MINDBODY Blog

Many MINDBODY clients fall into the health, fitness and wellness industries, so I found this recent blog post from OnlineNursingPrograms.net very applicable. It offers tips for living a healthier life that range from advice we probably got from our moms (#66 – Eat lots of fruits and veggies) to suggestions on superfoods to try (#73-83) to advice on healthy shopping  (#54-62).

I don’t know about you, but I can always use a reminder on healthy eating around the holiday season!

Click here to read the full post, and feel free to share this helpful link with your client base (in your newsletter, on your Facebook/Twitter pages, on your website, etc.).

“MINDBODY’s mission is to leverage the power of the internet to improve the health and wellness of the world, and a large part of that mission is making the environment where our employees work a healthy environment,” said Rick Stollmeyer, MINDBODY’s Founder & CEO in his SLO Green Awards acceptance speech.

MINDBODY was nominated for a Green Award along with more than 70 other businesses in San Luis Obispo county, and was one of six businesses to receive the award. Businesses were judged on the following criteria:

1. Environmental impact/sustainability
2. Transferability to other businesses
3. Business benefits
4. Innovation and overall environmental leadership

MINDBODY incorporates these practices in the following ways:

• Our headquarters were built and furnished according to the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines.
• We incorporate recyclable and renewable materials wherever possible.
• Our offices incorporate natural light, open windows and recycled heat from our server room to reduce energy consumption.
• Our offices consume approximately 1/4 the energy we would have had we followed normal building standards, resulting in a significant cost savings.
• Our office has bike storage and mens and womans showers to allow employees to bike to work.
• Construction waste was recycled to achieve 75% diversion from the landfill.
• We donate 1% of our set-up fees to Trees for the Future.
• By hosting our clients’ data ourselves, MINDBODY powers over 6,000 businesses in more than 50 countries with only 5,000 watts of power. This is about the same amount of energy of four hand-held hair dryers, and saves 5 million pounds of CO2 annually.
• MINDBODY offers its employees a wellness program. Employees can spend $50 per month at any of our local clients.
• In-office massage, yoga and Pilates classes are offered to the team.

Rick Stollmeyer, MINDBODY’s Founder & CEO, is currently in the running to be a Huffington Post “Ultimate Game Changer.” How cool is that?!

Visit the site and vote today! The top ranked organization in each category will be named an “Ultimate Game Changer.”

About HuffPost’s Game Changers:

HuffPost’s Game Changers celebrates 100 innovators, visionaries, and leaders in 10 categories who are harnessing the power of new media to reshape their fields and change the world. MINDBODY has been picked as one of 10 organizations in the Wellness category. We’re up against other organizations like Google’s Predict and Prevent, Active.com, MayoClinic.com, and Yogamates.com.

How it works:

Use the “Next” and “Back” buttons to read about each of the 10 businesses nominated. Then you can rate each one using the “Rate this Game Changer” widget in the upper right hand corner. I’m sure you’re all smarter than I was, so you’ll get it right away, but the scale confused me a bit. Each business can be rated on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most ultimate game changer (aka the best). We’re currently ranked 9th out of the list of 10. We want to be ranked #1. So with the voting system, the higher you vote (i.e. the closest to 10) the better.

Translation: Vote “10” if you want MINDBODY to win.

SUCCESS STORY

Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp

Industry: Fitness

Interviewed: Ariane Hundt, Founder

Location: Manhattan

Open since: May 2008

Using MINDBODY since: April 2008

Services offered: Outdoor and indoor bootcamp programs, nutrition workshops, personal training

Website: www. brooklynbridgebootcamp.com

Ariane Hundt, Founder

Since May 2008, the Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp has been offering “New York’s toughest workout” in an hour-long, 2.2 mile workout that combines both cardio and strength training in the shadows of the Manhattan skyline. Over 1,000 people, ranging from busy moms to executives from age 15 to 69, have experienced the workout. Creator Ariane Hundt was inspired to create her unique, interval-based workout while on the subway staring at a picture of the iconic bridge and the Manhattan skyline.

Ariane also offers a month-long Slim & Strong program that is designed to deliver quick, measurable results. It combines indoor and outdoor workouts, nutrition education and before/after measurements, delivered to a larger group of clients than her outdoor bootcamps.

We spoke with Ariane about how MINDBODY helps her manage all the varying components of her business.

MINDBODY: What is your favorite aspect of managing your business?

Ariane Hundt: I love helping people create changes that last a lifetime. I enjoy teaching my clients how the body works, how it responds to food, and how new behaviors can create a healthy, fit, lean body. And I love seeing not just the physical changes, but the mental changes. For example, I have a client who can now get on an airplane without feeling anxious, whereas before she had to take medication. I love that I get to see my clients gain confidence.

MB: How long have you been using MINDBODY to run your bootcamps?

Ariane: Since April 2008. I started using MINDBODY before I opened my business. It’s been amazingly helpful in cutting down administrative work like signing people up, handling payments, processing refunds, and cancelling classes. I would be spending countless hours on the phone if I didn’t have MINDBODY. It’s such a great tool. And it’s really inexpensive, especially considering the amount of hours that it saves!

MB: We love hearing that! What made you choose MINDBODY?

Ariane: I thought it was a great, independent way for my clients to schedule their own fitness activities. I’d actually used MINDBODY before, but as a consumer. I had used it to sign up for yoga and fitness classes, and I thought it was a really unique way of scheduling myself and handling my payments online. And, as a customer, being able to see how many sessions I’d paid for, how many I had left, and looking at my own schedule, was a really valuable aspect of the software.

MB: That’s so interesting that you discovered it first as a consumer. Now that you’re a business owner, what are the major challenges that you face?

Ariane: My biggest challenge is handling all the administrative work – answering emails, handling payments and managing my expenses. All that red tape that goes along with running a business really takes a heck of a lot of time. But MINDBODY really helps keep it all under control. If I didn’t have the software, I would have to hire someone to handle all the signups, cancellations and payments. I know of some other bootcamp businesses in the area that use PayPal only, and I don’t know how they do it. They must have so much paperwork!

MB: Do you have a favorite MINDBODY feature that you’d like to share with other business owners?

Ariane: One feature that I find tremendously helpful is being able to look at the many different reports that the software offers. I can see how many classes I sold, what types are most common, where most of my revenue comes from, what times people prefer, when most cancellations occur… all this information is really important. I find the referral report particularly useful. I like seeing where people heard about the bootcamp, and I use this information to target my advertisements. I think this feature is essential to running a business and it helps generate more clients and more publicity.

MB: What lies in the future for you and Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp?

Ariane: Good question! I want to expand class participation on a more consistent basis – getting people excited for classes and sticking with them. I’d like to generate more programs that reward high participation. And I definitely want to capitalize on the publicity and interest that the bootcamps have generated.

(click to enlarge)

Recently a friend and I were talking about hair. We do this a lot, and it’s amazing how much time we can spend talking about it. Embarassing, really.

But I digress.

In our conversation, she at one point exclaimed “I can do my taxes online. I can order pizza online. Why can’t I book a freaking haircut online?”

This made me laugh. But she’s got a point, doesn’t she? The salon she goes to is still (gasp) using some magic combination of an appointment book and Excel spreadsheets to run their business. And I’m assuming they own stock in 3M because they use enough Post-It notes to fill a landfill.

I recently wrote a post about technology adoption, and where people fall on the “curve.” The salon my friend goes to is probably in the late majority. She’s probably in the early majority. She wants to book online. They don’t offer it, not because the technology doesn’t exist, but because they don’t see the value in it.

But doesn’t the value lie in offering services that your clients want?

Before you can create a feasible and achievable marketing plan, you have to know who you are marketing to. Otherwise you’ll end up speaking the wrong language to the wrong people and render your marketing efforts useless. Taking the time to think about who your current audience is, and who you want them to be, can help you discover wide open Blue Oceans of uncontested market space – which translates to more clients and more revenue for you. (Not sure what a Blue Ocean is? Check out the book Blue Ocean Strategy for more info.)

Create a rock solid demographic profile
First, start by creating a demographic profile of your existing client/student. You can’t know how to market if you don’t know who to market to! Variables to examine in your existing client base:

• The basics: zip code, age, gender, level of student (beginner, advanced, specialty), primary reason for visiting…
• If your client base shares common interests not (yet) offered by your business: Pilates, yoga, massage, personal training, skin care, make-up, hair care, diet, nutrition…
• Average number of times per week your clients use your services
• Income levels
• Work status (full time, part time, not working)
• Common times of day clients use your services

How do you obtain this information?
Some of it you may already have (zip code, level, gender, frequency of use).  Some you can determine by studying which classes do well (levels, time of day, etc).  Some of it you may need to obtain through a survey. Some suggestions:

• Include it in your initial sign-up sheet for new students
• Catch up with current clients by asking them to fill it out as they come in for class, their appointment or interact with your front desk staff. Or do an online survey and alert current clients via email.
• Some online survey providers: Zoomerang, Survey Monkey or Constant Contact

Put your website & MINDBODY software to work

• Your MINDBODY system is already set up to track the basics about your clients, such as addresses, birthdays, etc. Use client indexes to track custom demographic information that isn’t already tracked. You can even make certain indexes required when a new client is added to ensure that you get everyone’s info.
• If you run a report on a portion of your clients, you can export the results for analysis.
• To help decide what to track, go to your favorite resource in your market (i.e. magazine, website) to find out what they have been asking your clientele.

If you like what you read here and want to learn about other marketing strategies, sign up for MINDBODY University or Consulting today!

Heroes, the show, name, related characters or anything that sounds like Heroes or other strong Superman-like entities, along with all related materials, are property of NBC or some other big important company. So be good, and don't steal from them.

Ok. You got me, I watch Heroes.

Although the show is a little ridiculous, and I think about that fact every time I watch it, I still tune in to my TiVo every week to get my fix. Why, you might ask, do I continue with this ritual? Because I’m dedicated. I’ve been there since the beginning, and feel a sense of obligation and connection to the characters. Pulling out at this point feels like giving up, and I’m no quitter. If someone new to Heroes were to watch an episode, they’d probably get bored after just a few minutes.

This got me thinking. How many of your customers or clients are with your business because they feel like they have a connection to you? How many clients are you losing because they lost interest after a few minutes? If you have a lot of “old timer” clients, then you are doing something right. They love you, and so you are safe. Kinda. They can still pull out at any time, but they are much more invested than a newcomer. You can end shows with terrible cliffhangers and continue plot lines that are completely predictable, and they will still tune in next week.

The newcomers aren’t quite as forgiving. They get bored. They don’t “get” you, and they have no incentive to stay with you, or your business. They need stimulation: sexy new characters and action-packed romance. I’m not suggesting you start making out with your clients. Instead, you’ll have to get them hooked in other ways.

There is a fine line you have to walk to keep your “oldie but goodie” clients, while still attracting new blood to your place of business. Ask yourself: what am I doing that’s keeping my current clients happy, but also bringing in new customers?

If your business model is unique, it might be hard for new clients to see the benefit of dedicating themselves to you. For example, people might not understand how a mobile massage business would be better than a traditional studio. Brainstorm with your staff how your uniqueness provides something that your traditional competitors don’t. Sticking with the massage example, you might come up with some direct mail or promotional pieces that highlight how mobile massage is more convenient, and can provide better rates due to low overhead costs. Then slap on a sweet 20% off promotion to all new customers or referrals.

I’ll also suggest online booking, and not just because my boss reads this blog. Online booking is a simple way to offer something your competitors don’t. It makes your old timers happy. And it makes it easy for those new clients to dedicate themselves to you.

The key is coolness. This is where Heroes has got it all wrong, they need to make it a show that people think I’m cool for watching. I should be able to talk to my co-workers and friends about the episodes each week, not keep my love in the closet for fear of ridicule. It’s the same with business. You want your clients to shout from the rooftops about your business, which makes it attractive to new clients, and a coolness badge for continuing clients.

I just got off the phone with one of the most genuinely happy people I’ve ever talked to! Her name is Saphira and she is the owner of Saffron Dance, a belly dance studio in the Washington, D.C. area. Saphira called me directly because her business was recently featured on Groupon.com, a website that features great deals for a 24-hour period in a specific metropolitan area. Saphira’s belly dance crash course, usually offered for $80, was featured on Groupon.com last Wednesday at the 24-hour price of $39.

“I was expecting about 75 people to take advantage of this one-time price,” Saphira excitedly tells me, “but we had 300 new clients purchase the crash course! I practically doubled my business in one day!” But Saphira’s enthusiasm was not limited to the amount of new clients she’ll be welcoming into her business over the next few weeks. “I’m a full-time mom and I run my own business. I would never be able to handle 300 new clients using Excel spreadsheets and Paypal. Using MINDBODY, I was able to sign up 187 of the 300 purchasers in one day. My son was napping, and there I was sitting with my laptop signing in 187 people, making adjustments to their schedules, tracking the promotion code, capturing and managing their contact information, sending confirmation emails… all in real-time.”

“Not only is every single one of my new clients impressed with my business’ professionalism, but now I’ll be able to track who comes back, who buys more classes, see my attrition rate, and even send them Christmas cards. Without MINDBODY, this amazing opportunity would have been lost. I would have had to limit the promotion to just 75 people.”

Listening to Saphira’s experience, I was reminded why I love my job. I love that we help business owners take some of the focus off of managing their business, so they can focus on their practice and their clients. Saphira summed it up beautifully. “MINDBODY gives me an entire infrastructure to leverage my business and help it grow. Being an awesome dance teacher does not make a successful dance business. I feel blessed to do what I love and to have the tools to help me do what I love. I do what I do well, you guys do what you do well, and together we make my business work.”

Thanks for sharing your story, Saphira.

———

If you’d like to learn more about Groupon.com, visit their website and learn more about them, get your business featured, sign up for their daily email alert and check out today’s deal in your area!

A meeting of the minds…and bodies!

Organizers of the Body-Mind-Spirit Educational Conference today announced a new partnership with MINDBODY, Inc., the leader in business management software for the wellness industry. Now in its ninth year, the conference is a world-wide educational event for teachers of mind-body movement, including Pilates, Gyrotonic® and Yoga. The event will be held in Santa Clara, California from April 13-18, 2010.

“We are excited to partner with Body-Mind-Spirit, which puts on the premier educational event for mind-body practitioners,” announced Robert Murphy, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for MINDBODY.

Recently ranked 370th on Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest growing companies and 21st in the software industry, MINDBODY delivers innovative business management software to more than 6,000 yoga, Pilates, salon, spa and martial arts businesses in 57 countries.  “Our knowledge of the business side of wellness, combined with educational know-how of Body-Mind-Spirit, is going to provide attendees with whole new level of conference content they can use to enhance their businesses and assist their clients,” said Murphy. As part of the partnership, MINDBODY will underwrite portions of the conference cost, bring on new sponsors and exhibitors, and help promote the event.

Renee Monroe, Body-Mind-Spirit’s founder and director, will continue her leadership role in the organization, programming and day-to-day operations of the conference.  “It has always been my vision to provide a unique educational forum for teachers of mind-body movement, where they can further their education goals, network with their peers, find new products and share their passion for movement and healthy living.”

Conference and Pre-Conference Overview

An entirely new concept in the field of Pilates and Gyrotonic® education, the Body-Mind-Spirit Educational Conference was created in 2001 to bring together different schools and educators to share their work with hundreds of other teachers who wanted to expand their knowledge.  Studio owners, health club management and teaching professionals attend the event to deepen their knowledge, be inspired, network and continue to grow their business skills.

The April 2010 conference will offer more than 150 workshops and practice classes in the areas of Pilates, Gyrotonic®, Franklin Method, Yamuna Body Rolling, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique and Somatic Movement. Classes will be taught by 40 of the world’s foremost presenters, including Leslee Bender, Madeline Black, Kathy Corey and Kyria Sabin. The event will also offer an exhibit hall filled with wellness products and services.

In addition, MINDBODY will offer a three-day pre-conference, April 13 – 15, to its current clients, focused on “The Business of Wellness.” The pre-conference will offer participants strategies for improving their businesses, including client management, marketing, e-commerce, accounting and membership packages. Workshops on these same topics will also be available to all attendees as part of the main educational conference, April 16 – 18.

Registration Information

To register for “MINDBODY Presents: The 2010 Body-Mind-Spirit Educational Conference,” go to www.bodymindexpo.com/product.htm. To register for the MINDBODY University pre-conference, email mbu@mindbodyonline.com or call (805) 476-2708 for more information.

###

For more information, contact:

Renee Monroe, 408 234-8696
Body-Mind-Spirit Founder

Meg McCall, 805 476-1245
MINDBODY, Inc.

Roger's Adoption Bell Curve

Innovators: The first to adopt new technology. Innovators seek it out and readily accept both its benefits and flaws. For example, users of Amazon’s Kindle product.

Early adopters: Seek out and adopt new technology before most, but Early Adopters are slightly more cautious than Innovators when it comes to accepting a new technology (recent hybrid car buyers).

Early majority: Generally do not seek it out, but those in the Early Majority are more than willing to adopt new technologies if there are proven benefits (recent iPhone purchasers).

Late majority: Willing to adopt new technologies after careful consideration and seeing proven benefits (those who have recently created a Facebook account).

Laggards: Prefer to use existing technology until it no longer suits their needs. Laggards are generally adverse to adopting new technology just for the sake of  having new technology (novelists who use a typewriter).

Where do you fall on this bell curve? What if I told you that it didn’t matter?

As a business owner, it makes no difference where you fall on this bell curve when it comes to running a successful business. What matters are where the majority of your clients fall.

Many health & wellness businesses feel that they don’t need business management software. Your appointment book/payroll system/Excel spreadsheets may work just fine. However, this “if it’s not broke, why fix it” mentality is not only going to hinder your business’s growth, but it can actually drive business away.

Maybe you’re right… maybe you don’t need software. But what about your clients? Do they bank online? Buy airline tickets online? Manage their stock portfolios online? Communicate via email? Have smart phones?

Giving your clients the option of booking services online will make some clients very happy, and maybe offer new clients a reason to choose your business over your competitors. Here’s why:

• Online booking is convenient and available 24/7.
• Online booking is faster than playing phone tag.
• Online booking is spontaneous.
• Online booking encourages commitment.

It’s true that not all of your clients are Innovators and Early Adopters. Some may even be Laggards who will never book online. And that’s okay. They don’t have to use it. But some clients will, and that’s the benefit of online booking for your business.

We work pretty hard here at MINDBODY, but we play pretty hard, too. This Friday, with MBU CA over and reeling from a record-breaking sales month (over 400 new locations added to the MINDBODY family!), we decided we were due for a little bit of old-fashioned goof-off time. So we all wore hats to work. Some were new, some were old, some were normal and some were… well… not normal. Some were not even hats (yeah I’m talking to you, Cole Shipley).

Check out some photos (click to enlarge):

Check it out! MINDBODY is sponsoring the Green Bus Project. It’s pretty cool to see our giant logo on the side of a bus. (Click image to enlarge)

The Green Bus Project is the brainchild of I Love Yoga founder Moses Jas Jeet Singh. The Green Bus is both literally and figuratively green, as it’s running entirely on waste vegetable oil (”WVO” – meaning cooking oil that would otherwise have been thrown out). The Green Bus is stopping at yoga studios from Florida to Wisconsin, raising $50,000 for the Africa Yoga Project and for awareness of the future of green transportation.

The Green Bus is an artistic, visionary and educational vehicle that travels and shares information about:

• Yoga
• Healthy living
• Sacred Activism
• Alternative energy
• Sustainable ways of living
• Human rights
• Important local and global issues

…all things that we love here at MINDBODY. Check out the photos, follow Moses’ Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, subscribe to the YouTube channel and, if you’re close, check out the bus in person at one of its many stops.

National Spa Week is September 14-20. But what is it, exactly? According to Cheryl Reid, founder of Spa Week Media Group, Ltd., National Spa Week is designed “to educate [people] about the benefits of the spa lifestyle while offering them an affordable way to experience it…. The concept was simple; full service treatments, normally costing from $100 to $200 dollars, for just $50 dollars. No longer would spa be relegated to the wealthy; it was my mission to make it an affordable part of a healthy lifestyle routine.”

National Spa Week is (surprise, surprise) nationwide. And it’s a concentrated effort among hundreds of spas. But it got me thinking, could this work on a smaller scale? What if a single business, equipped with the right publicity, advertising and word-of-mouth support, did the same thing? Let’s say, for example, that you run a martial arts business (run another type of business? Every time you see “martial arts,” just replace it with your business. It’ll be like Mad Libs). A main group of your potential clients are those that have heard about the benefits of martial arts, but have never tried it. A good way to get them to try it is to make your services more accessible by:

• Lowering the price (we like to call this “seductive pricing“)
• Offering more times to try your service
• Offering your service in new locations (that may be more accessible than your business location)

Okay, none of this information is new. What I like about the concept of Spa Week, though, is that you have a specific period of time in which to publicize the heck out of these (otherwise fairly standard) marketing efforts. The beauty of this is that it creates the feeling of scarcity, which is a motivator for people to take advantage of the discount. If your services are always discounted, then the effect of the discount is nullified. You might as well just price your services that way. And there is no motivation for new clients to try it now, versus 6 months from now.

So, how can you do this? Well, it’s going to depend on what type of services you offer (classes, workshops, appointments, etc.). But here’s a few ideas to get you started:

• Lower your prices, a lot (you only have to keep them there for a week, after all).
• Offer services in public places where people, even if they’re not participating, will still experience it (e.g. Fitness classes targeted to moms near popular parks and playgrounds).
• Plan in advance so that you’re fully staffed and don’t have to turn anyone away. For classes, offer more class times than normal.
• Partner with local businesses/organizations. E.g. offer chair massages at youth sporting events for parents; find complimentary local businesses and cross-promote; donate retail booth space in exchange for advertising (grocery stores, coffee shops… any business where your potential clients can be found)…

So, pick a week, get your staff on board, and start promoting! You can make it an annual or semi-annual thing, and the bigger it gets the more interest you’ll get (both from new clients and businesses interested in partnering with you).

Out of all the private companies ranked in Inc. magazine’s prestigious list of the fastest growing private companies in America, MINDBODY ranks among the top 10%. In fact, we are the 21st fastest growing software company on Inc.’s list. Needless to say, we’re pretty excited about that around here.

Nicki Violetti is the co-owner of CrossFit NorCal, one of the original CrossFit affiliates. In a post from her own blog, www.nickivioletti.com, she brings up the value of teaching your staff the oft-forgotten art of public speaking. While that may conjure up images of high school speech & debate class, the fact is that your front desk staff, trainers, instructors, estheticians, etc. are all publicly speaking on a daily basis… in that they are speaking to the public. Plus, your clients regard your staff as a knowledge resource. If they can’t speak intelligently on a subject your clients expect them to know (within reason), not only do your client’s questions go unanswered, but that client may walk away with a less-than-ideal customer service experience.

Below, Nicki describes a game to play with your staff to improve their ability to speak clearly, knowledgeably and concisely on a subject of your choosing. It’s called Speaking Baseball. The below suggested questions are obviously more well-suited for a CrossFit affiliate or other personal training business, but you can easily adapt the questions to suit whatever type of business you operate.

One of our desires for our coaching staff is for everyone to feel confident speaking in front of groups. The more knowledgeable and articulate we are the better we are as professionals. So in an effort to provide a supportive arena to practice our speaking skills we use some of our monthly meeting time to play a little game called Speaking Baseball.

Natalie Taylor, now our director of training, was one of our very first clients from early 2004 and one of the first trainers we added to our team. She brought this game to the table when we were discussing the desire to get our folks more comfy explaining some of the more challenging topics that come up in our profession. As a former high school and middle school teacher she used this as a tool to get her teens some public speaking practice. Well, if it’s good for the teenagers it’s certainly good for us crusty adults.

How it works:

You draw a topic from the hat and 3-2-1 Go! The goal is to speak on that topic for a full minute without striking out. Strikes are constituted by any prolonged pause in speech, and any space filler words like: uh, um, like, etc. Each 15 seconds that you speak moves you to a base. If you speak for 30 seconds before striking out you make it to second base. If you make it the whole minute you get to home plate. Pretty simple. And fairly fun.

Some example topics:

• Defend the statement “the kipping pull-up is cheating.”
• What is linear progression?
• Why do we take fish oil?
• Explain the role of insulin in body composition.
• Why do we do DROM?
• Why no gluten?
• What are CPK levels and how do they relate to CrossFit?

To read the original post, click here.