How This Business Grows, One Step at a Time

When it comes to using Mindbody Marketing services, husband-wife duo Michael and Lauren McAlister of San Luis Obispo-based McAlister Training know that they can exchange ideas with the folks in charge of building and improving it.

As a result, the couple are recent converts to promoted introductory offers and have started folding in dynamically priced classes as their business grows. For their first year, it was about building their reputation, and now it’s about using these tools to expand in a way that’s scalable with the speed of their growth, they say.

“We’re at a point now where Michael can’t teach every class anymore,” Lauren says. “That’s a good problem to have but…”

“...Everything’s taught by me,” Michael completes the thought and glances at Lauren, who smiles.

“We can’t clone Michael, so we have to come up with a way to train our new instructors and communicate with clients the way he does. It’s a personal touch, every time,” Lauren pauses. “Sometimes we laugh when people say that our brand is personable or relatable. It’s only funny because we don’t think of it as a brand at all — it’s just us being us! That being said, I’m happy people recognize how personally connected we are to the business.”

The McAlisters say based on the success of recent marketing acquisition that they’re now needing something to keep their customers engaged, so they’re looking into using Frederick’s retention tools which have the personalization and customization features they require.

“Everything has to be coming from us,” Lauren says. “You can’t fake it.”

“When I send a text,” Michael continues, “It’s because I’m interested in seeing you again. I know that you might’ve been having a tough time or [have gotten] injured. It’s a tough thing to scale, because to us, it’s got to be personal.”

The couple maintains this is reflected in the way their business has grown—not by leaps and bounds, but by small, measurable amounts each month. That’s because they research and vet everything first, which works well with their philosophy of folding in Mindbody Marketing offerings one at a time to maximize what they can do.

“I think a lot of studio owners are like us,” Lauren says, “Careful before we leap and keeping our customers in mind first.”

“We create a homey vibe here, we’re more family than anything,” Michael says, “If we didn’t feel that way about Mindbody, or what it continues to bring, we wouldn’t use it.”

There’s only one other rule for McAlister patrons, and that’s to check your bad vibes at the door: “The only thing I’m really strict about is negativity,” Michael continues. “I don’t let clients be negative with themselves. When that happens, I try to spin it and make it positive.”

As Michael and Lauren work to grow their family of customers, they rely on Mindbody to help. By integrating more of the marketing features into their system, they can focus on welcoming new customers instead of recruiting them in—and still create a personalized experience every step of the way.