What is Your Name?

What's Your Name Again?

By Brian Cannone
http://www.fitnesssalestraining.com


Let me ask you something.

Which do you think is more important – the people whose names you already know, or the members of your health club whose names you don't know yet?

Most people think it's the members names that you already know, but it's not!

If you don't know somebody's name that's a member of your health club, you better learn their name very quickly and start remembering it.

Knowing a person's name is very important and although most people don't even realize it on a conscious level, deep-down they're thinking “wow, he must really care about me – I love that feeling”.

As wishy-washy as that might sound, it's completely true.

Think about it, what other places know them by name? The grocery store doesn't, clothing stores don't, their gas station probably doesn't, nor do 99% of the other places they visit on a regular basis!

So if you start talking to them by name, it creates an instant bond between you and the prospect.

And think about it – if you were the prospect, would you rather stay at a place who already knew your name and you were pretty much friends with, or would you pick the place down the street who might be a few bucks cheaper, but wasn't personal and friendly towards you?

I don't know about you, but I'd pick the place that was personal with me every single time!

Here's what I do to be even more personal with some of my clients. And keep in mind, this doesn't work for ALL clients – you have to get to know them first and see their personality, and make a judgment call.

This is what I do:

When I start to get to know a client that I think has a fun personality, I'll make up kind of a nickname for them. There is an older guy who comes into my health club who kind of resembles George Clooney, so instead of calling him by his real name I'll say “Heyyy George Clooney, how's it goin buddy?”

Do you see how much of a different relationship I have with him as compared to how most business owners treat their clients?

Now you also have to be a little careful when using this approach, so be forewarned.

Although it's extremely effective as a client retention strategy, and will probably even get you a lot more referrals than you're used to seeing, you can't go TOO far with it.

For example if a very attractive girl comes in you can't call her by some porn stars name or say anything specifically about her body. All you have to do is encourage her that she looks great, that's it.

You need to learn the line between encouragement and sexual harassment. Unfortunately in today's society that line is very, very thin – so always be more safe than sorry. Watch the persons face and body language as you give them the compliment and if it's negative even in the least bit, don't ever say anything like that again.

For most people that won't be a problem, I just wanted to let you know that sometimes it is an issue so you need to be careful. But that shouldn't deter you from complimenting your gym members and joking around with them!

What Really Matters

Do You Know What REALLY Matters?

By Brian Cannone
http://www.fitnesssalestraining.com


I'd like you to take a few minutes out of your day today and do something that might radically change the way your business carries out its day to day activities.

What I want you to do is this:

Sit down and write out every single thing your employees (and yourself) are required to do to maintain your business.

This would include dusting, vacuuming the floors, taking care of your clients, and literally every single piece of your day.

Then, think about whether or not you're carrying out the most efficient and time-worthy activities, or if they're useless and really don't contribute.

One of the most important things you'll need to think about is how clean your health club is. A regular gym might not care AS much about how clean it is (obviously it should be clean, but they might not have to be quite as stringent about it) – but with a health club you're trying to show that you're sophisticated and high-quality so cleanliness is a huge factor.

Do you have all the corners of your building cleaned? How about all the air vent covers, baseboards, and small areas that you might not even think about? A lot of times you can find a ton of places where dust seems to accumulate very rapidly. It might not seem like a big deal, but what if one or more of your clients happens to find it? What would they think of your health club after they found huge piles of dust in the corner?

Well, let's just say they wouldn't think very highly of the place, and you might even lose their business.

Another thing to take into consideration is how friendly your place of business in. What is the atmosphere like when a prospect or client walks in the door? Is it warm and friendly, or loud and obnoxious? Are you greeting them on their way in and telling them to have a great day as they're walking out? Are you treating them like royalty during the time they're there?

If not, I suggest you start today.

The third thing to look out for is, well, everything else. The first 2 things need to be taken care of first, then put your time into “everything else”.

Now your health club might be slightly different and that's completely fine. What you need to do is figure out what is most important to your client, and make sure that part of their experience is always at 100%.

Then figure out what they would care about next, and make sure that's completed. Keep doing this over and over again.

If your clients see that you're willing to put THEM first and make sure everything is done according to what they want, you're going to build loyalty and trust from day one and you'll be one of the most efficient and well-respected health clubs in your entire area.

Can I Get You Later?

Throw Out The Cheapskates

By Brian Cannone
http://www.fitnesssalestraining.com


Do your members take advantage of the fact that you're nice to them and want them to stay at your health club? Odds are, they are in fact doing that and if so you must stop it immediately because they'll keep trying to do it with bigger and bigger things.

Let me give you an example:

In many of the clubs I visit, people grab a water out of the cooler and ask to “pay for it later”. Although this may seem like not a big deal, it really is! Although most people aren't, some people try to get away with anything they can and they'll make excuses like “oh, can I get ya next time? I forgot my wallet”.

Do you honestly ever think you'll see that money? Of course not!

Just like all the other rules you have, you need to have rules that members aren't allowed to buy anything unless they have money with them right at the moment they buy it. And you absolutely cannot make any exceptions, even for outstanding members who you know are telling the truth. Making one just exception for a person is going to create huge problems in the trust and credibility in your company which will eventually hit the “butterfly effect” and make bad ripples throughout your entire organization.

Another reason this is a very bad thing that's happening in your business is because it makes your staff feel uncomfortable. If you have rules set it in place that they can't buy something, ever, if they don't have money, it makes it much easier on your staff because all they really have to say is “you know the rules” and the conversation is over.

You also need to be monitoring things like this as well. Like many other negative things this doesn't happen very often, but it does. People will simply walk over and take a water without even asking. If you don't have rules for this sort of thing, it will go unnoticed and that member will continue to take advantage of you.

You CAN'T let this happen!

Be the “soup nazi” and tell your staff to do the same as well. And this doesn't only apply to water, it applies to all aspects of your business where people are allowed to buy things.

As I mentioned before, the butterfly effect is a huge factor in the success of your business. Letting one or 2 waters go might seem like something small, but it eventually turns into much bigger and more expensive items and over time ruins the credibility of your “soup nazi-ness” and people will assume they can walk all over you and your staff with no further consequences.

Obviously you don't want this happening. Not only does it cost you money that should be going right in your pocket, it's also making you the laughing stock of the club AND your community!

We Are Not For Everyone

The Dangers Of Being “For Everybody”

By Brian Cannone
http://www.fitnesssalestraining.com


Sit back for a minute and figure out who you're trying to market to for your business. Are you trying to get huge volumes of people into your health club at a cheap price, smaller amounts of people at a premium price, or are you simply trying to market to every person you see on the street?

If you're trying to get everybody and anybody into your business, you're setting yourself up for failure!

Being a specialist is one of the absolute best things you can do. There are several levels in being a specialist, but it's usually not necessary to become so specific that you're only catering to a certain income bracket in a certain gender and a certain type of working out.

And yes, I've seen people do this!

All I'm saying is that you should pick – do you want to cater to a volume of people at low prices or a select group of people at higher prices and more of a “high end” kind of health club?

If you land in the middle, you'll be sending mixed messages. People won't be able to really “get” what kind of health club they're about to join, and guess what – they won't join!

But when you specialize, even just a little and pick a specific income bracket, people will notice and they'll be more comfortable knowing the fact that they'll be working out with the same kind of people they are.

And believe it or not, all you have to do is start specializing and the value of your health club goes up instantly. I'm not sure why this happens, but think about this. Who gets paid more, a family doctor or a heart surgeon? The heart surgeon gets paid much more.

Why?

Because they're specializing in a certain area and people trust them more!

And in terms of a health club, this has the same affect.

Trust me, rich people usually don't want to be a part of the same health club as poor people and vice versa. Why do you think some golf clubs are tens of thousands of dollars per year to join? Because people like to be part of the same social group they're used to hanging around with!

There is a major difference between a high-end and low-end health club. You just need to figure out which one yours is closer to, make a few changes, and jump into that category and start marketing to those types of people.

And speaking of marketing, once you specialize it becomes 100% easier. Instead of trying to market to “everybody” you then know you're only trying to reach a specific type of person. Then doing your research and figuring out where to advertise becomes much easier because all you have to do is figure out where those types of people will be looking, and start advertising in those places.

It's really as simple as that – don't make it over complicated!

Are You the Junior CEO

The Case Of The Invisible Junior CEO – Are You Guilty Of This?
By Brian Cannone
http://www.fitnesssalestraining.com

I used to be guilty of this syndrome, and I know dozens of other health clubs who are still guilty of it. And by doing it, they’re ruining their business and killing the profitability of the health club.
So what is the case of the invisible junior CEO?
What I’m talking about is your unwillingness to simply get things done.
Let me give you some examples.
When the phone rings, do you screen the call or do you answer the phone willing to help out whoever is on the other line?
Are you pushing aside problems that need to be dealt with immediately and procrastinating on them for so long that eventually the problem turns into a disaster and ends up with you losing clients?
I think you get what I mean.
This is all caused by pretending to be someone with a big ego. Unfortunately most business owners think that since they’re the owner, they don’t need to do things like deal with customers, solve “small” problems, or do the kinds of things that their employees are doing.
But you do!
Unless you already have a hired position to be doing these things, you should be the one interacting with your angry customers.
Why?
Because when they see that the owner of the health club is addressing these issues, and not some random employee, they’ll feel like you actually care about them (which you should anyway). Plus, for whatever reason many people have kind of a fear of business owners. I’m not sure whether they look up to them or see them as powerful or what, but I’ve witnessed in many cases that people will let their guard down when they’re talking to the owner of a business as compared to a regular employee.
Being personal with your clients and acting like you’re NOT the owner (i.e. not thinking in terms of having titles and being “better” than everyone else) will not only make people feel more comfortable with coming to you if they do have a problem that needs to be solved, it’s going to help keep people at your business longer because they’ll feel they’re at a place that honestly cares about them.
What you need to do is learn to “take problems by the horns” and run with them. Don’t screen calls, don’t put problems onto other people in the business, just handle them yourself. Remember, you’re the only owner and if you don’t set a great example, your employees can’t follow. Set the bar incredibly high and show your employees how things are supposed to be handled and you’ll be amazed at how they can literally change the way they work each day by simply watching what you do and trying to make sure they live up to your standards.

Are You Busy Today?

The “Busy” Factor Is Killing Your Business
By Brian Cannone
http://www.fitnesssalestraining.com

I come across the word of “busy” constantly and it really bugs me. Every business I walk into – it seems like the people in the store are too busy to help me. And in fitness health clubs, the problem is just as bad and it’s absolutely murdering your profitability.
The reason I get so fed up with this isn’t because being busy is a bad thing, it’s simply because most people think they ARE busy when they’re honestly not. And if they are doing “busy” work, usually it’s the type of work that’s completely unnecessary and is simply just wasting time.
Let me give you an example.
If Mark is out on the floor doing something like wiping down machines in the back of the room, he really isn’t “busy”. That time could be much better spent helping a club members needs or simply even walking around the room making sure everybody is taken care of. Most members of a health club are a little reluctant to ask if they need something, yet if you ask them how everything is going – I bet they’ll ask for something.
Also, how long are seemingly simple tasks being taken to get completed? If you have an employee that’s wiping down the machines, is it taking him 3 hours to do it? A great thing to do would be to figure out roughly how long each task takes in your health club and make an expectation within the club that it should be done within that amount of time. People are natural procrastinators, as well as lazy, so don’t be too harsh on them the first time – but make sure they know you’ll be watching.
By the way, this applies to you as well. Are simple tasks taking you longer than necessary? You might want to do the same thing to yourself that you’re putting your employees through. Just think, if you can reduce each task by just 10% you can save yourself hours each day, per person, and probably double the productivity in your business!
The last thing I want to talk to you about today is how the word “busy” kind of has a negative overtone to it. When people say the word “busy” it sounds like a negative thing, doesn’t it?
One thing you might consider doing is changing the word busy in your business to something else – such as “active” or “popular”.
So if a potential club member walks in asking when you’re busy times are, you can respond by saying something like “oh well the most popular times of the day are from about 5-7 when most people are getting out of work and get a chance to come”.
Busy is a word you should throw out of your vocabulary. It’s also something you need to think about in terms of productivity and how much you’re getting done. Just because you’re “busy” doesn’t mean you’re getting real work done – so from now on make sure the work you and your employees is doing is productive, and watch your productivity soar instantly!

Cheap is Expensive

Spending Less Means You're Spending...More?

By Brian Cannone
http://www.fitnesssalestraining.com


One of the biggest mistakes I see health clubs making all the time is that when they're buying equipment, whether it's a replacement or a brand new piece of equipment when they're first opening – they're buying equipment that's way too cheap.

There are a few things you need to think about when it comes to this subject. Let me lay them out for you:

1) Members Want Luxury – Especially when going to a health club instead of a regular gym, your members EXPECT the equipment to be more high-quality than they can afford. Trust me if they could afford it they wouldn't be going to your club. They go because they don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a treadmill or other piece of equipment. But if you have cheap equipment – why would they even bother going when they could save up for a few months and get their own and save a ton of money in the long run?

2) Think Long-Term – Let's say you buy a treadmill for $1000 and your competitor buys one for $3,500. Even though the $3,500 treadmill MIGHT not last 3 times as long (it probably would), think of all the hassle you have to go through each time one of them breaks. Not only does it make your health club look like the dollar-store of health clubs, it's a pain in the butt getting them fixed and will annoy your members! Do you have people in your staff that would be able to fix it in a day's notice? Probably not, so why not just spend a few extra bucks and go for the high quality equipment that's much less likely to break and will have a much longer and better warranty?

3) Throw Away Items – Although some things like the “bigger” pieces of equipment should be more expensive, other things such as hair dryers and even scales can be less expensive. You really don't need one of those medical scales which cost hundreds of dollars. These days, scales are pretty decent for under $100 and usually come with a warranty as well. The same goes for hair dryers – they all have the same purpose (drying hair) so it's not a huge deal if it's not the most expensive thing you've ever seen.

However like always you need to put this all in context.

Before you start buying equipment you need to think of what your members think of your health club anyway. If it's a high-end club, pretty much everything should at least LOOK high-end because that's what your members will expect. If you're trying to get more volume at a lower price, you definitely don't need to spend thousands of dollars on one piece of equipment. It's still better not to go cheap, but you don't have to go “quite” as high as a high-end health club would have.

Think of what kind of club you have, what your members expect of the equipment you have, and use my suggestions to get the best equipment for YOUR health club!