The crazy pace and momentum of the business is disruptive.

For the past 30 years the club industry has been obsessed with management, sales, front desk and marketing protocol, which are detailed with daily guidelines for success. Having employees follow these systems that are in place makes it easy to measure who is successful and who isn't.

Yet, the industry has created the almighty group exercise beast. In most clubs it exists with no rhyme or reason. Many club owners and managers feel good about their exercise programs if the instructors just show up for class. Do you know the formula for structuring a schedule for your members' benefit? Are your exercise directors qualified to do the job? Do they understand how to deliver customer service in the group exercise setting? Are they giving you monthly reports that deliver tracking systems on the success of your programs, which includes class attendance? Is membership growing? Are there monthly goals? Are you treating your group exercise department just like your other departments with guidelines that all instructors must follow?

Your group exercise room is your biggest marketing tool. Eighty percent of club membership comes from buddy referral. Is your membership team in that room taking the exercise class? If not, there should be a new rule — all sales teams must take class twice a week. It should be mandatory and part of their job description. Be a business-person not a “club owner.” The potential for growth through group exercise could be financially and culturally astronomical. If you have a strong group exercise culture in you club you will have committed members for life. Try these tips for ensuring that success:

Lori Lowell owns two clubs in northern Virginia. She serves as the national group fitness director for Gold's Gym International and was recently awarded the 2002 “Visionary of the Year” award for Gold's Gym.

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