In our final installment of this series, we're going to explore what truly separates the best clients from the rest of the pack. Here are all the things our best clients do consistently to maximize apparel sales:

1. They have a plan. They utilize our APPAREL PLAN service to get the most out of the calendar year. Most clients work with us 3-5 times a year and that is a healthy amount of apparel to offer while keeping demand high.
2. They use samples. We mail free garment samples to each gym ahead of every order. Most gyms never leave them out for members to try on. This is a major mistake. The secret is this: if you leave the samples out and have members just TOUCH the material before asking them if they want to buy one, they are 70% more likely to buy.
3. They have a system. They do not free style the marketing. They aren't changing vendors every order. They have the same predictable marketing order to order. They use consistent styles their members know and love.
4. They make the most of our service. They key to running apparel orders is to conserve time and energy on these  

If you can follow the steps I outlined in these 3 posts, you will be able to install a fully scalable and sustainable apparel program at your gym. This will cost you $0 out of pocket and the time required is very minimal considering the return on investment: Free cash flow and happy members wearing your apparel around town

If you would like to chat more about the basics and work on setting up your gym with an apparel program, you can book a call here: https://calendly.com/ffmatt/intro

 In part 2 of our 3 part series on building and running an apparel program at your gym, we're going to drill down on some of the more intermediate tactics. Today, it is all about marketing.

You might be saying "no duh. I know I have to market". But when I audit the marketing efforts by clients who say "I was disappointed about sales results", there is very action taken. I don't think this is an effort issue. It is an education issue- they simply don't know what needs to be done. Luckily, we have learned all the hard lessons and distilled all of our knowledge into these guides. 

To take the guess work out of this process, use our marketing guide here:  https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/0685/files/FF_Marketing_8b17b126-1401-4bc9-bc78-3bbaf1e78737.pdf?v=1694544674

It has a bunch of easy to implement tips to get you and your staff on board and organized during an apparel order week.

Use this checklist to organize what to do during the week as well: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/0685/files/Online_Store_Marketing_Checklist_1_d1f5e97b-756b-4e7f-8622-4ad3c01e371d.pdf?v=1700159799

By following an actual marketing system, you will see greater sales and returns. Do not attempt to freestyle or make this up on your own. You will make mistakes and mistakes cost money, time, and energy. Like everything in life, this relies on consistency and discipline. That is why I made a checklist. A checklist is chaos proof. Just follow the check list I provide and no matter how hectic, how chaotic, and whatever the week brings, you have 3-5 critical tasks that you must complete to truly maximize these orders while they're active

If you would like to chat more about the basics and work on setting up your gym with an apparel program, you can book a call here: https://calendly.com/ffmatt/intro

1. Choose the right items. You may want the super trendy tie dye tee or the super tight crop top. But ask yourself "will any members actually wear this?". Be honest! If you want those items for yourself, spouse, or coaches, no problem. But if 80% of the gym would not be caught dead wearing a specific style, don't offer it. You want people to actually buy and wear your apparel.
2. Use best sellers and templates. The chances of you designing a shirt that will appeal to members is....not great. If you've just done logo tees up until this point and you need a unique design to give people variety, rely on our best sellers and templates. There is a special sauce formula for selling apparel in gyms. We have figured this out. Trust the templates. Tweak them a bit to fit your brand. Save yourself time, money, and a major disappointment.
3. Run a preorder. As I mentioned, this process should cost you $0 out of pocket. You want to put the items up for sale for a week and collect orders during that time. Collect payments while the preorder is live. That way, when you submit the order, and get the invoice, you have all the money collected and ready to pay the invoice. DO NOT float, spot, or pay for members and collect money later. You will never get paid back. I do a mega deep dive into the preorder here: