This Month in Club Insider: September 2019
Ruth Stricker
The ICON of The Marsh!
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesDuring the past 26 years of publishing Club Insider, I've had the good fortune of chronicling the careers and businesses of some of the best health and fitness club developers, owners and operators to ever be in this business. It's been my great pleasure to get to know these folks during our conversations and to bring you, our readers, into each relationship by producing in-depth cover stories such as this one, which is as special as any we've ever produced and published. Many of the folks whose clubs and careers we've chronicled in our in-depth Club Insider Case Studies Cover Stories are long-time leaders in our industry. They are the folks who have helped make our industry the booming business it is today. Their leadership has made a huge difference in our industry's growth and change over many decades. This list is impressive, and there are many truly great health and fitness club owners/operators in America on it. On that list is Ruth Stricker, and in my opinion, she is one of the very best, not just in America, but in the world! I say that for many reasons that you will discover as you read this illustrative and amazing second Club Insider Cover Story on Ruth Stricker and The Marsh. Read More...
Exercise IS Medicine!
By: Dave Johnson
Dave JohnsonThere are a few situations that people find themselves in where exercise may not be good medicine. However, those situations are few. At least, they are fewer than some think. At some level, with moderate dedication and clear guidance, most conditions that people face in their lifespan would be best served with a good and regular dose of exercise. And, the perks far outweigh the risks. Read More...
How Trainers Can Get Better With Referrals
By: Michael Gelfgot
Michael GelfgotAll studios and gyms know that referrals, word-of-mouth advertising, is the way to go. In fact, according to the Association of Fitness Studios (AFS), up to 70% of studio business comes from referrals. All studios and gyms also realize that, in order for there to be a referral, bottom line, clients MUST be moving in the right direction; they MUST be seeing results. And, in order for there to be results, any great coach knows that they must set goals with each client then review, interpret and put forth a new plan every eight weeks if the client is not on track. Read More...
Positive Power
By: Karen Woodard-Chavez
Karen Woodard-ChavezAs you read the title of this article, you might be doing a bit of eye rolling and thinking to yourself, "Oh no, here come some tired platitudes of 'fake it 'til you make it,' 'plaster on a veneer smile,' or even, my favorite, 'pooping rainbows.' That is not what this article is about. Instead, you will get some simple tools to polish up the positive in your organization. Read More...
The Sales Professional's Checklist
By: Casey Conrad
Casey ConradIf you are in fitness sales, you probably have had a friend or family member ask you, "When are you going to go get a 'real' job?" Thirty-three years ago, my father asked me the same question after I left the international business job that reflected my degree but I was miserable doing. For years, I would get the same question at family holidays. Although the health and fitness club industry was much less of a "profession" back then, the question and the insinuation that selling club memberships wasn't a "real" job really angered me. Ironically, I was putting in more hours as a fitness salesperson than I was as an International Trade Specialist! Read More...
Respondeat Superior and Vicarious Liability for Employee Conduct
By: Paul R. Bedard, Esquire
Paul R. Bedard, EsquireThere are many circumstances that may result in an employer being vicariously liable for its employee's conduct. Public policy dictates that, under certain circumstances, the party who suffers harm should be able to obtain redress from the enterprise that benefits from the employee or agent who inflicted the harm. Public policy aims to minimize the recurrence of the conduct at issue while also providing victims an increased ability to obtain compensation when attempting to be made whole from a legal standpoint. Read More...
FlexIt is Pushing the Envelope, One Push Notification at a Time
NEW YORK, N.Y. - FlexIt Inc. is an innovative club access and sampling platform. The FlexIt mobile app delivers qualified prospects to clubs at no cost by providing consumers with a discovery tool that enables them to scan in and out of clubs and pay only for the time they use the club. With over 700 clubs in its network, FlexIt features partners across the country, such as Mountainside Fitness, Gold's Gym, Youfit Health Clubs, Retro Fitness, and makes finding the right club easier than ever before. Read More...
Norm's Notes for September 2019
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with Club Insider Edition #309! Happy Football Season, Y'all! Read More...