IFPA – Accredited Personal Trainer Certification – Sports Nutrition – Sports Medicine – Youth Fitness

How to Keep Your Members Active

By Denton Smith

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"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet."

- James Oppenheim

Intro:

The following article by Denton Smith is a small example of the extremely valuable knowledge, skills and abilities you will receive by attending any of his presentations at the IFPA Fitness Vegas and American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine Conference in Las Vegas, December 13-15, 2007.

Denton is the President of SciFit, the highest quality medical and fitness exercise equipment in the world, a former Mr. USA, NCAA star athlete and has “been there, done that”! on every single aspect of the fitness industry you can name, mention, or possibly imagine!

He is a true encyclopedia of knowledge on fitness and possesses the unsurpassed wisdom to use it. You are guaranteed to learn volumes from attending any of his presentations.

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Problem: How do you keep your members active?

Solution: Offer programs that are simple to understand and easy to do.

Why do members quit? There are probably as many reasons as there are members. The root of the problem for many though is that they just don’t use their membership anymore. They have become inactive members.

Where have we gone wrong? We took them on a tour of the facility, we showed them how to use all of the equipment when they joined, and they have even been seen walking on the treadmills from time to time. What more do these people want?

Simply put, they want to move, they want to do functional things and they want to be successful. These are people who are intimidated by the club and all of the equipment. The solution is simple: Programs.

Not just any program but programs that will keep the members interested and that are not too complicated or too hard. There are several points to remember when creating a program:

Keep the members moving.

Encourage members to do things outside the club too.

Teach them to workout at home.

Make the program simple and attainable, nobody wants to fail.

When they workout at the club, make their time short.

Have a way to measure their results.

Some clubs are already making headway with some group exercise programs. However, the tendency is to take a group exercise program and mold it to our own needs or the needs of a small group. For example, a 30-minute program done two times per week could be seen by some hard-core exercisers as too easy. They may convince instructors or club management to increase the program to 60 minutes five times per week. People really want a workout that is stimulating and they want to be in and out of the club in a short time.

Keep these things in mind when marketing and selling the programs:

Advertise and market your programs – not the type of equipment you have in the club.

Target your current inactive members first. It is less expensive than getting new members.

Another huge demographic to target is people who know they should work out but don’t. This group loves programs.

Remember to tell your sales people that perspective members are looking for programs, not how many thousands of pounds of weights you have in your facility.

Simple programs that stimulate members and encourage them to exercise inside and outside the club are the perfect solution for keeping those members active. The only thing you have to lose by not trying these programs: more members.

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Follow up articles will be more specific and will focus on circuits/programs and documentation/feedback.

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The IFPA Invites You to FITNESS VEGAS!!!

By Jim Bell, PhD, CEO IFPA

The IFPA invites you to join us for our 13^th Annual Conference in the world renowned Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada! THE DATES: December 13, 14, and 15^th, 2007 for the best conference in the fitness industry by the best presenters, with the latest and newest techniques, tactics, strategies, and research in the fitness industry. Just ONE of the many BRILLIANT ideas and concepts you learn here can be worth ten times what you pay for your trip to the Venetian Resort, ranked the 3^rd most beautiful, romantic, sexy, and incredible RESORT destination in the WORLD!

The IFPA Conference is held in conjunction with the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) Conference. The A4M is the fastest growing medical association in the world with over 20,000 physicians highly interested in exercise and nutrition prescription, and NETWORKING with you to EXECUTE those prescriptions with their patients!

The A4M has arranged for special hotel rates for A4M/IFPA attendees: The Venetian - $169 per night, and the Mirage - $109 per night. These rates are a fraction of the regular rates. The Mirage is a 4 1/2 Star Resort, located directly across the strip from the Venetian, with a direct access pedestrian bridge to the Venetian.

Don’t miss out on this tremendous opportunity to:

• Make New Friends

• Gain Profitable Ideas and Knowledge

• Network with Both Fitness and Medical Professionals

• Enjoy One of the World’s Most Fabulous Resorts

• Earn 24 CECs (or more: IFPA Certification Specials Available!)

• Learn from the Very BEST!

• Have the TIME OF YOUR LIFE in America’s Most Exotic Party Town! (Remember, what happens in Vegas … stays in Vegas!)

Call Now to Register: (800) 785-1925

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James T. Bell, PhD is the founder and president of the International Fitness Professionals Association, IFPA.