The Club Insider Archives: July 2014
Crunch Franchising Leader Ben Midgley
Defines The Advantages of The Crunch Brand
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesBen Midgley, 44, is a 20+ year club business veteran who has enjoyed an exceptional career that was accelerated significantly when he was honored with IHRSA's 1995 Sales Person of the Year Award. Ben was featured on the front page of our December 1995 Edition of Club Insider shortly after Midgley had received the IHRSA Award on December 9, 1995 at IHRSA's 10th Annual Sales, Marketing and Programming Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time, Ben was employed by Scott Gillespie at his Saco Sports and Fitness Center in Saco, Maine. Given that Saco, Maine was a small town with a population of 12,000 and a marketplace of 40,000 people. This honor is clearly the story of a small town boy making it big in his chosen industry.
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Five Keys To Successful Gym Ownership
By: Jim Thomas
Jim ThomasIt's been a busy Summer so far. We have had the opportunity to visit numerous clubs and help them get their business back on track. While each gym is very different, the issues are always strikingly familiar. The following will include things we are seeing with clubs that are not reaching their full potential and how to find the solution.
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Leverage Q3 For A Strong Q4
By: Deneen Laprade
Deneen LapradeThe third quarter, when used wisely, can be a powerful setup for fourth quarter successes. Take advantage of the summer season and its unique set of characteristics, such as low and/or inconsistent member usage, to leverage your brand to achieve Top of Mind status with prospects. It's a matter of using this time to increase brand awareness that generate leads in the fall. Additional aspects of your business to address are planning and strategizing.
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Develop A Cultural Shift in Employee Wellness
By: Robin Schuette
Robin SchuetteGiven that there are more than 8,000 vendors serving the corporate wellness market, how do you begin to differentiate your services? In reading a recent article in Modern Healthcare (May 26 issue), I was interested to learn that, of the 8,000, four companies account for less than 15% of market share. This leaves plenty of opportunity for other wellness providers, including your business to partner with small, medium-sized local organizations. However, the article didn't even mention companies like Virgin Pulse, which has 200 international clients with 1 million participants, so product differentiation is key.
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The Anatomy of a Bad Hire
By: Dennie Noecker
Dennie NoeckerI frequently hear the following story: "I don't understand what went wrong. I was looking for a General Manager (this could be any position in your organization) for months. I finally found a GM with the background, skills and experience I was looking for. Yet, it has been six months, and most of the things I was looking for them to do have not been done." Does this sound familiar to you? If so, I can assure you that you are not alone. As an executive recruiter who has filled high-level positions in our industry from coast to coast, I have heard this story many times. I'd like to share some ideas with you, that if you are willing to try, will dramatically reduce your hiring mistakes.
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Obesity Crisis Accelerates
By: Will Phillips
Will PhillipsThere is no need to document the growth in the obesity crisis and its impact on childhood obesity, diabetes, liver failure and so forth. This is reported weekly in newspapers and news magazines around the world. More than 12.5 million children in the United States are classified as obese. Obesity contributes to 1 in 10 deaths, making it the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Currently, the direct and indirect costs of obesity are more than $190 billion annually. Childhood obesity has resulted in 47% higher medical costs compared to medical expenses for children with a healthy weight. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
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You Lost Me at Hello...
Why We Fail At New Member Integration and What We Can Do About It
By: Ron Alterio
Ron AlterioIf you are like most clubs in today's hypercompetitive markets, you know the importance of getting more of your members involved in programming or training. You also know that the most efficient and cost effective method of accomplishing this objective is to tap into the influx of new members coming in through your front doors each month. You have already invested the marketing dollars, they showed up for a tour and you have created enough value in your entry-level product (the membership) to get them to join. Now, it's simply a matter of booking that first appointment, having them show up and driving more PT revenue right? WRONG!!!
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Spotting, Sparking and Capitalizing On Fitness Trends
By: Nancy Trent
Nancy TrentWhile big corporations have big marketing budgets, innovative, smaller companies often have news. Media rely on cutting-edge companies to find out what the trends are in the industry. While having a brand and remaining consistent with it is of paramount importance for a fitness center, it's important to either be starting trends or capitalizing on them.
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Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Determining Cost-Per-Head Benchmarks for Group Fitness Classes
By: Laurie Cingle
Laurie CingleDetermining 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).
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Gordon Johnson Inducted Into the Gold's Gym Hall of Fame
IRVING, TX - Gordon currently serves as Director Emeritus of the Gold's Gym Franchise Association (GGFA) and leads the Gold's Gym Advertising Advisory Council (GGAAC), serving as its Chairman. In addition, he has served on the GGFA Executive Board and on the National Franchise Council.
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REX Adds Senior Chair With Extensive Sales and Marketing Experience
QUINCY, MA - REX Roundtables for Club Executives, which serves 150 of the world's premier health clubs in its Roundtables has added a new chair, Mary Laudati.
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Health Benefits of Exercise Report
Surgeon General Says Physical Inactivity The "Major Public Health Issue" in the United States
WASHINGTON D.C. - Health clubs in the United States and overseas have been working to improve the health of their communities for years. Many health clubs offer a variety of health services to meet their members' needs, including weight loss programs, nutrition education, programs to address chronic disease, and youth activity promotion. Recently, Acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak put an exclamation point on the importance of physical activity promotion at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual meeting in Orlando.
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Norm's Notes for July 2014
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in!
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