The Aussie fitness industry was showcased a couple of weeks ago with the best and biggest conference ever held in Australia. There were over 2000 attendees! And presentations for every aspect of the industry.
I had a great Filex.
I was fortunate enough to MC the Business Summit. This is always an honour and we had an astounding faculty of speakers. Thanks to Mark McCrindle, Suzi Dafnis, Terry Hawkins, Joe Cirulli and Wayne Goldsmith. Some powerful insights were shared about the world we now live in and how to run our business in modern times.
Over 80 people attended my full day Management Training Day on the Friday. I shared a session with Trent Brown, CEO of Ezypay, about business growth where we really challenged people on their business plan. And finally, on the Sunday I did a session called ‘The Future of Health Club Memberships,’ which to be honest I was really worried about.
I had planned this to be a panel but owing to lack of co-operation and also lack of vision, I did the session myself. I shared insights from other industries and my views on what consumers want and that may not meet what we are delivering. No solutions were presented but lots of ideas for people to think about.
Thanks to everyone who keeps writing to me with great stories. This month’s story is funny and also painful . . .
Robin from Body Express shares a story from many years ago when an older lady was walking on the treadmill, when she fell asleep! Not sure how this happened but she fell asleep, which meant her legs stopped moving! She was then spat off the end of the treadmill. Ouch!
Thanks Robin! You win 2 thirty minute business coaching sessions!
If you have any funny stories that have happened in your gym, at a gym you train at or with personal training send them through and each month one random contributor will win 2 thirty minute business coaching sessions.
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A Clever Way of Getting Engagement & Leads
This year the winner for me at the Australian Health & Fitness Expo for the most engaging stand to gather leads was Ezypay! Well done team. And why? . . . the Vespa giveway.
You visited their stand and had you photo taken, which was loaded on to their Flickr site. Very cool and very different.
You could do the same in your business . . . engagement with customers is the key!
SBS Insight Insights
Last month was the TV show Insight’s expose on personal trainers in the fitness industry. JT felt it had a neutral effect on the industry. It could have been lots worse but we suffered no damage. Nevertheless, tabloid TV shows do have the fitness industry in their sights and are seeking stories.
As an industry we need to be aware. We also need to be savvy, as they know scandal and bad stories rate and sell papers. So just be careful what you say if asked.
Your 5 minutes of fame could be turned into a story with a complete different agenda and that could adversely affect our industry.
If you missed Insight and want to know what my thoughts on the show were, click here.
Fitness Businesses For Sale
While we are not a broker for businesses, we have been contacted by 3 people who have fitness businesses for sale. They are all in the Eastern States:
Health club with 1500 members in a 2000sqm facility in Sydney
Health club with 1200 members in a 1100sqm facility in Melbourne
Personal training studio with 750 members
Step Into Life franchise in Hampton, Victoria with 70 members after 5 years and as many as 110 members.
All sales are confidential, so if you would like to find out more contact Justin directly and on signing a confidentiality agreement more information will be forthcoming.
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Employment Opportunities
While we are not an employment agency, we have been asked to share some wonderful employment opportunities.
Fit n Fast is a new chain of health clubs opening under the leadership of Tony de Leede. His Chief Operations Officer had her first break in the fitness industry with Justin back in the early 1990’s. and Nic shared with Justin that they are seeking Member Service Co-ordinators and free style spin instructors. For more information click for the Members Services Coordinator or Group Exercise Cycle Instructor.
We have also been contacted if we know a qualified Exercise Physiologist & Pilates Instructor for a stunning resort in Bali! What a great opportunity!
There is also an exciting opportunity to be a Club Manager for a new health club in North Ryde, NSW. This is a unique opportunity and is ideal for someone who wants to take ownership in their own club.
JT’s Blogs
Last month I was very slack with my blogging because I was moving house, Filex and just busy! The lesson here is to pre-write the blogs and then schedule them to be published. A much better plan and one in which I am going to implement this month!
So if you haven’t checked out www.JustinTamsett.com yet, here is what I blogged about last month:
Incidental Video Screen Is Seen by More Viewers Than Prime Time
A new report from the measurement company Nielsen shows that ads on outside-the-house video screens — in places like health clubs, gas stations and elevators — can reach many more people than ads on prime-time television. Video screens casually encountered, like these at a gym, are seen by more people than prime-time TV, Nielsen says.
We subscribe to a great newsletter from Yvonne Adele, and we highly recommend checking out her site. Coming from outside the fitness industry, she shares powerful and profound ideas to help business. Here are 3 ideas from last month:
Vending Machine which requires no coins. Use your mobile phone to make your selection from the machine, paying by credit card. The assumption :: That you need spare change to use a vending machine.
A chemist chain in Victoria is running a promotion for members. Members are sent a set of discount stickers including 10%, 20% and 30% which they are invited to bring into the store and stick on any item they like before they take it to the register. ‘YOU decide which items are discounted’. The assumption :: That the retailer decides which items to discount.
Ben Elton’s new book :: Meltdown - has a big round yellow sticker on the front cover which compels you to lean in to read it. It says Feeling crunched? RING BEN NOW! 1300 726 265. He’ll tell you personally why you should read Meltdown. Local call charges apply. When you call the number you get a charming message from Ben himself chatting about the book. VERY clever. The assumption :: That the author doesn’t market personally to the potential buyer.
Why could this not be done in every business on special days where the clients or the staff do their own version! Great concept
You can see all Justin’s You Tube Clips and his favourites on the ActiveMgmt You Tube Channel and you can even subscribe, so when a new clip is loaded, you get an email!
Social Media for Marketing Your Business
As more businesses enter the social space and we gain knowledge from our experiences, techniques and concerns about social marketing are changing, according to the “2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report” from Social Media Examiner. While a year ago marketers were most interested in learning about tactics, now businesses are looking at return on investment.
The top social tools are changing as well.
Among all marketers surveyed in January 2010, Twitter barely edged out Facebook as the social tool used most. These sites have gained in importance as blogs have moved down the ladder. But among those most experienced in using social media, habits were different.
The survey found:
96% of marketers with years of social media experience were using Twitter, while 91% used Facebook and 89% LinkedIn.
Marketers with some social media experience were also big on Twitter (92%), followed by Facebook (88%) and LinkedIn (76%).
The biggest difference between the two groups was in usage of social video marketing, such as through YouTube. Nearly two-thirds of the most experienced respondents said they used the technique, compared with only 42% of marketers who had several months of experience with social media.
In contrast, marketers new to the social scene, who said they were “just getting started,” focused on Facebook. Four in five said they marketed on the social networking giant, compared with a below-average 71% using Twitter and 67% using LinkedIn. This group was least likely to leverage social video, at just 28%.
If you need help getting a grip on your social media presence, contact Justin and for just $750 you can design a social media calendar using the tools of blogs, Facebook and Twitter!
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Active Management Webinars start in July!
From July you will be able to get another monthly fix from Justin! After 20 years of selling health club memberships Justin gets it! And with 2 years out of the fitness industry and dealing with other businesses, he understand now what the consumer wants.
There is a mismatch – most businesses deliver a sales process that is not in line with what the consumer wants.
Justin’s sales webinar series launches in July with a 30 minute interactive webinar on the first Tuesday of the month at 2pm (Sydney time) and go for just 30 minutes!
The agenda is:
Answering any questions from the previous month;
One area of focus of this month; and
Answering specific questions on this month’s topic.
As you can see it will be driven by our attendees to ensure maximum value for your 30 minutes. If you like it is a 30 minute personal training session to improve your sales! Our calendar will be:
The Incoming Call Conversation - July 6th
Grabbing Details With Grabbing Their Throat - August 3rd
Is the Needs Analysis For You or Them - September 7th
Do You Really Need To Do a Tour - October 5th
Just Tell Them The Price - November 2nd
Follow Up is Harassment - December 2nd
And the topics will be announced in next month’s e-news . . . don’t miss it.
The cost . . . $150 for a single webinar or $30 for 6 months. For this small investment you can access the webinar as many times as you like afterwards, you can have as many people from the one location participate and you can download the notes. Enormous value – less than a 30 minute PT session!
If you have any questions about your business or if you want more information about any of the topics discussed in this issue of Active Report, email
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This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call me direct at 02 8007 0347.
Fit n Fast is a new chain of health clubs opening under the leadership of Tony de Leede. His Chief Operations Officer had her first break in the fitness industry with Justin back in the early 1990’s. and Nic shared with Justin that they are seeking Member Service Co-ordinators and free style spin instructors. For more information click for the
96% of marketers with years of social media experience were using Twitter, while 91% used Facebook and 89% LinkedIn. 
The Incoming Call Conversation - July 6th 