fitSpot Guru

What We Cover In This Episode:

• What an unpaid lead is and why Cherise is such a fan of coaching studio owners to utilize them [2:27]
• How to approach using referrals in order to maximize results [3:53]
• Tips for generating leads through community partnerships and cross-marketing [5:40]
• Ways to implement a strategy that includes brand ambassadors [6:31]
• What Cherise feels is the most impactful organic lead generation in the industry right now [9:08]
• Why unpaid leads are really so effective in this industry [11:09]

Quotes:

"I like coaching studio owners on the importance of unpaid lead generation because there are so many options. It's great because if you don't have a big marketing budget for paid ads, there's a lot of opportunities to get leads in without a budget." [Cherise, 2:46]

"When we're talking about referrals, I'm going to say this now and I'll say it again. Your clients are your biggest advocates and your best marketing tool, and I will fight someone about this!" [Cherise, 4:30]

"Marketing is what you tell people your business is about, and branding is what they tell you your business is about. You better think about it, and you better be doing your thing, because they're going to be talking about you without you there. You better hope they have the best things to say." [Nick, 5:19]

"Everyone always feels a little bit warmer to organic interactions than they do when they see 'sponsored 'on the posts on Instagram. It feels a little bit more warm and fuzzy when it's like it was meant for me." [Megan, 8:53]

"You will not be able to run your own ads. It is a full-time job that people specialize in, and these platforms are getting intentionally more and more complicated to run ads through. You will be paying someone anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 a month to manage your ads, and that's before you do your [ad] budget." [Nick,12:23]

LINKS:

Register Now for The Studio Intelligence Summit!

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• A look at posting announcements with and without a push notification [4:07]
• Identifying content buckets to be shared within the app [5:58]
• Using incentivizing announcements to engage clients [7:46]
• Planning tools and tips for using video and YouTube on your announcements [8:43]
• Tips for celebrating milestones and clients via the announcement board [10:20]
• How Spin Unlimited celebrates their clients both in the studio and with the app [13:02]
• Ways to use friend feature promotions within fitDEGREE [15:05]
• What to do to start getting new clients to use and enjoy the app [16:51]

Quotes:

"The push notification is a very helpful feature when people post once a week, but you could post every single day and only do one or two push notifications a week for the important things, because you said you didn't want to annoy them." [Nick, 5:30]

"As a small way to train [your clients], I love incentivizing your announcements once in a blue moon, [such] as first person to comment [with] their favorite color gets a Starbucks gift card on us." [Megan, 8:11]

"[We want] to just celebrate milestones for our clients and recognizing them better. Everyone loves being celebrated, whether they admit it or not." [Taylor, 10:34]

"Our slogan for what we like to see in the studio is, 'we are not a gym, we are a community', and that is really what it has become, just cheering each other on, and it's been a lot of fun." [Taylor, 14:38]

LINKS:

https://www.instagram.com/spin_unlimited/

https://www.instagram.com/taybryner/

https://www.canva.com/

https://later.com/

https://mailchimp.com/

https://www.loopspark.com/

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• What an announcement is, and how to use it inside of fitDEGREE [0:56]
• How this feature in fitDEGREE differs from other social media announcements or posts [1:23]
• Why we feel that the announcement feature is unique [3:14]
• How announcements can aid in retention of members [4:20]
• Some of the best ways we've seen the announcement board being used specifically for retention efforts [9:27]

Quotes:

"Now we have the ability for the studio to post an announcement, your clients to like and comment, and then for you to also like and comment from the admin as the admin. Just getting that social engagement on the platform, to me, is pretty unique." [Nick, 3:41]

"I think if people are staying on the app longer, they're more likely to buy more services. If they just see their class schedule at the top, they're just going to register for their next class." [Nick, 4:33]

"It is going to increase your engagement, and in turn, build your community and really get things going. You want your business to be the hottest club, the hottest fitness studio in the area, and the way you do that is by giving it an exclusive vibe." [Megan, 5:48]

"Don't just be promoting an event. Build rapport throughout the month, so that when they are already on the announcement board and they see an event, of course they want to go to it." [Nick, 7:42]

"It is a great communication channel, and it feels like an exclusive communication channel, which is why we think you should be leveraging it." [Nick, 9:17]

LINKS:

https://www.canva.com

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• The difference between proactive sales and regular sales efforts [1:51]
• What are the biggest pain points of clients in our industry [4:14]
• Why Cherise wants you to look at relationship building with long-term members instead of just conversion rates [5:53]
• How to identify areas of opportunity when tightening up your sales process [7:46]
• Common proactive sales tips from our expert Cherise [9:29]

Quotes:

"Proactive sales is when we are intentional about who we are selling to and how we sell. Proactive sales is really a strategic approach to identifying why someone should purchase your services by asking them specific questions and presenting them with a solution to their problem." [Cherise, 1:58]

"You've got to be proactive and be intentional with your sales approach if you really want to convert and grow your member base." [Cherise. 3:03]

"With all the things that have happened in the last few years, I think some consumers are a little unsure of what they actually want or need. You are the expert, so you've got to tell them, but it takes time and relationship building to do that." [Cherise [4:01]

"Don't get me wrong; people like to try different things, and that's ok, but our industry retention is so important because we don't have the capacity of big box gyms." [Cherise, 6:54]

"Identify what problems your services are going to solve, and then get out into the community and spend time finding out where your ideal clients are. You've got to show up there consistently, and be sure to test and track."[Cherise, 8:20]

LINKS:

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• How to edit and change time and location of a class [7:41]
• A look at creating a class through the On-The-Go-App [10:15]
• Why the simplicity of fitDEGREE was a game changer for Taj compared to the other platforms that exist [14:14]
• Some of the ways that Taj utilizes the features in fitDEGREE [18:24]
• Using the announcement board as a website widget [20:05]
• How her community built the business she has today [24:00]
• What's next for Taj [27:22]

Quotes:

"As I started to resurface in this new virtual experience and tried to figure out what platform I was going to use, I appreciated the simplicity of fitDEGREE in my initial introduction of it." [Taj,14:40]

"I really appreciate you guys taking a personal connection, doing the stuff that you did on Facebook and now the fitSpot [Guru], and really wanting to see how you can help all of us." [Taj, 15:47]

"Sometimes it's a little stuff that adds up, and then all of a sudden after these new features get implemented and you have hours back in your week." [Nick, 18:08]

"The business fell into my lap, and my community built my business." [Taj, 23:47]

LINKS:

https://www.tajharris.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tajharris/

https://www.facebook.com/GetFitWithTaj

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Defining a "one on one" within fitDEGREE [1:50]
• How the feature of one on ones within fitDEGREE evolved over time [2:19]
• What type of payment methods can be used with one on ones [3:50]
• The kinds of businesses that should be leveraging these services [5:21]
• Who should be avoiding one to one services [7:16]
• Best practices for client feedback [8:04]
• Nick's favorite idea when using one on ones [9:14]
• Why studios use one on ones as a workaround [10:40]

Quotes:

"I think people would be surprised how many questions and concerns they can clear up in a 30-minute consultation or a private session. I would like to see [the] initial consultation, intro offer that includes classes and a couple one on ones, and then find the right membership for them at the end of that intro offer." [Nick, 6:59]

"Any modality can use [one on ones] as long as they can create value, [but] if you can't create value, I don't have availability just hide it and don't show it at all. Just be a class-based studio; there's absolutely nothing wrong with that." [Nick, 7:39]

"Why can't you look at a group class client that is struggling with a particular movement, no matter what modality, and ask them if they would like to do kind of continuous education private session where they can work on that one thing with you?" [Nick, 9:58]

LINKS:

Episode 54: All About Events

Episode 51: All About Series

Episode 48: All About Classes

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• The main reason for always having a membership contract in place in your studio [1:48]
• What are the two main categories of topics it should cover [2:37]
• A common issue that arises around autopays, and how this can be avoided using a membership contract [3:13]
• Why you need to consider studio policy when creating your membership contract [4:19]
• The benefits of reviewing the membership contract in person with the client first before they sign [6:13]
• When a client should be signing a membership contract [6:41]
• Cherise's thoughts on the need to have current clients resign membership contracts [7:47]

Quotes:

"The contract is there to ensure your clients agree to your policies and so you can hold them accountable to your terms. This covers a wide range of things that we're going to talk about, but short and sweet, you've got to have it." [Cherise, 2:11]

"I can tell you a million stories about all of these specific aspects of a contract that we want to be sure is very clear and very thorough, so there's no confusion." [Cherise, 3:12]

"I think we can all agree that sometimes when we see a very lengthy contract we may rush through it. So you want to bullet point the really important terms and not have them hidden in a four-page document, if that makes sense." [Cherise, 3:58]

"This whole membership contract in general, for every member, if you don't sit down with them or have them read it on their own, you're basically just setting the type of culture you want to have at your studio. If someone doesn't agree, it's best to figure that out before they sign the membership [contract] and start coming." [Nick, 5:57]

LINKS:

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Whether there is a pre-dated membership option within fitDEGREE [3:29]
• Utilizing memos within fitDEGREE as a quick CRM for staff [8:35]
• How to book personal training slots for a group of days [11:29]
• Strategies for using fitDEGREE on social media [13:27]
• Tips for using photos and videos in the announcement board [15:50]
• What features fitDEGREE has that will allow you to help make your clients more accountable [18:12]

Quotes:

"Videos for intro offers, I love them, [but] only if they are done right. I think a space tour, as well as showing what happens in your sessions, is the best that I have seen it done." [Megan, 17:27]

"We are not really in the fitness business; we are in the accountability business. We've got to keep our clients accountable. What can I do, using fitDEGREE, to make my clients more accountable?" [Butch, 18:24]

"I have found that when I check in with clients, the clients that love the friend feature had to educate their clients on the friend feature." [Nick, 22:09]

"The biggest reason that I feel that most clients stop training is because nobody cares. Nobody asks them how they're doing, and nobody helps them achieve any results. We're results-oriented, and we want people to get as many results as we can." [Butch, 23:43]

LINKS:

https://mramericaspersonaltraining.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mr._americas_training_camp_/

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Defining an event in fitDEGREE [3:59]
• What the main difference is between an event and a one-time class [4:49]
• Which type of businesses should be leveraging events within fitDEGREE? [7:04]
• Scenarios where events could or should be avoided [9:50]
• Nick talks about some best practices to utilize when setting up events [12:39]
• Some final ideas and suggestions for using events [14:09]

Quotes:

"[Events] feel pretty similar to series. I would make the registration window close early so you are prepared for how many people will be there specially, and if you need props or if you need perks like apparel. So, I think [you should] close the registration accordingly with whatever planning you need to do, and make sure you add a damn picture!" [Nick, 12:49]

"I really like the idea of bringing community together. I don't mind the idea of trying out a new modality, but for some reason I like [events] more as not necessarily a lead generator, but just a way to get familiar together that maybe haven't seen each other because their class schedule doesn't line up anymore." [Nick, 14:59]

"I think events are a really great opportunity for trying new things, gauging interest on other things, and also I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, highlighting your community partnerships." [Megan, 15:19]

"Leveraging those events to bring something new, something fresh and something different outside of your regularly scheduled classes, it's just really going to be great for your business." [Megan, 15:46]

LINKS:

Episode 51: All About Series

https://www.facebook.com/spokanebarre/

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Cherise talks about approaching new clients as a relationship to nurture and develop [1:20]
• A look at the different stages of the client sales journey [3:50]
• Defining a "new client" and through what part of the process they remain as new clients [6:12]
• What types of new client communication are best received today and why [7:13]
• Tips and strategies for automation with the new client communication process [11:43]

Quotes:

"New client communication and specific points of contact are going to vary. If you don't have front desk staff versus you have a full front desk staff of two people every day, you're going to be able to have a different type of communication." [Cherise, 4:12]

"On that first day, are we rolling out the red carpet? Are we really engaging them and figuring out how we can set them up for success? There are such little pieces to this journey that I think people have forgotten, that really really impact your opportunity to convert new clients." [Cherise, 5:11]

"It is a big puzzle, and all the pieces have to be there in order for the client to actually commit and become a long-term member." [Cherise, 6:02]

"You've got to find what works for your business, but there is definitely a puzzle that has to be created within this whole process." [Cherise, 11:24]

LINKS:

https://mailchimp.com/

https://www.skipio.com/

https://zapier.com/

https://loopspark.com/

fitDEGREE's Business Portal

https://calendly.com/fitdegree/support

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree/

​​https://www.instagram.com/fitspot_guru/

https://www.instagram.com/fitdegree_nick/

https://www.instagram.com/megan_fitdegree/

https://www.instagram.com/whycoachingandconsulting/

https://www.fitdegree.com/blog

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChJ5rK6zWPXjbxtUQx3ys9Q