We aren’t curing cancer…

…but if we do our job well, we can get people healthier!

I didn’t have the stomach to become a doctor (or maybe the brains) but I do know that if we, Motionsoft, were to build a better club management software package that has all the bells and whistles that you expect, then in a way I can cure cancer. Things like (ready for my first list):

1. Staff Management
2. Facility Management
3. Prospect Management
4. CRM (This is item that should have its own blog!)
5. Membership Management
6. Check-In
7. Reporting
8. Scheduling
9. Billing
10. Collections
11. Member facing items (I will be blogging about this in the coming weeks)

There is obviously a lot more that gym owners need, want and expect, but I think this list represents the majority of items. Our goal at Motionsoft has always been to provide the best solution in the industry to meet these needs…and I think we have! We have some of the best brands in our industry using our software and solutions.

And here is the problem, what the industry needs, wants, and expects (and what we have historically delivered as software vendors) DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM! The problem is member retention. The problem is what we sell, what people buy does not help make them healthier (Example: Work out for 45 minutes and then I eat a Big Mac!)

So let me be the first to say it…RETENTION and RESULTS are one and the same! If you can help people get healthier, they will not stay members.

Part of this is your fault. You need to:

• Show the member how to use the gym
• Take the time to understand their goals
• Give them the knowledge to reach them
• Provide them with the motivation to make it happen

Most gyms don’t do this.

Part of this is our fault, the software and technology partners that you count on. We have no mechanism to help you help your members reach their goals. We don’t provide engaging systems (for you) and content (for your members) that allow you to reach outside your four walls. Let me repeat that. We don’t provide engaging systems (for you) and content (for your members) that allow you to reach outside your four walls.

Why? The answer is simple. Because we sell club management software and billing solutions. We give you tools to manage your front desk. We give you tools to get money. We give you solutions to collect your dues.

What we need to give you is member management solutions! Operating clubs is easy, managing people (whether employees or members) is the hard part. Its time the software and billing guys stop being vendors, and start being partners. We need to provide you with solutions to manage AND KEEP members.

Hey, in my last blog I got up on my pedestal last time and told you what you did wrong. I’m man enough to admit that we (Motionsoft, ABC Financial, ASF, CSI, FiServ, Checkfree, Twin Oaks, Club Ready, IGo! Get physical, EZ Facility) we are not giving you the right tools!

As GI Joe said, “knowing is half the battle”. In the next few blogs, I will opine on things we will do to solve this problem…