The Club Insider Archives: November 2021

IHRSA 2021
Celebrating the Industry's Revival
By: Justin Cates

Justin CatesThe year 2020 was the longest on record... It wasn't any different in terms of time, from hours to days to weeks and months. But, the perception of time was definitely different. It was almost infinite. This year, 2021, seems to be going much faster. It's already November!!! Still, we want it to go even faster because 2022 is supposed to be back to "normal." We long for normal. However, as we have learned, it's during these times of abnormal that we have all hopefully learned the most in terms of how to better run our businesses during those "normal" times. This should not be a lesson lost. In the future, no matter how fast time is perceived to be running at that moment, it's important to do what can be done to slow it down. Use the iterations from previous periods to learn and define, acknowledge and refine. For our industry, one of the yearly times we slow down, remove ourselves from daily business life (sort of) and come together is IHRSA's Convention and Trade Show. This year, after its cancellation in March of 2020 and the move of IHRSA 2021 from Los Angeles to Dallas, we finally all met in person. As Liz Clark, IHRSA President and CEO, said in her opening comments, "We did it; we're here!" Read More

Exercise IS Medicine
By: Mike Alpert

Mike AlpertThere have been several webinars and articles lately on how to compete in today's fitness market as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. And, after returning from the recent IHRSA Convention in Dallas, I was very excited to finally see much of the focus and interest on members' overall health and wellness, also bringing healthcare into fitness. It is clear to me that, in order to thrive and grow into the future, every club must find its differentiator and become passionate and driven by it. It must become WHY you do what you do. It really becomes the lifeblood of your business: your culture; character and core. Also, every owner/operator must look beyond their bottom line to what moves their bottom line, and that is simply: People. Read More

The Member Experience Cycle
A Simple Tool to Enhance Retention and Sales
By: Karen Woodard-Chavez

Karen Woodard-ChavezIf I were to stop by unannounced or call your club around 7PM on a Friday night, how confident are you that my experience with your staff would be an excellent one? Would it be as consistent with perhaps what happens at 11AM during the day? If you can, without any hesitation, answer, "Yes," then KUDOS to you. If you have some hesitation, then this article will be helpful. The American Customer Service Index (ACSI) released their Q2 findings... Read More

You Evolve or You Die...
The End of the Fitness Industry as a Single Business - Part I
By: Thomas Plummer

Thomas PlummerPressure, applied over time, can change, or destroy, anything. This pressure reveals the cracks, searches out and destroys the weakness, finally leaving something changed forever. Mountains disappear, coal becomes a diamond, rivers change course, and even Britney Spears was set free after years of pressure from attorneys. In the fitness industry, the pressure was applied in 2020 - 2021, and this pressure revealed the weaknesses that have existed for many years, yet they remained somewhat hidden, because it is easier to hide our reality rather than stand up and deal with obvious truths we need to address if we want to thrive into the future. For an industry that embraces semi-naked as an art form in our national marketing, we are not looking too good these days in the blinding, raw light of our post-virus meltdown. Here are a few observations of what several years of unrelenting pressure has left us. Read More

Are You Asking Your Sales Managers The Right Questions To Grow Sales?
Part II
By: Gary Polic

Gary PolicWe all know the statement, "You get what you put up with in management," is a true statement. Therefore, I wanted to share a few questions to ask your Sales Manager on a consistent basis. In Part I, I shared Questions 1 - 10. This month, in Part II, I will complete the list with Questions 11 - 20. These questions will alert your Sales Manager to what's most important in achieving their team's sales goals... Read More

A Health Club's Superpower
By: Terry Browning

Terry BrowningHaving just returned from IHRSA in Dallas, I'm reminded of the true superpower of health clubs. It's not how shiny, it's not how new, it's not how big, it's not how much equipment, it's not how much technology a health club has... No, it's much more basic. It's much more human. At IHRSA, we finally put the phones down, got away from the video conferences, and we were able to really connect with some of our key partners. With the leadership from The Alaska Club, American Family Fitness, Genesis Health Clubs, Healthtrax Fitness & Wellness, Jersey Strong and Saco Sports & Fitness, I couldn't help but notice how thrilled people were to see each other. There were hugs, high-fives and smiles all around. People were genuinely happy to be "live and in person." Read More

GENAVIX and Smart Health Clubs Join Forces to Create HealthyCARE®
GENAVIX and Smart Health Clubs have joined together to create a technology platform and business model called HealthyCARE, which will enable the fitness and healthcare industries to engage and work together to support communities and employers across the country for the delivery of Lifestyle Care programs and services. Read More

IHRSA 2021 Slideshow
Check out photos from IHRSA 2021! Read More

Norm's Notes for November 2021
By: Norm Cates

Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Founder and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with our 335th monthly edition as we rapidly approach the New Year! WOW! Boy-oh-Boy... has the time flown by this year! I, for one, will be very glad to put 2021 behind us.! I say that because of the personal health issues I experienced just one day before the IHRSA Convention and Trade Show convened in Dallas, that I continue to deal with. So folks, you will notice I've written a Norm's Note that I have split into two parts and have placed it here and at the end of these Notes so that, if you are not interested in reading about the issues I have faced medically as of late, you can just skip it when you get to the end of these Norm's Notes. So, the second part of this Norm's Note follows at the end of this month's Norm's Notes. Read More

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