18 Best Practices to Develop Sales & Customer Acquisition Processes

Selling more memberships is key to expanding your business. These 18 tips will help you develop a top-notch sales process.

- Sales & Marketing
The Price is Right
How to navigate increases in membership fees amid ongoing economic pressures.
Making Healthcare Referrals Profitable (Part 2)
In this follow-up from last month, we go deeper into the healthcare insurance reimbursement system and shed light on the complex processes that operators will encounter in providing this vital service to members.
Making Healthcare Referrals Profitable
While medical referrals offer potential new member and revenue opportunities, you need to approach building provider relationships strategically.

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The Marketing Overhaul: Three Actions to Drive Profitable Growth
Learn the three pillars of marketing strategy and dive deep into marketing tactics that will allow you to implement each marketing pillar without a large marketing budget.
Marketing Strategies to Generate a Sense of Community at Your Gym
Gain a few takeaways from this IHRSA 2024 session that will share how to generate extra engagement every month, ensure members are committed, and foster a sense of community.
IHRSA 2023: A Historic Show, an Unforgettable Experience
Records were broken, champagne was popped, and nothing will be the same for the health and fitness industry again.
Step One in the Health Club Member Journey: Your Website
While social channels and other digital marketing matters, your website is likely the first place prospective health club members encounter your brand and experience. Make it count.
Fitness Veterans Explain How Gyms Can Attract All Generations
With 30+ years of experience between Sarah and Sal Pellegrino, their joint session at IHRSA 2023, 4 Gens by 2 Gens: How to Drive Four Generations to Your Gym, is sure to leave you with a toolbox of ideas to attract consumers of all generations.
Building a Better Sales Team
How to gain buy-in for success, find unicorns, and create an optimal employee experience.

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A good platform accounts for the right contact at the right time and gives members the tools they need to help manage their own memberships.

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This edition of Talks and Takes with fitness industry experts Brent Darden, Bill McBride, Blair McHaney, and Sara Kooperman, in collaboration with IHRSA and REX Roundtables, broke down the most recent news around marketing trends, the bounceback of the industry, medical breakthroughs, and more.

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Good marketing can be the deciding factor between a successful business and a failed business. Ensure that you are following these best practices.

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Marketing to and reaching your target audience in a post-2021 market can be confusing. We’ve gathered a few tips and data to help you connect with new and existing members.

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Are you looking to revamp or add personality to your fitness brand? Ryan Snaadt, owner of Snaadt Media Group, shared a few tips on how to get started at IHRSA 2021 in Dallas.

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Staff and members face a new, post-pandemic reality. Here’s how to take the changing club sales environment into account and lead your team to success.

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Working with corporate partners offers a range of benefits for operators, sponsors, and members.

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As clubs look to rebuild revenue in the coming year, metabolic testing offers a number of innovative ways to create new streams.

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As face-to-face meetings give way to more video and streaming gatherings, what do we risk losing and how can we maintain connections? How does the lack of hands-on interaction with the latest equipment impact facility planning?

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Cross-selling and upselling compose a revenue stream health clubs can tap right now. Clearly, members already see the value in coming back to your facility—so why not leverage the opportunity?

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If there was ever a time to have your gym and brand truly stand out, it’s now. These strategies will help you to carve out a competitive advantage in your market.

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You need to adjust your lead generation strategy—and that’s just a start. Here’s what your CRM should be doing for you.

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As your members adjust to all the changes in your club, communicating and maintaining relationships with your members is more important than ever. Here’s what to communicate to keep members engaged, informed, and confident about coming back.

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Forget making a buzz, you need your brand to be a superstar. The key: Think local!

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Keeping your physical club safe and clean with new COVID-19 protocols is imperative. As media reports scrutinize the industry, now is the time to ensure your club image is just as protected.

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The industry’s unique position as a unifier under the banners of health and well-being can help bring people together for a common purpose.

If you want to protect your brand and keep your members engaged during a crisis—be it a pandemic or social—then Diva Richards, owner of Hard Work No Excuses, has some advice for you.

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Health clubs around the world are seizing opportunities for new and exciting strategies to regain membership and revenue.

Health clubs are using video to show members how they are cleaning their facilities and to give them a glimpse of what it will be like when they return to the club.

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We talked to IHRSA members around the world about the new ideas they put in place to keep their members on board through pandemic-related closures. Here are their success stories.

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Check out our selection of sales and marketing webinars, e-books, and articles that your staff can use to strengthen their skills while your health club’s doors are closed.

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Sustainability and conservation are a growing concern in an uncertain world. Here’s how clubs can help provide stability and a hopeful future to their global membership.

Consumers want to feel good and do good. Give them a meaningful experience and you’ll enhance your brand.

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Here’s how health clubs can capture the most important demographic in the industry.

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Know when you should consider converting your health club to a high-volume/low-price business model.

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The trend toward biometrics and individualized health interventions are on the rise. Here’s how to take advantage.

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Here’s how you can enhance your club’s digital strategy without wasting time or money.

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Attracting Millennials and Generation Z are critical to your success. Here’s how taking a stance on sustainability will bond them to your brand.

The technology is an increasingly popular communication tool for companies and consumers alike. But is it right for your health club?

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Customer service and operational efficiency suffer when your staff doesn’t understand your club management software. Here’s how to fix it.

New digital marketing tools and shifting consumer habits have changed the game. Learn how The Claremont Club is playing to win.

Should your fitness business implement chatbots, artificial intelligence, or virtual reality? Here’s what you need to know.

Yoga is the top group exercise activity at health clubs nationwide. Here’s how to position your offerings to each generation, from kids to Millennials to seniors.

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Poor integration will cost you revenue. Here’s how to get the most from your digital sales tools.

Millennials account for 28% of total health club members, according to the IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report. Find out how to attract this prime demographic with insights from our research expert.

While membership dues/fees revenue is the lifeblood of health clubs, top-tier clubs also generate a significant portion of revenue from non-dues services—including profit centers.

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A fully integrated, automated system should take advantage of three distinct sales pipelines. Does yours?

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Creating an eco-friendly section in your gym can have a huge impact.

Artificial intelligence-assisted CRM may become your gym’s best sales tool—and sooner than you’d think.

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From geo-targeting to custom audiences, social media, CRM, and other digital tools have enhanced the membership sales process in endless ways.

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By harnessing the power of consumer activism, your gym can build a fiercely loyal following.

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The world of retail has changed dramatically, especially for health clubs. Here’s what’s working today, according to three industry leaders.

Brandon Bean was given the task of evolving the world’s most venerable brand while protecting its unique legacy.

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Attracting younger consumers requires that you pay attention to values as much as price.

Before you send that text blast about your club’s seasonal discounted classes, make sure you are in compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

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More than a quarter of health club consumers engage in small group training, making it a valuable revenue source to consider cultivating at your club.

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Believe it or not, it isn't easy operating a fitness business in a region that experiences 24 hours of sunlight during the summer. But 360 Träningscenter is up for the challenge.

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Jason Reinhardt, founder of Go M.A.D. Fitness and IHRSA board member, shares his ideas on success and talks about his passion for fitness.

The European Union’s new data protection policy has universal implications. Is your fitness business prepared to meet the new standards?

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Ready to engage with your members and grow your fitness business? We've got seven easy tips to help you plan a successful social media strategy.

During his IHRSA 2018 session, Don Murphy of Gold’s Gym Newburgh shared insights gained from his 30 years’ experience, from member onboarding to marketing strategies.

How CRM tools can improve lead management and overall revenue.

Learn how to provide a high-end locker room experience without breaking the bank.

The new European Data Protection Regulation, going into effect on May 25, will impact more gyms than you might think.

No two membership pitches should be alike. Learn how to identify prospects' needs and craft tailored-made tours that are sure to close.

By taking the time to craft a Facebook strategy, you can increase referrals and leads for your health club.

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The popular smart-cost chain has nearly 200 clubs in France, and is now setting its sights on Canada.

Now a more rooted segment than in their younger days, the Gen X consumer is primed to be a long-time member. Here's how to get them to join your club.

The chairperson of IHRSA’s board of directors discusses hurricanes, multi-brand management, and saving the world through fitness.

Becoming more environmentally friendly can be a boost for any gym seeking to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Clubs have found they can expand brand recognition inside and outside the facility by engraving their logo on exercise equipment.

Bryan O’Rourke, president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, details three basic steps to any successful health club marketing strategy.

Before you can create great content you have to start with the basics—the three levels of the social media funnel.

Tighten up your gym's sales strategy with these six steps from Jeff Houghtaling, membership director for VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa.

Member Exclusive

How you reward your gym's members can impact both the member experience and your bottom line.

Blink Fitness is living proof that low-price gyms don't have to come with a bad member experience.

People of all ages are using social media to connect. Failing to be a part of the conversation can negatively impact your club's business.

Here are seven steps to leverage your club's brand advocates, draft sharable content, and create a more powerful social media strategy.

Shannon Malooly, membership and marketing director for The Claremont Club, explains how to differentiate your club without losing integrity.

The Atlantic Club COO Kevin McHugh offers four strategies to increase your club's non-dues revenue and, ultimately, your bottom line.

Marketing and advertising are two different things—and knowing the difference can make or break your communications strategy.

Sales & Marketing

18 Best Practices to Develop Sales & Customer Acquisition Processes

Research Reports & Publications