Thomas Kulp needs your help

Fitnessblog, Just a reminder to tell you that I'm being locked up...that's right, I'm going behind barsto help Jerry's Kids and MDA. To be released on good behavior I have to raise bail and I need your help! All you have to do is click here to make a secure, online donation before 08/13/08. Your donation will help families living in our community and help guarantee me an early release.I can't wait to add you to my list of contributors. Thanks in advance for your help. Don't hesitate to call or email me with any questions. Together we'll make a difference, Thomas P.S. I'm counting on you, click here to donate. If the link above does not work, please cut and paste the address below into the address bar of your Internet browser. https://www.joinmda.org/centrallancasterlockup2008/tom/

Thomas Kulp needs your help

Fitnessblog, I'm proud to tell you that I'm being locked up...that's right, I'm going behind barsto help Jerry's Kids and MDA. To be released on good behavior I have to raise bail and I need your help! All you have to do is click here to make a secure, online donation before 08/13/08. Your donation will help families living in our community and help guarantee me an early release.I can't wait to add you to my list of contributors. Thanks in advance for your help. Don't hesitate to call or email me with any questions. Together we'll make a difference, Thomas P.S. I'm counting on you, click here to donate. If the link above does not work, please cut and paste the address below into the address bar of your Internet browser. https://www.joinmda.org/centrallancasterlockup2008/tom/

Calculating the Reason for Retention Focus

We often think that Retention is something we will worry about later. we have so many other things on our to-do lists. I challenge you to do a quick math problem.

You will need your current number of accounts, the average retail value of those accounts, and a calculator.

Take your current number of accounts and multiply that number by a factor of just 2%. Then take that product and multiply it by the average retail cost of your accounts. That answer is the increased revenue that will be generated by a 2% increase in retention... Pretty eye opening.

Now consider that this money is very clean, there is not a lot of increased costs that come with it, so the money is truly very close to an increase in your net income..

Example:

Active accounts 2500
Avg Retail cost 700.00

2500 x .02 = 50 saved accounts

50 x 700 = 35000.00 additional dollars on your bottom line

Try one of our actual clients' returns

Active accounts 5500
Avg Retail cost 1000.00

5500 x .05 ( yes a 5% increase) = 275 saved accounts

275 x 1000 = 275000 WOW!

This is possible for you, if you start to change your focus today.


Good Luck

Tom

Avoiding Dealing with the Sleeping Dog

There is a phrase in the Fitness Industry that says " don't wake the sleeping dog". If you are unfamiliar with the term it means that you need to be careful with contacting your members who have not used your club in a long time but still pay dues regularly. The warning is there so that you don't have a terrible change in your cash flow. What a concept to keep your business in a great light and focused on the customer experience great value in what you offer. NOT!

Pretty negative thinking, but my challenge to you is to contact ALL your member regularly, heck, plan it out and do it all the time. By keeping in contact from day one you assume the responsibility of ownership of that member's business. Engage them, get them involved in your club and earn their business for life.

Find a way to track the member's visits to your club and when you see a break from a habit, give them a call and show you care.

We are in the people business and we need to take the lead to ensure they get more than they expect.

Good Luck and Stay Focused on that member.... they are our business.

Tom

What is our Mission in the US Fitness Market?

What is our goal?

Are we interested in achieving a difference in our human society? We need to focus on the goal of teaching the non exercising members of our individual communities to start to move. Yes, if we could only get them to move every day. On a recent trip to Russia the sights included the lack of major obesity in the culture. With a culture of very few gym members it seems that the lack of overeating and the continual need to walk to events equals a more fit build and with the elimination of the alcohol and smoking would be a great recipe for healthy living.

Many measures of our society in America we take for granted the gift of fairly clean air, a government that is working to eliminate or at least reduce smoking in the country, and ready available healthy fruits and vegetables. Our children will enjoy a healthier life for our efforts.

If we could only make a difference in the way people look at themselves and we take the lead in our clubs to make sure that all people are welcome to enjoy the benefits we offer. The days of only fit people belonging to clubs need to end. Fit Folks cannot be the only people that get the need for what we offer. We need to structure our marketing to be more welcome to the mass of people that fear joining because they would not fit in.

By making the effort to market to all members of our society we can increase our market share tenfold.

Tom

Retention: Focus on the Result

Have you thought lately about the systems you have in your club? Have you checked the systems to make sure that they are getting you the correct result?
At our club, we realized that we haven't been checking on the exercise prescriptions that are being issued to our members. We like many others have mistakenly figured we taught them how to do it correctly that the Fitness coaches would be using their skills to execute it properly. In about 5 minutes and with ten quick reviews we realized that we would need to check their work on a regular basis. We had a coach write "whatever you enjoy" under the cardio section. This was a new member with very little experience and likely they didn't know what they "liked"at this point in their journey at our club. As owner/managers of our clubs we are responsible to make sure that all members become long term clients of our facility.
My personal experience has lead me to realize that if we don't check it, there is no reason to install it. Make sure you are getting regular looks at your systems and set up procedures so that you can see any changes in what you expect to be occurring. My best example would be to run your systems like you drive a car; you need to make small adjustments in speed, steering, and monitor your dashboard regularly to make sure that you stay the course.

The Reality of Retention

As I strive to increase my knowledge daily of the answers to better retention, it becomes clear to me that our industry is suffering from lack of direction.

The answer to our mission is that we need to define our goal. That goal should be to create Members4Life everyday. It isn't as simple as sending cards or email, or even getting them to purchase PT sessions at Point of Sale. It isn't about giving them a complete evaluation. The answer my friends is "blowing in the wind". The answer is to change the environment in your club, every member of your staff needs to be on the same page and that is an attitude that you feel everywhere in your club. The "wind" that blows through your lobby, hallways and all your rooms needs to be that we invest all our time and energy in making our members successful. That member success is directly proportional to the amount of involvement that we get our members to accept.

As new members expect, unrealistically, that they will lose 5 lbs by signing a contract with your club as if a magic pill is available, so it is with our retention. It isn't one thing or even two, it is the combination of your commitment to the member's success and your team's attitude that IT is about the member's need, not your staff's needs, which come first.

Act today and start the change in your club by spreading a new attitude in your club. Tell one team member to act with the member's success first and soon you can have a positive epidemic in your hallways.