Sell More Gym Memberships With Groupon

If you're a circuit training health club owner, then chances are you're interested in how to sell more gym memberships. You're probably tired of trying to sell gym memberships the old-fashioned way, with newspaper ads and radio commercials. These methods cost thousands of dollars for limited results. Most likely, you've also tried some things that didn't work at all.

Well, you're about to be BLOWN AWAY by the new marketing tool that the www.cuecd.com team has discovered! It's called Groupon, and if you want to sell more gym memberships then you NEED to get started with Groupon TODAY.

Here's how it works. Groupon sends out an exclusive offer each day via email. These offers are targeted locally. Groupon members then decide whether or not they want to buy the coupon each day. Since a minimum number of people must buy for the offer to be valid, Groupon guarantees paying customers. These subscribers are not looking for “the perfect deal.” They’re looking for the perfect excuse to try something new. Groupon gets them to your business, and you bring them back again and again.

There are no out of pocket costs associated with being featured on Groupon. Instead, Groupon makes money by taking a piece of each Groupon sold. In other words, they only win if you win – and you know what you’re getting at every step of the process.

Gym owners, did you catch that? Not only does Groupon bring you in more customers, but when the promotion is over they send you a check for 1/2 the money raised through coupon sales! You pay ZERO up front! You get new customers AND you get paid! Signing up with Groupon is the biggest no-brainer in the history of the health club industry!

To become a Groupon member, just click here now. It's completely FREE, and you'll learn first-hand how effective and addicting Groupon is to the typical consumer.

The eager, young Groupon audience looks to Groupon as a city guide, pointing them to all of the great stuff they may have never tried, or maybe never heard about, right in their backyard. Customers find about about great new businesses, and businesses get more new customers than with any other form of advertising.

A Groupon feature puts you in front of thousands of subscribers in each Groupon city – with thousands more opting in each day. Groupon subscribers share your offer with everyone they know via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. This buzz will continue to attract new customers for months following your feature.

Circuit training health clubs who want to sell more gym memberships should consider these statistics from other businesses who have used Groupon:
1) 95% were satisfied with their Groupon experience.
2) 95% would use Groupon again.
3) 96% recommend Groupon to other businesses.

According to a recent business survey, 92% of businesses said that Groupon brought in quality customers and 89% said those customers were likely repeat customers.

So do people use Groupon? According to a recent subscriber survey, 66% of Groupon subscribers read the coupon email every day. Groupon members are also habitual users of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media tools so they'll tell other people about your health club too!

The best way to get started is to join Groupon yourself as a subscriber to their daily email. It's completely FREE, and you're under no obligation to buy anything, ever. Click here to get started. Once you have a feel for their program, then you can apply to get approved as a Groupon business. Be advised that Groupon is so successful that, in many cities, there is literally a waiting list to be a featured business! Not all applying businesses are accepted, either. Groupon is so white-hot right now that they can afford to be choosy!

That's the bottom line. You will sell more gym memberships with Groupon than you ever thought possible, so why not get started today before your competitor reads this article?

Still not convinced? Then read this real testimonial.....

The Globe and Mail

Published on August 20, 2010 by Amber MacArthur

Jen Best admits she isn't the most technical person in the world, but when her website designer suggested in June that she check out a new service called Groupon she was curious. After spending thousands of dollars on traditional advertising, without much success, she was keen to promote her tea shop to a brand new community. The 34-year-old entrepreneur sifted through the group buying site for a few days, and like many of the site's members, she got hooked. Best contacted Groupon and then went through the process of applying to get Steeped and Infused as one of the site's daily deals, which she says involved a lengthy selection process to determine if her brand was a good fit for the service's 130,000 Toronto subscribers.

On Tuesday, Groupon featured Best's shop, offering a $20 gift coupon (or “Groupon”) for just $8. Best admits she thought they might reach a couple hundred orders, but by 8 a.m. on Deal Day, 350 buyers had already signed up. By midnight, when the promo ended, consumers had bought 950 certificates.

“It's the most effective marketing dollars I've spent yet,“ Best says. As for the revenue split, Groupon takes 50 per cent of the money paid for the coupon and sends Steeped and Infused a cheque (Best didn't have to pay any money upfront).

Groupon is an amazing success. The site launched in 2008 and although the company is based in Chicago, they now serve more than 13 million subscribers in 29 countries. The company is your classic overnight success story, and is bound to explode into the public consciousness thanks to a recent Forbes magazine article that calls it one of the fastest growing computer companies ever. (An interesting aside -- still in its early days Groupon’s twitter profile only has a little more than 7,000 followers. Check back in a week to see how that’s changed).

Just today, the site's founder and CEO Andrew Mason is speaking in Vancouver about a Gap deal they featured on Thursday (a $25 coupon worth $50 credit in any North American Gap store), which was Groupon's first national promotion. According to some reports, Groupon sold more than 445,000 vouchers, leaving them with a hefty profit.

Today is Best's first anniversary at her Leslieville store (there is another Steeped and Infused in downtown Toronto, which is licensed to another owner). As she explains, it's not easy for small businesses fighting for pedestrian traffic in an up-and-coming neighbourhood, so the Groupon deal was like marketing magic. The tea promotion was such a success, Groupon has invited the shop to be a platinum member, which means they can do a featured promo twice more within the next year (this is a big deal since Best explains there is a two-month wait for Toronto businesses to get on the list as one of Groupon's daily deals).

“I would encourage any small business owner to use Groupon,” Best explains. “You get to gauge how your marketing dollars are spent and they can create exposure for your business that you can't create on your own.”

How To Sell More Gym Memberships

As a circuit training health club owner, you're always interested in selling more gym memberships. After all, that's how you get paid!

No doubt you've tried many different things over the years, from radio advertising to the classic "meet and greet" Chamber of Commerce functions. Perhaps you've even tried some of the ideas posted on our very own www.cuecd.com site.

But have you overlooked the most basic way to sell more gym memberships?

Have you forgotten that, as a gym owner, you need to be an absolute expert on health and fitness news?

When your gym members know that you're an expert on weight loss and other health issues, they will recommend you to their friends. People in the community will start saying things like "Oh, you should talk to Joe. He's my trainer at ABC Gym, and he knows all about this stuff".

That person comes into the gym and talks to you. Now you have two people telling their friends that you're a fitness expert. Those two people tell two more people, who tell two more people, who tell.....well, you do the math.

So how do you become an expert on health and fitness issues?

It's simple, really. All you have to do is read newspapers, magazines, and internet articles. Watch the news. Check out Google Health news, and do it every single day. Browse the internet for weight loss articles from reputable sources, and soon you'll know all about the latest health information. For example, do you know about the recent study that shows how just IMAGINING eating a fattening food can make you eat less of that food? You should.

If you're a lawyer, you continue to read publications and stay on top of recent court rulings. If you're a realtor, you know current market conditions and the sale prices of local homes. If you're a gym owner, then you need to know about health and fitness news.

For a listing of eight FREE publications for health club owners, click here. There's a wealth of information in these magazines.

For a great article on weight loss that's specific to this time of year, click here.

If your gym members are asking you how to choose a diet plan to lose weight fast, then search the internet for how to choose a diet plan to lose weight fast.

In short, do some homework. Do some research. Become a health and fitness expert. Soon you'll have a reputation, and that's how you sell more gym memberships.

How To Motivate People To Lose Weight

As a gym owner, perhaps the biggest struggle you face on an ongoing basis is how to motivate people to lose weight. After all, most folks are not going to remain happy (and paying) health club members unless they're seeing some weight loss results.....and they're not going to see any weight loss results unless they're consistently exercising.

Thanks to a recent study conducted by Stanford University, you can learn how to motivate people to lose weight today!

As reported by the Wall Street Journal on May 18 in an article titled "The Power Of A Gentle Nudge", Stanford researchers proved that even a little bit of social support can yield huge motivational results.

In a nutshell, what the researchers in the Stanford study did was call participants every 3 weeks for a year. During this call they asked how much the participant was exercising, and encouraged them to exercise more.

Simple, isn't it?

At the end of the year, researchers found that the people receiving the encouraging phone calls were exercising 78% more than they were 12 months earlier. Did you catch that? Participants who received a phone call every 3 weeks were exercising 78% more!

One of the study participants, Ms. Lowe, summarized the study results quite nicely by saying "When you know you were going to have to report back on what you had done, it motivated you" (source: Wall Street Journal, 5-18-2010).

So how can you, as a gym owner, motivate people to lose weight with this same technique?

It's quite simple, and it will cost you NOTHING.

Here's the answer: Call your gym members. Call them every 3 weeks. Ask them how they're doing. Ask them how much they're exercising inside the health club, and also at home. Encourage them to exercise more. Don't pass judgment, don't be critical, and don't patronize them. Just get their report of how much they're exercising, and then encourage them to do more.

If your fitness center members follow the same trend as the participants in the Stanford study, the result is that they will exercise 78% more. That will, in turn, make them more successful in their weight loss efforts and more likely to continue as a gym member. Oh, by the way, they'll also be more likely to refer your health club to their friends and neighbors.

So, if you want to know how to motivate people to lose weight today, the answer is with a few phone calls. It costs you nothing. There is no downside other than your time investment, and the PROVEN results are huge (78% is HUGE)!

How Normal Weight Obesity Sells Gym Memberships

If you're reading this blog, then you're probably a health club owner and you probably know all about normal weight obesity. Just in case you need a refresher, though, normal weight obesity is a term used to describe how people can be a "normal" weight and still be obese. In other words, the number on the scale can tell you that you're healthy, and you can look thin, but you can still have a higher-than-healthy percentage of body fat.

"People don't have to be overweight to have excess body fat. Instead, these people have a higher ratio of fat to muscle tissue than do people with low body fat. Indeed, even people of the same weight, or those with comperable body body mass index, which factors together weight and height, can have different bodyfat percentages" (source: The Wall Street Journal 1-26-10).

For more information on normal weight obesity, click here to read a great article titled 'Skinny Fat People'.

All of that being said, did you know that this phenomenon of normal weight obesity can help you sell gym memberships? The potential market is huge, too. Cardiologist Francisco Lopez-Jiminez of the Mayo Clinic estimates that ".....as many as 30 million Americans may fall into the normal weight obesity category, many of them unaware they may by at increased heart risk" (source: The Wall Street Journal 1-26-10).

Think about it. That's 30 MILLION PEOPLE who NEED to exercise and don't know it.

If that doesn't make a gym owner excited, I don't know what will!

So how do you help people realize that they may suffer from normal weight obesity, and then how do you turn that knowledge into action?

Perhaps the best approach is to invite anyone and everyone into the health club for a FREE body fat assessment. A body fat analysis will show your percentage of body fat, and therefore show if you're a 'skinny fat' person. The average person on the street pays attention to their weight only, which does nothing to indicate their body fat content. By offering them a free body fat analysis, you're opening up a dialogue where you can educate them on normal weight obesity.

If you don't yet have a body fat analyzer, you should get one now. They're surprisingly affordable, and no gym should be without one. Here are a few reputable dealers:

Body Fat Analyzer

Omron Body Fat Analyzer

VitaMinder Fit & Healthy Body Fat Analyzer, 1-Unit

By inviting the public in for a free body fat analysis, you'll be helping them realize a hidden danger in their own body. Since high body fat has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and a host of other health issues, the free test you're offering may even help some folks live longer!

Of course, once you've administered the body fat test and explained the results, you should also invite each person to become a member of your health club. You may want to offer a special promotional price, or give them a 7-day free trial membership just for coming in to take the body fat analysis.

However you decide to approach this issue of normal weight obesity, it is a topic that simply cannot be ignored by any health club owner. Too many people (30 million!) need your help understanding and dealing with normal weight obesity.

Should you decide to take our advice and start a 'Free Body Fat Analysis' promotion, don't forget to notify the media via a press release! Once you have the facts about normal weight obesity, the local newspaper may even interview you for a story. With a little luck, you could even get a local television personality to come down for a free body fat analysis! As always, in everything you do, you've got to be looking for ways to get some free publicity for your gym.

Now go out there and do what gym owners do best: educate, help people, and grow the business!

January Health Club Statistics

Wow! It's hard to believe that January is half over! Hopefully, as a gym owner you've been having a very profitable and successful month! After all.....
1) In January there is a 99% jump in web visits to Weight Watchers.
2) A whopping 12% of gym memberships are sold in January (the most of any month).
3) It's estimated that 50% of Americans make a New Year's resolution.
(source: Entrepreneur magazine, December 2009 edition, page 120)

If January hasn't been all you hoped it would be, then perhaps you didn't read our original article titled How To Sell Gym Memberships In January. Missed it? Wishing you hadn't?

Then you really should read another original article created by the www.cuecd.com team titled How To Sell Gym Memberships in February.

It's just another one of the more than fifty (yes, 50!) original articles from www.cuecd.com that are written to help gym owners earn more dough.

Hey, that's why we're here: to help you be successful. So take a few minutes to browse through the www.cuecd.com site and also through our blog. You'll be glad you did.

You Should Read The Wall Street Journal This Morning

As a health club owner, you should immediately go get the 1-5-10 edition of the Wall Street Journal. Why? Because the 'Personal Journal' section is all the advertising power you're going to need in 2010!

In this paper the Wall Street Journal has done some amazing research that gym owners can use to market their products. In an article titled "The Hidden Benefits of Exercise" the Journal explains the many benefits of consistent exercise. You can use these benefits to SELL MORE HEALTH CLUB MEMBERSHIPS because any benefit of exercise is also a benefit of your gym.

Think about it. As a fitness center owner, you are selling exercise. Therefore, any and all benefits of exercise are also benefits for you.

This Wall Street Journal article tells us that exercise:
1) Lowers the risk of stroke by about 27%
2) Reduces the incidence of diabetes by approximately 50%
3) Reduces the incidence of high blood pressure by about 40%
4) Can reduce.....the risk of breast cancer by approximately 50%
5) Can lower the risk of colon cancer by over 60%
6) Can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by approximately 40%
7) Can decrease depression as effectively as Prozac

Okay, you already know all this because you own a gym. But how do you use this information to sell more health club memberships?

It's simple, really.

What you do is create advertising "blurbs" using these facts. For example, you could say "Lower your risk of stroke by 27% in 2010! Ask us how!" Another great advertising line would be "Reduce the risk of breast cancer by approximately 50% this year by exercising regularly at ABC Gym!"

In other words, what you need to do is TAKE THESE PROVEN BENEFITS OF EXERCISE AND TURN THEM INTO BENEFITS PEOPLE RECEIVE WHEN THEY JOIN YOUR GYM.

Another great way to accomplish this is to write articles on the subject and use them in advertising. You can mail out these articles as a direct-mail advertisement, you can email them to your health club members, or you may even be able to get the local newspaper to print your articles for free in their Health section!

For some great examples of 'benefit' articles, check out these links:

Live Longer and Healthier by Exercising (Part 1)

Live Longer and Healthier by Exercising (Part 2)

Why Do We Exercise?

Tips to Boost Your Life Expectancy

Can Exercise Help Prevent Cancer?

Can Exercise Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease?

It's actually quite easy to write an article detailing the many benefits of exercise, and it's even easier to show how becoming a member of your gym will help somebody achieve those benefits.

THOSE ARE SOME POWERFUL ADVERTISING TECHNIQUES!

The bottom line is that you can use benefits-based health club marketing to being you new gym members in 2010. And that's why you should read the Wall Street Journal this morning.