Club Insider

About Maria Parrella-Turco

Maria Parrella-TurcoMaria Parrella-Turco

Maria Parrella-Turco is the Senior Partner of New Paradigm Partners and managing partner of fitRewards!

Phone: (840) 870 - 0704
Email: map@newparadigmpartners.com


Previous Articles

Showing 1 - 9 of 9 Articles


5 Hot Facebook Marketing Tips
April 2012 - Facebook continues to be the most powerful social network on the globe with over 845 million users. Over 350 million of those users are accessing Facebook on their mobile phones. Health clubs simply can't ignore Facebook as part of their online marketing strategy. Read Article...

Business Survival & Prosperity
March 2013 - For many fitness centers, operating in a consolidating industry with growing competition in an unstable economy, survival is forefront of mind. The new kids on the blocks including, microgyms, low-price clubs and studios, are not a pass by night phenomenon. As a health club consultant and turnaround specialist, I'd like to share with you some of the most common observations I have made and information I've gathered that are key factors to survival and prosperity. Read Article...

Checklist for Retention Success
May 2011 - The average retention rate in the health club industry is approximately 65%. This means, in theory, we are turning over our entire membership in a 3-year period. You'd probably give almost anything to learn the secret to better member retention. Here are some ways that you can win the retention battle. Read Article...

Fitness and Guest Reviews
How to Engage Members to Write Positive Reviews and Feedback

May 2015 - Customer reviews are a hugely important factor in the health and fitness club industry. With Internet sources and word-of-mouth being top referral sources and another means of advertising, the potential for exposure is exponential. Research has shown that 61% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision, and 63% of customers are more likely to make a purchase from a site that has user reviews. Read Article...

Five Things You Can Learn From the Small Studio Model
September 2015 - Small studio operators have perfected five successful concepts that club owners and operators can learn from and implement in their own businesses. If you have not already experienced a niche group-training studio, including those that offer yoga, Crossfit, TRX or cycling, move within just a few short blocks or miles from your club, it's just a matter of time before one or two will arrive in your neighborhood. Read Article...

Let's Stop Making It About Price...
October 2014 - There is a misconception out in the industry that, if you charge a lower price for your fitness services, you will have a better rate of member retention. Our company owns clubs and represents clients that range between $9 and $116 per month in membership dues. It's been proven that, just because a fitness center charges $9 per month, it does not mean their retention rate will be better than a club that charges $109 per month. Both models have shown average attrition rates that range approximately 3% to 4% per month, which is 33% to 48% attrition per year. In conclusion, a lower rate does not result in better retention. Read Article...

Membership Doesn't Provide Results... But...
August 2013 - Being in the health and fitness club industry for over two decades, I can say that we have done a great job at perfecting a membership sale. However, what I have also learned is that a membership doesn't provide results. Health and fitness clubs need to get with the "Program." In the last several years, programming has evolved, and consumers are looking beyond memberships to small group training experiences that will deliver results and solutions. Read Article...

The Birth of the Low Price Competitor!
June 2012 - Please don't dislike me when I say this: the birth of the low price competitor is the best thing to happen to the fitness industry. With over 60 million people still obese in our country and now over 30,000 health clubs, we haven't exactly been the solution to getting our nation fit and healthy. With some exceptions, most of the industry has been driven more by membership sales than it has by results. Read Article...

Top 9 Health Club Marketing Tips for Today's Times
March 2011 - With more than a decade of experience in health club marketing, I've seen a lot of failures but far more successes when it comes to marketing. Today, the art of health club marketing is far more complex than it once was; however, many of the same basic principles still apply. Too often, health club owners overlook the basic techniques that have separated successful campaigns from those that never turn a profit. Here is my list of not 10, but 9, effective marketing tips. Read Article...

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