust that you have some greater goal for them laid out in your head.

Nothing irks Gen Y’ers more than feeling like they’re slaving away for no reason, and nobody’s keeping score of their attendance and progress. They don’t do well in ‘sink or swim’ environments. They aren’t motivated by promises of long-term rewards if they feel like nobody’s paying attention to them in the short-term. They’ll notice if they’re not improving, or if you give them the same negative feedback after each class without providing suggestions to help them where they’re struggling (and don’t modify future workouts accordingly).

Giving very specific and personalized feedback lets them know exactly how they’re doing and keeps them motivated and engaged. If you have too many students to really remember how everyone’s doing, make sure you have systems in place to track progress . . . checklists, logs, etc. Records should include more than just attendance or pounds and reps, but also include form and other indicators you consider important.

Individualization

Keeping everyone happy may sometimes mean that you need to step outside of what you have planned if you decide it’s worth it. For example, let's say someone at your gym is very interested in mobility drills but you believe your own warmup is far more effective. Can you consider bringing in an expert for a one-day mobility workshop and allowing students to do their own favorite drills for five minutes before class? Whether you want to do this or not depends on your own comfort level, but it’s sometimes better to find a way to work using customized solutions that don’t undermine your authority. This allows your athletes to work on their own personal goals, especially if they can find others who are also interested. You should keep in mind the lifetime value of your client and what they bring to the table; spending some time and money for something you hadn’t planned on may be well worth it.

Cultivate loyalty

It’s not that Millennials are disloyal. It’s that they don’t want to settle. In Bruce Tulgan’s book, Not Everyone Gets A Trophy, this is explained as "transactional loyalty." They’ll continue to show up and pay their dues as long as they continue to get what they need. Just like athletes who try to coast usually regret that decision on game day, coaches who coast will see a decline in memberships and attendance. Millennials, even more so than other generations, are paying very close attention to what kind of value they’re getting, and they’re not afraid to vote with their feet. Give them a great experience, though, and there is a fierce and intense loyalty that comes with it. Just like athletes putting in the work will see results, coaches who are constantly improving their skills and seeing that their client's needs are met will see greater results. And though speeches on blind loyalty and teamwork may have worked in the past, your specific actions as a coach will be much more satisfying to this next generation.

Autonomy and collaboration

Gen Y’ers like both autonomy and collaboration. They generally love partner workouts, but want to be able to pick their own partners, or switch partners a lot so they can work with all kinds of people. They love it when each person in a group gets to pick a warm-up exercise for the whole team, or when you ask them what they want to work on and then make it happen. They like structure and boundaries, too, but a bit of flexibility within those boundaries will help give them get the sense of autonomy they crave.

This extends to life outside the gym. They may want to watch DVDs from a coach you don’t really respect, or even go to a seminar at another gym. Trying to tell them they’re “not allowed to” won’t fly with a generation that highly values freedom. After all, who wants to pay money to be told what they’re not allowed to do?

Can you find certain aspects of the coaches you dislike that you do agree with? Clearly, you’re not going to stop coaching in the best way you know how, but if you can find a way to integrate what they’re looking for on their own in a way that won’t impede your teaching, that is a win/win.

Leverage Technology

Generation Y folks might be looking at your website a lot more often than you’d expect, so make sure your hours and schedules are up-to-date. They’re probably also checking to see who you respond to more on social media, waiting for you to say something cool they can share with their friends, and hoping a photo of them and their fellow gym-goers or teammates will pop up somewhere.

This doesn’t mean you need to hire a social media specialist or spend hours posting something new every single day. However, keeping a private Twitter list of clients and checking in for a few minutes a few times a week can be very helpful. Make sure to highlight all of your athletes (if they’re open to that) instead of just the same few; that can really help people feel like they’re a part of your gym and they’ll be more likely to stick around.

As a rule, Gen Y types may well be more interested in a meaningful gym experience than just finding the least expensive place to train. A gym that does fundraisers or participates in community events creates an impact and is something they can rally around (and help spread the word about). This is another place where you can use both technology and current clients to spread the word.

Be Real

It’s okay to be a little vulnerable and share what you’re working on. You should admit mistakes and say how you plan to correct them. Gen Y’ers are far more likely to disagree openly, but they can also be quite forgiving when they see you’re working on making corrections.

Structure and Standards

It might seem sometimes that Gen Y’ers don’t even want coaches, that they really just want to do things their own way. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gen Y’ers do value coaches for their skills and expertise. And though they want autonomy, flexibility and freedom, they want it within a very specific structure that you can set. Make sure to have rules and spell them out very clearly, make course corrections as needed, and provide the direction, guidance and support they’re craving.

Bottom Line

It should be possible to maintain your authority and utilize your expertise, while also providing customization and flexibility. Doing so will allow Millennials to hit the ground running. Instead of sticking to outdated notions of blind loyalty and expecting athletes to quietly follow orders, add some interactivity and individual feedback and your Gen Y clients will not only stick around — but also help to spread the word to others.