Volo Innovations

I was asked the above question the other day and went into a standard answer of how you can save time and increase revenues plus a host of other benefits. Still my prospective client did not understand my message and he kept repeating but why should I. I quickly realized they did not want the why but the how does it increase revenue and save time.

This grammatical error leads to a lot of misinformation & miscommunication, especially in the fitness industry. We often tell people the why or benefit of exercise and rarely go into the how these benefits happen. Your billing and business growth is much the same as strength training you need to focus on the right things in order to achieve your desired result.

If you have a goal of big revenues and hundreds or even thousands of clients as well as staff and facility then you need to start on the right program for your business. Think of automated billing as the myosin and actin of your business, without it you could never flex your muscle or grow your business. How exactly does this work. It can be very hard for an individual or small business to see this just like a client does not see the actin and myosin doing their magic.

Automating your billing is designed to work behind the scenes even when you are at rest the automation is working allowing clients to make purchases online or processing accounts due with the click of a mouse. If you have one client it can be easy to manage but if this client had the freedom to choose additional programs and make purchases without having to see you then you have added revenue, by storing this same client's credit card and allowing your services to be either monthly reoccurring or automatically renewable you can now add recurring revenue all from a single transaction.

It would be like saying a single rep of bench press is going to give you the results of 10 reps so the amount of work you need to do is far less for equal results- saving you time and effort.

Now take the time saved from not having to chase down unpaid invoices or delinquent clients and use it to do extra reps of client building and the same principle applies for every one client building rep you can get a ten times return.

Now we have some business growth plus the added benefit of not being a bill collector instead you can focus on delivering superb service and not worry about who in the class or session has paid or not.
Flex your muscle and automate your billing today and start to get the growth you want. Want to learn more about how to do that? Watch our webinar

Quick definition for those of you who have never heard of an elevator pitch; this is a 10-30sec or 100-150 word overview of a product, idea, project or service that is primarily used to entice investment. Entrepreneurs will need to master this if they wish to receive capital investment for their ventures but these wonderful tools have become a way for anyone to quickly describe what they do or offer. Sales people, project managers, job seekers and even speed daters have taken up the elevator pitch to help them succeed. The basic principle is to say enough about your offering to make the person you are pitching want, no desire more information.

An example for a personal trainer maybe;
"Hi my name is Barry Duncan, I am in the business of transforming lives by giving the people I work with the tools and skills they need to succeed in health and fitness, this easily transfers to the rest of their life and ensures success in whatever they do. My ‘Quick Fit' workouts allow people to achieve phenomenal results in short periods and they use my simple tools to maintain a healthier and active life style. "

You get the idea you want a "Wow that is fantastic!" or "Can you tell me more?" type response.

Why do trainers and fitness instructors need an elevator pitch? You are the ambassadors of the industry, everywhere you go and every person you talk to look at you as the example of what to do to be healthy. If someone asks you what you do you need something that inspires that person to become healthier or even better to use your advice and service to do so. A fitness professional is always selling at every function, party restaurant and especially in the grocery store.

The key to a great pitch is to be able to summarize the product or service you offer in a way that it elicits emotion from the person you are talking to.

A person that does Mommy Boot Camps may want to say "I motivate and inspire mothers to achieve greatness so they in turn can motivate their children to achieve greatness. My Mommy Boot Camps make mothers fit, healthy and confident to tackle the never ending expectations that are thrust upon them on a daily basis." or "I have transformed the mommy image from slippers and bath robes to running shoes and athletic gear from holding an iron fry pan to wielding iron dumbbells. This makes every mommy I know a force to reckon with and an inspiration to their children, friend and family."

Your pitches will need:

• A message for your target demographic
• A message that make people talk about you to others
•  Needs to be positive
• Needs to inspire people
• Elicits questions about what you do
• Motivates people to take action

My final tip is that once you have the pitch you will need to create a series of answers to potential responses from people. My next posting will be covering how to create a Q & A list that will wow your customers this should help you with these. Now all you need is a pen a piece of paper and some people to bounce the pitch off of.

Business management software for clubs, studios and trainers. Scheduling, invoicing, member and staff management all in one place, accessible anytime, anywhere. Cut the clutter, end the errors, provide killer customer service.

Vancouver, Canada - March 5, 2008

Volo Innovations introduces a revolutionary new business management software called Volo today at the 27th Annual International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association Convention and Trade Show (IHRSA). Volo provides the health and fitness industry with a remarkably affordable and easy to use business management software that centralizes and integrates appointment scheduling, facility reservations, invoicing, client and staff management, inventory and business reporting. The result is an immediate end to expensive scheduling errors, the ability to do accurate invoicing within seconds and superb one-on-one customer service, all at the simple click of a button. Gone is the clutter of paperwork, the complexity of multiple software programs and the waste of time and risk of error inherent in both.

With Volo, sophisticated functionality is balanced with simplicity. The highly intuitive interface and navigation greatly minimizes the learning curve for management and staff. Even the initial set-up, which is facilitated by Volo support, has businesses up and running within an hour.

Volo is uniquely adaptable. All segments of the industry, including independent fitness trainers, yoga studios, physiotherapists and sports clubs can benefit from comprehensive business management without sacrifice due to budget or size.  Volo is also capable of seamlessly evolving as businesses grow in membership, location and services offered. Say goodbye to expensive add-on modules or the need to suffer through complicated migrations of business data to different software in the future.

Volo uses a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, which provides customers with the added benefit of never having to worry about updates, backups or maintenance. Gone are the days of having to buy expensive new releases for out-of-the-box software. With Volo, everything is done automatically and seamlessly at no cost. Volo also delivers the confidence that everything is safe and secure with SSL 256 bit encryption, secure logins and daily data backups.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer such a robust and dynamic business management software and at the same time make it accessible in terms of price and ease of use", says Barry Duncan, Volo Innovations Founder and Innovations Director. "The long term sustainability of the health and fitness industry is something we are passionate about. With 60% of the industry still relying on paper to manage their business and at the opposite end of the spectrum businesses spending $2,000 to $6,000 a year on software, we're proud to offer Volo as the viable solution".

In celebration of the launch, Volo is offered at promotional pricing for the first year of service. The cost for individual health professionals is $25 per month, (regular $50) and the cost for clubs and facilities is $100 per month, (regular $150).  The $200 initial set up fee is also being waived. Software upgrades, maintenance and backups are free and there are no cancellation fees.

"Volo has been an invaluable tool to keep our business organized and efficient", says Troy Dalton, owner of Groundwork Athletics.  "The scheduling function is ideal for our staff to book and change appointments in real time.  As a manager, the invoicing features have reduced my time spent at month end by 50% and the administration reports allow me to keep a handle on where our business is at currently and what we need to plan for.  I highly recommend Volo to anyone in the training business!"
For more information visit www.myvolo.com
 

About Volo Innovations
Volo Innovations is a technology developer and vendor of online business management solutions via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology. Founders Nikki Layton and Barry Duncan have translated their combined 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry into software design that has an inherent respect for real world situations and practical usability. Volo Innovations is based in Vancouver, Canada. 

IHRSA 2008

27th Annual International Convention and Trade Show
March 5th - 8th San Diego Convention Center
Visit Volo at booth 448