Okay, so here’s the deal.  There are no more gut wrenching words to have to say than “I Quit”.  No one ever wants to quit.  It makes you feel weak and miserable, and most of us push on, or we live with the guilt.

So I wish I could say this was my idea, but I stole it from a member of my Master Mind Group.  My good friend B.J. Bliffert, who runs a facility in Wisconsin with his wife Kori, has what I consider hands down the best personal training cancellation policy I have ever seen.

B.J. requires a 30 day written notice to cancel a membership and it must be hand written (pretty standard right?).  but here’s the kicker.  They have to personally hand it to their personal trainer and say the words, “I Quit”.  Texts and e-mails are not acceptable and it states this in the agreement the client signs.

Pretty sweet right?

Can you imagine the gut wrenching feeling to have to say I Quit…I give up on my goal of losing weight, I admit defeat and admit that I don’t have the fortitude to persevere.  I admit to you that I am a Quitter.

I get a little queasy just thinking about it.  That is a gut wrenching moment to say the least.  And they have no choice but to do it.  It would take a whole heckuva lot to get me to admit to someone that I quit.  I’d probably just keep paying even if I didn’t continue showing up just so I don’t have to say those words!

If I were you, I would add this to your PT agreement right away…

Dedicated to Your Success…

Curtis Mock

P.S. Are you a member of GymSuccess.com yet?  You’ll find hundreds of tips like the one above as well as videos, audios, resources, as well as a discussion board to ask other health club owners what is working and what is not.  You can try it out for $1 for 30 days to make sure it’s right for you by going to www.GymSuccess.com

Well, “prey” might be a fairly harsh way to put it, so perhaps “Take advantage of” would be better?  In any case, your health club members are about to feel very guilty for eating way too much food and desserts during Thanksgiving.  And what do we as opportunistic gym owners do at times like these?  That’s right, we capitalize on the opportunity and do what we can to a) make money, and b) help our members remain in tip top shape during the holidays.  Here are a few strategies you can use to “take advantage” of the Thanksgiving opportunity:

1. Send out an email to your member list on Thanksgiving day announcing a “Post-Thanksgiving” Guilt Free PT package.  Maybe do 4 sessions, two a week for two weeks, to burn off all of the food they ate.  Charge a nominal fee of say, $99. 
2. Offer a pre-Thanksgiving group workout on Thanksgiving morning.  This is a favorite strategy used by one of our clients, EveryBODY Fitness.  This can be a no-cost “Thanks for being a member” group exercise session.
3. Post signage the week following Thanksgiving.  “Avoid the holiday bulge!  Stay fit and trim this holiday season with Personal Training” Or “Eat too much last weekend?  It happens!  Be sure to take advantage of our Holiday personal training packages to make sure your pants still fit in January!”…or something along those lines. 
4. Special 2 week referral special/contest.  Weight will be a popular topic at many Thanksgiving dinner tables.  Your health club members likely have a friend or family member that also feels guilty about gaining weight and now is the perfect time to get your members to refer people.  Send Gift Cards to all of your current members as an incentive to refer a friend.
5. Call or send a letter to all expired and past gym members.  Though they decided fitness wasn’t a priority, a huge Thanksgiving dinner can be a sobering reminder that they need to begin focusing on becoming healthier again. 

Your members, I would say nearly all of your members, will be out of their regular eating routine over the holidays.  With all the great food, desserts, and social influences all around them, it will be very easy for them to gain weight and feel sluggish.  Be the solution to their guilt!  But don’t wait!  The window of opportunity is small for a Thanksgiving campaign.  Deliver the message when they are most likely to take action!

To your success…

Curtis Mock