Sales Tips and Articles
Sales Tip: Creating Mega Abundance
Written by Clayton Sinclair   

So what is mega abundance?  Think of the expression as a little mantra to keep you focussed on getting your membership well above breakeven point - well into the profit range.  For traditional gym and most membership based business models, once you get beyond breakeven, your profit on each sale is huge.  The great thing is, if you are enjoying success now or just getting by, small improvements in a few areas of your business can take your profit to a whole new level. 

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Success Story: Fantastic results in a competitive area!
 
Operating for over 25 years in a very competitive part of metropolitan Melbourne, and having used other marketing companies in the past, owner Sam Apap's feedback about the recent Advance campaign at The Lakes Health Club was really interesting
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Business Tip - Balance Versus Moderation
Written by Clayton Sinclair   

There is a saying attributed to Aristotle: "Everything in moderation"

As soon as I write the saying down I can see many flaws to the saying.  The obvious ones come to mind first - murder, stealing, etc.  There are some things that are not OK even if in moderation.

Seriously though, I have been giving thought to the business implications of "moderation".  At Advance we are constantly seeking the path to success for our clients and ourselves.  Where does the idea of moderation fit in the journey?  The answer is, I believe, absolutely nowhere.  My consideration of this matter has led to the conclusion that moderation has NO part to play in the creation of success.  “Balance” on the other hand, is fundamental to success.  In this article we look at the difference between the balance and moderation in business.

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Success Story: YMCA of the Top End - Awesome results in Darwin!

While Advance has run many successful campaigns in Darwin, this recent campaign was a first for YMCA Top End.  A massive success in terms of member numbers, the promo generated over 319 new members and over $304,000 gross in 22 short days.  Club Manager, Caleb Johnston shares his feedback on the campaign...

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News: FILEX - Hands up for more members and more profit!

As always, FILEX proved a busy and productive time. This year was even more exciting with the launch of our new range of sales & marketing services. We had a great time catching up with clients and making new friends and as always learned a new thing or 2! Check out the team at FILEX 2010...
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News: Winner of website announced!
Advance Fitness Marketing is very pleased to announce the winner of our FREE website, valued at over $3000.
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Sales Tip - 9 steps to an effective price presentation

Presenting prices is a notoriously tricky part of a fitness sales presentation.   Increase sales easily with these 9 simple steps to an effective price presentation.

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Lead Generation - Website "Must Haves"
Written by Clayton Sinclair   

Turn your website into a lead generation machine! 

I was recently asked to critique a client’s website with regard to effectiveness for generating sales leads.  As is usually the case, our client was working with limited time and budged so they wanted to address only the elements that would have the most significant impact on lead generation in the first stage of their site upgrade.

Now, I would consider my expertise to be in sales and not website development – the scope of which goes well beyond what is being considered in this article.  However, reviewing how our client’s website would impact on their sales process has resulted in the development of the following top 6 “must haves” for your Home Page to ensure that you reap the greatest financial rewards from your website.

During the review process I reviewed 5 of the big fitness chains and 10 independent fitness centre websites to see which of the following elements were featured on their sites. 

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Sales Tip - "So What?"
Written by Clayton Sinclair   

Following is certainly one of the shortest, yet most effective sales lessons I have received.  I received this lesson at the very beginning of my career while chatting with a friend who was also in a sales role and I still use it every time I am developing a new presentation or troubleshooting a current sales process.

The lesson: "So what?"

How to put this lesson in to effect.  When making a statement about your service or product imagine that your customer follows up with the question: "So what ?"  If your statement has not yet reached the core of what you customer will find beneficial about your service, answering this (imagined) question will help you to get to the point.

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Sales Tip - REALLY Know Your Numbers
Written by Clayton Sinclair   

Perception Versus Reality

Most business people would acknowledge the importance of “knowing your numbers”.  That is, knowing the business measurements that will indicate whether your business is performing at its best, or not… 

We find that most of our clients have a good handle on their key business metrics.  However, there is always more that they would like to measure and sometimes performance feedback is more anecdotal than measurement based.

This month we take a quick look at a phenomenon relating to perception versus reality in terms of business performance.  Throughout my career in sales and marketing in the fitness industry I have witnessed many wide gaps between perception and reality when it comes to assessing business results.  My initial reaction was to give little or no credit to any anecdotal feedback unless it could be backed up numerically.  Over time I began to see why the variations occur and when to be on the look out for discrepancies.

Following is a quick look at why we might get one feeling about a business situation when the reality is quite different.

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