"All Aboard!" Series by EGYM - Josh Harwood of Fitness Connection

[00:00:00] Hey friends, this is your host Eric Malzone and I'd like to welcome you to a short

[00:00:06] series entitled All aboard how to conduct the perfect onboarding at your health club

[00:00:11] or gym. Brought to you by our good friends at EGIMP. In this series, health club operators

[00:00:16] share their insights into the importance of the onboarding process for their members

[00:00:20] and their bottom lines. Short form interviews with long-term impact. If you'll be at Earth

[00:00:26] of this year, please swing by the EGIM booth on the trade floor and experience technology

[00:00:30] for yourself. Learn more or subscribe at futureofitness.co or eGIMP.com. Thank you and enjoy the show.

[00:00:42] We are live. Josh Harwood, welcome to the future of fitness in the special series by EGIMP.

[00:00:47] Thank you for joining me today. Thanks a lot for having me here. Yeah yeah it's a lot of fun.

[00:00:51] This is the fourth installment of the series that work at the EGIMP called All aboard how to

[00:00:57] conduct the perfect onboarding at your health club or gym and obviously there's a little train

[00:01:02] pun if you haven't figured that out in there somewhere. But you are with fitness connection,

[00:01:07] right? I was doing a little bit of research looking over the website. Big chain. I mean you guys

[00:01:11] have a lot of locations so let's start with this. Just to give everyone up to date on

[00:01:16] and who you are and what you do Josh just tell us a little bit about fitness connection your history.

[00:01:20] I know you've been in this tree for what 30 something years now. We've been a minute so give us

[00:01:25] a quick intro. Yeah 30 years. I love training athletes. Did that as part of my journey as well

[00:01:36] to consulting and then I had the blessed to have a variety of partners that we came together with

[00:01:43] this vision of recruiting some private equity into the space as it goes to in franchisee and

[00:01:50] three equity groups later and coming out of the Golds Shroom brand into our own brands migrating

[00:01:58] from a mid-priced point with the Golds Shroom brand to be in I think at the beginning or

[00:02:05] the HVLP with fitness connection that's been my journey. Yeah so exactly the answer question.

[00:02:12] Yeah yeah absolutely and tell us about fitness connection. How many locations are there now?

[00:02:17] And maybe for people who aren't super familiar with the term HVLP but you can give us some insights

[00:02:22] and how it fits in that category too. Okay so fitness connection so we are the best gym

[00:02:27] you know that you've ever seen so if you're not in one of our areas like North Carolina,

[00:02:32] yeah Atlanta, Georgia, all over Texas and Nevada you may consider moving closer. Yeah so

[00:02:37] that way you can use one of our clubs. We'd love to have you. So low for high value you know lower

[00:02:43] prices what are low prices is what we would say as far as like defining that. So our facilities well

[00:02:49] first of all you have 47 facilities I think is what we're up to now we're just you know finishing

[00:02:54] up and opening up a couple in Atlanta, Georgia depending upon when you listen to this

[00:02:59] as far as at the end of Q1 of 24 we our facilities are 50 to 70,000 square feet you know full of

[00:03:08] humidity so we've got you know what's all in now it's our strength I mean we've got strength

[00:03:12] on top of strength all the platforms you know that people are wanting these days and freeways and

[00:03:17] dumbbells and alike. Turf functional areas we you do have multiple you know compactor size rooms

[00:03:23] in our in our facilities kids club you know lockers you know some clubs have pools some have basketball

[00:03:30] so that's a little bit about you know us as far as what we offer as far as yeah how it's an amazing

[00:03:36] value part of that is it's it's a lower price right so like you know many folks out there it's

[00:03:42] you know $10 you know for a basic membership and that can escalate all the way up you know the

[00:03:47] 2399 for you know more amenities and services so yeah a little bit about who we are. Yeah it sounds

[00:03:55] like an amazing value it really does and then once you walk in one of our facilities like you're saying

[00:04:02] that would even more emotion Eric you're like oh my gosh how all this for that so yes so come on

[00:04:07] down. Yeah check this out. Awesome man so you know the topic of the series is on boarding

[00:04:14] and I was telling you as we were warming out for this interview we decided to go you know an

[00:04:18] inch wide in the mild deep with this topic right and really talk about how critical it is so

[00:04:23] you know in your experience through all the years here in the industry Josh like why is on

[00:04:29] boarding so critical and you know not just specifically for the revenues of the gym but maybe

[00:04:34] the client experience and then helping get their goals. I think actually both of these things you

[00:04:40] point out are linked I think in our industry I think there's been two primary goals for doing

[00:04:49] the onboarding or at least attempting to do it you know one is going to be more short term

[00:04:54] which unfortunately I think is really grabbed historically more of the effort and so the short

[00:05:01] term it's been hey let me get this person engaged and try to sell them something along the way you

[00:05:05] know whether whatever's you know upgrading a membership or PT or supplements or whatever have you

[00:05:13] then there's the longer view which you know affects you really the higher percent of our revenue

[00:05:18] which is getting the person engaged so they come and get into a habit you know so they're with you

[00:05:24] longer right so that's that retention is impacting your monthly dues which again is going to be

[00:05:28] whatever 70% or more of your of your revenue so so I think that's been traditionally you know

[00:05:35] the two ways you know folks have kind of looked at it looked at it so when we pause right there

[00:05:41] is that yeah answer your questioner yeah yeah I think so and uh you know that kind of actually leads

[00:05:45] into the next one because I when you look at the industry you know where have we maybe

[00:05:51] stumbled a little when it comes to onboarding over the past few decades like uh where do you

[00:05:56] think the room for improvement is I think it's probably recent theories so first of all I'll go back

[00:06:02] to that tension that we just talked about you know the short term you know the short term

[00:06:07] long term I think it's traditionally historically it's been more focused on the short term you

[00:06:13] know I want to I want to meet with that person you know to introduce them to services you know

[00:06:19] that they may you know that they make buy for me and so I think uh that has with it right the

[00:06:24] temptation to short circuit or focus what you're doing on that onboarding session yeah towards sales

[00:06:30] as opposed towards let's say engaging right so like I mean just give them just enough you know

[00:06:36] to to want to buy from me but I'm not going to really give them let's say enough you know to

[00:06:41] really let's say use the product a bit more for fear that they wouldn't buy something right so

[00:06:47] guys so personal training being a real example there I think the other place where there's been

[00:06:52] uh opportunity it's oftentimes we're thinking in terms or half thought in terms of one customer

[00:06:58] because if I'm just thinking of one customer then I've got kind of one one product and one process

[00:07:06] behind that product that I have to execute okay as opposed to I think there's different ways to look

[00:07:12] in it you know look at this one maybe on experience like if you're pivoting around experience you may

[00:07:17] have you know I've often thought of it as a committed customer right so that's the person that is

[00:07:23] you just they're not living without fitness right and you know if you're not open 24 hours you know

[00:07:28] when you do open they're waiting for you to open the door right so that's the committed

[00:07:32] the casual customer I may be somebody that yeah has a membership for a long time but just kind of

[00:07:37] comes in and out you know or they just switch to brands and then the curious customer

[00:07:42] is I like to call which is the new customer so they first time into into fitness or it's the

[00:07:48] first time back in years so those three customers like what they want you know perhaps and then

[00:07:55] in an onboarding session can be can be very different so just on the customer profile look

[00:08:01] they're going back in that I think should pivot think when you go below that then

[00:08:06] you can look at like what do they want like what's the content each one of them wants

[00:08:11] you know what's the the channel that they want to consume it do they are they familiar technology

[00:08:17] and is that really easy for them and they want to have it through that or do they really want to

[00:08:21] meet with somebody you got say and is that in a group or is that what I want uh and then I think

[00:08:28] when they want it yeah when yeah when do I like being able to hit that when they when they want

[00:08:33] or maybe I think a lot of us always assume that you want it right when you get you know where

[00:08:38] when you get started and that may be the case yeah but how you go about scheduling that you know

[00:08:42] when you do that or when they may feel they need it can you also capture that you know opportunity

[00:08:48] uh and then I think finally thinking about your brand and what is your style of whatever

[00:08:56] you're going to deliver right like my style is the neat recipe is probably going to be different

[00:09:01] you know then let's say a higher end like a you know lifetime equinox or or even a boutique right

[00:09:06] uh so those are some of the things that I don't think uh many of us in outpub industry have

[00:09:13] really contemplated and to be able to give you know something that's really going to hit the

[00:09:19] mark you know for more of our customers yeah it's it's a really interesting point I love how

[00:09:23] you differentiate the type of users because it is obviously knowing you know for lack of a term

[00:09:29] the avatar of who you're talking to but I feel like very not too many staff members are educated on

[00:09:36] the differences between each type of person right they just kind of I mean they may know it instinctually

[00:09:41] but they haven't really been guided with like I said okay you get the committed person come in your

[00:09:45] door this is how you identify and this is how they're they should be treated differently than

[00:09:49] someone who's the casual right is that something that you guys are looking at as far as like how

[00:09:55] how during the process of them you know the sale and onboarding are you looking at ways to differentiate

[00:10:01] them then kind of individualize that journey I mean customize right or the big bus bus words we

[00:10:06] have this year like how do you guys approach that uh I think we could do better I think that

[00:10:13] the way our industry has been evolving like the mobile app right is the hub of I think communicating

[00:10:21] you know with your or having that relationship with your member and so I think as people are whether

[00:10:27] they're joining you know through the app or if it's an inculbing experience and then you have

[00:10:32] staff that's you know concierge in them around and go into your sales process you're still going to

[00:10:36] end and helping them to download the app you know to get started and that right there right as those

[00:10:41] words are coming out my mouth for somebody that has that kind of journey especially if they don't

[00:10:45] know technology then you have that right there it's beginning the onboard process right but I think

[00:10:50] then the app becomes this uh this this hub of being able to start you know up more of a customized

[00:10:57] you know more of a customized uh the journey for that person with respect to the onboarding yeah

[00:11:03] yeah what do you think about that or what else have you heard around that around that talk yeah

[00:11:07] I think it's uh I think it's a really good way to start and you know I kind of reflect on my

[00:11:12] experience of joining the gym that I go to here in my fish Montana and like I I don't even know

[00:11:16] there was an app until like three years in right and I'm like you know I was like hey do I how do I

[00:11:23] book a cloud like oh download the app I'm like is that app that's great you know so I think there's

[00:11:29] always ways like even the most basic quality of things I think we off and over look that people

[00:11:34] just don't know they're there and as a you know as a former like boutique geomoner you know it was

[00:11:39] even then like a lot of people there was so much uh high touch right and getting them into the

[00:11:46] community but we only had you know two hundred members versus God knows how many you have at each

[00:11:50] location but you know it's it's different I think just even just getting that little bit I think

[00:11:54] we can overlook something as simple as just getting them onboard into app and even taking their phone

[00:11:58] and showing them like hey here's refine it here's those little things saying those are those are

[00:12:02] really critical and you know I want to touch on technology too so obviously you know you guys

[00:12:07] have adopted e-gym technology but when you look at like engagement of your your members

[00:12:13] is there any particular technologies and we can touch on e-gym of course if you want but

[00:12:18] that you found to be more valuable or things that you would you've been surprised at when when

[00:12:23] initiating within your your clubs they could surprise that I'm not going to say something to do it

[00:12:29] away I'm surprised that is the use of everyone's uh personal devices you know uh to video and take

[00:12:35] pictures of themselves crazy right and exercise is like so that's definitely been surprising like

[00:12:40] I'm gonna maybe turn a little bit on your question sure what I think about it it's going to go

[00:12:47] down the technology where I'm gonna do two paths so I think you directly like with e-gym uh

[00:12:53] I do think in terms of you like the device you know the the uh the equipment I was gonna call

[00:12:59] it selectorize but you know it's a little bit hard to even call it selectorize equipment that

[00:13:03] you guys have right like that you know that could serve at least a couple of those you know

[00:13:08] those consumers or really well I mean if you're onboarding somebody you know through the app

[00:13:12] that is they let's say not just through the app but uh that's a curious question right where

[00:13:17] intimidation can be a big deal uh which is like not knowing what to do like motivate like

[00:13:22] lack of motivation I mean just need that I mean it takes a lot to get in the door but now you really

[00:13:26] gotta carry them on and I'm forward right they they need uh yeah potentially you know both of those

[00:13:31] things uh you know setting them up like on the circuit of your equipment you could be really

[00:13:37] you know it could be really knock down the intimidation right if I know what I you know

[00:13:41] know what I need to do when I get in and somebody's taking me through that right they just didn't

[00:13:44] set me up and you know kind of set and forget it's like the thing but they really oriented me to

[00:13:48] it taking me through several workouts and they're using even the app and using the equipment you

[00:13:52] that helped me understand like how this thing is you know learning what I'm doing and uh being able

[00:13:58] to challenge me and how I can use that to get to good workout that I'm looking for the results I'm

[00:14:02] looking for uh like that that works for that customer that could also work quite frankly for like a

[00:14:07] committed customer or somebody that has to be committed let's say it's coming off a rehab right

[00:14:11] and yeah being able to work with the eccentric movements and that type of but kind of geeked out

[00:14:17] that like a that a committed person maybe or that like a like I was saying somebody may be coming

[00:14:22] into rehab they need to be right so so that's one line of the question when I think about hey

[00:14:27] eGM and in particular you know uh technology and how that could work with onboarding the other one

[00:14:32] where I'll kind of pivot a little bit it is like draw out to other other other industries and I think

[00:14:37] I think Home Depot either has an interesting interesting parallels right even though they're not

[00:14:43] like a subscription service but they do have this like for a lot of people there's a level of

[00:14:48] intimidation like when it comes to home improvement and and we even walk into one of the stores right

[00:14:53] and so what do they do they have you've got a varying degrees of I think meeting some of these

[00:14:58] customer groups like they do those like there's like in person but kind of weekend they'll do like

[00:15:02] an in person like hey how do you how do you do this you know uh type of seminar uh not

[00:15:08] to seminar but you should hands on right and even do them for the kids right so if I could get my

[00:15:12] kids in here so that should sound like plant fitness right with the way they do their you know

[00:15:15] their their their impressions for those are for their high school kids yeah so if I could get

[00:15:20] you in here touching it feeling it and kind of teach you how to do it that knocks down some of

[00:15:23] that intimidation yeah I grab videos out there how two videos that I can link you out to now if I'm

[00:15:28] more committed you know they do a great job with their mobile app right like I I can go into

[00:15:34] their mobile app and even the casual it's this is probably a little more the casual I can go in

[00:15:38] their mobile app for the store that I'm in and I can you know give me a map right of where I need to

[00:15:43] go to find whatever product I'm looking for right I can still go by the desk if I'm more of a

[00:15:48] you know curious customer yeah or I could go by the eye on there maybe an eye agent there

[00:15:55] you know but I also like I can also get to it through the app I can even barcode scan what I know

[00:16:00] I need and and find it and get the price right so I think you know being able to help interact with

[00:16:06] the product you know in such a way that's gonna be good experience and facilitate me coming back

[00:16:11] like there's some lessons in there that I think we can pull yeah from the health come industry yeah

[00:16:16] what do you what do you think about some of what are saying that yeah I think it's great I think

[00:16:19] it's a really good analogy man never really thought of home depot in a way of like you know it is

[00:16:24] it is a bit like and I'm not handy Josh it's embarrassing sometimes like yeah you know so I go

[00:16:31] like there and I always ask you know somebody and they're always super gracious and they help me

[00:16:35] with it and it's I kind of almost need that and you know what I'm curious to you to get your

[00:16:40] thoughts on that it's a great parallel like that helps you yes I'm the other one like I do I do a

[00:16:45] lot of home improvement so for me for the app like being able to know where I'm going and barcode

[00:16:49] something so I can assume two different customers vastly different you know but are kind of like

[00:16:56] parallel onboarding experience like to be able to get what I want have a good experience

[00:17:00] like they're hitting it you know for two-poor you pull where ends of that sorry yeah you got it

[00:17:05] no no it's good I guess you could call me DIY curious right that I was like yeah exactly

[00:17:10] well kind of a last tie and this is you know not really on the script but you know we've seen

[00:17:14] such a boom in strength training and you're alluding to like how much strength you guys have

[00:17:19] available at your gyms but I think you know as it is both of us been in the industry for a minute

[00:17:24] like strength takes a little bit more of course e-gym equipment is very easy to use very safe

[00:17:29] very simple right but when people are getting into like you know the actual platforms barbells

[00:17:34] dumbbells like that takes a little bit of experience and training to do that correctly and effectively

[00:17:39] right so when you look at like onboarding specifically for strength where do you think we have

[00:17:44] opportunities as an industry to I guess like do we educate right do we upgrade our equipment to

[00:17:51] something like e-gym where it's safe like where do you see those opportunities now with this boom

[00:17:55] of strength I think it's I think it's both the things that you were saying you and it's initially

[00:18:02] just think you're question my head was going to again a little bit two things I said earlier

[00:18:10] one the home depot right like I if I'm wanting to explore try to understand how to do something

[00:18:15] you know because that's very tactile the strength right like it's not you could watch a video and do

[00:18:20] it but like if you've never done it before like trying to do an Olympic movement or something

[00:18:24] like that for the first time you know you watch a bunch of videos not only is it not advisable

[00:18:28] you know but I it's still pretty intimidating to try to pull something like that off right even if

[00:18:33] you are a casual user so like the home depot example where okay look I've got these workshops where

[00:18:38] you can be hands on right so being and you get scale on that as an operator right it's one person

[00:18:44] like one trainer and if they're holding these workshops you know that is a great opportunity right

[00:18:49] you're going to be able to sell training but you're also going to be able to hopefully make somebody

[00:18:53] more of a raving fan even if they don't do the training because you're going to enable them to go

[00:18:56] to the next level to be engaged at the next level which means they're going to carry their fitness

[00:19:00] journey on right I think about that other item I mentioned about in the app right where I was

[00:19:07] talking about when you're available to or your availability to the customer has to be timely so

[00:19:15] in this example here if I'm a casual customer and I'm curious about being you know more involved with

[00:19:20] the strength equipment free weights how is it that I can make myself available to you as a brand

[00:19:27] so that you can raise your hand right so that like so like whether that's in the app like hey look

[00:19:32] at geolocating I know that somebody's near the free weight section on the floor here and some pops up

[00:19:37] hey we can always help just let us know and we'll have somebody write out to you you know to to make

[00:19:41] you know maybe an extreme example so I think whatever that may look like like I think that's

[00:19:45] the challenge is like how can you be how can you sense that that somebody needs the assistance

[00:19:50] and then meet them where they meet them where they aren't how they are how they want to be I think on

[00:19:54] the on the on your e-gim equipment I think the idea of like equipping the facilities for what the

[00:20:02] customers are interested in is right that I mean yeah that's like product design you know type

[00:20:09] thing I think your product like mentioned before could serve that it doesn't necessarily have the

[00:20:16] it's not inherently for the committed because I think the committed are looking for not a machine

[00:20:22] right but that's where you know it's almost becomes some challenges because like you start

[00:20:27] getting until like doing eccentric movements and those types of things right you know or even

[00:20:32] when you're really being challenged throughout your whole range of motion as the computer can do

[00:20:36] I mean helping to introduce somebody that is committed to like a new way of commit right because

[00:20:40] clearly you know a lot of maybe again interested in technology or comfortable with technology with

[00:20:47] the apps and the videos and pictures are taking them themselves so some of that translate some

[00:20:51] of it like the passion of committed and accountable with technology can end itself and like in

[00:20:57] in your equipment so so I think equipping with stuff like that that's going to challenge people

[00:21:01] probably doing it told them the water to see what that looks like and see how people grab onto that

[00:21:05] and grab it they do it you know I think yeah I mean that's part of having a good product that

[00:21:10] you know it's going to extract customers yeah right on it really that was really uh that was

[00:21:13] really really solid answer and really uh interesting to see where the industry goes with with that in

[00:21:17] particular but told you a little bit longer than that because I appreciate you going over Josh uh

[00:21:22] as we as I talk to my friends my fault not yours no no no no it's been great if if people want to

[00:21:30] I guess learn more about you are getting contact with you obviously you know the fitness

[00:21:34] connection website but give us a few places where people can go online if they want to do that

[00:21:38] probably the easiest one so look me up on LinkedIn you know I hit me up with a request and

[00:21:43] and out the funny you know get around to it and yeah we look forward to connecting with you

[00:21:47] always looking forward to learning from other people and their experiences and so uh

[00:21:51] I yeah we'd love to make you know new friends and new connections just like I did today Eric

[00:21:56] yeah right on well thank you so much ladies and gentlemen Josh Harwood thank you

[00:22:01] hey wait don't leave yet this was your host Eric Malzone and I hope you enjoyed this episode of

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