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A BRIEF DISCUSSION INTO THE IMPORTANCE OF

SALES AND MARKETING IN YOUR BUSINESS,
WITHOUT COMING ACROSS AS A SALES DRIVEN
BUSINESS YOUR SALES
STRATEGY IS
DYING
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Mags Govender
MD of GO Health Club Group
Experience in developing Sales, Marketing and
Operational strategies

Career History:
Qualified and practiced as a Jnr Architect
Salesperson / Club manager with Sharper Image
Partnership in gym group – Players Gyms – KZN
Salesperson / Manager – Health and Racquet group
Head of Sales – Virgin Active SA
Owner ladies only club – Ladyfit
Owner advertising agency – Creative Inc
Partner- Quickfire Kickboxing
Partner- Lighterbeing
Executive Roles-Telecoms and Recruitment
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AGENDA

• History of gyms
• Current fitness industry stats and reasons to choose
fitness as a business
• Market needs and wants
• History of gym sales and current challenges
• Current market trends and the impact on selling
• Adapting a sales and marketing strategy to match
• Summary
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The word 'gymnasium' originated from the

Greek word “gymnos,” which translates to
naked. Gyms at that time were usually a
place for the education of young men (it will

In the
be a while until we get to women in the
gym), which included physical education
along with educational pursuits along with
bathing. The ancient Greek's designed
these public gymnasiums for athletes to beginning…
train for open games such as the Olympics.
Fitness and care of body was part of the
overall philosophy of the ancient Greeks
along with education.
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The first commercial gym is typically
credited to French gymnast and
vaudeville-strongman Hippolyte Triat.
He opened his first club in Brussels
and then added a second in Paris in
the late 1840s.

Founded in 1844 in London England,

The YMCA would eventually lead the
The French
way for fitness for many men
Connection
At the end of the 19th century, another
gym was established by an
entrepreneurial strongman Eugene
Sandow.

In 1939, fitness legend Jack LaLanne

opened what is believed to be the first
U.S. health club in Oakland, Calif.
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The birth of Gold’s Gym in Venice, Calif. in
1965 signalled the beginning of the rise of a
new big-box concept for health and fitness
that could, and would be recreated to open
the doors to the masses.

Joe Gold followed his success with Gold’s

gym by founding the World Gym chain in
1977
Where there's
The adrenaline-and-big-hair-fueled 80s
Gold…
gave rise to an increasing number of gym
chains including 24 Hour Fitness (1983)
and LA Fitness (1984), as Jack LaLanne’s
European Health Spas topped more than
200, before licensing them to Bally
Company.
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The mega-chains continue to this day, but
as with many things, today’s consumers are
looking for a more personal and intimate
experience. Smaller owner run health clubs,
personal training, and mind-body studios
along with specialty exercise facilities that
cater to more of the personal touch have

There's space
began opening.

Today, women make up more than half of

the gym-going population. The success of
Jane Fonda’s exercise video drove many
for everyone
women through the doors of these clubs to
lift light weights and do aerobic dance
classes. The evolution of exercise resulting
in this proportion growing steadily.
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Fitness Dollars
162 million gym
members globally

200 000 gym $83 billion dollars

facilities globally revenue annually

Supplement Fitness apps Apparal and retail

industry and wearable
SA- 700 gym SA- R12 billion rands technology
facilities annually

SA-1,2 million gym

members
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20%
10%

SO ITS REALLY ABOUT

HOW MUCH OF THE PIE
30%
YOU WANT
40%
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THE FUTURE OF FITNESS
Based on current stats the future of the fitness industry looks assured. Are you ready to to
address the needs and want of the market

Market Need
01 Market Need
02 Market Need
03
As lifestyle diseases continue As millennials increasingly Innovation and creating an
to rise, the industry will play drive consumer spending, offering that is appealing to a
an increasingly important role providing services that appeal broad number of clients. The
in the health of global to their values will be crucial. range of services and
populations. Fitness But that doesn’t mean that facilities play a significant role
businesses that adapt to other generations should be in not only attracting
meet this challenge should neglected at their expense. members but keeping them
find security over the long- engaged in their personal
term. fitness goals.
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THE FUTURE OF FITNESS
Based on current stats the future of the fitness industry looks assured. Are you ready to to
address the needs and want of the market

Market Need
04 Market Need
05 Market Need
06
Clients are seeking high More clients are seeking data Trends show clients are
touch service offerings with and ability to offer them seeking holistic run facilities
authentic engagement. As metric measurements. Be it with multi dimensional
much as technology plays a through owned devices or offerings. Further to that
massive part in the new elementary tracking systems clients are also seeking out
generation of fitness clients are seeking feedback. specialized services and
personalized service is also a This in turn leads to products that improve specific
high demand competitive behaviour and needs.
community building
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The outlook of the health club industry is

bright and promising. As leading economies
continue to improve, the industry is
expected to thrive in the global Conclusion from
Statistics
marketplace, serving consumers with a
variety of health and fitness needs. Offering
access to fitness amenities, instructors,
trainers and coaches, club operators are
well-positioned to lead a healthier world
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The passion for helping people lead a

healthy lifestyle drives many gym owners
into the business. However, as with most
entrepreneurs, they realize that the day-to- For the love of
it
day issues they face require time, money,
and specialized business skills. Sales and
Marketing being a primary skill that is
desperately lacking.
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What keeps you up at night

87% off business’s have no specific objectives

in growth or revenue targets. Neither the
owners, shareholders, nor staff, have clear
targets of where and how to grow the
business.
Further to this they have no sales and
marketing strategy on how to achieve any
significant growth.
 Strategy
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Product / service
Solutions

Staff /Culture
Insurance

Education

Retention
Stuff youre
not good at

Vision / Mission
Mentoring
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Why sales matters?

How sales is changing?
How our buyers are changing?
How we should be approaching
sales for your business to create
the best possible outcomes for
your prospects?
Creating a sales and marketing
strategy and what elements
should be included in it.
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BUSINESS GROWTH

If you want your business and revenue to

grow, you have to focus on and build a well
crafted sales and marketing strategy.

Relevance of
Sales and MARC CUBAN

Marketing
Sales is the most important aspect of your
company, which in turn is about how well
you treat your customers and stay ahead of

Strategies
your customers requirements.

Its not just about bringing a new member

through the door, its about what you do after
that, what your relationship with them is like,
what their experience is like, how do you
keep them constantly delighted.
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Radio stations, journalists all report on and

mock the gym sales tactics and sign up
process. We are getting a bad reputation for
our health club practices of salesmanship. A bad rap….
People feel that they are being dupped,
conned, sold too…. And they are taking to
social media and other platforms to express
their sentiments.
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• High staff turnover

• No relationships being built
• Call centre agents deemed as pesky
• Prospects feel they are being harassed

The result….
at the shopping centres
• People hardly take flyers at robots
anymore
• Trend of people not answering their
phones from unknown numbers
• Facebook and other marketing is
becoming noisy and loud
• We don’t see the marketing anymore
• Tired of the marketing noise
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WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT…. NOT!!!!!!

+Second
+First +Third

They want sleeezy sales They want to feel like

people who are just after the
commission They want to be harassed with they’ve been sold to.
phone calls and messages
pressurizing them to buy
 ELEMENTS OF A STRONG SALES
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AND MARKETING STRATEGY

Marketing / PR Retention Effecient Staff Selection,Training

Processes and & Culture
Systems

Mission / Vision Partnerships Effective Raving Fans

Communication
Tools
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People are walking into a health club facility
to make perhaps one of the most important
decisions of their life – whether or not to
join a club and begin living the benefits of a
regular exercise program

In the new world of sales, you need to ask

the right questions, rather than the right
sales pitch. Its about how well you can WELCOME
MESSAGE
connect with your prospect.
Its about the identity of your business, and
making it purposeful.
Buyer expectations are changing. People
GOOGLE you first. They find out about you
before making contact. Its about your online
identity. You no longer make the first
impression in person. You make they first
impression online on social platforms.
What does that profile talk about you.
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What’s the identity of your business?

What are you known for, what's your reason
Famous for
for existence?
Being great at something is what leads to what…???
Raving Fans
 WHAT ARE YOU FAMOUS FOR?

RELATIONSHIPS FACILITY

RESULTS SERVICE /
EXPERIENCE

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Creating relevant efficient processes and

systems that allow you to maximize every
single prospect:

• 25 years ago we created a sales system

called CAPS.
• ALIVE is relevant because of the current
Process and
market
• Create Awareness through various Systems
tactics, generate warm Leads, Invite
them to view or try out the facilities, Add
Value to their lives, Let them Enjoy the
experience – Enrolments
• Through every step using tracking to
ensure we communicate effectively
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Partnerships

• Large base partnership / product

Howdy Partner
offerings
• Collaborative partnerships with big
brands
• Local business partnering
• Member partnering
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Marketing and PR

• Website, Social platforms

• SEO
•
•
Social and community projects, PR
Sales funnels A.I.D.A
• Signage
• Directions
• Print / OOH
• TV, Radio
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Communication strategies

• Messaging platforms (whattsapp)

• Email marketing
• Comms though social platforms
•
•
In app marketing
In club marketing Hello…
• Word of mouth
• Influencers
• Video
• GIFs
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Creating raving fans

• Surprise your clients

• Delight your clients
• Offer innovative products and services
•
•
Under promise and over deliver
Bring in value added services
You my first,
•
•
Offer more than what they pay for
Create experiences my last, my
everything..
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Staff culture

• Invest in training and development

• Reward and recognition
•
Your greatest
Let staff become raving fans
• Product knowledge is imperative
• Reward innovation and initiative
•
•
Challenge the norm
Don’t be your own worst enemy asset..
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If you want your business to grow, you have

to think about sales.
Sales is much bigger and more complex
than most people think.
Sell, then resell and continue reselling
Open up sales opportunities rather than
closing sales Summary
Sales does not stop after customers buy, its
an ongoing interaction.
Every person interacting with the business
is a sales person:
• Staff
• Suppliers
• Clients
• Prospects
• Ex Clients
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WANT MORE

[email protected]