Not every blog I write is easy. Sometimes I write as an advocate of the industry and sometimes I write as an advocate for the members. As a software and billing vendor to the industry, I need to be careful. I don’t want to p**s you guys off. But I also want to see the industry grow. And that requires tough love. Fortunately I am terrified of all of you so as you read this week’s blog, please keep that in mind …I’m talking about everyone other then you!

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Every week, when we send out our FMG, we get stats on how many people open the email, how many click thru, etc. It’s reporting data. But we also get a few dozen email replies from people whose auto-response/Out of Office messages are on. They come into my personal inbox and normally I just delete them. But this week, one stopped me in my tracks. It was literally so eye opening that I read every single one of the auto-responses to see if any could top it. So, what did it say?

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Last week, I was at a friend’s house and I saw his cat aggressively avoid his cold hotpot. He told me a few weeks earlier he had jumped on it while it was on and now avoided it like the plague. And then I saw this…52% of consumers say the recession has “forever changed” the way they spend and save. But that’s down from 63% when the same survey was conducted a year ago.” In other words 11% of consumers haven’t learned a thing. WOW!

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I think on a list of top jobs I would be terrible at, matchmaker would be number one. I don’t recognize compatibility among other people. I’d probably set Ken up with Raggedy Ann even if Barbie were my best friend. Bert and Ernie? I’d pair Bert and Bullwinkle. I might make a peanut butter and mayo sandwich when there is a perfectly good jar of Smuckers’ in the fridge. But I do know what I’m looking for in a workout partner…

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There are literally thousands of businesses. Supermarkets, gas stations, office supplies, and Pier One Imports (I’m not even sure what they sell, it just looks crowded in there!) And here is the thing…our industry is one of the only ones that made it to TV. There are TV shows (Biggest Loser, and Heavy come to mind) dedicated to getting fit and healthy. In fact we have our own channel! Pier One can’t say that! Actually they may but since I don’t know what they do, I’ll just go with it.

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Have you ever watched a sporting event and there is that point when you just know the game is over. Well, last night I was watching a hockey game, and I saw it happen. My team, they played great, they played hard, but you just knew there wasn’t a chance. And I think the same thing happens with your members. It’s usually not as sudden, but there is a moment. And I think Motionsoft has come up with a way to help you identify the moment and perhaps doing something about it.

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The best Christmas present you probably received (that wasn’t a Snuggie) is all those people whose New Year’s resolution was to lose weight, get healthy, and go to the gym. And like clockwork, on Jan 2nd folks were ready to go. Unfortunately, by March, the only relationship you will have with a lot of these people is their names are in your database. So, while the question most members are asking themselves is “will this year be different?”, “will I follow through?” – we should be asking “how are we going to help make it different?

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I love analogies. They are a powerful way to make point, and they are easy to remember and not to mention funny! So below are a few lessons I think we should all remember going into the New Year… using some of my favorite analogies. I would love to hear your favorites and what they mean to you so comment away!

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On Sunday I found myself at McDonald’s for lunch. (“Found myself” as in got in my car and drove there). After a glance at the menu, I decided on the Big Mac value meal…Super sized! But then I noticed it – the $1 menu. Years of being marketed to had taught me the ease of ordering by numbered combo. But now this, low cost, high volume food…well, it got me thinking about the growth of low cost, high volume gyms (LCHV). Are they a better deal? And should traditional gyms be concerned?

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My new favorite blog is journalist David McRaney’s YouAreNotSoSmart.com (I prefer reading things that ridicule me, hence my subscriptions to Your Brother’s Better Looking Weekly and The You Snore Times). McRaney’s newest post is a great look at whether you can outsmart procrastination. With our launch of FillMyGym (basically anti-procrastination shopping) and the approach of the Annual New Years Resoution sweepstakes, it got me thinking about what we do to outsmart procrastination…

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