Welcome New Subscribers

After presenting at IHRSA this year we have lots of new subscribers to our E-news.  I hope you enjoy reading it every month and you can easily opt out of receiving the E-news by clicking on unsubscribe.  

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Guerrilla Marketing Tip #10

This month Jay Conrad’s Levinson’s comments are so appropriate when talking about a secret weapon of Guerrilla Marketing: relationships.  

This weapon encourages you to stop thinking in terms of making sales and start thinking in terms of making relationships.  

The big guys have too fast a turnover to establish the warm and real relationships that you can. Your size makes you easier to love, but your caring attitude makes it even easier.  

Relationships means you greet customers by name, know things about them, have a fix on their tastes, and possibly even like them. It's not easy, but it could far easier for you.  

Do absolutely everything you can to cultivate relationships instead of merely making sales, and you'll soon see that you have a major competitive advantage over any superstore.

Marketing is about being Patient!

This month I challenge you to self reflect!  That’s right put a mirror up to your marketing and see how clearly you understand what your prospects are thinking each time they look at your advertisement.  

The owner of a health club takes a leap of faith and contracts to run a weekly ad in the local newspaper once a week for a full year. After five weeks, the results displease him so much that he cancels his contract.  Is this you?  

Five ads in five weeks seems like a lot of frequency in marketing. But they don't even come close to create enough desire to motivate a sale.  

To really understand the frequency to spark a sale, you've got to know just what your prospects think from each exposure. According to Thomas Smith of London in l885 he believed the following is what each one thinks as he or she looks at the ad you've run:

1. The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does not see it.
2. The second time, he does not notice it.
3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence.
4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.
5. The fifth time, he reads it.
6. The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.
7. The seventh time, he reads it through and says, "Oh brother!"
8. The eighth time, he says, "Here's that confounded thing again!"
9. The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.
10. The tenth time, he asks his neighbor if he has tried it.
11. The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it pay.
12. The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.
13. The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth something.
14. The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing a long time.
15. The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.
16. The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it some day.
17. The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.
18. The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.
19. The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.
20. The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is offering.  

Here we are in 2007, some 122 years later and what has changed?  Nothing!  

For your marketing to be successful here are a few of tips:

• Stick to your plan – if you have one and if you don’t, we need to talk!
•  Remain patient
• Remain consistent – you will get bored way before the prospective clients do!

IHRSA Summary

This month I attended the IHRSA Conference in the US.  I presented at the very first session of the day and had over 200 people come along!  I got some great feedback and had many people stop in the tradeshow and say ‘thank you.’  

I did find the conference focused on lots of trends and philosophies.  Which while interesting did not provide lots of take home value.  The 2 high-lights were presentations conducted by Sugar Ray Leonard and Michael Eisner.  The latter shared the importance of micro-managing - a view I have been opposed to.  

However, in hindsight, I would challenge the ‘micro-managing’ description.  I would prefer ‘dotted his I’s and crossed his T’s’!  He shared some amazing stories on how Disney would strive for perfection – hiring their own translators to ensure the true message of TV shows were being passed on; to the writing on shampoo containers in Disney hotels being large enough to be able to read without your glasses; and many more!  

The Trade Show was as usual massive!  So many different types of everything!  And some weird stuff too!  

It was a great trip and I hope that I will be asked to present again in San Diego in 2008!

Round Table NSW Launches

We are very excited to announce that we will be launching NSW’s very own Round Table! This will be very similar to our national Round Tables but the major difference being the meeting times. RTNSW will meet bi-monthly and for half a day. As a member of RTNSW, you will still enjoy the benefits of being part of the Round Table program:

• On-line KPI’s tracked monthly
• Up to date industry information
• Quality business book reviews
• A forum where there are no competitors, to seek advice on your future
• Links to the world wide Round Table network

Your investment in your business future is just $195 per month. But there are only 12 places available on the RTNSW and no competitors! So first to apply will determine other members! This is a true competitive advantage!  

If you are interested in joining the RTNSW then drop Justin an email now!  

We also have Round Tables for club owners in South Australia, Western Australian, nationally and a national Personal Trainer’s Round Table.  

Coming soon . . . International Virtual Retention Round Table!  For less than the cost of a month’s dues, you will be able to share KPI’s, ask questions and learn new strategies to improve retention from Club Owners around the world!  If you are interested click here

Increasing Customer Spend Tip

While at IHRSA I met a club owner who sold for the last 2 years over $US30K in heart rate monitors!  After returning to serious exercise this year, if your members are serious about getting results they need a heart rate monitor.  

Establish a system in your club to try and sell more heart rate monitors.  You could always try the ‘oldy but a goody’ Puppy Dog Close!  Let them trial a heart rate monitor for a week’s worth of work outs.  They will see the value and then they will need one!

Product if the Month: FitnessAge

We started using FitnessAge about 3 months ago and now every new member receives their FitnessAge in the first 7 days of being a member of our Club.  So what is it . . .  

A series of simple fitness tests that uses a database to tell your clients what their Fitness Age is.  It is that simple!  And very emotionally powerful to have members focus on their attendance and working out because they understand ages!

Is it accurate?  Well I think it is accurate as any fitness assessment and it provides a nice ‘benchmark age’ for your members and client to improve upon.

To find out more click here

The Power of Outlook

I was recently surfing Amazon.com looking for books to help with time management.  I stumbled across: ‘Take Back Your Life’ by Sally McGee.   

I have read the book – twice – and after a speaking with another convert to the book have a better idea of how powerful Outlook can be for you in regard to your emails, calendar, tasks and so on!  

She really shares how to dump everything running through your head into this application.  And after using Outlook for over 5 years, to finally have no (that is none, zip, zero, nutta) items in my Inbox and my Deleted box empty is such a liberating experience.  

I highly recommend the book!  To purchase it click here

NEW Client Advantage Program

If you are struggling to find specific services or even obscure ones to help run your business better, we have started a great tool to help you.  We have a list of industry suppliers that we recommend as we know they will really look after you – especially when they know that we have referred you!  

Check out it out by clicking here

A Word From . . . Jim Rohn

“Success is nothing more than a few disciplines, practiced every day.”

Justin’s Travels

This month, I will be presenting at Filex!  This is the largest conference for the fitness industry in Asia-Pacific!  This year will be a cracker and you can’t really afford not to attend!  So book a spot and if you are not coming, put 18-20th April 2008 in your diary now!  

May is looking fairly free for me, so if you would like any in-house training, drop me a line and I could come and speak with your Team on marketing, retention and customer service!  Send me an email now!

WIN: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll

This month I have 5 copies of the ‘Rules of the Red Rubber Ball’ to give away to lucky E-news readers.  

This book is best summed up by Newsweek: “An adult’s version of Dr Seuss’s ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go!’ -  a pocket sized guide to finding your way in life.”   

To win is so easy, simply forward this email to a friend using the link below by the 30th April and you will go in the draw for the prize!  Forward it to your friends, your industry peers, your staff but not your competitors – we want to give you the competitive advantage.

Winners will be notified via email and the book posted to you at the beginning of May.  

The more people you forward this email to, the more chances you will have winning!