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Aug 26 |10:10 AM

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 August 2010 08:59

You are currently doing everything in your power to get your Gym, Health Club, Yoga Studio, or Dance Center known and sought after by the general public. You’re doing promotions, getting new equipment, renovating, sending out fliers, SMS, putting ads in Newspapers- everything that you should be doing, but you’re not seeing the results in the number of Memberships.

here are many reasons this may be the case. A major one being that perhaps you have forgotten to pay attention to your Fitness Club, Pilates Studio, or Gym’s Web Presence. Recently, marketing has found a new niche on the Internet. This is something your Club Business can take advantage of. Best part? It’s super cost effective. In fact, it’s free!

So I have decided to devote the next few blogs to helping you increase the number of people you can reach with your advertising AND increase your Club’s Memberships and Profits! Luckily, I have become quite the expert in this area as FitnessForce Club Management Software works to let more and more Fitness Clubs, Health Centers, and Athletic Studios to discover the profits available within our Gym Software. One of the first areas we worked on? Twitter.

Twitter is something that is relatively easy way to get a hang of. And it’s a perfect way to get out the updates of your gym, let people know when new Dance, Pilates, or Spinning Classes are starting up, offer special promotions, anything. It’s basically an Electric Flier.

Now, while you may think that this will not have that much of an impact on Increasing your Profits, it will work to help create a solid foundation for your Internet Presence. Having your Gym or Fitness Club’s Name and Logo up in as many places on the Internet as possible will increase your Accessibillity and Reach-ability by various Internet Users.

This is just your Business’s first step into the Internet. Be sure to Read Part II to learn how to take your Club to it’s Internet Presence Potential and Increase your Members and Profits.

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Aug 24 |08:00 AM

Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 August 2010 08:35

In my previous blogs I have discussed a little about the importance of the type of Management Techniques that will grant you respect and appreciation from those you work with at your Fitness Club or Spa Center, but what about those you provide for? What about your clients?

Having been a manger in the Fitness Industry, I truly understand the various types of clients you will have walking through your Studio or Spa’s door. They may be a social butterfly, they may they may be shy and nervous, they may want extensive personal attention, or they may just want to keep to themselves. Regardless of their type of personality, it was my job to make them feel welcome and comfortable, but it’s impossible to do this without stepping on a couple people’s toes once in a while.

So, in those moment when I found myself confronted with a less than pleased customer, I have found various ways of turning the conversation into an enjoyable experience for both of us. How? I made it my personal goal to turn the dissatisfied person before me into our most loyal customer.

And this is perfectly possible, as long as you remember a few simple things when confronting this sort of delicate situation:

1. Offer them your Appreciation

After all, they are currently your customer. Sincerely mentioning that you are glad they have joined your community and you wish to make their experience as pleasurable as possible will help calm your customer.

2. Sympathize with your Customer

Taking the time to really listen to their complaint will help them notice that you are offering a unique personalization to their club. Things like asking question to verify details will help to make a lasting, positive impression. After you listen to their story, say something along the lines of, “Yes, I do see how that (whatever that is) would be frustrating.”

3. Offer a Solution . . .

Provide your client with a solid answer to their query. If you are able to solve the problem then and there, perfect. If it is something you will need a little more time on (such as needing to discuss the request with another Employee) that is perfectly okay as well, just be sure to communicate this with your Customer.

4. . . . And a Consolation

This is where you can really make an impact on the Customer. Perhaps offer a free Personal Training Session, Facial, Yoga Class, a Discount Coupon for a Spa Day, something that encourages them to come back to your Dance Studio, Spa, Gym, etc.

5. Make them Smile

Appreciate the feedback you have received from your client and let them know the mistake will be no problem to correct. Offer them encouragement to continue to let you know when they have any other ideas you can use to make managing your club or gym more efficient.

6. Follow- Up

And to be sure they have not forgotten your special care and sensitivity to their desires, be sure to follow-up in a week or so. Use FitnessForce Club Management Software’s Follow-Up App to set up an alert with a memo so that you are sure to remember.

This type of personalization will have an immense impact on your club’s member retention. (And actually, those of us at FitnessForce Management Software firmly believe it is our duty as your Gym Software to continually make that type of personalization even easier.) Working in such a rapidly growing field as the Fitness and Health Industry, I have found that with Fitness Software and any other sort of Fitness or Health Management, it is important to remember one of the most basic phrases. The easy come, and the easy go. The clients you have to work for, those are the members who will stay with you eternally.

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Aug 22 |01:25 AM

Last Updated on Sunday, 22 August 2010 01:47

Having recently entered into the FitnessForce Club Management Software Company, I had to go through all of the normal stages of an New Initiate "at the top" so-to-speak. Meaning I had to demonstrate to a decent number of people, why they should listen to me.

And this is not always easy to do, you have the people who are older than you and believe you're just a young, rash tot. You have the people who are younger than you who believe that because you are new, they can get away with logging onto Facebook more often. And we cannot forget the people who believe they know better as they have been with the company longer.

So, as I was tip-toeing myself around these various situations, the main question remained; How do I connect with them in such a way that I gain their respect and trust? These are crucial to a efficiently functioning management environment. And I have found the best way to gain respect is to be willing to accept the word "Why" into your work life. Now, this goes both ways, you must be willing to not only receive "Whys" but to give them as well.

If you are assigning a task to a member of staff, adding a "Why" creates a level of common understanding between you and your employee. And it is on this level of understanding that you are able to connect.

Sometimes it will seem as if the question is being thrown at you. Perhaps you forgot to add a reason for your request and there is a level of belligerence. The most efficient way to deal with this is not to throw it back by saying, "Because I said so." Instead, simply state the reason behind your request. This will garner you respect from your staff. By simply explaining your request, you are demonstrating that not only do you value what they do, but that you want them to know the productivity that will result from their work.

It is equally important to give "Why’s." Meaning, if you do not understand something, it is perfectly acceptable to receive guidance from your staff. In a lot of cases, they will know the company better than you since they have been there longer. Allowing yourself to ask questions encourages trust between you and your employees. This is because, by asking questions, you are demonstrating to them that you trust them enough to value their response.

Accepting the importance of giving and receiving "Why" is helpful pretty much for any part of your work life, whether you are a new manager at a new gym or an experienced manager with new staff, whatever.

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Aug 18 |06:56 AM

Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 August 2010 07:23

I am many things. One of them is a Control Freak. So you, like I, are probably thinking how I must be a very good manager if I have a need to know what is going on at all times, right? Wrong.

As a manager at FitnessForce Club Management Software, I have been able to identify a very definite distinction between having things in your control, and making sure everything is in control. My Control Freak diagnosis was, unfortunately, of the former.

I have found that the key to good management is to be willing to let things go out of my personal control, while not losing control of them. Yes, that does sound like the definition of an oxymoron. However, there is a beautiful balance to be found within this rule. And I truly believe it is the key to awe-inspiring and efficient management.

As a manger, your main duty is to delegate. If as a manager, you are feeling overwhelmed, it is because you have not delegated what you need to be done in the most efficient manner. Allow me to give you an analogy.

You are the coach of a football team. And you have all of your players on the field you, and you have the plays you want to see in your head. You see what you want done, and your job is to explain the different roles to the respective players and their positions. So you give the offense their play, the midfield theirs, the defence, etc. Once you have explained all of the various aspects and timings, you go back to the bench and wait for the whistle to blow. As their leader, you control when your players enter the game, when they come out, when they need to take a break, or go home and work a little harder on some team strategies. You do whatever you need to do so that when the team plays, they are able to control their respective positions, dominate the field, and win the game.

And this is exactly how it can work in the office, at your spa, fitness club, gym, health center, dance studio, whatever. Come in prepared and know what it is you would like for everyone to accomplish on that day. Tell them what you think needs practice, where to work harder, and what needs to be done; so that by the end of the day, you can recline to the sweet success of organized accomplishments.