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About Jim Thomas

Jim ThomasJim Thomas

Jim Thomas is the well-known founder and president of Fitness Management USA, Inc., a management consulting and turnaround firm specializing in the fitness and health club industry.

With over 25 years of experience owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, Mr. Thomas lectures and delivers seminars and workshops across the country on the practical skills required to successfully build teamwork and market fitness programs and products.

Phone: N/A
Email: jthomas@fmconsulting.net


Previous Articles

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Here's What You Can Do Right Now to Improve Your Business
October 2019 - I have worked with many gym owners who have had success with the simple formula I'm about to give you. Now, this formula will work no matter what stage of your business you're in: (1) if you're barely keeping your head above water; (2) if you're stuck in the middle and have become stagnant; or (3) if you're rolling right along and want to capture more market share. Read Article...

Here's Why You Need a Sales System in Your Health Club
August 2011 - We see this frequently in health clubs. No real systems for sales, and no real accountability... We see sales reps who do their own thing and make it up on the fly. Of course, as manager, you're now trying to manage individuals and not a system, which drives most managers nuts (and leads to retention issues). Plus, when the sales rep quits, you're all starting over... again. Read Article...

How Do You Check Out as a Health Club Owner?
November 2006 - Read Article...

How Gym Owners Can Supercharge Sales Performance With Automation
September 2021 - The proper use of gym management software can revolutionize your gym or fitness center. Such fitness operations now have a smart advantage over others using traditional systems. With that said, automation software is not being used by many gym operations, and others that have access to such programs, don't use them. Your gym can maximize its business potential and achieve optimal success by effectively using quality fitness studio management software. Automatic software manages all aspects of a gym, which would otherwise have to be done manually. Read Article...

How Health Club Owners Can Reject the Recession and Build a Thriving Business
March 2009 - In a time when many health clubs are struggling or even closing, and everything on television focuses on downsizing, rising costs and economic turmoil, it is hard to avoid that sinking feeling. But, as health club owners, we really have two choices: (1) We can let the negative media send us into full panic mode, or (2) We can view the economic downturn as an opportunity to increase our market share. Read Article...

How to "Double-Close" the Health Club Membership Sale
December 2007 - Read Article...

How To Attract and Keep Health Club Members
July 2010 - It's the question I get asked the most... How do I attract more new members, and then, how do I keep them? Well, marketing and promoting your health club never stops. You should have a marketing plan-of-action every month without fail. Read Article...

How To Be Great At Gym Membership Sales
October 2014 - Are you a gym owner and would you like to improve the sales performance in your club? Are you a membership salesperson or personal trainer that would like to improve your sales performance? I think most would say yes to these questions. However, we continue to see many gyms and individuals struggle to improve their membership sales numbers. Read Article...

How to Bootstrap Your Gym's Sales and Marketing During the Pandemic
August 2020 - The pandemic is affecting every gym operation differently: some gyms are going to go out of business; some will manage through it and be okay; and some will benefit hugely from it simply due to the kind of gym or service they offer. However, we simply can't stop marketing and communicating with our members and prospects, and now is the time to think about what we can do with what we have and where we are (play the hand we're dealt). So, with that in mind, here are some ideas for effective marketing activities you can do that cost little or no money and that every gym should probably be doing more of anyway. Some may work for you; some may not, but take a look and see what you think... Read Article...

How to Calculate Business Risk
February 2023 - Business risk is any risk that a business faces that can negatively impact its profitability. It can have both internal or external risks. A company needs to know what its risks are to get a risk management plan in place. Business risk can include many different factors, such as... Read Article...

How to Close a Gym Membership Sale At Anytime, Under Any Circumstances
June 2015 - You just never know when things will change. You get transferred to another club. You have a new boss. Your company is sold. Even if things just seem to be going crazy in the gym you have worked at for years; things change, but the expectation of sales production remains. Here are some tips to help you make the membership sale no matter what the circumstances... Read Article...

How to Develop a Fitness Center Business Plan
May 2017 - Running a gym or fitness center is a dream for many people. The work is rewarding, and you are your own boss. However, having success is harder than many people realize. Although your work is important, you must make a profit when running your business. Developing a fitness center business plan will take some work. But, it is well worth the effort because it should become the road-map for your business. If you want to have success running a fitness center, you need to follow three key principles... Read Article...

How to Get More Prospects to Visit Your Website
(And, it's probably not what you think)

May 2018 - I speak to gym owners all the time who are seeking more website visits and more leads from their website. The key here is to create internet density and visibility. You simply need to be everywhere your prospect may look. Now, this is not meant to be all-inclusive, but it is a good starting point for most gyms. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve the branding of your gym and increase exposure. Read Article...

How to Improve Sales at Your Fitness Center
January 2019 - Owning a fitness center or gym can be a great investment and career choice as it can be very profitable in all economies. While a fitness center can be successful and profitable, it does count on sales and other efforts to drive enrollment and overall revenue. I continue to work with many gym owners that continually say, "I thought it would be easier than this." When evaluating their business, it will many times come down to simply a failure to properly understand and implement sales and marketing strategies. When you are looking to improve your sales efforts at your gym, here are a few tips that can be followed that will provide an immediate return... Read Article...

How to Improve Your Health Club Business
March 2013 - Whether it's just you working at your gym or you have many employees, the reality is that you either get better or you get worse. Nothing stays the same. The business of your health club is either trending up or it's on the way down. Read Article...

How to Make Better Decisions on Behalf of Your Health Club
July 2011 - I received a call from a health club owner recently. This call was a bit different. I spoke to this same health club owner about 18 months ago. It seems he has gone backwards since we last spoke. The primary reason we never engaged before was he simply couldn't make the decision. But now, he was ready (or so he said). Read Article...

How to Navigate Change Amid COVID-19
April 2020 - While all of us in the gym business settle in and wait for the pandemic to pass, we need to recognize that this could end up being a significant opportunity for your gym if you choose to expand and advance into the market place. But, it will require work and courage. Don't just sit and wait; develop a strategy, so that when this is over, you're prepared to advance. Here are some thoughts on what needs to be done now... Read Article...

How To Own A Gym Business
From Dream to Reality

August 2019 - Is owning a gym business in your future? At one time or another, nearly every employee dreams of owning a gym. Perhaps you're tired of all your hard work ending up helping someone else achieve his entrepreneurial success, or you may fear losing your job in a weakened economy. Whatever your motivation, the compulsion to own a gym is strong in many people, but the risk involved in turning that dream into reality has, all too often, acted to derail even the best-laid plans. Read Article...

How to Recognize Opportunity For Your Health Club
June 2011 - I was in a meeting with a health club owner recently. It was an owner who was going through some difficult times. In analyzing his business, he determined that "it is what it is." Read Article...

How to Reverse Decline and Restore Stability to your Health Club, Fitness Center or Gym
May 2011 - Several years ago, I received a call from a gym owner with several facilities. He called me in despair. He knew that his gym was failing because membership sales had been declining steadily. Read Article...

How to Skyrocket Sales in Your Gym Immediately!
March 2018 - Do you have a quality gym but are having difficulty getting more people to join? I've found that the solution to getting more people to join can be very basic. There are many little things that can be adjusted to make the membership sales process more effective. Here are a few thoughts I can share with you to increase your membership sales immediately. These methods will work regardless of what your dues are or what system you are using to sell. That's the simplicity of this! These strategies can make a huge difference in your gym sales production if you just apply them. Read Article...

How to Spot a Potential Star Health Club Salesperson
July 2007 - Read Article...

How to Succeed in the Gym Business
January 2018 - Will your gym business thrive, or will it join others that have faltered along the way? Although you work hard at your club each day, there is unfortunately no magic formula to eliminating all the risks associated with operating and profiting from all your efforts. You can improve your chances of success, however, by surrounding yourself with good planning and expertise from dozens of other business owners who have been there before you. Here are some basic rules to make sure your gym grows and prospers... Read Article...

How to Succeed in the Health Club Business
April 2007 - Read Article...

Increase Health Club Sales (Starting) Today!
October 2010 - That's what everyone wants, right? Do you have a plan in place to get this done? Would you like to dramatically increase your sales in your health club starting today? Well, you can start to focus some of your club sales efforts on enticing your current club members to buy again. Read Article...

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