Club Insider

About Laurie Cingle

Laurie CingleLaurie Cingle

Laurie Cingle, M.Ed., is a fitness business success coach and club consultant. Her specialties include creating successful club program champions through coaching, developing and operating non-dues revenue profit centers especially personal training and weight management, establishing club market differentiation and designing programs that result in profit and retention. She is certified through ACSM, NASM and as a Professional Business Coach through the Coach Training Alliance and is a member of the Leadership Team of Akron General Lifestyles.

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Email: laurie@lauriecingle.com


Previous Articles

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Cross-Program Marketing
Using Programs to Market Additional Programs and Services

November 2009 - Typical in-house marketing of club programs and services consists of flyers, posters and brochures. We cover the walls with them. We tack them on bulletin boards. We put them on easels and move them from location to location in various areas of the club. Read Article...

Group Exercise Programming
A New Business Model?

May 2009 - Once upon a time, in a fitness industry long, long ago, group exercise was called "Aerobics," a term invented by Dr. Kenneth Cooper. Born in the 70's, as dance-style classes held in the basement of churches (a.k.a. Jazzercise), aerobics grew to occupy standalone studios located in commercial strip shopping centers in the 80's. Participants willingly paid either by-the-class or a fixed monthly fee for classes (and just classes). Read Article...

Grow Group Fitness With 5 Easy Metrics
October 2012 - In facilities that offer group fitness to members, it is one of the most important departments from a retention and new member acquisition perspective. Based on two important industry facts: (1) retention is a consequence of facility usage, and (2) 60% of people rate Group Fitness classes as the most important factor for choosing to join a fitness center*. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
21 Ideas to Inspire New Programs

May 2013 - It's important that club programmers consistently come up with new ideas and services that will keep members interested in the club. These ideas don't have to revolve around exercise. Why not offer your members activities that are all about fun and meeting others who share their interests? "Clubs within a club" have the potential to really get your members (and prospects) talking about the great service your club provides. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Ode To Fitness

June 2013 - Give Your Next Member or Staff Newsletter a Kick! Draw Attention to your Program Offerings with this Familiar Rhyme. Include the following poem in your next member or staff newsletter for a bit of fun. It can be adapted for any season of the year or for holiday time. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Team Trek, a Great Retention Program

July 2013 - Have your recent efforts in offering retention programs fallen flat? Here's a great program guaranteed to work in any setting --large or small club, high-- or moderate-income membership, young or mature ages. It's one of my all-time favorites. Expect BIG numbers, at least 120 members and staff. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Five Steps to Championing a Program in Your Facility

August 2013 - The difference between great programs and okay programs is simply the person who is in charge, the Program Champion. Here are five easy steps to get you started on the path to becoming a champion of programming... Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Best Practices for Creating 12 Months of Retention Programming

September 2013 - Fall is the time to begin planning your retention Program Calendar for next year. Here are my best practices to keep members signing up for program after program. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Six Steps to Hosting Group Fitness Focused Events That Rock!

October 2013 - Akron General LifeStyles in Ohio hosts four successful "Super Saturday" group fitness-focused events each year, attracting 200+ members and their guests at each event over a short 2 1/2-hour period. For some facilities, that may be a typical Saturday morning. But, with 3,000 members and a group fitness studio that holds a maximum of 25 people, Super Saturday makes for an exciting, fun and busy morning. It's also good for membership sales. Here are six steps to follow to ensure your events rock! Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
January Programming: "Engagement" vs. "Retention"

November 2013 - January is a time when members --regular year-round participants and those who rarely participate-- flock to the facility for the New Year's rush. In addition, it is the biggest month for acquiring new members. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
The Perfect Program

December 2013 - Bundling exercise, weight management and health/wellness education creates the perfect lifestyle program. People will pay for a program that can guarantee results (for those who follow all the components). Here's my "perfect program"... Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Success Template for Creating Profitable Programs

January 2014 - Turn your ideas into successful, profitable programs by using the following template as a guide to creating new programs or to giving a facelift to existing programs. Most programs should contain these five components. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
The Group Fitness Program: Revenue Generator Or An Expense?

February 2014 - Do you view your facility's Group Fitness program as a revenue generator or as an expense to your budget? Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Increased Participation Guaranteed With This Easy-to-Implement Program

March 2014 - Here's a motivational program modeled after the game Monopoly that is easy to implement and draws big numbers of participants. Brand it to your facility by renaming it to include your club's nickname, for example, MAC-opoly. Or simply call it Fit-opoly or Well-opoly. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Outdoor Programs For Spring

April 2014 - Spring is here! Members are itching to get outside after a long winter. Keep them connected to your facility by taking your programs outside. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
More Outdoor Programs For Spring

May 2014 - In last month's edition of Club Insider, I suggested several outdoor programs to offer to your members this Spring. Here are two more ideas that will keep members connected to your club as nice weather draws them outside. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
To Charge Or Not To Charge?

June 2014 - That is a question many managers ask when planning new or revising existing group programs: Is it Small Group Training (fee) or a Group Fitness class (free)? Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Determining Cost-Per-Head Benchmarks for Group Fitness Classes

July 2014 - Determining cost-per-head benchmarks for no-fee Group Fitness classes depend on a few factors: the city in which a club is located; the average class rate that instructors are paid in that city; the type of the club: budget, mid-priced, high-priced, etc; the current number of members;the capacity of the group exercise studio(s). Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Creative Programming: Your Key To Success

August 2014 - Creativity in programming, fee-based or complimentary, can make or break your club business. It makes things fun and exciting. It catches people's attention. Being creative is a conscious effort that takes practice. Here are some easy ways to begin to develop your creativity. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Connecting People to Programs

September 2014 - Typically, a program's success is measured by (1) amount of profit for fee-based programs and (2) number of participants for no-fee programs. Ultimately, no program succeeds without participants. Oftentimes, people are unaware of the programs offered. Traditional marketing and social media avenues are noticed by a small percentage of members and clients. In both cases, it's the member's responsibility to notice your marketing and take steps to enroll. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Keys to Success for Multigenerational Adult Programming

October 2014 - Labeling members as over-50 immediately paints a stereotypical view of those individuals. In reality, many people over-50 are in good physical condition and exercise regularly; many people under-35 are in poor condition and need regular exercise. It's true certain fitness levels within certain age groups need to be communicated to differently and accordingly. Knowing this, programming for and marketing to all age groups at all fitness levels is not as difficult as some think. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Ten Keys to Profitable Non-Dues Revenue Programming

November 2014 - Key #1: Offer a strong menu of programs, both complimentary and fee-based. Types of programs to offer include those that are: One-day or 12 weeks in length; Short-term or ongoing; Competitive or non-competitive; Just-for-fun or results-based; Motivational, like a Monopoly-themed program; and Progressive, like personal training or behavior-changing. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Breathe New Life Into Your Current Programs

December 2014 - Busy club staff often lack the bandwidth to continuously design and implement new programs. Here are ideas to breathe new life into your current programs. Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Pricing Small Group Training Programs

January 2015 - There are two types of small group training (SGT) offered in fitness centers: (1) programs with clear start and end dates, and (2) programs that are continuous and ongoing (no clear start/end date). Here are suggestions for setting realistic and profitable pricing for the former, Small Group Training Programs that have clear start and end dates. Before beginning, consider... Read Article...

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Small Group Training Management - 7 Keys To Success

February 2015 - Small Group Training, Personal Training and Group Fitness are three distinct business models within facilities. Each unique model requires its own recipe for success. Clubs know that Personal Training and Group Fitness must be managed differently, the majority employing separate individuals with specific skills and credentials to lead each area. Read Article...

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