Monthly Picture
Franchisee Roger Ortmayer from Cypress Texas Pulling a 50,000 lb. FIRE ENGINE at the Texas Strongman Competition in May 2007!
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THE NEW FACE OF ATHLETIC NATION ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
As many of you may have heard, Athletic Nation's website is being given a drastic facelift.
As the company has grown, so will our site. This is the reason for the new facelift.
The new site will:
-Create a very user-friendly interface
-Speak to our client and do so in a more professional manner
-Have more information, content, and better
explain our concept and brand
-Be expected to go live by the end of August
A Preview...
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Quick Links and Contact
Athletic Nation President:
Dennis Mulgannon
Email: dennism@athleticnation.com
Field Operations Manager:
Manny Peterson
Email:
mannyp@athleticnation.com
Admin/Bookkeeper:
Debby Sanchez
Email:
accounting@athleticnation.com
www.athleticnation.com
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The First Official Franchisee Newsletter!
As we end our second official franchisee training, we embark on an accelerated path to automating the development process of opening a new gym. Not only will the development process become a more subconscious effort through the tools in Store Opener (FranConnect) but our ability to keep everyone in the loop, including you as a franchisee and your clients, has become greatly simplified. With the help of Constant Contact and the Contact Manager tab in FranConnect, we will now have the ability to stay in touch with your clients and keep them up to date on events, new developments, and offer promotions/incentives when available. This is an exciting time in the growth of The Nation and the effect it will have on thousands of men as they pursue their fitness goals. Let's continue to get out there and spread the word!
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THE NEW FACE OF FITNESS IS GETTING OLDER
According to a recent publication from CNN.com, the face of fitness is in fact, getting older.
Dr. Walter Bortz, author of the books "Dare to be 100" and "Living
Longer for Dummies" is 77 years old, but he has run a marathon every
year for the last 35 years. "You're supposed to be a little bit tired," he said, but people should avoid "undue fatigue." "Obviously, pain is nature's signal, but you can't be a pantywaist about pain," said Bortz.
Better stretching, going a little slower and investing in new shoes are
just a few tips he offered, but he also encourages boomers not to give
up.
"Fitness for young people is an option, fitness for old people is an imperative," Bortz said. The government's National Institute on Aging says regular activity
can help seniors maintain their strength and be more indepen dent, have
more energy and better balance. Exercise can also help reduce
depression and fight diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and
cancer. It recommends that seniors focus on four types of exercise: Endurance: Seniors should try to get at least 30 minutes of activity that causes heavy breathing almost every day.Strength:
Lifting weights can help build muscle strength so you can get up from a
chair by yourself or pick up your grandchildren. You don't have to be a
bodybuilder though -- light weights or even using your own body weight
for resistance is enough for beginners.Balance: Standing on one foot, walking heel-to-toe and standing up without using your arms can help improve balance.Stretch:
Stretching exercises make muscles more flexible and help you move more
freely. Be sure to warm up before stretching and don't stretch so far
that it
hurts.
The bottom line is people can
benefit from exercise no matter how old they are, according to the
International Council on Active Aging. "In the fitness industry,
there's the old saying 'use it or lose it,' " Milner said. "But even if
you've lost it, you can still find it again, no matter how old you are."
Harrison Ford may be 65, but he still fits into Indiana Jones' trousers from 1981.
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SALES AND TALKING TO PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS:
All right, let's just throw it out there and say it like it is. A majority of us are going to have a difficult time in the beginning, "closing a sale." Selling isn't always easy for everyone! It is a skill you constantly need to develop and will continuously alter in order to "connect" with your potential lead. Whether you are having a phone conversation, a face to face discussion, or even a talking to a prospect via email, you will always need to find out as much information about your prospect as possible while at the same time inform them about what Athletic Nation is about. This is simply talking with our Brand in mind and speaking the Athletic Nation speak in your own words.
For a moment, let us throw out the term, "sales." The more you think of this as sales, the harder it will be. All you need to do is establish a relationship with your potential customer. Establishing relationships and meeting new people is something you do EVERY DAY! So why would this be any different? Yes you want something from them. No you don't want them to walk out the door without giving you their credit card number. But you can't think of it this way! People can sense when they are being sold.
Let me put you in the right frame of mind here. Think about something you were excited about (this should be easy because you should already be excited about Athletic Nation). But for example purposes think of something different. What about your first child? Or a new car you just bought? It can even be some great accomplishment you achieved. Think about how eager you were to tell a buddy about it. If it was a car, the first thing you would probably talk about is the awesome features the car has; the horsepower, the loud exhaust, the custom paint job. If it were some big accomplishment such as building your own home, you would probably talk (brag) about the hard work that goes into the planning, developing, and construction of the house. From there you would talk about the awesome feeling of accomplishment. Then the end results of finally having your hard work pay off. These are the personal interest stories that people connect with. These types of stories are going to make it easier for you to talk to a prospect because they help you relate to them.
When you're discussing the program, what it can do for people, and the Athletic Nation brand, just remember why you got involved with the company in the first place. What spoke to you and compelled you to contact us after you read the information we sent you? This should be your angle when talking about what The Nation can do for these new prospects.
Remember, none of this has anything to do with being a great sales person. It starts with knowing your product intimately, have un-doubted belief of the value you offer and not being afraid to tell anyone and everyone about it. Get out there and talk to people!
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