The Club Insider Archives: December 2008
2008 In Review
By: Norm Cates
Norm Cates"2008 In Review" will, as I promised last year, appear in this single issue and will be a shorter read... as compared to the previous year-end "Dead Sea Scrolls" of the past.
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Do You Know The Secret?
By: Michael Grondahl
Michael GrondahlI get a kick out of listening to some consultants and others in the fitness industry discuss marketing. They all talk a good game, as long as you don't take it as gospel. For all the bluster, there hasn't been a lot of creativity over the years when it comes to marketing health clubs to the consumer.
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The "Insider Speaks"
Taming The Beast Called... Change
By: Andrea Sobotka
Andrea SobotkaFirst of all, let's set the record straight on current affairs; although we should NOT act like the ostrich and bury our heads in the sand, we SHOULD refuse to give in to the current bully called "the economy". We attract into our lives what our most dominant thoughts are, and I don't know about you, but I'll have none of that "doom and gloom" attitude in my life!
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"What This Means To You Is..."
By: Ray Gordon
Ray GordonSix magic words that identify a professional membership salesperson are: "What this means to you is..." In previous articles, I have discussed the value of the proper greeting; presenting yourself as someone who is genuinely enthused to meet the prospect and is willing to help him. The non-exercising prospect has many options other than joining your club.
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New Member Prospecting in Difficult Times
By: Jim Thomas
Jim ThomasHow is traffic in your health club? Better or worse than it was 12 months ago? In clubs that we have been working with across the USA, we are finding that traffic flow is down... and it's not for the reasons you might think.
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What's Working Out There Right Now
Increasing Member Retention and Prospects/New Member Sales
By: Bonnie Patrick Mattalian
Bonnie Patrick MattalianIn our work with clients around the country, we are thrilled to see many successes despite the economic downturn. Don't get me wrong, October and November were pretty tough, even dismal for many clubs, but those who are using a hands-on and strategic approach to increasing retention and increasing prospect traffic and membership sales are reaping positive results. Below is a sampling of some innovative ideas that are working right now.
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Marketing Through a Recession Gives Businesses a Distinct Advantage!
By: Chris Russo
Chris RussoEverywhere we look, recession is in the headlines. That doesn't mean we need to run away and hide until we hear it's over. Do that, and you might as well lock your doors now, give the competition all your members and watch them emerge over the next few years with the lion's share of the market.
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Comments on Economic Downturns
By: Tim Richards
Based upon thirty-five years in business, and having "survived" several (some severe) economic downturns in the local and general economy, management strongly believes multipurpose "family" oriented athletic clubs, like our Orchard Hills Athletic Club (OHAC), are "resistant" to such slowdowns. Management attributes this phenomenon to the following four factors.
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Programming Tip of the Month
Happy New Year To All Our New Members!
By: Sandy Coffman
Sandy CoffmanYes, along with the New Year comes our largest influx of new members for the whole year. In fact, some say that 40% of your total annual membership joins on or around January 1st. While the usual focus is on new member sales, I'd like to suggest that the most productive focus should be on programming and retention strategies for all those new members.
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Bally Total Fitness Files for 2nd Bankruptcy
As Reported by Reuters
NEW YORK, NY - Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp, which operates 347 health clubs serving more than 3.1 million customers, filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in 17 months, and put itself up for sale.
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Blair McHaney Comments on the Arrival of James Weaver as New Gold's Gym International CEO
Following up on our report last month about the end of the short era of David Schnabel as CEO of Gold's Gym International, we contacted Blair McHaney, the President of the Gold's Gym Franchise Association for his early impressions on the selection of James Weaver as GGI's new CEO. In the following months, after Mr. Weaver has had a chance to get his feet on the ground at GGI, we will reach out to him for comments on his plans as GGI's new CEO.
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Exercise in Pregnancy Linked to Fatal Raised Blood Pressure Condition
As Seen in Marc Onigman's Stonehearth Newsletter - December 3rd
The results of a study involving more than 85,000 pregnant women surprised researchers as it was thought exercise would have a beneficial effect. Pregnant women are recommended to take 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day, and the latest data suggests that exceeding that by even a small amount was linked to pre-eclampsia.
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Norm's Notes for December 2008
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher Since 1993 checking in the day after the prominent National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has declared that America is in a dreaded "recession" and has been since December of 2007! So, what are you going to do now? Give up? Don't do it! Think through it! Work through it! Fight through it! Defeat it! WIN!
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