Credit card breaches have shaken consumer confidence, but health club operators can take several steps to ensure they won’t compromise their members’ data.

We have shared this post from Club Industry because it is especially relevant today and many gyms and fitness centers assume that their club management software will protect them.  There is so much more to protecting your member’s data, including keeping your club management system on a different network from your employee network (employees falling for a Phishing scam is the number one way hackers get access to your system).  Also, protecting your credit card devices, password systems, and physical contracts that contain member data should be high on your priority list.  If you haven’t reviewed these items with your internet and processing providers and your staff you should do so soon.

Source: Eight Ways Your Health Club Can Protect Your Members’ Credit Card Data

While there are various reasons for people quitting their jobs, truth is, when you pinpoint the causes, a large percentage point back to the manager (some estimate managers are responsible for up to 60 percent of all the reasons people quit). Gallup research has already proved that the immediate manager is your likely culprit.  Here are eight management mistakes that we see time and time again.

1. Not recognizing their employees’ unique strengths

2. Poor communication with the team

3. Not sharing information

4. Micromanaging

5. Failure to listen

6. Not making themselves available

7. They lead with their egos

8. They simply don’t give a rip about their people

 

Source: Why Do Employees Really Quit Their Jobs? Research Says It Comes Down to These Top 8 Reasons | Inc.com

Have an Agenda,

• Areas where the new hire needs additional training
• Cultural fit
• Gaps in knowledge
• Workload evaluation
• Skills fit
• The employee’s observations
• Things that need changing
• Things that are working well

Make Sure the Employee Has a Chance to Speak. Remind the New Employee About Policies. Say Thank You!

Read the article for more details about each item.

Source: The Right Way to Conduct a 90-Day Performance Review | Inc.com

Do you need to use Facebook ads more effectively? Discover 11 examples of results-oriented Facebook ads you can use as models for your own business.

Source: 11 Effective Ways to Use Facebook Ads

In this article, Startup Active’s Josh Elliot tells us just how crucial your online presence is and how to use your website to maximize your success, online.

1. Identify your goal and target audience. Ask yourself what you want from your website. Then, identify your target audience. make a list of keywords that they search for on Google, and plan the design and visuals of your website to suit that of your ideal customer.

2. It’s crucial to capture website visitors’ attention instantly. you need to make it clear who you are, what you do, and who you do it for.

3. A CTA (call-to-action) consists of an image or line of text that prompts your visitors to take a certain action.  CTAs are essential for higher converting websites. 90% of website visitors aren’t ready to purchase the first time they land on your page.

4. Optimizing your website for mobile should be high up on your list of priorities. Responsive web design ensures that no matter what device someone uses, your website delivers content in the most effective way.

Source: 4 Essentials for a Successful Fitness Website

iStock/Getty Images

Five Secrets for Steadier Workouts

The Wall Street Journal.May 20, 2017, Rachel Bachman

Here are some habits of those who exercise frequently that just might help your members:

1. They work out at the same time most days.

A study published in April in the British Journal of Health Psychology examined 181 people who exercised an average of 300 minutes a week—twice the federally recommended minimum.

Most of those people picked a regular time to work out and stuck with it.

2. They have a streamlined pre-exercise routine with visual cues.

In another study published in 2017 and led by Dr. Kaushal, new gym members were asked to create cues to prompt them to exercise. A cue might be running clothes, shoes and headphones laid out on a dresser. The plan is that when a runner wakes up, he sees the cues, dresses and dashes out the door.

3. They’re more flexible than infrequent exercisers about how long or vigorously they exercise. When you’re more flexible, you’re able to shift your position, your stance, do something less. It removes the psychological punishment of ‘Oh, I failed.’

4. They’re more likely to exercise for pleasure than for weight loss or other long-term health goals. People who chose an exercise for enjoyment completed an average of 29 reps, compared with 19 reps for those who chose the exercise they thought would help them with health goals.

Source: Five Secrets for Steadier Workouts

Businesses around the world are still dealing with the massive fallout from one of the biggest global “ransomware” attacks ever recorded.  Here is what you need to know about your vulnerability and what to do about it.

Source: What Small Businesses Need to Know About ‘Ransomware’

Replying to reviews is a vital part of your business’s review marketing strategy. Replying to positive reviews shows the customer that you care about their experiences with your business and that you appreciate them.

Replying to neutral reviews is a great idea, because it could be the little push the customer needed to give your business a second chance.

Most businesses already know that replying to negative reviews is crucial to mend your relationship with the customer or show anyone who reads the review that you care about making things right for unhappy customers.

And don’t forget that consumers expect you to reply to them.

Read this article from RevLocal to learn how to reply to positive, neutral, negative and fake reviews.

Yet health and wellness websites, like fruits and veggies, have freshness dates after which they’re not so tasty.

These fifteen tips (plus three bonus suggestions) keep your site’s content crisp and up to date:

http://www.radialgroup.com/wellnessmarketing/wellness-website-refresh/

Source: How to Negotiate the Best Office Lease for Your Startup | AllBusiness.com

And remember, rent will be the second largest expense after payroll. Here is a tip.  Take your monthly rent and divide by 20% or .20.  (Example: $10.000/.20=$50,000) This is the amount of monthly sales you will need to cover your rent and other operating expenses plus a profit.  We help clients with rent negotiations on a regular basis, so please don’t hesitate to call if you need help.