Gym Sins…Send us your “Gym Sins”

Fitness club managers dish about their members’ most obnoxious habits.

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It was perhaps the most extreme case of gym rage—ever. While taking a Manhattan spin class last August, Christopher Carter became so annoyed by the unrelenting grunts and shouts of a fellow spinner that he tipped the other guy right off his bike and into a wall. The grunter was hospitalized for two weeks after the incident. Carter was acquitted of assault charges in June. Hopefully, the acquittal won’t inspire a rash of altercations, as other exercisers decide that they too have had it with obnoxious gym behavior. Because any gym rat can tell you, grunting isn’t the most irritating thing people do in fitness clubs. From making lunch in the sauna to sporting unsavory yoga attire, club managers report that some of their patrons are clueless when it comes to gym etiquette, or general decency. Here are nine of the most outrageous fitness club offenses.


1. The Sauna Stovetop:  A manager at a New York Sports Club was walking through the women’s locker room a few years ago when she smelled cheese. Puzzled, she opened the door to the sauna, where a woman had placed bread and cheese on the hot rocks to make a postworkout grilled cheese sandwich. “Not only was it a health code violation, it was not really respectful to the other people in the sauna,” says NYSC PR director Linda Hufcut. “She said, ‘I do this all the time.’ That was, obviously, the last time she ever did it.'”
2. Nude Fitness?  A couple of visitors to a Gold’s Gym in Paramus, N.J., decided to get naked and weigh themselves before they started working out. The two men didn’t seem daunted by the fact that the scale was outside the locker room. They hung out by the scale, in full view of the other, clothed patrons, until a manager asked them to put some clothes on. They told Mike Epstein, the gym’s owner, that they did that sort of thing all the time at their home gym. Perhaps they meant “home gym” as in the one in their basement.
 
3. Creative Blow-Drying A man in a California Crunch gym decided that the best way to dry out his sweaty shoes was to stick a hair dryer in each of them while he took his after-workout shower. He was shocked when managers asked him to cease and desist. “He said, ‘I didn’t even realize I shouldn’t be doing this’,” says Keith Worts, chief operating officer of Crunch, a national fitness chain.
4. Downward Dog?  At another Crunch location a man had a habit of taking a yoga class while wearing shorts without underwear. He was more than happy to correct his faux pas as soon as managers made him aware that other members were uncomfortable with the view they were getting.
 
5. Work Out, Sleep In:   Some people get a little too relaxed at the gym. Gold’s Gym managers have reported finding customers who fell asleep in the tanning facility and didn’t wake up until the gym was closed, as well as customers who fell asleep on the bench press in between sets.
6. Killer Karaoke:  It’s common and profoundly annoying: gymgoers get carried away listening to their music players. Before they know it they’ve treated everyone in the room to an off-key rendition of “…Baby One More Time.” “I call it karaoke gone bad, because there is no background music and they’re singing at the top of their lungs,” says Harry Reo, a regional vice president for 24 Hour Fitness.
 
7. Talking (Too Much of) the Talk:  Fed up with people gabbing on their cell phones as they used the elliptical, many gyms have banned cell phones around workout equipment and designated areas for patrons to make calls. Still, people forget. “There’s nothing worse than running on the treadmill and having someone next to you conducting an extremely loud conversation,” says Hufcut, who’s seen some people use walkie-talkies while on the treadmill.
8. Sweat Sins:  It seems basic, but enough people forget to wipe down their equipment after using it that this was one of the four deadly gym sins included on an informational video NYSC taped a few years ago. During the segment a careless gymgoer didn’t dry off his machine; when he stood up, the entire machine was covered in dripping goo.
 
9. Scrimmage to Scuffle:  It’s only logical that testosterone can run high at the gym, and sometimes managers need to break up altercations on the basketball court, says Nancy Pattee Francini, co-founder and president of the Sports Club/LA, which has 10 locations around the country. “Those guys, when they’re playing basketball, can get into fights,” she says. “They’re not terrible fights—we’re a high-end club.”
These are, of course, the worst offenses, not the norm. Obnoxious behavior can usually be curbed with a little etiquette education, say gym owners. “Most of the time it’s really an awareness issue with members,” says Worts of Crunch. “We have to remind them that they’re in a shared public space.” Nonetheless, it might not be a bad idea to look over the list and make sure you’re not committing any gym sins.
 
Health Club Newsweek….This article has been brought to you by courtesy of www.fitnesslifemarketing.com
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FITNESS LIFE MARKETING ….AMERISHAPE…….How To Handle Health Club Sales Objections

FITNESS LIFE MARKETING ....AMERISHAPE.......How To Handle Health Club Sales Objections

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FITNESS LIFE MARKETING ….AMERISHAPE…….

How To Handle Health Club Sales Objections

Objections to membership sales can be viewed as the most difficult part of the entire sales process for a health club sales person. This is especially true if the objection is viewed as an obstacle rather than an opportunity to help the guest get the results they are looking for. Here are some suggestions on how to handle health club membership objections effectively.

1. With the effective use of a needs analysis, always try to anticipate objections early in the health club tour and membership presentation. Too many health club sales people wait until objections come to them instead of trying to anticipate what they will be. Eliminate the objections as you go along, and the membership process will be much easier.

2. Never rush your response to a guest’s objection. Hear them out. Listen, even if you’ve heard it a thousand times before. Health club salespeople often respond too quickly and actually will over-talk their guests in these situations. This will often create friction with the guest which will likely lead to them not joining your club.

3. Repeat the objection back to your guest. This will buy you some time to think, plus it will also show that you are interested in what they have to say. It will also help you to be sure that you understand exactly what the guest is saying.

4. Don’t forget that that an objection to joining your health club is many times a “buying signal” because the guest still has questions. If they had no interest in your club or in joining, why would they still be talking to you?

5. If you think a guest’s objection is just a smokescreen, ask if they are interested in your club and in getting results. Smokescreen objections can be a real time waster for health club sales people, and even the most seasoned health club professionals can fall into this trap. Some club guests will feel overpowered by a confident health club sales person and their only escape is to create a “false objection” to joining your club. A simple way to rid yourself of this problem is by further probing in order to make sure that the objection to becoming a member is genuine.

6. It is important to remember that, statistically speaking, a minimum of three objections are needed before a person will buy. However, many health club sales people give up after the first objection without realizing that this person would have joined their club if they had persisted a little more.

7. Objections are simply part of the health club sales process. Without them, there would be no need for salespeople and you would be out of a job. So don’t let them stop you from reaching your goals. The true health club professional doesn’t ever let objections get in the way of end goals.

8. Listen carefully to objections you receive about joining. They will hold valuable clues about the guest’s needs and desire. A real objection can often reveal important information that is worth noting because even if your guest doesn’t buy on this occasion you may know what buttons to push the next time you speak to them.

9. The better your tour and the better your membership presentation, the fewer objections you will hear – it’s that simple. It’s important to give your presentation in a way that your guest clearly understands. This will help you avoid objections that arise from not clearly understanding what you have said. Practice.

10. It wouldn’t be sales if people never objected. Many guests who join your club simply enjoy the “going-back-and-forth element” of buying, and health club sales people should be aware of this.

Now, let’s go sell!

Sponsored by: Fitness Life Marketing 1-888-541-0714 ext2

 Article Research Contributor: Amerishape Weight Loss

FITNESS LIFE MARKETING…… Strategies to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Health Club’s Website!

Your Health Club's Website

Your Health Club's Website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FITNESS LIFE MARKETING……7 Strategies to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Health Club’s Website!

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This is especially true when it comes to your health club’s website. In this day and age, your prospects will seek you out on the Internet long before they stop in or even call. So you want to make sure your website offers an attractive peek into what they can expect as members of your club. Here are 7 strategies to help make sure your website drives prospects to your club.

First and foremost, you need a way to collect visitor information. This is probably the most important element of an effective health club website. You already know you need to collect visitor information when a prospect visits your club. Apply that same strategy to your website! It is as simple as offering a 14 day trial membership in exchange for your visitor’s email address. The best way to do this is to have an opt-in form on your site, that is linked to an autoresponder system such as Aweber or Constant Contact. By collecting their information, you will have the opportunity to send them information about your club, fitness and nutrition tips, and a method of communication if they forget to redeem their trial membership.

Try to use pictures of your actual members on your site. Too many websites have the same stock photographs on their website. Images of real members from your club as well as your staff members are always more powerful than using images of people who are obviously models. Prospects will be turned off if you have a site loaded with pictures of people they cannot relate to. I recommend a “Gallery” of photos somewhere on your site.

Set up a “Partners” page on your website. This works well for a couple of reasons. First it looks like you’re a major part of the community. Prospects will likely see stores where they’ve shopped, and in turn feel comfortable with you through a mutual connection. But more importantly, this provides you a great opportunity to offer something of value to your neighbor businesses in exchange for something they can do for you.

Emphasize your most important message on your home page. If you’re the best, make sure you tell them you’re the best. If you’re the biggest club, the only 24 hour club, the club with the best service, the “guaranteed results” club…you have to tell them right away! What is it that is your best selling feature…your Unique Selling Proposition? What makes you different from the other fitness options in town? You want to make sure they know this right away. Make sure there is no doubt what message you want a visitor to know right away.

Always use dark font against a light background. Too many websites try to get fancy and put a dark background with light colored font…this is a mistake. If someone tries to read more than a few sentences of light text against a dark background, it will strain their eyes. Menus and headers can use a darker color, but the main content area needs to be white or a very light color.

Limit the number of menu tabs on your site. I’ve seen some websites that have up to 20 different menus on their site! I say no more than 6. You can easily develop subcategories for each of these. For example, don’t have a tab for group fitness and boot camp and massage and tanning and personal training and childcare. Have a tab called “Services” and have each of these a subcategory. Drop down tabs are especially useful for this.

Make sure your website is better than your competitors’ sites. This one probably goes without saying. If your prospects look at your website and look at your competitor’s website, they will call or visit the one that they like most. Make sure your site is prettier, more user friendly, and more informative than the websites of your competitors.

Sponsored by: Fitness Life Marketing 1-888-541-0714 ext2

 Article Research Contributor: Amerishape Weight Loss

Fitness Marketing

Q: What type of Fitness Life Marketing promotion would be best for my health club; cash down or monthly contracts?                                                                                                        www.fitnesslifemarketing.com

A:  We evaluate each fitness centers demographics and take into consideration what the fitness gym owner needs the most before we make our recommendation. We understand the importance of gross receivables and building the health club’s monthly bank draft is at the top of Fitness Life Marketing’s list.

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Q: How are the expenses handled with Fitness Life Marketing ?

A: With our turnkey fitness marketing program all expenses are handled by Fitness Life Marketing . First we prepare a fitness marketing agreement that is signed off on by both parties. Fitness Life Marketing then advances all the necessary costs to run the health club marketing campaign. The fitness center has nothing to risk. Most health club marketing campaigns at Fitness Life Marketing conducts brings in between 75 to 150 new members and more…..Check out www.fitnesslifemarketing.com

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