Taking a "Different" Look at the Collection Process

Check out page 63 of the January issue of Club Solutions Magazine...

Legal Collections and Attorney Letters are way too much!

Gym Collections

It’s kind of like using a sledge hammer on a thumb tack. Yeah, it gets the job done, but the collateral damage is unnecessary and causes more harm than good.  In an industry where the lifeblood of your future revenue depends solely on how you are perceived within your local community, do you really believe a member who owes you for a past-due amount of only $100-200 truly deserves to feel threatened by a law firm.  It is widely known that consumers truly believe they are being sued when an attorney letter pops up in their mail box, when in reality a lawsuit is never even considered by the firm that sent the letter (It just would not be cost-effective to file suit).  

The alternative is to partner with a collection agency who has your best interests in mind (an agency with a lot of experience in health & fitness), and cares about your future reputation.  Look, consumers know that if they fail to pay a bill on time, there are repercussions for their delinquency, and generally speaking it is understandable if a collection agency chooses to report the unpaid balance on the consumer’s Credit Bureau Report.  The collection tactic that works best is to simply appeal to the consumers’ good nature and simply inform them of their obligation to fulfill the contract they signed…, and try to work with the member and get them back into the gym…, not threaten to sue them!

Yes, there is a time and place for a collection attorney, but it’s not on balances that fall below $1,000. It is overkill, and you will see the negative impact after the damage is done, and it’s too late.

Professionalism and common sense always prevail.

Learn more about First Credit Services, and their professional Collection Approach which is geared toward Member Engagement, and maintaining a very positive reputation for everyone involved. Maybe that’s why we maintain a perfect A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau…

First Credit Services will be Exhibiting at IHRSA 2016

www.firstcreditonline.com
IHRSA is the best event in the Health & Fitness Industry each year. Attendees come from all over the world to find out what the next big thing will be in fitness. It's a great time to reconnect with friends and colleagues from some of the most prominent fitness brands.  As with most industries, Technology has been at the forefront the past few years, and 2016 is sure to follow that trend once again with some exciting new product developments and product enhancements.

Last year, a lot of the excitement was geared toward the smooth integration of advanced technology into indoor cycling, and I expect to see more of the same in Orlando this year. 

The Trade Show floor is always filled with new and exciting products that inspire every fitness professional to continue innovating and pushing the envelope further.

In my sliver of the fitness pie, (Billing, Collections, Member Retention) where we are responsible for communicating with the members outside of the club, we have spent the last year developing new technology which allows us to stay ahead of the compliance curve in the United States. Federal Regulations continue to stifle the way we communicate with consumers, and we continue to come up with innovative ways to feed the revenue cycle and keep a gyms bottom-line extremely healthy.

Will we see you there?

Here is a link of all exhibitors expected: http://hub.ihrsa.org/ihrsa-2016-exhibitor-list