the vario business guide
Business Guide / VARIO
Market your club services and get the most out of Vario with our Business Guide.
Maximise your investment. With Vario you are introducing your customers to a unique and innovative product that provides a very natural movement. How can you be sure to get the most out of your investment? Make sure they take full advantage of the new stimulating experience you are offering them and understand the benefits this innovation can provide to their workout. This guide will help you plan and manage the launch phase to achieve the best return on your investment.
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Before installation
Set your business goals Plan the necessary activities to meet your objectives. Launching a new product is one of the best ways to boost your business, improve your image and attract new customers. Technogym, your Wellness Business Partner, has collected some guidelines and suggestions in this brief guide to help you plan and manage the launch of this new product.
1.PRE-LAUNCH
PRE- LAUNCH PHASE. Create expectation, prepare your staff, plan layout, communication and promotion.
2.LAUNCH
LAUNCH PHASE. Facilitate the adoption of the new product by means of educational and promotinal sessions and tools.
3.FOLLOW UP
FOLLOW UP. Promote innovation and inspire existing members and new members with specific tools.
Your business goals in 3 simple steps
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1.PRE-LAUNCH
2.LAUNCH
3.follow up
Before installation
Pre-launch activities Staff training, preparation and in-club communication. Layout It is very important to position the new machine in order to give it maximum visibility and accessibility. You want your customers to see it and try it. Your objective is to get all club members interested enough to ask the trainer to use it.
Internal Communication The whole team should be involved in the product launch. Each member of staff should be informed of the arrival of a new product and should receive appropriate training to answer customers’ questions, to recommend they try the product and offer professional advice. So, inform your staff well in advance and provide information about the new product (via www.technogym.com or by using the materials we provide you with).
Promotion Don’t wait to have Vario in your facility to start talking about it! Work on creating expectation before it arrives. This is an important part of your launch strategy. Technogym can help you on this: check out our Web Business Area, you will find all the tools and images you need! Suggested promotional activities: • In-Club communication: place leaflets, posters and visual images at the reception bureau, at the gym floor entrance, in the locker rooms and other key areas to communicate the upcoming event. Use plasma screens and, if your cardio equipment has it, use Visio and its Communicator application to spread the message that something new will be available soon. • Web Marketing: use your website to present Vario with a “coming soon” message and send an e-mail to your customers with the news (you can use the Wellness System or Contact manager!). Use Twitter of Facebook to create the buzz. You can download images and videos from the Web Business Area at www.technogym.com. STIMULATE STAFF INVOLVEMENT WITH A contest: ask staff to present their ideas on how to launch Vario and reward the best ONES!
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1.PRE-LAUNCH
2.LAUNCH
3.follow up
After installation:
Launch activities Use every opportunity to promote Vario and get your members involved. Get them to try Vario, they’ll love it. Education It is crucial to prepare your staff and stimulate your customers’ interest. Everyone has to know that a new product is now on the gym floor! On top of the things already suggested before the installation, you can add: • Staff Education: arrange a meeting immediately after the installation to present Vario and to get all staff members (not just trainers) to try it. Everybody should be able to explain its features and benefits to members and potential customers. • Members education: each member entering the gym floor should try Vario. Ask your trainers to review workout sheets to include Vario.
PROMOTION Promotion is a crucial success factor. If you want your club members to appreciate Vario as much as you do, you have to communicate how good it is. Consider the actual positioning of your club, its location, the demographics and the characteristics of existing members and prospects, the budget you can invest and choose which promotional activities fit your requirements. • LAUNCH Event: if you see Vario as a fundamental product in your club’s strategy, a launch event is the ideal solution to involve a large number of members. You can invite members alone or extend the invitation to prospect members (in the latter case you will face higher costs). • Direct Mailing or E-Mailing: you should make a habit of communicating regularly with your customer base. This practice improves customer relationship and shows which steps you are taking to improve customer care. Our website offers instantly available formats you can use and customise with your logo to communicate a new launch to your clients. • Advertising: this is the quickest way to communicate your news and one which reinforces membership to your club. Be careful to select the most appropriate media for your target audience
GET YOUR MEMBERS INVOLVED WITH EDUCATIONAL AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND REWARD THEM IF THEY BRING IN NEW MEMBERS!
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Business Guide / VARIO
because this strategy is always the most expensive. You need the support of an agency to define the message and develop the artwork (you can find product pictures on www.technogym.com). Remember that you can ask magazines and newspapers to support your advertisement with a free editorial, which you can use to provide more detailed information on the new product and to promote your club’s offer. • by Word of Mouth: this is the most powerful and cost-effective media you can use. If you offer unique and memorable experiences in your club you can be sure your members will tell their friends and their friends’ friends. So, take care of your customers, make sure they try Vario, make their workout as enjoyable as possible and reward them if they bring a new member!
1.PRE-LAUNCH
2.LAUNCH
3.follow up
Before & After:
Launch activities timing Timing is everything. Results are largely dependant on doing the right thing at the right time. No one knows your business and your customers better than you do. The purpose of this Guide is to help you focus on those activities which you expect will bring the best return on investment. The graphic below summarises the suggested activities and provides a time table to plan your strategy. The suggested launch period is 3 months, which will enable you to cover all customer oriented activities but also to run new activities to reach new potential members. You can change its duration to meet your objectives, to better adapt it to your club’s characteristics and fine-tune it for greater effectiveness.
TIMING W -4 W -3 W -2 W -1
project phase
activities
LAYOUT DEFINITION Analysis of the current layout Definition of the new layout internal coMmunication Information sharing (staff meeting) Product literature distribution Promotion In Club communication: poster In Club communication: end user leaflet In Club communication: launch event Attraction communication: open day for prospects Webmarketing: preview box on the Club’s website Webmarketing: direct e-mailing to members Webmarketing: product page on the website Direct Mailing to members Direct Mailing to prospects Advertising Word of mouth stimulation Education Technical Staff training Commercial Staff training Members training
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pre-launch
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
W7
launch
W8
W9
W10 W11 W12
to do
done
1.PRE-LAUNCH
2.LAUNCH
3.follow up
DAY BY DAY:
Marketing tools Keep existing members involved and attract new ones with a good communication strategy. Technogym offers a number of marketing tools which you can use to communicate and market your products and your facility, to help you attract new customers, retain existing ones and capitalise the value of your investment. You can ask your consultant the ready-to-go tools (e.g. free stanting banners), or download the formats at www.technogym.com Web Business Area. The formats are easy to use and readily available and we suggest you use them strategically to reinforce your message both inside the club and outside.
Free standing banner AND POSTERS Banners and posters are powerful tools to improve product visibility on the gym floor (when placed next to the product) or to communicate in busy spots inside the club. • Banner Dimensions: mt 1,80 x 0,45 • Poster Dimensions: mt 1 x 0,70 • Poster Dimensions: mt 1,40 x 1
END USER LEAFLET You can download the format at www.technogym.com and use it inside the club as a product information leaflet or send it as a direct mail to promote your club offer to prospect clients. The leaflet can be personalised with your logo.
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Business Guide / VARIO
IMAGE GALLERY You will find a wide selection of royalty free available images at www.technogym.com which you can dowload in different sizes and use to create communication tools, visuals or for publishing on your website.
EMOTIONAL VIDEO Don’t miss the opportunity to dowload a royalty free video that you can circulate in your club to promote Vario and/or put it on your website to promote your club offer.
EDITORIALS Use the editorial contents and the downloadable visuals to create a personalised newsletter or a blog to promote Vario inside and outside the club.
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Business Guide / VARIO
“From day one, our members were enthusiastic. It was the best feedback ever.” Wilfried Uhl - OWNERS OF VITAFIT, DREIEICH - DE
“One of the most liked and appreciated innovations by our customers.” AUGUSTO BARBINI SAMBUCCIONI MASSIMO DI LUIGI - owners OF KI FLOW, ROME - I
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0S000994AA-UK
www.technogym.com