Do you research and know what is important to you. Do you need great trainers to help you get on track or is childcare your number one priority? Perhaps you are looking to get in shape for your beach vacation but also want to get a tan before you head to the sand? Many questions can be answered by researching online on the gym website or by simply stopping by and asking one of the employees at the gym. Depending on the membership levels the gym offers, there might be certain membership privileges (childcare, tanning, access to pools) you can take advantage of.

There are many different things to consider when choosing a gym; it must be a place where you are comfortable to work out, but gives you all of the opportunities to excel towards your goals. If the gym you are interested in joining offers a ?Free Day Pass? or ?One Week Trial?, then take advantage of this offer! There is a difference between walking in the gym and looking around and actually working out in the gym. If you already know what equipment is important to your workout, you can try out the machines while you are using your free pass.

Another thing to keep in mind when selecting a gym is its location and hours. You might find a gym that is PERFECT for you, but it closes at 9pm. If your schedule only allows you to work out after 9pm, this gym is not going to work for you. Convenience is a major factor when finding time to exercise.

Lastly, you should find a gym you are comfortable in. A friendly staff and clean equipment can help to make your experience the best that it can possibly be!

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By: Jim Thomas

I see this frequently.  This business will fool us.  We only sign up the interested ?hot? prospects that don?t always require us to be disciplined (and we think we?re doing a good job), it?s a matter of ?don?t talk them out of it,? but that won?t grow your gym.  It?s not good enough to know the process; you MUST have the discipline to follow the process.  Here are some areas we see that get ignored all too quick;

Closing.  As the saying goes, if you don?t ask, the answer is always no.  This can be uncomfortable for many salespeople, but if you want the membership sale, you will have to ask.  All too often we lose our discipline and start to say things like, what do you think, how does this sound or do you have any questions.  That won?t work.

Prospecting.  The key to this is taking massive action and having many avenues for generating new prospects.  When we lose our discipline, we end up only doing 1 ? 2 things to generate traffic.  No sales will ever be closed unless you have people to speak to.

Nurturing.  This one is frequently ignored.  You must have a member nurturing program in place.  The idea is to help maintain interest and desire.  This is particularly important for new members.  You must create value over a long period of time (nurturing).

Planning.   Without proper planning you will end up becoming a victim of circumstances.  Proper planning will allow you to use your and your prospects time most effectively.

Value.   You must show value when making the outbound call and when giving the tour.  Every prospect interaction should include value, be a resource center.

Follow Up.  This is usually the first to go.  Salespeople on average will only follow up on leads 1 ? 3 times and it will take 8 ? 12 follow ups to have success.  Persistence is one of the ways that trust is established.

Now, go show your sales discipline!

Jim Thomas is the founder and president of Fitness Management USA Inc., a management consulting and turnaround firm specializing in the fitness and health club industry. With more than 25 years of experience owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, Thomas lectures and delivers seminars and workshops across the country on the practical skills required to successfully build teamwork and market fitness programs and products. Learn more here: Jim Thomas On Demand

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As gym membership numbers increase, however, so does competition within the industry. New facilities are moving into towns all over the nation, advertising high intensity workouts and trendy new revolutions in exercising. Suddenly and without warning, gyms that have always been community staples are losing customers to health clubs that are choosing to focus on current fitness fads.

Whether you are new or old, part of a chain or working independently, the need to stay competitive is paramount to your company’s success. Due to the wide variety in fitness options available to consumers, clubs have numerous ways to approach the issue, from upgrading facilities to offering new classes. Some gyms are even offering nutritional support by hiring dietitians or adding dining options. When you really want to top the rest, however, there’s one place to start that can easily give you the upper hand: organization.

Whether you’re currently keeping membership logs in a Word document or client billing addresses in your paper ledger, organization isn’t always a top priority for health clubs and fitness facilities. After all, your customers are more interested in the brand new equipment and latest trends, right? As it turns out, this isn’t always the case.

When it comes to keeping your client records organized, managing billing, tracking membership, and staying on top of your advertising, a comprehensive club management software application is the best way to put yourself ahead of the curve. With the right approach, you can easily keep an eye on overdue accounts, new referrals, electronic marketing campaigns, and so much more.

By keeping your membership information consolidated in one simple place, your health club can easily reduce paper usage and save money with a completely digital approach. If you’re hoping to market your programs via email, manage delinquent accounts, or solve problems with member attrition, the right management software can help you do it all with ease.

In addition, many fitness club management applications offer you in-club benefits, allowing you to simplify sales with one consolidated system that can allow members to pay bills, pay for a guest, or even pick up a protein smoothie after a grueling workout. You can even see which classes, products, and services are most popular with your members by tracking spending.

ABC Financial is an industry leader in membership management, billing and collections. With an extensive suite of software solutions for gyms of all styles and sizes, it’s easier than ever to address your gym’s problem areas. With over 34 years of experience, ABC has the power to transform your gym from one of the pack to one in a million. On average, ABC users increase collections by 15%, making the choice to switch to club management software beneficial from every angle.

If you’re facing stiff competition, a decline in membership, or even retention issues, the right approach to organization can turn your fitness club around. With the ability to consolidate your data, track trends, and improve billing, you’ll always be able to stay one step ahead.

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Of course, keeping your current club members is much easier than getting brand new ones? It?s true. Your members are already invested; now all you have to do is to continue to show and add value to keep them! Our Professional Services Team offers club marketing tools that do just that.

• Email Blasts (automated or adhoc)
• Promotional Materials (banners, posters & more)
• Custom Print Retention Programs

It?s easy to get started too. Click HERE and let us know what you are interested in or give us a call at 1-866-992-8960. One of our Professional Service team members will walk you through our programs and work to get you setup on programs that are tailored just for you.

Watch out for Club Marketing?s eblasts! We often bundle programs for even more savings.

Go with a company you trust. Let Professional Services help you Get Members, Keep Members and Notify Members.

Click HERE to get started today or call 1-866-992-8960.

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The profit boosting new year?s season is just around the corner and in order to be completely prepared, now?s the perfect time to take advantage of traditional holiday attendance slow-downs to ramp up your health club management battle plans.

Every year the cycles of health club activity seem to follow the same patterns. Thanksgiving brings loads of calories and a sabotaging spirit to peoples? fitness routines. With the shorter days, added parties and carb-loaded meals, your members are more likely to read fitness magazines on the couch than they are to fill your spinning classes.

So consider this holiday slow-down an opportunity to prepare. Follow these 10 tips to make sure your health club is ready for the wave of activity just weeks away:

1. 1. Organize your new year?s health club management strategy. Establish clear 2013 goals for department managers.
2. 2. Prepare your front line reception employees on the health club software processes for member check ins and give them strategies for dealing with high traffic volume challenges.
3. 3. Get your equipment in order. Clean and service fitness machines.
4. 4. Have fans and cleaning equipment ready to keep health club entrances clean and grime free.
5. 5. Build your reserves. Stock your pro-shop with winter friendly outdoor fitness gear.
6. 6. Revamp your billing services to include electronic funds transfer (EFT) capabilities.
7. 7. Have your personal training staff develop health club challenges and welcome-to-fitness packages to launch on January 1.
8. 8. Consider adding a web-based gym software application to encourage more member engagement with your club.
9. 9. Incorporate electronic membership and personal training agreements for higher efficiency.
10. 10. Organize the troops. Review first aid and emergency procedures with employees.

Health club management can really be equated to battlefield supervision. You?re dealing with dynamic scenarios where hundreds of customers are engaging with your club and placing a wide variety of demands upon your staff and systems. And like achieving success on that battlefield, your level of preparedness will directly affect your ability to enjoy great results in the year to come.

Is your health club ready for the 2013 push? Request a health club software demo to learn how you can streamline your operations and boost your bottom line.

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Fortunately, with the right health club software you can make quick, fact-based decisions that help take the pain out of membership retention. Here are some ways in which the right software helps you make those important business decisions:

1. Report customization. Standard reports are handy time-savers, but they don?t always include the information you want. The right software will allow you the ability to create an unlimited number of customizable reports.Once you have identified the custom report types you need, you can analyze data and determine what?s really happening at your health club. For instance, are you seeing spikes in new membership that sync with certain types of promotions or class offerings? Or are you seeing memberships lapse during unusual seasonal timeframes? The reports you view may indicate what you can do to increase membership rates in nearly any season or scenario.
2. Enhanced templates. Reports that come pre-loaded into your health club software serve a useful purpose as well. With every new release or update, you can usually expect additional templates to be offered. Be sure to examine these new templates carefully, as most will be built to help you analyze useful data that you may not yet have considered.
3. Mobile access. As a health club owner or manager, you can?t always be on premises and you may not have the ability to haul a laptop PC with you everywhere you go. But, you probably own a smartphone.Your health club software should allow mobile access to reports. That way, if you have a few minutes to spare while you?re out and about, you have a tool handy with which you can analyze your reports.

If your current software isn?t helping you make effective business decisions, consider how much better your club could be functioning with the right product in its hands.

To learn more about the capabilities of health club software we offer, request a demo from ABC Financial.

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