Customer Interviews #1

So for this my idea is about what type of gym people want. I am really into working out but I have a hard time finding a gym that suits me. I do not want to workout at a Planet Fitness type environment and even gyms that are not Planet Fitness do not have exactly what I want. The opportunity that I have in my head is a gym where there are zero cardio machines. The people that this effects are lifters because there is never enough benches or squat racks or dumbells in any gym. This way you could fill a relatively small space with enough equipment to get a great workout in while also cutting down on the power bill. I work at a gym and the power bill is a huge deal it costs thousands of dollars a month to run the treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and the lights. Plus, if you want to do cardio there are thousands of miles of roads in the United States that you can run, bike, or whatever you choose to do. I went to Sports Authority to interview customers. I went there because I felt like if I had picked a gym most of the customers would have had the same likes and dislikes. I also did have a fifth interviewee he just did not want to be recorded for some reason. It was a Sunday morning at Sports Authority there is not a lot of people in there next time I won't wait til the last minute.

So the way I approached the interview was I looked for people who seemed like they work out, which is why most of the interview were done in or close to the fitness are in Sports Authority. I introduced myself and told them that I would like to interview them and that I was just going to ask a few questions and record it for a class. All but the one guy agreed. Then I went over what the questions would be before I started recording that way it was already in their mind and that would cut down on them just standing there thinking of what to say.

My questions were:
-Do you workout regularly?
-If the answer to the first question was yes then I would ask: Where do you workout? Have to ask this because not everyone works out and even people that do workout some do not work out at a gym.
-Next question would be are you satisfied with the hours of the gym you attend?
-Finally, are you satisfied with the equipment?
-If the answer to the first question was no I would ask: Why not? I ask this to see a few things first can they not afford it or maybe its that there is not a gym that is in a convenient location for them.
- Then I asked if there was anything a gym could do to get them to join.

As far as what I learned I honestly do not think I learned a whole lot about the opportunity I had in mind. I think this was because my questions were a little too broad. If I do another one I would ask if gym members would be willing to sacrifice cardio equipment for cheaper rates. Also I had yes or no answer questions that I could have followed up with better. I did learn that the hours are pretty important people like being able to go anytime like they can at Powerhouse. Also people want to be able to do what they want when they want to by that I mean there needs to be enough equipment that will accommodate everyone.

The following is the interviewee that did not wish to be recorded.
Me: Do you workout regularly?
Mike: Yeah whenever I have time.
Me: Where at?
Mike: YouFit
Me: Are you satisfied with their hours?
Mike: Yeah, mostly I can usually go if I want.
Me:Are you satisfied with the equipment there?
Mike: Yeah its a new gym so everything is good.