By: Shannon Cook         Fitness Marketer

               I get all kinds of postcards in the mail about a wide range of subjects from dentist to medicines to gyms, and I always see the picture on the front and throw them away. So when I decided to do my postcards I decided to make them look like there something very important. I had the unfortunate luxury one time of getting a past due notice from the power company, and that red postcard stuck with me when I was trying to figure out how to get my postcards read.

What would you do if you found a past due notice in your mail box, the first thing you do is put it in the “read” stack. Then you open it to find that it’s not a real past due notice for a utility company, but a past due notice on extending your life. With a headline and body copy that keeps them as interested as watching Barack Obama figure out what to say without a teleprompter, or watching George Bush dodge a shoe like a cat being hit with water from a hose.

So, now with the bipartisan politics out of the way, here’s how you go about this scratch and sniff marketing project.

 I start with a red post card stock that tears into 4 postcards. I print ½ the page with my copy on one side and the same copy n the other ½ of the page, this way I can fold the ½ together and tape it so they will have to open it to look inside and the post office only charges me for the small postcard rate.

            Then on one side of the back I use a stamped font that you can download off the net, and I write “Past Due,” to look like a past due power bill, so they will be worried enough to open it and read it, but you must keep the curiosity going inside from the past due that got them to open it to start with. For my mailing list I use Info USA, online, where you can select certain demographics and areas around your facility. I recommend not going more than 3 miles from you facility with any mailing list.         

            For a note: I never use any postcards with a picture on it like a bodybuilder or really fit person, or even a piece of exercise equipment, if you must use a picture make it a unique one and one that directly goes with your message.

            Shannon Cook is the owner on Temple Gym in Northport, Alabama and a fitness marketing consultant, you can view my blog at www.fitnessmarketing.TV or contact Shannon at fitnessmarketing@comcast.net with questions

 I like to be different, so instead of getting tattoos to stand out, i use things that will be memorable, and when it comes to business cards i want people to keep and share my cards with others

whats the best wat to do that, being funny  

Being a part time comedian, I love making people laugh, so I decided to give prospects something that is out of the ordinary when it comes to business cards.

Here’s the card I made, its two sided, so they see the fat guy and his BEFORE picture, then the AFTER picture on the other side, but either way they read it they laugh

I wrote this out in about an hour and sent it to my printer and had 250 cards made

Every time I hand them out, I get a laugh and have many people come back to me and ask for more to give to their friends, which is the whole point anyway, isn’t it?

What can you come up with that will make a prospect want to keep your card and show it to others?

My wife tells me some of the fitness marketing copywriting ads I come up with may be offensive to someone, but it always the people that aren’t gonna use my gym anyway, so who cares.

One banner I put up said, “being dead 24 hours a day, or exercising 30 minutes a day, which fits your schedule better?”

Another banner I put up was, “Fat and Ugly? Just want to be ugly? Then visit www.templegym.tv for the fat loss, and the plastic surgeon for the other?

I had people sending me emails all the time and stopping me and telling me how much they loved the banners, and not one complaint.

Want me to write funny stuff for your ads or cards and even radio and tv commercials?

Shannon cook-  fitness, gym, and tanning salon marketing consultant

Shannon can be reached at fitnessmarketing@comcast.net

 To do this ask yourself and/or your current members, if your an already established gym, ask  these questions below, to get a picture of what type person you need to target for your marketing instead of just mailing to every address around and hope you get some response. 

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

• where do they live, how far from your gym
• do they live in an apartment, condo, or house
• where do they work
• where do they shop
• what kind of vehicles do they drive
• how old are they
• ratio of male to female members
• what is there income
• married or single

The reason i have you ask these questions is because when you go to buy a mailing list to do your mailouts to for postcards,salesletters, ect…, you will be able to choose from all those topics above if you use the right list broker.

for instance, I use INFO USA to purchase from because they allow me to query my chosen area by basically drawing a circle around my place of business.

 3 miles around my gym is the size of area i like because most research shows that of your members will be from up to this distance from your gym. 

In that circle i start to select from, income, married and single, education, health, number of vehicles, ect…

Everytime i query something else in that circle, the number of households goes down from the total i started with, and finally at the end of my selections, it gives me a total of qualified prospects they have mailing addresses for.

You get to see on a map, like google earth, that you can get an accurate picture of where you are choosing from.

 I then get a price from the list builder per address.

What I love about INFO USA is that they dont make you pay a per month subscription, although you can, or make you buy a multi use list, meaning you can only use the mailing list one time and if you want to mail multiple times to those addresses, you have to pay for each time you mail.

If you’re thinking you can buy the list for one use and just use it for multiples anyway, you cant.

The list brokers have what they call seed mailings in each batch they sell you, and the seed people know how many mailings their suppose to get.

If they get more mailings than you paid for, they tell the list broker and you get sued, and believe me, it does happen, the list broker will sue.

INFO USA is the best to buy from in my opinon and dealings.

You can find them at www.infousa.com

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

Automated lighting switches for your gym lighting can save you a great deal on your power bill, but there are some specifics you must know before just buying and hooking them to your lighting.

First of all, you can get the switches at your local professional electrical supply company, and while there, tell them your situation and get their advice on what switch will be best for your room size and lighting type.

Learn every deatil of how to open a 24 hour fitness center gym at www.how2ownagym.com

The motion switches will turn the lights on when it detects motion and off at about 5 minutes for most, but you can get some that stay on for up to 60 minutes.

Motion switches for florescent lighting is more expensive than regular motion switches because florescent lights take more juice to start than just a regular light bulb.

The reason i dont use motion switches in the big areas of my gym is because the eye on the switch only covers an area of up to 180 degrees and if someone is out of that range, say on a treadmill in the corner for an hour, then the switch would cut the lights off while they were still on the treadmill and they would have to walk back in front of the switch to reactivate the lights.

The motion switch prices range from $12 to over $120 according to what kind of lighting you need it for.

If you have traditional lighting you can use the cheaper kind of switches.

One motion switch should run up to 18 lights without overheating, but there are many different kinds of switches and the cheaper the switch, the less amount of lights it will carry.

Also check with the electrical supply about what size electrical breaker you’ll need for the switch and amount of lights you’ll be running with each switch.

Learn every deatil of how to open a 24 hour fitness center gym at www.how2ownagym.com

email Shannon at: fitnessmarketing@comcast.net

If you want to have a second option for security cameras for your gym, here’s one that allows you to be able to watch whats going on in your gym over any internet connection, through your internet connection, and even on a cell phone with a downloadable app.

The cameras have to have an electrical connection and an internet connection, they have their own IP address, so they dont use your computers IP address.

Learn every deatil of how to open a 24 hour fitness center gym at www.how2ownagym.com

I hava google android cell phone, and there are a few apps that are very cheap to buy, I think I paid $3.99 for mine, that you download from the app store, the iphone has apps also.

 Then the app, once started ask you for info like the ip address,  admin, and password, that’s on the camera.

Then you can view that camera on your phone or computer. I’m sure you’ve seen some websites that say, “see live view”, like most beach front hotels have now.

One concern I do have with a web cam is that someone can hack into the system and view your webcam in order to rob your business. You would’nt want to do like hotels and let anyone have the access info, you only want it for your use for security.

You can buy these cameras anywhere they sell security equipment, just search for “Wireless IP Cameras” or “Remote IP Cameras”.

Here’s a link to a camera on ebay with all the info.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Waterproof-Outdoor-24-LED-Wireless-IP-Wi-Fi-IR-Camera_W0QQitemZ320488874270QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9ea0211e

feel free to comment and link back to my post, if you have questions, simply email me shannon at    fitnessmarketing@comcast.net

 To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

and for consulting work i can do for, email me and put gym consulting in the subject line and tell me what your looking to get done, from copywriting ads, to advice on building the gym itsself, according to what you want done we can negotiate on price.

access syetm, about How to open a 24 hour fully

 automated gym or convert an existing gym into a 24 hour

gym using the firebug software system including the door

 access system, gym software, and security cameras system

all in one.

If you own a gym or are thinking of starting a gym from scratch, here’s an interview you must listen to.

This system that personally use daily in my gym is the one i also write about in my book “How to start a 24 hour gym from scratch”, to get that book go to www.how2ownagym.com

I own this system in my own gym, and with it i saved thousands of dollars on the gym software alone.

Roger Rabbi is the founder of Firebug Software System, a door access, gym software, and security camera system all in one.

Even if you aren’t planning on opening a 24 hour gym, you can use this system for the gym software alone and every gym needs a security camera system.

I wouldn’t dream of opening another gym without an automated system, I try to automate everything from my email system to the lighting in my gym, because i got tired of having to cover for employees not showing up or being sick, now i just have one person working at my gym for 6 hours a day to clean the gym and sign up new members.

I used to have 4 employees and now only have one, saving me over $3,000 a month in labor alone.

My gym membership tripled in only 3 months with the combination of the 24 hour system and the marketing i teach that i actually do in my own gym.

There are two options to get this must listen to interview, you can go to ITUNES and go to podcast and search the term “fitnessmarketing.tv”, and subscribe to the feed, or you can go to this link to listen to the interview on your computer or download it http://shannon902.libsyn.com/ 

please rate the podcast if you like it.

be sure to sign up on the email subscribe form on this site to get every update about new audio, videos, and articles

Shannon Cook is a fitness marketing consultant and gym building consultant, You can reach me at fitnessmarketing@comcast.net

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com 

Learn from Shannon C. Cook, a current gym owner, general contractor, commercial building landlord, and Fitness Marketing Expert, how to go from your IDEA to the Grand Opening of your Fitness Center.

Also, how to convert an existing gym into a 24 hour fitness center by installing a 24 hour automated door access system, 911 system, and security cameras, and if that’s not enough, the gym door access system comes with a gym and fitness center management software system

 I’m so positive you will know everything about how to start a gym form scratch after reading this book, that i’m giving you 182.5 days, that’s 6 months to try it, and if you dont like it, return it for a full refund

Why listen to me?

Because I did everything wrong before I did anything right, but fortunately I stuck with it and found some very successful businessmen to guide me, and innovated by turning my gym into a 24 hour fully automated gym, then spent over $15,000 to learn marketing the old fashioned way.

 Here’s what you’ll learn:

HOW TO:

• Research and Decide what kind of gym you want to open, from a 24 hour automated fitness center like the very popular 24 hour fitness and snap fitness, to a womens only gym     
• Incorporating or LLC?
• Partnerships 
• Franchise
• Buy an Existing Club
• Business Plan and Executive Summary
•  Writing the Plan  
•  Funding your Start up                                            
•  Accounting for every dollar, for success             
•  Naming your Gym   
•  Becoming a Spy                                                     
•  Location, Location, Location   
•  Electrical
•  Lighting 
•  Air Conditioner and Heat Electrical needs           
• Cable or Satellite hook up                                     
• Phone service                                                         
• Negotiating the Lease                                             
• Choosing signage for Marketing your Gym          
• Painting the interior of your gym                           
• Insurance
• Plans Drawn up for the building                            
• The Build out                                                           
• Getting the Permit for the Build out                       
• Mirrors
• Gym Equipment                                                      
• Parts for gym equipment                                        
• Flooring
• Pro Shop Vendors                                                    
• Office Equipment                                                      
• Security System                                                        
• Automated Door Access System                            
• Gym Management Software                                      
• Energy Efficiency in your building                          
• Motion Switches for Lighting                                   
• Ceiling Fans                                                               
• Sound Systems and Cardio Theaters                     
• Electronic Funds Transfer, (EFT) Bank Draft           
• Accepting Credit Cards                                             
• Childcare   
• Waivers
• Hiring Employees                                                      
• Hiring Personal Trainers                                           
• WIFI for members to use                                          
• Lockers for your locker room                                  
• Press Release Writing                                               
• Marketing Checklist                                                  
• Email Marketing                                                          
• Website for your gym                                                
• Google Adwords                                                        
• The Grand Opening                                                   
• Mailing List Companies                                             
• Social Networking 

If you want to know all the wrong things I did, here they are some.

• When I opened I picked the wrong location
•  used the wrong subcontractors
•  bought exercise equipment from the wrong people and also bought the wrong equipment
•  finished my concrete floor with too little sealer
•  painted some rooms the wrong colors for the right psychological effect (which you’ll learn)    
• Made the tanning bed rooms too small
• Offered childcare when I wasn’t set up for it correctly
• Hired the wrong employees
• Hired the wrong personal trainers
• Installed the wrong size air conditioner
• Signed contracts for phone lines that I could have negotiated for a lot less
• Used the wrong lighting
• Got sued for $190,000 because of a contract that really didn’t exist (here’s where I made the biggest mistake in believing lady justice is blind, really justice has one eye open, and she’s looking for $$$ not justice), so learn what not to do.

I then turned my business around completely and figured out on my own what no one else would tell me, and I don’t blame them, after all, they learned the way I did.

 182.5 Day/6 month Unlimited Guarantee!!!

Anyone who has a dream of opening a business, and won’t invest in researching the in’s and out’s before going into it, doesn’t deserve to be in business, and probably won’t be for long anyway!!!

Over 175 pages, Instantly downloadable ebook now for only $39.99

 gym employee access control

 Kwikset 907 L03 CP Security Power bolt Electronic Deadbolt, Polished Brass, holds 2 sets of codes, one for you and one for temporary employees in case you want to change it often.

 This is the one I have, I got it for $75 on amazon.com

I got tired of my employees forgetting their keys and asking me where a spare was when I wasn’t around, so I remembered the electronic deadbolt I had on my old house and went looking for something similar.

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

The only thing I didn’t like about the old one i had was that it kept losing the numbers i programmed into it, but after a little research, I found out they fixed the bugs they had when they first came out.

I got mine NEW from amazon.com, one used and one new, don’t buy used from ebay unless they guarantee it and have tested it. Amazon.com seems to be way better for service.

  You can get them from $50 to $400 but I like the $70-$120 models. they have keyed access also in case the battery or a short in the electrical happens. Their is a blinking light on mine that is green when the battery is fine but blinks red when the battery needs replaced.

I can program up to 2 codes into mine, some can take up to 60 different codes, but are the more costly ones.

If you already have locks on your other doors, you can check the name on them and if they are either “schlage” or “weiser” you can buy that brand of electronic deadbolt and have it keyed to match your old door knobs.

Both schlage and weiser make excellent electronic deadbolts.

I like to use these locks on my office, and security camera dvr room. 

 Good Luck! to your success.  Shannon Cook  

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

email:   fitnessmarketing@comcast.net

 I made a very simple video tour of my gym TEMPLE GYM, because i kept getting calls and emails about how the 24 hour thing works, and rightly so, because that’s part of the sales persons job.

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

Watch my gym video tour, then read on to discover how i did it.

If you want to see my site its at www.templegym.tv

So, I will tell you what to do. First off, don’t try to go to school for video editing to learn how to make a great explosive video, your not going to the Film festival, are you? here’s what to do.

Please don’t ever get a digital camera and stand in one place and turn around in circles, when someone watches it online it will make you dizzy, not to mention that you cant even tell whats what because it looks like you were standing in front of a circus mirror.

Now here’s what to do:

• get a digital or video camera, or you could even use a good cell phone if the picture is good enough.
• have someone film you starting in the parking lot, just like you met them out there to greet them.
• DONT PAY ATTENTION TO THE CAMERA AT ALL, look at the person holding the camera and act just like you do when someone comes in to visit and see how your gym works.
• give that camera holder your undivided attention and smile and even laugh if your funny.
• just talk in simple terms that a 4th grader can understand, don’t get technical, you may have a few people wanting the technical answers, but not the average gym visitor.
• don’t have a model do the video, you want it to look very homemade, that’s why you tube is so popular.
• Get a You Tube Account
• upload the video to you tube, and now you tube actually has an editing feature built in. Cut out whatever you need to. I have a simple editing program called ULEAD VIDEO STUDIO, but you don’t need any of that.
• All i cut out of my gym video was the beginning where i messed up and the end where it took a minute to cut off the camera and some in between where i was opening the door and she almost dropped the camera. I even added text clouds to some of it.
• Upload the final edited video.
• wait for google to finish the uploading.
• They’ll give you an “embed” code that you can cut and paste into your site wherever you want.

 Good luck.

 To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

If you can answer all the questions below with a YES then you have a cannot fail sales letter, marketing plan, ad, article,newsletter, radio script, brochure, or flier and postcard or any other marketing thing you do.

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

I started this site to help you with all the tools and knowledge i have compiled from many thousands of dollars that i have spent coming into my marketing career. I love marketing and i want to help other business owners do correct marketing.

Marketing Checklist

•    Are you writing/marketing to people who you know want the product you are selling?

•    Is your main headline on your ad or sales letter an intriguing attention-getter that stresses the very best benefit to the reader?

•     Can your reader grasp what you are offering in three seconds or less?

•    Have you written your letter or ad from the prospect’s perspective, not from your perspective?

•     Are your claims backed up with facts, a track-record, testimonials?

•    Does your ad or sales letter answer the six key questions: WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY? and  HOW?

•         Are your claims 100% true?

 To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

•          What is your Unique Selling Proposition (U.S.P.)?  What makes you different?

•     Are you treating your readers and listeners as if they are idiots. (Big mistake if you are.)

•     Is your offer irresistible?

•    Is your guarantee bold, eye-popping, and attention-getting? (i.e. double-your-money-back)

•     Do you have a deadline for the offer to expire and a good reason for the deadline?

•     Is it easy to order?

•    Have you told your prospect exactly how to respond with step-by-step instructions?

•    Have you told your prospect who you are?

•    Is your letter, your ad easy to read, scannable, with lots of headlines, sub-heads, strategic underlines?

•         Is your letter written in a conversational, friendly style?

•    Have you anticipated and answered all your reader’s  possible  objections?

•   Does your order form or reply form (landing page) look like an  order form? (It should.)

•         Is everything you want your reader to do clearly stated on  the order form?

•         Does your order form or website have a headline restating the main benefit?

•         Are the graphics and packaging of your offer attention-getting?

•         Are your graphics enhancing your message or obscuring your message?

•        Are you giving away something to boost response?

•        Have you stripped out empty “hype” words like “best ever” and “amazing”?

•        Have you replaced empty hype words with facts and proof?

•        Have you put your guarantee on a separate document that looks  official, like a certificate or a savings bond?  Have you signed your guarantee?

•        Have you included a FAQ (Q&A) insert?

•       Have you written an entire package (with all necessary elements), not just a letter?

•       Are you tracking and measuring results meticulously?

•       Are you testing (one element a time)?

•    Are you zeroing in on your best 20% of customers, treating them with extra care and attention?

•        Does everyone in your company understand that they are marketers?

•        Is your company worthy of referral?

•       Are you posting important marketing numbers at your company so that everyone understands what the goals are?

•   Does everyone in your company understand that their paychecks come from customers/sales?

•    Does everyone in your company know that the mission of your company is to create a “Happy Customer Experience that exceeds the customer’s expectations and causes customers to say ‘WOW!’”?

•     Have you raised your prices 10%? (This will increase the profitability of most companies by 50%)

•     Do you have a computerized database that includes all relevant information on customers and prospects that will allow you to segment your customers and precisely target your communications?

•    Do you know how much it’s costing you to find a lead?

•     Do you know how many leads it takes to find a customer?

•     Do you know which sources, ads and letters are producing the most leads and the most productive leads?

•     Are you keeping your database clean and accurate, eliminating duplicates?  Are you a fanatic about list hygiene?

Please add your comments or questions on my blog and I’ll get back to you asap. Thanks, Shannon

To learn every deatil of ”how to open a 24 hour gym from scratch”, click here www.how2ownagym.com

shannon cook can be reached at fitnessmarketing@comcast.net