Health & Wellness - Maximum Management

There are essentially two different operational philosophies in the wellness/fitness industry today. One is attrition-driven (the only goal is to make the sale) and the other is service-driven (truly desire to sell and keep customers). Your facility's management model determines which style your business operates by and the level of success that your facility may attain.

Health Club Management 101 is a management style that refers to the most basic level of facility operation. It is grounded in strong sales with little to no customer service, except, of course, lip service. The roots of this very basic management approach are ancient. They go back to the very beginning of our industry and have only become more slickly packaged as time has gone by. This approach is one of the greatest illusions that has ever been advanced in an industry that should be rooted in strong customer service.

The illusion is enticing for operators who have not yet had enough professional education about how to make a long-term successful business that is truly dedicated to helping their members accomplish their goals. You know, the member who elected to pay money as a result of a sales pitch that dripped with honey and painted a glorious picture for the individual, whereby they visualized themselves fitting in at the facility and actually being encouraged and helped to attain their personal goals? The person's goals were very important to them when they agreed to pay for the membership. However, unless the person is naturally motivated, they will not attain their goals in an attrition-driven facility. What makes this scenario even more nauseating is that the facility has no real plan to help them, it was just a "sales pitch" given by a self-serving salesperson working for a self-serving business.

For effective business management and maximum growth potential, 80 percent of managers' efforts must be devoted to managing the facility team, creating a strong sense of esprit de corps (team spirit) and tending to growth-related projects and programs. In the Health Club 101 approach, the management model has managers devoting 80 percent (or more) of their time to selling memberships.

For a large club chain, Health Club 101 management principles can work very well. Chains have huge advertising and promotion budgets, and the prospects just keep on coming through the door, and the high-powered sales staff just keep pounding the prospects and painting the glorious pictures of "getting healthy."

In this scenario, the entire staff is virtually consumed with selling. There is little opportunity or hope of real customer service or strong retention. The facility manager is usually the top sales person and is so limited by the selling process that there is little opportunity to create growth plans or develop strong community alliances that will guarantee long-term success.

The corporate sales process is usually another thinly veiled approach that is rooted in discounts and not in the impact on employee productivity and reduction in healthcare costs, which is the line usually advanced to secure the sale. The truth is that corporations are in desperate need of employee wellness, but the Health Club 101 model is incapable of delivering this result. One simply has to log on to www.cdc.gov (the Centers for Disease Control website) and peruse the information available to see what corporations are really looking for in their sedentary workforce. They NEED results, not deceptive promises.

A management model based in true team leadership and team potential development is the model for the future of the industry. It is not a curriculum that someone can excel at without getting the proper level of education first. This curriculum is based in strong sales and is accompanied by strong retention. It offers a model with clear delineation of staff roles. Everyone is not directly involved in selling new memberships so that the manager can focus on achieving the maximum growth potential for the facility.

Strong sales tracking, regular training/motivational meetings, strong interdepartmental communication and effective use of goal setting enable this management model to attain and sustain maximum growth potential. There are no gray areas in responsibilities or expectations. The management team has a clearly defined mission statement and a clearly defined staff structure, which is supported by an organizational chart that clearly defines expectations for performance, ongoing educational expectations and level of motivation expected.

If you would like additional information on this issue, please feel free to contact me at GEOFFLHAMPTON@aol.com or by phone at (865) 281-2422.