It is my hope that all of you are capturing email addresses from your members and sending them information weekly, or at least monthly.  If you aren’t doing this, you should stop reading this now and sign up for an autoresponder program.  Then collect all of  your member email addresses and begin sending them regular updates  and information.

If you already communicate with your members, here is another important way to maximize your efforts.  Many club owners only focus on sending information to current members.  Make sure you capture email addresses from your hot, warm, and even cold leads as well.

By hot leads, I mean the people that come into your club interested in a membership.  If you don’t close the sale the first day, you need to put them into your email autoresponder system and send them emails about the benefits of the club, success stories, fitness tips, etc.  You must remain relevant and in the forefront of their mind.  Each email will serve as a reminder that they need to get back in and join.

Warm leads are email addresses you’ve received through lead boxes, health fairs, and other community events.  These are people who have expressed at least a moderate level of interest.  They are people who would like more information from you to decide if they want to join a health club.  By sending regular, timely, and valuable information, when these leads are ready to join, they won’t even consider one of your competitors because you’ve been thoughtful enough to send them information.

Cold leads are email addresses you have in your possession, of people who have never expressed interest in your club.  For example, when you join the Chamber of Commerce, you have access to the email addresses of all other Chamber members.  Though they have never raised their hand requesting more information, because of your mutual tie to the chamber, they will likely be open to receiving information from you.  You will need them to opt into your newsletter list, so it would be a good idea to offer an irresistable offer and contact the person to introduce yourself prior to sending. 

So begin collecting email addresses from everywhere…but you MUST use them.  Just having the email address does you no good.  And you must send emails to your prospects, not just your current members.  Automate your marketing at no extra cost by sending a Fitness Tip of the Week, your monthly newsletter, and occasional promotions to your prospects  through an autoresponder system.  You will find more cold and warm prospects becoming HOT prospects, and you’ll find more hot prospects becoming members.

Dedicated to Your Success…
Curtis Mock

As many of you know, I visit a lot of gyms.  Some to join for a short while, others simply to shop to see how they do things.  Well it was time again for me to join a new gym here in Florida and I chose to go with World Gym in Ponte Vedra.  And unlike many experiences I have with salespeople in gyms, I was pretty impressed with my experience here.

First off, I visited last month and took them up on their 3 day pass.  They missed it on this one.  When someone comes in on a trial pass, the staff should be OVERLY friendly.  Not that the staff was unfriendly, they were more or less neutral.  No one made it a point to strike up conversation with me.  In addition, when my 3 days were up, no one followed up with me to see if I wanted to join.

Then 4 weeks of traveling and I decide to join this gym.  But of course I had to make it a little difficult on my salesperson…to try to make her sweat a little bit

My salesperson was Shauna Crompton.  Though I did make it easy on her by announcing right away that I wanted to join, I didn’t make the process very easy.  I drilled her and asked her for discounts on their membership pricing, I attempted to get her to price match a competitor, and even tried telling her that I was only going to live here for 3 months and wanted the student rate.

She wouldn’t budge.  Prices are prices.  Good job Shauna!  So as I kept haggling her, I remembered another World Gym in town (different owners) had some special 3 months for $99.  She said she couldn’t match it because they are a different ownership group.  But she did say they had a program similar to that in the past, but that they could only offer it if someone mentions it specifically.  So I smiled and said, “that’s the one I want”.

So I ended up with a 3 month membership for $99, though she wouldn’t budge on the card fee (good job again).

You could tell she thought she might lose the sale, but she never faltered.  She only budged at the end because I had mentioned a program they had run in the past and she knew she had the authority to offer me that package.  However, she told me at the end of the 3 months I was at the mercy of whatever prices they had available.

Shauna was great, but here are my recommendations to the club:

• The PIF pricing is higher than the EFT.  I know it is important to secure forecastable residual revenue, but if I have cash in hand and am willing to pay for a year in advance, give me a bargain…you want to get me to join, period.  With the average health club member paying only 7 months on an EFT contract, you’re better off selling a 12 month membership for the price of 10 months and getting cash in hand.
• I asked if I could double up the 3 month special I received so I could get 6 months.  I was told no.  In my opinion, if someone is willing to pay you twice the money for the same promotional rate, take it.  It would secure me as a member for an additional 3 months.  Plenty of time to upsell me on personal training, tanning, protein bars, and a cool World Gym t-shirt for my dog.
• I was not offered any upsells at the point of sale, nor was I asked for referrals.  If the pot was sweet enough, I would have sold out my friends’ information  or purchased a box of my favorite protein bars (Lee Labrada Rock’n Roll bars…you gotta try them)
• I was not offered an orientation or complimentary PT.  Though I look like I’m chiseled from stone, it should still be offered to me.

Though these things could have been different, all in all it was a good experience.  Shauna and I had a good rapport and were approximately the same age, so it was solid relationship building on her part to not ask for some of those things right away.  I’ve been in that situation where I make friends with a prospect, sign them up, then decide not to jeopardize the good connection I’ve made by trying to pitch an upsell.   I assume that was the case here as well.

So some systems at this World Gym need tweaked, but I’m really just nitpicking.  All in all it was a good experience and the selling process went well.  Just make sure when a prospect picks up a 3 day pass, you treat those people like Gold…and Always Always follow up with them.  I’m sure I will find more things to pick apart as I spend time at their club, but first impression is a good one.

How solid are your systems?  Do you do everything you can to maximize the total amount of money per member?  Make sure you have effective systems in place, have a solid-trained staff, and the right people to build a relationship with your prospects and members like this World Gym does.

Dedicated to your success…

Curtis Mock

If you are new to my philosophies, then here is one you should go ahead and permanently plant in your memory…

What matters is NOT how many members you have, but rather how much money you generate per member

It seems health clubs always focus on getting new members in the door.  And while I firmly believe you should always be marketing and always adding new members, those are far less important than getting current members more involved in all that you have to offer. 

Here are three great ways to generate more money per member at your health club:

1.  Allow members to try your “fee based” services for free

Promote to your members at various times that they can try out certain programming for f’ree.  Then while they are enjoying the service (bootcamps, personal training, child care, tanning, massage, spinning, etc) allow them, for a limited time, to get an intro package at a discount.  So now not only have you gotten them into the “mouth of the funnel” by letting them try it for free, you’re letting them slide further into your sales funnel with a discount.  By the time their intro package is up, they’ll gladly pay full price because they have experienced how great the service is! 

2.  Sell some type of online programming to your members

There are a few systems out there, but nothing to write home about.  One of my long time clients, Ben Howard, set about creating a powerful solution for health clubs recently.  You can see more at www.atlasfitness.net.  His program provides your members an Interactive Weight Tracker, Fitness Calendar & Diary, Diet Analysis, workout plans, videos, calorie tracker, fit tips, recipes, and tons of cool techy features that help keep your members involved.  You can also sell advertising to your local businesses, capture online leads, sell things on your website, and create a reward program for your members.  AND it can be customized to be branded for your club!  Very cool system, and a very cool way to offer an upsell at the point of sale when the new member is most motivated.  You could easily charge each member $5 or $10 to have access to the system.  Do the math, it is a great profit center.

3.  Ask for the sale

Does that sound simple or what?  You will never make a sale if you don’t ask for the sale.  For example, let’s say you run a special on tanning.  Offer every single new member at the point of sale a one-time-only tanning special for new members only.  Let’s say it is $9/month for the term of their membership, normal price $20/month.  Of course you don’t really want to sell tanning for $9…but the MAJORITY of people who take you up on this offer will Never tan.  They bought only because it was an unbelievable offer, available for a limited time.  And would you rather make an extra $9 per month or an extra $0 per month? 

Similarly, your front desk staff has to be more proactive about asking members to buy things.  Here are some things your front desk can ask your members:

“Did you want a healthy snack for the ride home from the gym?  I can put it on your account!”

“You look tired today, would you like an energy drink?”

“We’ve missed you!  You know we have a special 3 PT sessions for $99.  Can I sign you up with one of the trainers to get you back on track?”

“You look nice and tan!  Are you tanning anywhere right now?  Would you like me to set you up on our Unlimited Tanning Special for only $20/month?”

“I am so proud of how much progress you’ve made!  You are our perfect role model here at the gym.  Did you have any friends I can send a complimentary 30 day membership to?”

The bottom line is you need to have more things you can upsell to your members.  If you don’t have many services, utilize something like the www.AtlasFitness.net service above.  There are always ways to generate more money per member, sometimes you have to get creative, but most times you just have to ask!

Dedicated to Your Success…

Curtis Mock

Show your health club members you appreciate them by sending them Thank You and Greeting Cards on a regular basis.  Don’t think of it as a cost, think of it as an investment in retention.  Nothing, and I repeat nothing works as well to solidify your relationship with your members than a hand written card!  

You may already send these, but I guarantee you are not utilizing this amazing strategy as often as you should.  Thank you cards or greeting cards are one of the most powerful things you can do to increase retention rates at your health club.  

Think about it.  When was the last time you received a thank you card for shopping somewhere?  It doesn’t happen often.  So be the health club that thanks members and they will thank you in return for your thoughtfulness.  Let’s take a look at my Top 10 times when you should send a card.

* When they join.  An absolute must!  Begin filling it out the moment they leave.  Put it in the mailbox immediately.  They need to receive this within 48 hours.

* When they sign up for programming.  Boot camps, PT, etc.

* When they’ve been at your gym with you for 6 months.  A halfiversary! Statistics show on average members will stay with you only 7 months…let them know you’re thinking of them at month 6.

* Special occasions & Holidays.  Your club’s anniversary, Christmas is a must, when you host an event, just because.  Let your health club members know you care!

* Events in their lives.  Birthday is a must.  New baby, promotion, marriage, etc.

* Apologize:  When you screw up…if you double bill them, if their favorite machine is broken, if your staff was inattentive, if a particular class was taken off the schedule, etc.  Let them know you’re sorry.  Written words are very meaningful!

* When they refer a friend to your gym.  Don’t think that just because you gave them their free month that your job is done.  Send them a thank you card with 3 more referral cards for them!

* When they renew their gym membership.  Give them a gift when they make the decision to stick with you.  It’s likely they have many other fitness options in your community and you should be thankful that they decided to stick with you.

* When they cancel.  Though it might seem strange to willingly spend money on someone who just decided not to spend money with you.  By sending a “no hard feelings” card, guess where they’ll come when they decide to join a health club again…

* When they’ve been canceled for 3 months.  As long as they didn’t move out of the area, I recommend sending them a “We want you back” card and a follow up phone call.

This is such an easy strategy to implement, and it gives your front desk staff something to do during their down time!  The power of written word is very powerful.  Begin sending cards and watch your members stay longer and spend more.

Dedicated to your Success…

Curtis Mock

Over the last 30 years, the majority of health club owners have been people with a love for fitness, but traditionally lacked business acumen. But due to the large demand for fitness and the lack of competition, they survived. 

Times are changing.

Competition at health clubs is fierce, the economy presents its own set of considerations, and club owners are forced to understand the numbers behind their business.

Health club owners with little to no business knowledge are not nearly as prevalent these days.  Now it seems the majority of new owners are those with business knowledge, who are learning the fitness side of the business, or hiring someone who already has fitness experience.

But there are still a lot of those fitness-minded club owners who have always been able to run a successful business simply because the demand for fitness has allowed them to run a loose business and continue making money.

These health club owners are now in trouble.

If you don’t know how to forecast revenue, how to monitor trends from revenue reports, how to set goals, how to use Quickbooks or you can’t understand what your accountant tells you, then you need to make some changes.

Ignorance is not an excuse, it is a recipe for failure.  Now is when you need to understand your numbers.  I’m not saying that numbers are more important than taking care of your members, after all we are in a service industry.  But you Absolutely must know the basics.

If you can’t understand your Profit and Loss Statement or you don’t understand how to forecast revenues, there are a couple things you can do:

First, join www.GymSuccess.com (I truly believe this will help you very quickly. There are club owners and club pros who can help with everything you need).

Second, Go to Amazon.com and buy the book “The Business of Fitness” by Thom Plummer.

Third, contact your chamber of commerce and get a copy of the community classes and seminars offered in your city.  Or do a google search for “My City Seminars”.  Sign up for a course on basic accounting or business finance.

The bottom line is that health club owners can no longer be entirely fitness focused.  You absolutely must understand the numbers.  Even if you outsource your book keeping and accounting, and you have a manager to oversee expenses, payroll and revenues, you as the owner must keep your finger on the financial pulse of your club.

Dedicated to your Success…

Curtis Mock

Is your health club the same color as it was last year?  Do you still have the same gym equipment you had 3 years ago?  Are you bored with your floorplan?  Has your brand lost its “Edge”?  Maybe it’s time for a bit of an upgrade at your health club!

After a while, our image tends to go stale.   You may still be using the same colors, logo and even floor layout you’ve used forever.   While you might feel that consistency is important, it is even more important to remain relevant and important in the mind of your prospects and gym members.

Something as simple as painting your walls, (perhaps just a 5 foot section from the floor) is enough for you to be seen as innovative and exciting in the mind of your members.  Move your gym equipment around a little bit.  Even the slightest changes will be recognized by your members.  It will show that you are not boring and that you are willing to make their experience better.

What three pieces of equipment are rarely, if ever, used at your club?  Still have that Adductor and Abductor machines?  How about that old school stepmaster?  And I know you have a lower back extension machine somewhere.  Think of how much space you could free up by removing these!  Not to mention the fact that you could take the money from selling these and buying a new piece of equipment your members will love!

Are you still using the same logo you had 10 years ago?  It’s time for a change!!  Again, branding and consistency is important, but not as much as you think.  No one is going to drive by and say, “Aw man, XYZ Fitness changed their logo.  I was going to become a member until I saw that”  But think of how fun it would be to announce to your members that you’re making the club a better place, and it could start with the logo!

One of my favorite logo development sites is www.99designs.com. You submit your project and designers actually design your logo for you to view and make recommendations to, before you ever pay!  Youcan have 20 different logos presented to you to choose from before you ever pay for a single one.

The trick is to ask your members what they like. If you get 3 logos you like, send an email to your members.  See which logo they like the best…because believe it or not, it doesn’t matter what you the club owner thinks…only what the members think.  That goes for any changes.  Even if you have your mind set on making a change, at least pretend you are going to consider what the members think, and ask them their opinion.You might be surprised with what you find.  And if not, they at least feel you did your due diligence and will appreciate that you asked their opinion.

It doesn’t matter what you do, but it does matter that you do something at your health club.  It makes for an exciting time when you announce to your members that they’re going to be seeing some changes made around the club.  They notice your hard work, they offer their ideas, and for very little investment, every few years you can have a brand new business.  You can even get free publicity on the local tv and newspapers as well.  It provides you an opportunity to conduct a Grand Re-Opening campaign as well.

Have fun recreating yourself!

Dedicated to your Success…

Curtis Mock

You’ve heard me preach about how amazing having an autoresponder system is to a business. And perhaps you have signed up for a system like Aweber already, but aren’t sure the best way to utilize it for your health club. Here is how I advise our clients to use Aweber. Utilize some of these, or all of these…either way you are going to benefit your business and develop stronger loyalty with your members.

2. Then you need to set what’s called a Follow Up for the instant they click the confirmation link. It can have an attachment, it can take them automatically to a page on your website with the coupon, or it can simply be text stating “Please print this email and bring it into the club within 48 hours to pick up your membership.” Or similar.

3. I would then set up a Follow Up for the next day to remind them: “Did you have a chance to stop in yesterday to pick up your complimentary membership at XYZ Health Club? Be sure you stop by any time today to pick it up. We’re open Monday-Friday 4am-10pm, and Saturday and Sunday 8am-8pm. Call and let us know if you need a little more time. Our phone number is 555-555-5555. We can’t wait to help you reach your fitness goals!” Or similar.

4. Add a New Follow Up Message, and have 52 separate follow ups on that list, one sent each week. I would write a “fitness tip of the week”. So sit down one weekend and come up with 52 fitness tips…they don’t have to be long or detailed, just something simple. For example, “A great tip to stop those late night cravings is to brush your teeth the moment you are feeling like you need those carbs. If you start thinking about that bag of chips or box of cookies, brush your teeth! Cookies taste horrible after you brush your teeth!”…A Fit Tip from your friends at XYZ Health Club

It took me 30 seconds to write that one. So you could have all 52 written within a couple of hours for sure. I would have all subscribers, members AND prospects receive an automated follow up every seven days from that “Fit Tips” Follow Up List.

5. Your Monthly Newsletter, Announcements, or other miscellaneous things you want to tell your list(s), you will do with what is called a “Broadcast”. This is how my Gym Goldmine newsletter is sent.  You would do the same thing. If you have separate lists for Personal Training clients, and Club Members, and Prospects, etc. Send whatever announcements or news as a Broadcast any time you want to communicate with them. I would make sure to send your monthly newsletter to Prospects as well. At some point they will make the decision to join a club, and since you’re the one nice enough to make them feel like they’ve always belonged, they will join your club without a doubt.

And that is exactly how I would set up my Aweber system. You can even go back in and cross reference those who have joined your email list from your website and the names of new members since that date. If someone hasn’t joined, have one of your salespeople take their email address and send them a personal email to invite them into the club or to ask what it would take to get them in.

**A few bonus tips that work really well**

Always have a P.S. in your message. Many times people are in a hurry. They will read your opening paragraph, scan through any bolded text in your email, and skip to the P.S.  For some reason, people like reading the P.S.

Set aweber so that the person the email is delivered from is your health club name, not your personal name. I know you receive emails from Curtis Mock, but that’s because I want you to remember me until the day you die If I were sending to prospective gym members, it would come from the Gym’s name, so that they will always remember your gym’s name!

When you customize your emails and use someone’s name at the top, use the function {firstname_fix}, not just {firstname} in Aweber. Some of your prospects may have put their first and last name in the field provided, or perhaps they didn’t capitalize thier first initial. Aweber will “fix” it for you and use only the first name and make sure it is capitalized.

Never add people to your list that have not asked to be on your list. This is very important. If you get caught doing this, your Internet Service Provider can have you shut down. It’s no joke.

Even though no one really likes them, it is a good idea to put a pop up form on your website. Aweber calls these “Web Forms”. But make sure you set it only to appear once per day or once per visitor. You don’t want this thing popping up every time they go to a new page on your website. Again, Aweber makes this very simple for you.

Remember, I can’t even spell html. So Aweber uses a WYSIWYG editor. That stands for What You See Is What You Get. Meaning even us dumb jocks can use Aweber successfully!

That’s it for today. Hopefully this answered a lot of your questions!

Dedicated to your Success…
Curtis Mock

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody”

-Bill Cosby

This is one of my favorite quotes, and I think it resonates well with health club owners.  We always try to make everyone happy, even at the expense of our own happiness.  We swallow our pride, tuck our tail and do what it takes for that member to be happy.

I’m here to tell you to stop it.  YOU CAN”T PLEASE EVERYBODY!  It is impossible.  No matter what you do, there will always be someone pissed off about it.  You have to remember the 80/20 rule.  80 percent of your health club members will like what you do, 20% will not.

Focus on the 80%

When that member needs you to go above and beyond for them.  Go above, but be careful about going beyond.  Once you get walked on once, it becomes easier each time for them to get what they want from you.  

As funny as it sounds, you have to look at a health club member like you would a puppy.  If you let a puppy get away with something over and over, they will never know that it is wrong for them to do it, they will think it’s okay.  But if you let them know right away that a certain behavior is not going to fly, they will ultimately be okay with it.  

The 80/20 rule works in many ways.  20% of your members will soak up 80% of your time and energy.  Identify who those members are and make sure you “train” them to act the way you want them to act.  If they demand you help them or else they will cancel.  Do yourself a favor and cancel them.  Thank them for the time they spent with you and try not to let the door hit them on the way out.

You don’t need those gym members.  They are a drain on you.  If they don’t get their way, they are the ones who end up spreading a bad vibe around the gym.  It is better to cut them loose than to always have to walk on eggshells to please them for fear of them telling others you don’t offer quality service.

So recognize that you can’t please everyone.  Please the majority, appease the rest, and weed out those who are draining you and who will ultimately be a poison to your health club.

Dedicated to your Success…

Curtis Mock

The Las Vegas Sun recently conducted a study of the effect the Recession is having on prostitutes.  Those who charge between $200-$300 per session are doing as well or better than they typically do.  Those who charge premium prices of $1,000 or more per session have not noticed a change in their revenues.  Whereas those who charge between $600-$700 have experience a 50% decline in business.

So how does this relate to your health club business?

Think about the pricing models of health clubs today.  You have your low cost competitors such as Planet Fitness and Fitness for 10.  Then your mid-level box clubs ranging from $29-$49 per month.  Then finally you have your high end, private clubs and spas who charge premium pricing.

We already see in our health club industry a shaking out of the mid-level clubs.  These health clubs are dying faster than any other pricing model in our industry.  These are the clubs that compete with one another, with the same amenities, and at the same prices as several of the competitors in their market.  Some have adjusted their models in response to heightened competition and the recession, but most continue doing the same thing, offering mid-level value for mid-level pricing.  These health clubs are by far losing the most during the recession.

High end clubs are also maintaining.  It seems they are not growing, but for the most part they are not losing either.  They maintain a high level of value and a strong focus on the customer.  Many of the members of these clubs will give up their second home or their boat before they give up their social status as a member of these clubs.

Everyone knows the low-price model is a home run right now.  It’s not for everyone though.  If you are a 5,000 square foot club in a competitive market, you could never survive at those prices.  But the larger clubs in the ideal markets are making an absolute killing right now.  I did a recent interview with Steve Main, owner of Fitness for 10 (www.fitnessfor10.com) and he has blown his own projections out of the water.

Isn’t it interesting to see the similarities of two COMPLETELY unrelated industries?  So my advice is to either be the cheap prostitute or the high end prostitute, never the mid-level prostitute.  Who knew we could learn business lessons from these “entrepreneurs”?

Dedicated to your Success…

Curtis Mock

How many things are on your to do list tomorrow?

How many of those things will you complete?

A good way to know where you’re going is to take a look at where you have been.  How many things remain on your to do list that you’ve been reminding yourself to do?

• Do you have health club prospects to follow up with?
• Are there member concerns you have yet to deal with?
• Are there cancellations you have pushed to the side?
• Is your health club accumulating dust bunnies under the treadmills?
• Are your bills getting paid late?
• Are you behind on getting taxes prepared?
• Have you been meaning to train your gym staff?

It’s funny how easy it is for us to procrastinate, but then all we do is complain about being behind on our responsibilities.  The list keeps getting bigger and we get more and more stressed.

If something is on your list, and it is an “A” priority project, just get it done.  If it is a large project, break it into manageable chunks.

Pat Rigsby convinced me to begin making my to do list every night before I go to bed so that I can hit the ground running first thing in the morning.  If I haven’t completed something on that day’s list, I write it at the top of the to do list the following day.

My friend Thom Plummer advocates a notecard system.  Determine 5 things that you need to do that day, write them on 5 separate notecards and carry them in your pocket all day.  Do not go home or call it a day until you complete all 5 things on the list.

One of my favorite anti-procrastination tools is to plan a block of time during the day that I turn off the cell phone, close my email, close the door, and focus on finishing X number of tasks in a specified amount of time.  For example, I would block off 2pm-4pm to write a newsletter and write a new article for GymSuccess.com.

I set a digital kitchen timer because I, like most of you type A personalities out there, work better under pressure.  Remember those exams in college?  I didn’t even start studying until the night before the exam, I would stay up all night with my coffee at Denny’s, and I would go in and Ace the test.  Same goes for daily tasks.  If I know I only have an hour to complete a task, I bust my tail to make sure it is done.

Whatever you find is your secret to productivity and avoiding procrastination, use it and use it often.  Do not put off until tomorrow those things you can do today.  No one likes post it notes and pending files to pile up on your desk.  Just find a system that works for you, and never put it off.  You will drive yourself crazy and your health club business will suffer.

Dedicated to your Success…

Curtis Mock

P.S.  Don’t forget to focus first on the things that will make you money or improve your club.  Learn to prioritize, always putting tasks relatedyour members and your revenues first on the list.