By: Jim Thomas

Did you know that 80% of all gym membership sales are made within the 5^th and 12^th contact?

Did you know the average membership sales rep only follows up 1 ? 3 times?

For those that don?t follow up, this is a BIG problem for Gym owners, for those that do, it?s a great opportunity.  Based on our findings, we can improve any gym sales production simply by 15% by improving their follow up skills.

It?s this simple; if you want to close more membership sales (or personal training, etc.) you will need to follow up.  You must be in it for the long-term and not give up if things don?t come together for you right away.

There is one more benefit to follow up.  Prospects that you consistently follow up with buy more from you.  These ?nurtured gym leads? make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads.

Here are five strategies you can use in your gym for follow up and make more membership sales:

Focus on Value. You need to focus on the value your gym will provide for the prospect.  How will it solve their problem or help them to achieve the results that are after.  What?s the value the prospect will receive by being a member?  Why is it important that they take action on this now rather than wait?  Tell them.

Success Stories. A great way to emphasize the value your prospect will receive by joining your gym is to share Yelp reviews and other success stories.  You can post them on your web site and send them a link or a link to your Yelp page.  Even print it out and mail it to them (do you remember that one?)

Ideas and Education. Find news articles (use Google alerts) that are relevant to your prospect and send it to them. Consistently send them educational pieces and say something like, ?I was reading this article on XYZ and thought you might be interested.  Happy to share some ideas with you on this.?  That?s about it.  No sales push.  Just a friendly message.  This will show that you care, but it also shows that you are on top of what is happening in the fitness arena.

You don?t need to know it all.  Rather than respond with vague answers, simply say, ?That?s a great question.  I?m going to send you information on that??  You can go on to tell them what you know.  The idea is that you shouldn?t try to answer something you don?t know.  Because this provides a great opportunity for you to follow up. You can do research, find the answer and then email or call them back to share with them a detailed response.  Here?s something to remember?.most people don?t get back to you when they say will do ? if ever.  This is a great way to differentiate yourself is to do what you say you?re going to do.  It?s so simple, it?s crazy.

Make an introduction.  The Law of Reciprocity is all about give and get.  A powerful way to engage a prospect and move membership sales forward is to give, give and give.  Don?t worry about getting.  When you see an opportunity to help your prospect ? even though they aren?t a paying member ? grab the chance and run with it.

Use technology.  Take your smartphone and do a 20 second video showing the gym and talking about the benefits or exercise?turn the phone and show yourself?then text it.  High open rate, plus the video will grab their attention.

Secret Strategy.  Here?s the trick; before you finish your presentation or phone call with your prospect?agree to the next workout or call (ideally a workout).  The most effective gym salespeople us this approach.  This will get you from the initial call to agreement then membership proposal and finally the membership sale much faster.

Now, go follow up and start growing your sales!

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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By: Melissa Knowels

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, “Oh, they’re like the Zappos of gyms.” “They’ve got a real Zappos approach to collections/customer service/memberships/personal training.”

Everyone wants to be the next Zappos of their industry, but I’m not sure many people really know what that exactly means. You may want to be Zappos, but you can’t. And here’s why.

Every company has its own culture. Culture can’t be forced. It has to grow organically and it has to be led from the top. So while the idea of letting your staff dress up like pirates, create their own job titles, and strum their guitar to the lady on the other end of a customer service call (I actually witnessed this on my tour of their HQ back in 2012), may in your mind be the perfect shortcut to a stellar reputation and P&L, it’s not that easy. There are no shortcuts.

You have to start with an idea of what you want you business culture to be. And since this direction comes from the top, this is your vision. Ask yourself a few questions:

What do you want to be known for?

What are the “ten commandments” of your company?

What are you known for right now?

What do your clients think about you?

What do your employees think?

Those last two may be a bit tricky. Look at your web reputation, take a survey, look at your turnover, and you should start getting a picture of your starting point. Does your customer service team provide you with a “defect” report? That’s a great place to start.

With an idea of what you want to be known for (your vision) and where you currently are (your reality), you can now start focusing on what needs to change.

What are your expectations?

How has your company historically responded to problems?

What needs to change to make this response better/on target?

Next, ID your allies in your cultural overhaul.

Who are you change leaders or cultural fireballs?

How do you empower them to empower others?

Just like you can’t force fun, you can’t force a change. You have to guide it, nurture it, and get it to spread throughout your organization. You have to live it everyday. So grab your notebook of ideas, put on your pajama pants, and head into the office. With luck and a personality transplant, your gym will be Zapposeque in no time. Or, and this is just a wild idea, you can be yourself and be honest about your company. What are you cut out for as a leader? What are you not? Take some lessons from Zappos to create your own culture and your own brand identity instead of xeroxing theirs. If you take their slogan and put you’re focus there, you’re off to a great start.

There are a lot of great companies out there who aren’t Zappos and have their own formulas for success. What matters is that you constantly work on improving; you have your finger on the pulse of your business so that you know when something needs to be fixed; and that you respect your team and your members/clients. Do this daily and you have the only truly scalable model for success.

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By: Melissa Knowles Gym HQ

This month SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) touched on a question that is continuously being asked by ownership across all industries: Is it better to build from within or “buy” from the external job market?

The answer is not absolute. To be successful, an owner will have to do both. It’s about figuring out which conditions you build or buy. Here’s a quick guide to follow when faced with your next hiring decision.

Look Outside

When–

Tough corporate turnarounds or strategy shifts are needed or underway. If your organization needs big changes or reform, you generally will not get there with the exact same squad you currently have.

Succession planning and performance information is inconsistent, absent, or hard to access. Have no clue who would fill that vacant GM position? Never really considered when or how to promote your current team? Planning at the point of need is not ideal.

Specific skills are needed that are not readily available within the organization. If you’ve lost you HR Manager (who held a recognized certification and had 10 years of experience), you don’t want to replace him/her with your admin assistant. Certain skilled position require specific training, much of which takes education outside the workplace and commands months or years to develop.

The organizational culture welcomes multiple perspectives. Is your team open to learning? Taking cues from proven leaders outside the core group?

Processes are in place that support job training and full integration into the position. Can you find outside talent and seamlessly integrate them into your systems? Will they be set-up for success?

Look Within

When–

An organization is thriving. Have a solid roster who is performing at the highest level? Then reward it by giving a deserving member a promotion. This is key to engagement.

Succession planning and performance reviews are consistent and transparent. You already know who you’re considering for your key role replacements. You’ve discussed it during reviews. You’ve worked on the leadership development needed for each team member to be promotable.

An abundance of firm- or industry-specific skills are required for the job. Need a fitness industry vet but the market in your area is bone dry? You may be forced to look within your organization for a less seasoned candidate who possesses industry-specific experience.

A unique and strong organizational culture may be hard to understand or fit in with. Would you be able to welcome an external hire? Or would they struggle to become part of the team? Ability to integrate is important for every level of hire.

No or few processes are in place to support job training and integration into a position. Would a key hire from the outside be set-up for success in your organization or would they be left to simply “figure it out”. If it’s the later, you may be better off giving the nod a current team member even it their skill set is inferior.

A few more take-aways.

Start with succession planning. What talent do you currently have? Are you developing a pipe line?

Recognize biases. Are you making a hire under pressure? Does it feel safer to hirer from within than take a chance on a highly qualified external candidate?

Understand what is unique about the role and the organization.

Commit to integration.

Can parts of the job function(s) be outsourced to a team of experts so your team can focus on their strengths?
Sometimes freeing up your superstars from the tasks assigned to them but not within their “wheel house” allows them to perform to their true potential. A GM focused on member retention and new sales and not payroll/collections/bookkeeping has the advantage. Clear focus on key tasks allows for better performance.

For most organizations, a solid combination of external and internal talent gets the job done most effectively. What’s key is having a system and a plan in place.

Melissa Knowles serves as the CEO for Gym HQ.  With over a decade of industry experience, her knowledge spans many areas:  strategic operations, development of staff training materials and programs, cost savings analysis, reporting development and implementation, fitness department overhaul, client retention systems, and corporate management.  She?s especially well versed in all operational and HR focused areas; and she holds an HR certification through SHRM.  What makes her uniquely qualified as an industry leader is her time spent ?in the trenches?.  Melissa is a graduate of the University of West Florida and holds an MS in Exercise Science and a BS in Sports Medicine.

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ABC Financial would like to remind you of the IRS reporting requirements concerning 1099-K?s. The 1099-K will be sent out to all clients that had any credit card collections in the 2014 calendar year.  We sent the 1099-K?s by January 31, 2015.  The 1099-K will be from ABC Financial Services, Inc. for your recurring billing.  It will include all Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express credit card collections.  If you use ABC Merchant Services for your point of sale transactions, you also received a 1099-K from Merrick Bank for your Visa, MasterCard and Discover collections and a separate 1099-K from American Express. 

Please refer to www.irs.gov  if you would like more information regarding the 1099-K mandate.   If you still need help or have other questions you can email clientsetup@abcfinancial.com  or call 1-888-622-6290. You can also call your Account Executive or client services for additional help.  An IRS W-9 form will be required if there are any changes that need to be made to the legal entity or tax identification number. 

To download a copy of the IRS W-9 Form, click here (pdf). 

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Operating a fitness club in today’s health-obsessed atmosphere is a challenge for many gym owners. Sometimes it feels like a new gym opens every week, threatening to lure more and more of your loyal customers away. When it feels as though there’s no way to keep your fitness club competitive in the current climate or to offer advantages over your community rivals, it’s time to try something new.

Fitness clubs have numerous options to consider, from offering the newest, trendiest classes to upgrading facilities. Some gyms are even investing in dietitians or dining options, and others are painting their gyms neon colors to try to stand out from the crowd. Despite the flashy, excessive improvements some clubs make, there’s only one true solution to elevate you above the rest: the right club management software.

Club management software is the best possible way to elevate your club from a neighborhood institution to a legitimate, official fitness center that brings in members and keeps them coming back. With the ability to keep client records organized, manage your billing, track gym membership, manage marketing efforts, and offer new and necessary advantages to members, gym owners have access to a simple, affordable way to emphasize what they have to offer.

With an extensive range of options, making the right software choice can seem like a challenge. Luckily, we are here to provide the best possible experience. We are happy to offer management software solutions that give users the ability to experience an interactive, full-service management system designed to reduce costs and improve relationships. Giving members the ability to pay bills, pay for a guest, or even pick up a smoothie after an intense workout quickly and easily, the right software can provide countless benefits. ABC Financial is proud to be a trusted name in club management software, offering customizable services designed to fit your center’s specific needs.

Many gyms have found great success in offering benefits designed to facilitate member experience and interaction. MYiCLUBonline Premium has allowed millions of fitness club members to experience a personal, simple approach to gym membership. At IHRSA 2015, ABC Financial is pleased to introduce exclusive enhancements to this highly successful product, allowing club owners to take member experience to the next level. By strengthening what MYiCLUBonline Premium has to offer, we are able to offer increased advantages, including:

• User ability to upgrade membership and add services online without assistance from gym staff
• Digital signatures with a stylus or finger to eliminate unnecessary paperwork
• All signed contracts and agreements are automatically sent to members, stored in a software databases, and in ABC’s one of a kind imaging system
• Billing for services and selected amenities automatically based on membership agreements

Whether you have management software, need management software, or simply want to chat with our industry leaders about services and features, we’re happy to make sure you get the information you need. Drop by booth 1123 and explore the options available to your gym. See you soon!

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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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200,000 or 1 in 10 deaths in the U.S. every year are the result of physical inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle, according to the United Health Foundation (Physical Inactivity.)

?Only 5% of Americans perform vigorous activities on any given day. But sedentary activities ? were carried out daily by 80% of Americans,? wrote Katrina Woznicki in WebMd.

Technology has made leisure more enjoyable and attainable, and work lighter and simpler with television options, computer program advances and applications, and availability of handheld computer devices. Technology has also resulted in a more sedentary lifestyle that is a risk to your health.

But you can transform your smartphone, iPad, or laptop from a risk to a benefit to good health. Use your electronic devices for social networking, fitness club management software member portals, and fitness apps that support a physically active lifestyle.

Social Networking

Workout buddies motivate gym time by setting dates with you, keeping you company on the treadmill, and sharing and working through workout obstacles. What about when you aren?t at the gym or your friend isn?t available? Online support in the form of fitness forums and communities bridge the gap. Sharing tips for better workouts and regular interactions with a larger community of the fellow fitness-minded regularly encourage you to keep at healthy activities.

Gym Portals

Health clubs know you have a busy life and rely on technology. Take advantage of their fitness club management software member portal. Check out and sign-up for classes, update and view your personal and financial account, or book a session with a personal trainer. Remembering to call the gym when it is open or when you find the time is a sure way to put it off. Use the fitness club?s management software application to schedule on your time and the electronic reminders to keep you active.

Fitness Apps

Technology is not only now within the reach of most people, but most people spend a great deal of time taking advantage of it. We call, text, tweet, post, game, surf, and on and on with the touch of a few buttons on our smartphones?time spent contributing to physical inactivity. Include in your downloads a couple of the countless apps that record your calories or servings or that report the latest health news or that keep track of your exercise goals. Reminders and tips and direction from fitness apps that are a constant part of your screen time will keep you on track for a healthy body.

Be smart about where you get your information.  Use sites that cite research or that are respected in scientific communities. Test app features and counts against credible information.

Technology applications such as social networking, fitness club management software member portals, and fitness apps are as convenient as the reach of your fingertips and as broadly informative as the Wide World Web. Use your smartphone, iPad, and laptop as valuable tools keeping you healthy and active and beating sedentary statistics.

Works Cited

?Physical Inactivity.? American?s Health Rankings. United Health Foundation, 2013. Web. 15 May 2014.

Woznicki, Katrina. ?Americans Get Vigorous Activity.? WebMD Health News. Web MD, n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.

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