Snap Springfield, MO
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Post by Snap Springfield, MO on Jul 23, 2016 17:59:46 GMT
Hello Everyone,
I recently received an email to join this group and logged on for the first time today. I was glad to see a private venue available for owners to use as the forum Snap Corp offers is good for some things, but limiting in others.
I've been an owner since 2007. I bought the 3 pack but have only opened one location and most likely will never open the other two. I have experienced challenges with Snap and Matrix alike. I like the idea to discuss issues openly here. However, I'm not sure it is useful to only voice complaints. I have not read all the posts, but the 10 or so I have read have nearly all been complaints. I've actually not found an original thread yet that was not rooted in complaint. Considering this forum has been live for several months, I find this disappointing.
I would encourage the creator of this forum to keep reaching out to other owners. A forum like this is very important. I would actually prefer this be as a private page on Facebook as I think it would be more useful.......But to all of the 15 or so owners on here currently, please try and use this forum for more than just voicing your negativity toward Snap Corp......Our location has seen value in Club30, MYZONE and the 30 Day, $7.95 Trial. Fitware has helped us be more efficient. I have also seen value in help create and build a good Facebook page. It's not all doom and gloom. Keep in mind, Peter sold a significant part of this business to outside investors a few years ago. It is in no ones interest to drive "Zees" out of business. This is still a young company that is still growing/learning. You didn't spend $2MM+ investing into a McDonalds or Ford Dealership franchise with much more established models to follow. This is a small franchise with small investment (comparatively) and with that comes limited expertise from corporate. I see it as how Subway was 20 years ago or more. I wish corporate would do many things better too, and I think we can help this if we were indeed all more connected as an ownership group. However, we can do more for all of our bottom lines if we spend just as much effort bouncing ideas off each other as we do complaining.
Again, I'm really glad this forum is available for honest and unfiltered dialog. But I think it will be limited in participation by many Snap owners out there if it is only a place where complaints are aired out.
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Post by determined1 on Jul 23, 2016 20:17:01 GMT
Welcome Springfield,
If you peruse through the forum a bit more you'll find a plethora of different topics. I included one on how to save on electric costs with replacement LED bulbs. I've also asked for input from owners on their experience with things like the $8.95 program and the Club 30 program. I'd encourage you to share your experience with these programs explaining what you like about them, what obstacles you may have had to overcome in rolling them out and future plans you may have if that's applicable. Participants are free to share good experiences as well as bad ones.
Personally, I don't trust snap's input anymore. Their goal seems to be focused on how corporate makes money with little regard for the owner. This is why I've asked for input from others on the some of these programs. I want to hear from actual owners who have been successful with different programs and which ones failed.
There's a thread specifically on the Club 30 program. It sounds you're happy with it, so I'd like to get your experience with it and details on what sort of revenue increase you've had with it, what issues you ran into and how you overcame them. Details are really important to me, and I'm sure to others as well.
As far as negative comments, well, when a franchisor has done a portion of the things snap has done to negatively impact franchisees you're going to have a lot of pissed off zees, and they're going to express it. As far as McDonald's goes you know what you're getting into and aren't lead to believe
- There's a national marketing fee which is to market the brand nationally. (Yes, I plan to make this a separate thread)
- It's an absentee owner model (Based on what I've read I'm sure this inaccuracy will be address at the 2016 (owner participation) Convention
- You can staff your club until you have the number of members you need then cut back dramatically on staff
I'm not familiar enough with Subway to know what they do and don't do. I've talked to the owner of the local Subway and told him about some of the things snap is forcing their zees to do and he was shocked. He stated he would have folded up shop long ago if Subway tried pulling some of these things with him.
I'd also encourage you to start a thread on MyZone. I think this is a great idea, but I see it more applicable to a group x or small group training class. I feel I'd be wasting my money putting it in the club and trying to sell straps. I'd be curious to hear how it compares to Polar's solution and others out there. I wish someone had a solution which would integrate with fitbits, apple watches, garmins, etc. Unfortunately that means they would have to have the ability to transmit their data. Since they can't then that means having to have 2 devices if you've already made an investment in another. Like I said, I'd like to see this in a separate thread.
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Post by cheryl on Jul 24, 2016 19:20:43 GMT
Hi SMO,
I don't really understand your point. Most of the posts I've read talk about detailed problems involving the different mandatory programs Snap has rolled out over the last few years and how they basically do nothing but steal money from the pockets and pocketbooks of zees. I don't see how Peter selling a portion of his shares has any impact on the end result. If the entire corporation was sold to Bill Gates, William Buffet or George Soros they would still be awful programs which do nothing but steal from franchisees. I get the impression you think it's okay if we're ripped off because Peter sold some shares. Perhaps you could clarify the point you're trying to make, because I don't understand it.
Also, just as the people who have come on the forum and provided details about what's not working and they don't like I'd like to hear details about what is working and why those people like it. It seems to me there are people coming on the forum and saying I like it and leaving it at that. Please provide specifics and don't bash the people expressing their opinions.
Just as it's no benefit for someone to post "Snap Sucks" it's also no benefit to post "Snap is great". The WHY is far more important.
I'd also discourage doing any sort of Facebook page. As someone on here pointed out Snap is a very vindictive company and a Facebook page would make their job much, much easier. I'm sure they'd love a Facebook page where zees could easily be identified. This is a much better forum (pun intended) for this.
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Post by Snap Springfield on Aug 1, 2016 2:27:17 GMT
Hello,
My point was the company now has outside investors that Peter T has to answer to, in addition to any banks he most likely has used along the way. They will expect a return on their investment and running locations out of business is not a great way of getting a return on their investment. Corporate may occasionally have poor ideas or poor execution, but intentionally running independent locations out of business isn't their objective. I'm not an expert on any of these things, but I think everyone does better when all locations do well. I suspect Peter feels the same way. I've had my share of frustrations with Snap HQ, but they have not held my business back in any way. The horrible economy, a flood of ever increasing competition and poor execution and decisions on my part have.
My biggest issue with Snap HQ has been their struggle with personal training. They have been little to no help in this area. It took many several years to figure it out, which was costly. PT is now 25-30% of my revenue and I would have either sold out or closed a few years ago if it wasn't for it.
My biggest concern with Snap has nothing to do with Snap HQ. My concern is just that the brand will get tired as the public is always after something new.
I'm a big fan of $8.95. It gives us a chance to sell them the Snap experience and why they should join. We convert most of these.
We introduced MYZONE in Jan of this year. We have since sold approx 90 units. We now offer a free trial of MYZONE with the $8.95 trial. Just started doing this a few weeks ago, so far so good. We have 4 tvs with MYZONE scattered throughout the gym, with the focus being on a 55" tv right in the middle of our cardio tv rack (3 tvs on the left and right). We also have several aluminum MYZONE signs scattered through out. I see MYZONE as a brand refresher and another reason why to chose Snap.
The CLUB30 is offered 3 days a week, one am and one pm. It's the only time we play music in the gym. Members must buy a MYZONE to participate. This program allows us to say we have free classes now and it';s also brought some energy into the gym. It's not going to make or break us, but it was a nice change up.
Our biggest challenge is getting leads. Far and away our biggest issue. We have good retention, good conversion numbers, sell PT well, and have a 97% approval rate from our members in Snap's surveys. Our biggest problem is not enough new memberships from not enough leads. The marketing environment has really changed since 2007. I am now all over Facebook advertising. I post everyday and boost each post. I was late to embrace this, this was my fault as Snap HQ was pushing it for a while. My fault, not theirs.
BTW, I personally operated the club for the first 6 years and have been an absentee owner for the past 3.
Here's my two cents: Snap HQ is trying to help you succeed. Business is tough, very tough, and it's tough for everyone in all areas. You are making it even more tough by viewing Snap HQ as the enemy. They are not. It is going to be very challenging to make any new initiative they roll out succeed when your heart isn't into it because you think they are only doing it to make themselves money. Much like a landlord/tenant relationship, such things between corp and zees will always bring friction. But at the end of the day, neither can survive without the other. All this talk about theft, I guess may make you feel better, but it's not productive and not going to add a membership to your club.
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Post by 3josandjack on Aug 1, 2016 13:25:06 GMT
Snap Springfield,
Can you give insight into how you successfully built your PT program? Do you have a few trainers, or a number of them? How do you compensate? Ect...
We have struggled for years with ho-hum success. And usually when we finally getting something building with a trainer, that's when the they decide they are good enough to go out on their own with their own studio/box....
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Post by cheryl on Aug 1, 2016 21:32:55 GMT
Hi SMO,
Regardless of who owns how ever many shares of stock the goal should be to improve the member experience. That in turn make zees successful and that success flows to Snap's bottom line. What I'm seeing is that Snap's goals are all short sighted and just take money from the pockets of zees.
One way to improve the bottom line is to increase the amount of PT you're selling. I'd love to hear how you're doing 25% to 30% of your revenue in PT. I struggle with knowing how many trainers to bring on board. I want them to make a decent amount, so I hire enough to handle the demand. I'm going to start a separate thread on this, because I think it could be beneficial. I think Snap has had 4 or 5 directors of PT. None have really put anything together which is really beneficial.
I think one thing which needs clarification is people's definition of absentee owner. I see this as having the ability to not have to be in contact with staff every day and just check in from time to time to see if things are running smoothly. Additionally I'd want to have this without a manager. My experience is that a manager puts a big drain on revenue.
I don't like the $8.95 program and don't see why this can't be run as an opt-in program. I also think it should be set up as a home club program. This would help prevent people signing up for multiple clubs and going to their local club for free for months and months on end. It's far too easy to cheat with this program and get a free membership over and over again. Since this is an open forum I won't go into just how easy this is to accomplish. Making this a home club program as well as an opt-in program would resolve all of this.
Why do you think corporate won't automatically update billing information and instead chooses to charge zees for denied charges while at the same time make it easier for members to cancel their memberships. "My billing was denied? You know I haven't really been using it for a while, why don't you just go ahead and cancel it". It's far easier to retain a member than obtain a new member.
Next is the credit card terminal and a paperless environment. Sounds great, but that's why we implemented it a couple years ago and at $0 additional cost.
I think MyZone is a great idea, but after the easyfit debacle and Snap swooping in and undercutting us on price I'm hesitant to run something like this again.
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