In our fast-paced industry, the journey to success becomes easier and even more achievable when guided by those who have walked a similar path.
For gym and studio owners, the key to staying ahead in the fitness business game lies in joining a REX Roundtable, where the invaluable wisdom of “been there” perspectives becomes your compass.
A REX Roundtable introduces you to a community of like-minded peers, each with a unique set of experiences and solutions. These fellow gym owners have tackled challenges akin to your own challenges. This means they have a treasure trove of insights that can be the game-changer your business needs.
It’s not just about learning from success stories but navigating through obstacles with the guidance of those who have overcome them.
Your journey as an owner is not a solitary one within the REX Roundtable community. It’s a collective effort where shared experiences, strategies, and solutions propel everyone forward.
Now is the time to embrace the power of unity and collective knowledge, and enhance your fitness business by joining a REX Roundtable – where the wisdom of your peers becomes your greatest asset to profitability and success.
Exciting news for the Australian fitness industry!
As of January 2024, the Australian REX Roundtable for Personal Trainers is gearing up for a powerful relaunch and is currently accepting applications!
With an impressive 35-year legacy, REX Roundtables has been a stalwart in the global fitness industry. Currently having over 1000 gyms and studios as members, REX Roundtables helps owners feel less lonely and more in control of their business.
For over a decade, I have successfully run a PT REX Roundtable, primarily catering to New South Wales PTs. In 2024, we’re taking this to the national stage, making it an unmissable opportunity for fitness professionals across the country.
Who qualifies for the PT Rex Roundtable? Owners of PT businesses, encompassing a range of models:
Face-to-face enterprises (limited value for businesses entirely online)
Outdoor ventures
Indoor contractors in gyms
Studio-based setups
Membership-based small gyms
One-on-one and group training services
The ideal candidate for REX Roundtables is a business owner who is:
Eager to explore innovative ideas for business growth
Open to sharing both successes and failures for mutual learning
Committed to adopting long-term strategies over quick operational fixes
Distinguishable from other business mastermind programs, REX Roundtables boasts an impressive track record of 35 years. I personally chair 8 chair REX Roundtables – 4 in the US and 4 in Australia.
What sets us apart is that our agenda for each meeting is collaboratively designed by the members themselves, fostering peer-to-peer support and problem-solving tailored to enhance your unique business needs.
Our monthly 60-minute Zoom meetings provide a platform for a 40-minute member-led agenda, facilitating valuable knowledge exchange. Additionally, each session includes a 20-minute segment where I share the latest trends and industry insights.
Throughout the year, we delve into critical aspects of your business, analysing KPIs, sharing business plans, constructing marketing strategies, and challenging you to develop a wealth plan—deciding how to utilize the profits your business generates.
Running a genuine business can be both challenging and isolating. REX Roundtables ensures you become part of a non-competing collective of like-minded business owners, all striving for increased profit, reduced stress, and more quality time with loved ones.
Kirsty for an awesome catch up and I am as excited as you at your projects you are going to nail in 2020! I know this time next year, you’ll have a beaming smile of achievement.
John from Brimbank I take my hat off to you as you get organised months in advance! You’ll have everything running smoothly by April with this much prep. I’m looking forward to working with you.
Great to chat with you Ben from Avaana, Tom from Ladder, and Lisa from Red Hero. I’m super excited to work with you in the future and what we chewed the thin over will help your companies and Active Management.
Giveaway time
Last chance to win these cool Bose sunglasses! You just have to subscribe to the show notes for the Fitness Business Podcast.
Extra Early Bird tickets to the 2020 Fitness Industry Tech Summit are available for just 8 more days! The window is closing fast where you can purchase your ticket for the cheapest price ever: only 345 and the normal price will be 495. Save 150 bucks now!
Last week we had 56 gym owners, studio owners, managers and team members join our community! Yep 56 in a week!
Today I shared 10 photos of inside a San Diego fitness studio called: Workout Bar. Some very cool aspects of this facility with exceptional branding.
And later this week we have Group Think Tank! A real business question and your opportunity to share how you would solve the problem or learn from others on their solution.
Every week there are resources and assets to help you lead your business. There are no sales pitches. People just like you helping, sharing and growing so we can together lower the health care costs across the globe! Join the community here.
The AM Pitch
Book a 45min coaching call with me. I call it the Energiser Call and we tackle one or two topics. With some prep between us we can achieve loads in 45mins. Book your Energiser Call now by clicking here.
I have several different coaching programs and only a few spots left for me to work with you in 2020. I only work with 32 clients.
If you want to move your team, your members or your prospects from a comfortable status quo in work or life to a more challenging position – eg a non-exerciser to exerciser; a non-sales team member to having to sell – then they must trust you. Trust will give them confidence to make the move to that uncomfortable place.
And what’s the fastest way to erode that trust – not do what you promise! So the simple way to get the most from your team or build member retention or even close more sales is to do what you promise. Whatever you say you will do . . . actually do it!
Nick and Sean who came to their first Personal Trainers Roundtable meeting on Friday! You guys were super impressive with your openness, honesty and contribution thanks to your experiences. You will be great additions to this amazing group of personal training business owners.
If you’re interested in joining the NSW Personal Trainers Roundtable drop me a message – Click here to email me.
Giveaway time
You can still win these cool Bose sunglasses! You just have to subscribe to the show notes for the Fitness Business Podcast.
Monday 9th December we released the Extra Early Bird tickets to the 2020 Fitness Industry Tech Summit. There is a window of 14 days where you can purchase your ticket for the cheapest price ever!
If you attended last year, keep your eyes peeled on an email coming your way on Wednesday.
If you didn’t attend, pre-register now with no money down by going to https://fitnessindustrytechsummit.com.au and you’ll receive your Extra Early Bird exclusive invite.
Active Management Community
We added the incredible International Trends report thanks to Club Intel to our community. This is the result of asking 1000+ fitness business about their businesses and what members like, love and use! It’s an amazing report with superb data! You can download a free copy in the Active Management Community Facebook group.
Every week there are resources and assets to help you lead your business. There are no sales pitches. People just like you helping, sharing and growing so we can together lower the health care costs across the globe! Join the community here.
The AM Pitch
My January and February are filling fast with Team Training sessions! Themes of the training are running teams through the best business practices through the member journey. I share industry benchmarks so you can see how you compare with industry standards – ie find areas that you improve for your members. Click here to chat with me about training your Team.
The other training program proving popular is 29 strategies to consider in your business in 2020. This provides your team with an explanation of what’s important to launch or improve next year. Based on consumer needs and wants these strategies will positively impact your sales, retention and team morale. Click here to chat with me about training your Team.
Final Thought
If you think December and January are slow for sales, then they will be! We know these two months can be slower, so build your marketing plan around this with a lower barrier entry promotion. I have clients offering 14 days for $14 or 28 days for $28 as an entry point. They then have a conversion strategy into membership.
Gaye, Tristan and Kirsty who have all got started with a coaching program. In 2020, I have launched a new program with face to face and phone coaching sessions. These 3 have jumped into the new packages fast – I only just launched them! So thanks and I’m looking forward to working with you!
If you’re interested in face to face coaching, phone coaching or a mix of both – Click here to email me.
Giveaway time
This week we released on The Fitness Business Podcast an amazing ebook after an incredible interview with Mark Miller from Merritt Clubs in the US. Mark takes you through the steps to develop leaders in your business in an amazing Intensive Interview sponsored by ABC Financial! You can listen to Show 266 or download the ebook here!
On the show notes page you can grab the link to Mark’s ebook by clicking on ‘Access Mark’s ebook now.’ It’s free! It’s awesome! And it will have impact! Grab it now!
Thanks Mark for your insights and ABC Financial for sponsoring the incredible Intensive Series throughout 2019.
Bargain Hunters
Next week we will be releasing tickets to the 2020 Fitness Industry Tech Summit. There will be a window of 14 days where you can purchase your ticket for the cheapest price ever!
If you attended last year, keep your eyes peeled on an email coming your way!
You can join the NSW Personal Trainers Roundtable now! We have 6 vacancies to join and the next meeting is in Cronulla this Friday 6th December! Click here to email me and we’ll have a chat.
The Industry Leaders Roundtable is the longest running business coaching program in Australia . . . 6 vacancies for NSW PTs, so let’s chat. Click here to chat.
Active Management Community
Last week we had our Book Club. Community members shared books and podcasts they are listening to. We had several book recommendations.
Every week there are resources and assets to help you lead your business. There are no sales pitches. People just like you helping, sharing and growing so we can together lower the health care costs across the globe! Join the community here.
The AM Pitch
We are excited to announce that for Aussie gym owners we have a huge opportunity for mystery shopping for you! We have a new account manager, Lisa, who will work with you if you are based in Victoria. For the rest of the country, Stacey will be your account manager. A personalised approach to building your mystery shopper program which will allow you to truly evaluate your sales processes. Find out more here.
Final Thought
20% of your members or clients will pay 30-40% than what they are currently paying if you have a premium product. If you do not have a premium product then you are losing money! You can increase the yield from your members or clients by developing a premium product. Get to work and build your super dooper package!
A shout out . . . to Paul, Nick, Jacqui, Alicia, and Jarrod for my Theragun. I love it and I am learning more and more about to how to use it! I can also see exactly how gyms and studios can make money from offering this as a service in their facilities. After seeing members at Barrys Bootcamp last week using one, my mind has been racing and there is so much opportunity for fitness businesses to offer this as a new 2020 service! Check out https://www.theragun.com.
Let’s schedule an Energiser Call to discuss a strategy on using a Theragun in your business. No matter where in the world you are, Energiser calls can happen – click here to book your call.
Giveaway time . . . this month you can win these cool Bose sunglasses! You just have to subscribe to the show notes for the Fitness Business Podcast.
Opportunity to work with me . . . For Aussies watching you join the NSW Personal Trainers Roundtable now! We have 6 vacancies to join and the next meeting is in Cronulla on Friday 6th December! Click here to email me and we’ll have a chat.
Just so you are aware the Industry Leaders Roundtable uses peer to peer coaching, professional facilitation and there is no cookie cutter approach to the content – the meeting content is based on what is currently relevant in your business! It is the longest running business coaching program in Australia . . . 6 vacancies so let’s chat. Click here to chat.
Active Management Community . . . In the last week the community have discussed job descriptions, KPI’s and retention data. I have shared:
Photos from inside 4 gyms;
Three ideas that are under 50 bucks
And congratulated 2 of our community on amazing personal recognition for their efforts!
This International community is better than I could ever have imagined. We are striving to get more people moving and moving more often. There are no sales pitches. People just like you helping, sharing and growing so we can together lower the health care costs across the globe! Join the community here.
The AM Pitch . . . no matter where in the world you are, we can chat! Using Zoom, Skype or the old fashioned telephone we can chew the thin on your business! My Energiser Calls are 45mins where we tackle 1, 2 or 3 challenges you have or it’s an opportunity to bounce some ideas off an unbiased person! Book your call now by clicking here.
Final Thought . . . If you haven’t planned your January promotion, now is the time! Think what are the pain points for prospects in January and show them that you have the solution!
EMF are the premier fitness and performance training provider on the Gold Coast. Now with 7 great venues located across the City, offering state of the art equipment and services that are second to none.
We are currently looking for amazing personal trainers both new to the industry and seasoned professionals to join the team across all 7 clubs!
Last month, I attended a 3 day professional development program with REX Roundtables in the US where I learned that gym owners have their expectations exceeded in what is covered in a meeting. They are completely blown away by the culture, the relationships and the genuine care (maybe even love) members have for each other.
As Chairs of Roundtables, we shared what members say about their experiences at meetings. Some have been members for over 15 years, others a decade and some are in their first 12 months but all are unanimous in saying that you cannot explain a Roundtable experience in a brochure, website or even a video. Just have to commit and attend!
But what totally blew me away was how REX members in the US rallied around other REX members who were devastated by the floods in Houston. As a collective they raised over $40K not for the owners but for the staff who had lost possessions.
And that story reminded me of when I was a member of a Roundtable and when I fell ill, that a member of my Roundtable offered to come to my club and manage it until I was better.
The relationships that are made and developed on REX Roundtables and in the Industry Leaders Roundtable are unique, powerful, life long and deep. There is enormous trust built in the groups and the support between the members is perhaps indescribable.
At each meeting, the agenda covers trends (in the industry and out of industry), how to look after our Team for longevity, improving member and team culture, scaling the business and so more strategy. But for many the true value comes over lunch, in the bar or working out with their peers.
There simply is NOTHING like Roundtables in the fitness industry. PERIOD!
Background:
I have been Chairing Roundtables in Australia since 2005. I have lead 172 Roundtable meetings. I currently have Roundtables for Club Owners, personal trainers and Anytime Fitness franchisees. We have amazing retention of members, results for members and relationships that have been fostered.
Currently REX operates in the US, Europe and in Australia under the brand The Industry Leaders Roundtable. You can find out more by:
If this is your first #JTInTheRaw welcome as I chew the thin on business. What I share is relevant in any size or type of business. The shows have irregular segments like Shout outs; what cheeses me off, #AskJT and as I have this week a JTRant.
In show 42 I am going to share:
What are the tell-tale signs you are about to lose a staff member?
Success tips for a leader – pssst everyone is a leader.
And finally, a #JTRant on personal trainers and multilevel or network marketing.
This week I was catching up on some reading and an article struck a chord with me.
Fairly obvious sign! What I wanted to research was: are there signs staff are looking at leaving before they start browsing the web?
How Do You Know If Your Staff Are Going To Leave?
I found some research in the Harvard Business Review that held up to scientific scrutiny. There appears to be 13 signs where the staff member has either decreased or are working at less than their usual standards:
Their work productivity has decreased.
They act less like a team player.
They are doing the minimum amount of work more frequently.
They are less interested in pleasing their manager.
They are less willing to commit to long-term timelines.
They have exhibited a negative change in attitude.
They have shown less effort and work motivation.
They have less focus on job-related matters.
They have expressed dissatisfaction with their job more frequently.
They have expressed dissatisfaction with their supervisor.
They leave early from work more frequently.
They have lost enthusiasm for the mission of the organization.
They have shown less interest in working with customers.
Each of these behaviours are an indication that your staff member is starting to disengage with the job. They are less invested in their performance, colleagues, and most probably the customers – none of which is good for your business.
If you see your staff‘s behaviour trending this way, science can now confirm, you really do have cause for concern. It’s time to decide – implement a plan to keep them or implement a plan to replace them.
Five Tips For Success As A Business Leader
Today I am in Perth and heading off to work with a group on leading teams and maximising performance. I thought I’d share with you my final closing remarks for them – because you all cannot be here!
These are my Five Success Tips:
Know your numbers! Gut feel is one thing but statistics do not lie. You can think you’ve done a good job but numbers will confirm your feelings. Get close to your numbers if you are business owner, leader or a team member and understand what they are and how they are impacted – ie what behaviours will impact those numbers.
Self-evaluate. The best sports people, business people, lovers and parents all self-evaluate their performances. For me this is the difference between a good sales person and a great sale person. A great one will self-evaluate every sale to identify what they did well and what they can improve on. This means they know where to hone their skills.
Plan. I’m suggesting you plan your year, quarter, month, week and day. For some of you, you may go micro and plan your hours. In order to be successful, there are steps we all need to take, so plan these steps and you’ll have a faster journey to success.
Connect and stay connected. If you’re leading a team or selling to a prospect you need to connect with them. This connection will lead to trust which will enhance the working environment or lead to more sales or a higher yield sale. The real challenge is to then remain connected – this is my weakness. We all get busy and sometimes, not intentionally, just forget to stay connected with that staff member or that new client. For success, make the effort to stay connected. It will benefit you and the business.
Be real. Staff and customers will know when you are faking it. If your head is not in the game, then don’t enter the game! You need to be you for success.
If you think anyone could benefit from my 5 tips for success, please tag them in the comments below.
#JTRant
Last weekend was Easter and we had a constant flow of guests coming over. The most consistent thread of conversation was “What’s with my PT trying to flog me network marketing shit?”
Which I found particularly interesting as the week prior I had a PT ask me if I know anyone in China as a product he sells now has the rights to sell in China and if I can introduce any Chinese colleagues to this PT, I can “have a slice of the pie.”
WTF!
Here is what I am hearing and seeing, personal trainers are now enlisting clients into a network-marketing scheme under the guise of either:
Saving money on the product they “need”; or
Building a passive income with a home based business.
First things first, I believe there is no such thing as passive income! All income involves work. I have sat through numerous presentations from multiple pyramid schemes and they all involve me doing work. So a passive income is just a blatant lie that is perpetuated by the scripts that multi-level marketers teach their “sales people.”
The real issue and the essence of my rant is not whether PTs should be prescribing or recommending “supplements” to their clients. My rant is them trying to sell their clients into a scheme.
I just don’t think it is cool. Indeed appropriate for a PT to be “getting clients involved” in a pyramid scheme. I see it as a breach of trust.
Clients came to you for exercise based results. Your focus must be getting them the results they came to you for. Don’t cloud the relationship by then selling into a scheme that helps you make money.
I believe it’s unethical.
My accountant wouldn’t try and sell me into Tupperware, when he sees me bringing lunch in a plastic bag. My Doctor would not recommend USANA or Herbalife or Isagenix vitamins when he knows I am deficient in vitamins.
If you want to be treated as a professional personal trainer then act as a professional personal trainer and service your clients on why they came to you.
While on my high horse, it would be remiss of me not to mention in my rant my thoughts on PT’s prescribing ingestables – ie stuff people take!
I am not saying PT’s cannot suggest supplementation.
I believe as a professional you need to do lots of research into anything you recommend a person ingests.
I believe that the majority of PTs do not have the knowledge to recommend something a person should ingest.
I believe without the research and the knowledge, this prescription is negligent and be rest assured I’d be suing the arse off my PT if he told me what to take and it made me ill.
In fact, I am sure there was a case in the US where a PT innocently and for the best results outcome for their client recommended a certain type of supplement. The problem was that supplement contained something that conflicted with the heart medication the client was on. The results achieved were one sued PT; one dead client; and one very unhappy family.
The majority of PT’s are good technicians who know very little about nutrition or life skills. So as my mum would say “Stick to your knitting!”
Seriously personal trainers if you want to have any credibility, just do what you are trained to do and do it better than anyone else and you’ll be super successful!
These are my opinions that I know will piss people off and perhaps open a can of worms or start a conversation, so my feed is yours, tell me what you think?
Tell me if you think it is OK for PT’s to sell clients into a pyramid scheme.
This week is Filex! It’s like Christmas for the fitness industry!
I’ll be at a Fitness Australia soiree on Wednesday night, the Business Summit on Thursday and am presenting on Friday. I’ll be around all weekend, so if you see me and you’re a #JTInTheRaw fan or hater, grab me and say “Hi”
Remember this Friday at 6am is the Fitness Business Podcast #FBPfamily meet up. If you’re at Filex, we’d love to see you for a networking walk around Darling Harbour!
Then after the walk will be #JTInTheRaw show 43! I’ll be LIVE just 30 minutes before I deliver my on-boarding presentation. I should be pumped up!
Thanks for tuning in today and I hope I have helped you identify if you have a staff member thinking of quitting; identify some success behaviours you can improve and also opened the dialogue around enlisting clients into multi-level marketing schemes.
How hard do you work to re-activate former members, clients and customers? Today’s show I will share REAL ideas and thoughts on re-activating former clients. Grab a pen and paper you’ll need it.
Today I want to get down and dirty. I want to get into the trenches and help you.
Way back in show 4, I explained why we should focus on winning back our former clients and why they are a perfect market for us. If you missed show 4, click here to watch.
We all know it is more cost effective to get an old customer back than trying to get new customers, so lets go through a few strategies . . .
Please understand these can work for ex-members of a gym, former clients of a PT business – regardless of where that business operates from; and even former participants in challenges you run.
I believe that once you opted to connect with my business, it is then up to you opt out. Let me explain . .
When you “joined” with me I gained your personal details: name, address, email and birthdate. I am saying use this informationuntil your former clients say “don’t contact me.”
I would hope you also collected otherpersonal information about your client like what are their goals? And why they are important. PLUS you have saved this information!
If we know the results that someone wanted from their gym membership, their PT or their transformation challenge then we can have a qualified and quality conversation.
Imagine this for a moment this phone call . . . “Hi Fiona, it’s Justin from Active Fitness Centre here and I just wanted to follow up on how you are going in regard to keeping off the weight you wanted to lose for your daughter’s wedding last year? As part of our service here, do you mind if ask you once simple question? Are you 100% happy with your weight now?”
If we have personal information on our former members, we can re-enter the sale from an emotional perspective.
My first tip or is it my second tip, because I have already said record information, is to call every former member within 4 to 6 months after they cancelled their membership or their PT using the script I just shared.
When else should we contact former members?
I would leave them in any closed Facebook groups. The community may just help them return.
I would every year send a hand written birthday card. No offer or call to action just a branded birthday card that says “you care.”
I would email members and especially former clients when a new PT joins the team. The email would include a video of the PT introducing themselves and explaining why people should train with them.
Here is the key, this email ONLY goes to people this trainer can help i.e. based on the results the former member wants and what the trainer’s expertise is. Don’t clog up in-boxes of former member with information that won’t help them. They’ll see this as junk email and unsubscribe!
Further, I would have the new PT call them within 3 days of them receiving the email. And if there is no email, I’d use snail mail and follow up with a call.
When we launch a new program, change the time table, buy new equipment, change the opening hours or anything else we do “new”, it gives me a reason to contact former members.
Email is easiest and cheapest and more importantly allows you to add value to the relationship. You have more substance and depth in an email rather than text.
Let me explain . . .
When we segment our former members into ‘buckets’ based on the results they want or services they used, we can tailor the emails notifying them of our new services or programs and most importantly HOW this will help them. The email can have education included, hence the value. It won’t come across as a pushy offer. You are educating them, positioning yourself as the expert and showing you still genuinely care.
Can you see now why collecting and then recording member information is so critical?
And my final suggestion, when the member comes into cancel their membership or their PT, I would give them 5 free visits to the gym and a free PT session with no expiry date. Just so they walk away feeling good about the brand.
Once you have a system in your business to “bucket” members, you will reap the benefits! Segmenting prospects, current and former members or clients is now integral to your marketing plan.
If you got value from these tips, let me know with some Facebook love and if you know anyone who could benefit then please tag them in the comments.
I am sure after watching this week’s show you will have questions. Please pop questions in the comments below or PM me – whatever you like. Lets just start maximising the opportunity with people who once loved us enough to join.
I need to ask a favour of everyone watching today. Can you please head across to The Fitness Business Podcast on iTunes or www.FitnessBusinessPodcast.com and download two of your fav shows! I spoke with Chantal and she tells me this month we are aiming for the target of 100,000 downloads! We have 2 weeks to get there, so head across! In fact this week is a great interview with Sue B Zimmerman who is the Instagram Queen. Check it out www.FitnessBusinessPodcast.com
Next week
Remember, next week I return to Fridays and I can feel a rant coming on! So tune in next week for a little rant . . .
Quote of The Week
When we have personal information on our former members, we can re-enter the sale from an emotional perspective.
