After students leave for college and the costly fall shopping season starts, many health clubs experience a surge in gym membership freezes. But these short-term fixes can be costly to a gym owner. With a little planning, though, your fitness center can avoid this seasonal ritual and come out ahead — with happier customers and, maybe, even more personal training clients. Why do members freeze their gym membership? Customers are on the defensive when they're ready to cancel or freeze memberships. Often, freezing a membership is just a polite way of saying “cancel my membership.” The customer wants out but is looking [...]
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Choosing which equipment to stock in your gym is one of the many huge decisions you must make as a business owner. Especially when your budget and floor space are limited, the pressure is on to make your selections carefully. This week, we'll be looking at some of the pros and cons of popular cardio equipment, so you can evaluate them based on your own priorities. Treadmills Regarded as of the most ubiquitous cardio machines out there, treadmills are popular for a reason. Running (or even walking) in and of itself is a fantastic, effective cardio workout that the majority [...]
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The fitness industry is always in competition with itself. Although we would love to think everyone wants to join a gym, in reality, we are all fighting for the same people, many of whom already belong to another health club or fitness center. That’s why your health club needs a gym referral program. Tapping loyal members for friends and family referrals is one of the most effective methods of luring new customers. What is a gym referral program? This is a specific marketing effort created to encourage existing members to refer other people. It can be baked into your signup process, [...]
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Asking for (More) Business After the gym membership sale, what comes next? A fist bump and a calendar check? Excited smiles and vow to “see you tomorrow!” Or, perhaps, just one more ask? Leaping past the traditional goodbyes after a sale and staying in place to ask for referral business is the difference between a good close and a great one. According to consumer research group Nielsen, 92% of people trust referrals from people they know. So why would you not use this moment to secure a name or two of someone who might also benefit from exercising at your gym? [...]
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Closing the Sale Thus far in our five-part series “How to Sell Gym Memberships,” we’ve shown how refining and polishing your customer interaction can build value in your health club and steer clients away from focusing on price alone. In Part IV, we discuss the most critical step – closing the sale. This is where your newly gained client knowledge really pays off. Closing the sale By now in the sales process with Joe New Prospect, you’ve: Established a strong rapport by using his name frequentlyExhibited product knowledge that cements your authority as a fitness expertDetermined goals and how long he’s considered joining a [...]
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Price Presentation In our first two blogs in the How to Sell Gym Memberships series, we discussed two critical techniques – how to establish an immediate rapport with new leads and the essential elements of a proper gym tour. In this piece, we explore presenting price. While this can feel like the scariest moment in the sale, it can actually be the simplest — if you’re prepared. Here are the three rules to remember about price presentation. 1 — Limit membership choices. By the end of the gym tour, it’s time to present the price. Start by ensuring your gym presents a streamlined, easy-to-understand [...]
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How to Conduct a Proper Tour Selling a gym membership is more than presenting a monthly fee and hoping it fits the customer’s budget. As we discussed in Part I Introduction & Goal Assessment, employees need to make the customer feel comfortable by using their name and asking questions to determine their fitness goals before revealing prices or touring the gym. In Part II, we go over the essential steps to successfully introducing your gym to a prospect. In terms of the value sales process, this is where you sell both the tangible and intangible benefits of joining your gym, such as [...]
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Selling gym memberships is the lifeblood of any fitness center. Yet most gym owners don’t think in terms of the sales process, instead leaving the most critical component of their business unscripted and unmanaged. To help club owners better understand how to train their employees so they can guide clients skillfully, we are running a five-part series that breaks the gym sales process into discrete, manageable training points: Introduction and goal assessment How to conduct a proper tourPrice presentationClosing the saleAsking for (additional) business Part 1. Introduction and Goal Assessment Introduction: Say My Name It seems elementary, but the first step [...]
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Fitness Trainer Staff & Sales Training If I had wanted to be in sales . . . Yes, it’s true, if we wanted to be in sales, we probably wouldn’t be working in the physical fitness business, would we? I know that it’s a common sentiment in this business. People become fitness trainers for lots of reasons. However, I’ve yet to hear anyone convincingly state that they did it because they wanted to consistently up sell to the "platinum package deal" or make sure clients walk out with sacks full of merchandise. I get that. But this is a business and [...]
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Checklist for Hiring Personal Trainers Do you use a checklist when you are hiring staff at your gym? What follows here is the checklist for hiring personal trainers that I use as a structure for the interview and hiring process. As a small business owner and fitness center owner and manager you have to be organized to the point of being obsessive compulsive. In the corporate world of big gyms and worldwide fitness franchises you get all kinds of support that’s not available to the independent owner. Being an independent business owner also has its virtues but as an entrepreneur you need to be [...]
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Fitness Pioneers Who Continue to Inspire the Fitness Industry The fitness industry has seen some very inspirational figures that changed the way people perceive health and fitness. I am sure in some form or fashion, all of us that are part of the fitness industry today were inspired by at least one of these notable figures, Jack LaLanne, Joe Weider, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. These individuals redefined what it is to be fit and were pioneers in their time. These fitness gurus have redefined health and fitness for people and have inspired countless numbers to not only partake in the health [...]
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Gym Brand Products Promotions You know that you need to establish your brand name and image in the fitness industry, but how will you do that? Giving excellent customer service and providing state-of-the-art gym equipment and facilities are just some of the initial steps. You also need to create some buzz about your gym and appeal to the public at large. While we strive to get creative promotion ideas, we tend to overlook one of the simplest and most effective promotion technique – giving out promotional products. Using branded promotional products are one of the sure-fire ways to increase brand visibility and ensure member loyalty. When you have [...]
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Summer is the time when people start finding time to relax and have some fun. As people are becoming more and more health conscious by the day, health clubs are becoming a popular hangout for people of all age groups. Health clubs can leverage this demand to their advantage, and come up with events or promotions that people enjoy. This will also increase the popularity of the health club significantly. Here are a few simple ideas for cool summertime events and promotions in your health club. Discounts or Free Trials One of the best promotions you can offer in your [...]
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Operating a gym within a set of rules creates structure for both club owners and members. Whether your gym rules are created for safety purposes or just to build a harmonious, fitness-first experience, they are a significant asset to any well run health club. 1. Gym rules define your club’s culture. The fact is many gyms do not post or enforce any rules. Recently, I trained as a guest at a national chain. This company has a reputation for indulging power lifters and gym rats. Although I knew this, the facility’s condition shocked me. Heavy weight sets were left on abandoned. [...]
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Why sell branded products at your gym Have you ever considered selling a branded product in your gym or online? They could be water bottles, hoodies, equipment or towels. Whatever. The point is your health club’s name would be on that item, wherever it travels. All the while, reflecting your gym's unique identity and generating a bit more cash for your company. What is the difference between a product and a brand? Products are what you sell but a brand is who you are. Brands are created through advertising, intent, and creativity. Your carefully crafted flagship image is your brand. The [...]
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