by Kristen Walsh, IHRSA Associate Publisher The global health club industry continued to grow in 2016, according to The 2017 IHRSA Global Report, which was published in May. Total industry revenue reached an estimated $83.1 billion, as roughly 200,000 clubs served 162 million members worldwide. Leading markets in North America and Europe continued to grow, while markets in Latin America posted strong performance. The Americas In the U.S., revenue, membership and the total number of clubs all rose from 2015 to 2016. Revenue increased from $25.8 billion in 2015 to $27.6 billion in 2016, while...

If you want to increase the level of productivity in your business give more feedback. If you want to impact your culture in a more positive way give more feedback. If you want to increase employee and member retention give more feedback. For leaders, it is an important tool for shaping the right behaviours and fostering learning that will ultimately drive better performance. Why, then, do so many employees not have any idea how to get better or have a clear understanding of how they are doing?  The real problem is that most leaders do not like giving feedback.  And, if an employee...

One of the biggest mistakes I made when I started X Fitness from scratch as an independent startup gym 16 years ago was falling into the Identity Trap – trying to be what we were not, trying to be everything to everyone by offering every exercise class known to wo/mankind in order to generate fitness income. It’s easy to fall in the Identity Trap when you start a new gym because of the desire to survive by immediately developing multiple sources of fitness income. It was a horrendous rookie mistake. It didn’t work out – dual meaning. It didn’t work out financially and clients didn’t...

With the spring season , many health and fitness enthusiasts are eager to discuss a detox plan with their trainers or search google for the latest recipe . There is no better time to do a good clean up  as nature supports this process. As a naturopath, I do  feel however, that  too many people jump on this opportunity without enough solid information and can make a mistake by following a 'trendy celebrity detox" . We are all different and for this reason, everyone should contact a licensed health care practitioner before talking a cleanse  in their own hands . Here are some tips about why a liver...

The Canadian Fitness Industry Leadership Award is Fitness Industry Council of Canada’s most prestigious honour. It is given annually to an FIC member who has proven to be a passionate industry leader and who has contributed significantly to the Canadian fitness industry for many years. This year’s winner is Don Longwell, founder of Mill Pond Publishing and founding editor of Fitness Business Canada magazine. The award was presented at the Canadian VIP reception at this year’s IHRSA Convention and Trade Show. “You may not always feel the presence of a good leader and visionary, but their...

Overcoming objections is a key component of the sales process. Salespeople are trained on how to do this and keep the prospect moving down the line towards the sale. If the customer says “your price is too high” then you say “blah, blah, blah”…you get the picture. This is the dance, the back-and-forth that salespeople engage in with their prospects. While there is no doubt that in order to make a sale you have to remove doubt in the prospect’s mind, there is a different way to look at objections, and a better way of dealing with them. Customers today are aware that you have been...