HealthClubSupport.com

Whether or not a health club will survive in today’s market will depend on one factor, the person in
charge. In order for someone to become a leader, it requires more than a title and the sensation of power. The person in
charge must set the example each and every day, they must act the best, dress the best, and they must have the most
positive attitude. Some may feel that this is a difficult task to accomplish on a daily basis. Some may feel that some days
they feel better than others and therefore, some days the club’s revenue is better than others. Some may say that they
couldn’t be “on” all the time. I disagree. It may be difficult, it may take a lot of work and practice but not only should it
occur, it must occur. Not being “on” is not an option. Now there are some days where one may be more motivated than
others and if the manager has done his or her job, the staff will follow the same mantra. The staff then has the ability to
jack each other up to perform. An effective manager strives and studies on a daily basis to be a more effective
manager.

Every time I hear a club owner/manager tell me that business is slow, revenue is down, and/or their staff is not
performing, the first question I have to ask is, “what did you study today, this week, and this month to create the skill
sets necessary to improve the club’s performance.” It’s not that you’re in a bad market, it’s not that time of year where
business is slow, and your members are not cheap – most often than not, it’s the environment. Are you jacked up and
do you set the example? Can you find revenue where it has never existed before? Ask yourself the following questions
to analyze the environment that you create everyday. Very few people have the ability to dig down deep inside
themselves and answer the following questions honestly.

1. Am I the happiest person I know? Am I a role model and do the people around me look up to me and want to emulate
me? Do I set the example for the staff?

2. Do I expect more from myself than anyone else could ever imagine expecting of me?

3. Do I create a positive environment within the business that others are attracted to and want to be a part of?

4. Do I have the skill sets and business background to manage and operate a business effectively?

5. Do I constantly stress increasing my skill sets and education by continuing to learn from any and every source
available?

6. Do I have the ability to create a systems-based structure that will enable me to work on the business rather than in
the business?

7. Can I create an effective staffing structure to find, develop, and motivate staff to bring out the best in people and elicit
even greater results than I could do on my own?

8. Do I have the ability to analyze myself unemotionally and without ego to determine if my actions and reactions are the
reason for the club’s successes and failures?

Many people get involved in this business because they enjoy fitness and have a perception that owning a health club
will be fun and allow them to make a living doing something that they love. There is nothing wrong with this as long as
they realize that this is a business that takes a lot of work and ongoing education to become successful. Get out of the
office once in a while, get to know the members again, regain that feeling that you had the day the doors opened for
business. Member service begins and ends with you, your front desk staff, entry-level trainers and floor staff. They
must have more interaction with your members than anyone else.

Staffing will be the most difficult issue you'll have to face in the fitness business. Standing for long hours, getting
minimum wage and doing repetitive tasks does not motivate employees to become high achievers. When you stray from
your basic role of being a leader, your business and staff suffer. To achieve maximum success, you must find, educate
and motivate your staff to work at their highest potential.

Customer service is what is going to make a club different from its competitors. Most clubs basically have the same
equipment and base the club’s environment on this equipment. Because club owners tend to be purists, they attach a lot
of emotion to the type of equipment they buy. Purists look at the angle, the stretch, and the range of motion while a
businessman looks at the cost, availability of replacement parts, and the service the company will give. The
deconditioned consumer looks at equipment, only equipment…and it all looks the same to them. The physical plant, to a
point, might be different. A club might have different carpeting, upholstery, or different color walls but basically to a
potential member, all clubs look very similar. What will set a club a part from is competition is the staff and the
environment that they create.

Create the environment that will attract people to you and the club by starting with three basic staffing rules:

1. Spend two hours per week recruiting staff. Aggressively go out and pursue them. Find them malls, restaurants,
corner stores and continue to do it even if you don’t need any staff. It gets you out of the club and you never know
when you may stumble upon the one jewel that will help you drive the business to the next level.

2. Interview someone in the club every week. Many staff become complacent in their positions because they know that
you can’t find good staff so there is no repercussion to their mediocrity in the workplace. Interviewing someone every
week keeps them on their toes and it also proves that you are always striving for excellence.

3. Spend two hours per week with all full-time employees teaching new concepts and role-playing existing concepts
regardless of their experience. This keeps skills sharp, keeps you in-touch with the staff, and sets the example for the
entry-level staff that they will have the ability to move up in the company.

If you invest in your staff and they will invest in you. Set the example, spend some time with them, and work the
business rather than have the business work you.