Q&A with Craig Pepin-Donat, the executive vice president and partner of Crunch, on the brand’s partnership with VFP and the development of a robust digital sales platform.
CS: Why was it so important for Crunch to develop a digital sales platform?
When you look at the sales process in the fitness industry, it hasn’t really evolved from a technological standpoint. Many clubs still sign in on a clipboard and use laminates to present membership options, or worse, they pen sell. My vision for the Crunch sales process was to create the same experience you would get in an Apple store – simple, professional, and streamlined with a consistent and elevated experience. When you are building a fast-growing fitness organization, especially a franchise platform, consistency with your message is critical. A professional digital platform not only creates the optimal member experience, but the foundation for delivering a consistent message. That means every team member is trained to know what to say, how to say it and when to say it, and that maximizes the probability for sales success. Having a consolidated sales-based software platform has helped us improve operational efficiency and enhance the support we provide to our franchise partners across our network.
CS: Tell our readers how you accomplished these goals.
Phase One: We started with a vision of what I branded as the Crunch Digital Toolkit (DTK) which included: digital guest registration, digital communication for active leads, digital tour using iPads, and digital enrollment. That includes a cost/benefit analysis and project development assessment. I realized there was a significant amount of time, energy and money in the development of a digital platform, so I thought we’d benefit developing from a platform that had already been through significant development and testing. I had a previous relationship with Daron Allen and his company, VFP, through a partnership with my good friend and one of the industry’s top nutrition visionaries, Neal Spruce, who is the founder of dotFIT. So, I conceived of the Digital Toolkit concept with an existing solution platform in mind. Daron is actually a digital fitness pioneer and has developed a truly unique platform with VFP. So, he had the platform and I had a vision for what we wanted at Crunch. Together, and with the help of both of our internal teams and a lot of franchisee feedback, we provided the direction and VFP wrote the code and customized our Digital Toolkit.
Phase 2: We also wanted a digital solution for presenting personal training, so we added our CrunchOne Kick Off, which is our customized new member fitness orientation that feeds personal training. We integrated a digital health history questionnaire, PAR-Q and all the tools that guide the personal training presentation process. We also wrote an API that fed all the algorithms for our nutrition program through dotFIT, the industry’s premier online nutrition platform designed to drive personal training revenue. So now we can show prospective PT clients exactly what they have to do, along with a timeline from a caloric deficit perspective and nutrition standpoint to achieve the exact goals they told us they wanted to achieve. If there’s one thing I learned in my 38 years in the industry and as a competitive physique athlete, it is that 70% of any fitness goal is based on food intake and dietary supplements. The connection with VFP and dotFIT delivered through a digital platform is the most powerful sales tool in the history of the fitness industry for driving personal training revenue and member retention.
Phase 3: As we evolved, we knew we also needed a strong lead management tool connected to the Digital Toolkit, so we added our Digital Lead Management system (DLM). The DLM automated our lead management and communications strategy and enhanced our sales process.
Phase 4: Integration and adoption are the two most important words you learn as a franchisor. In a company-owned chain, it’s much easier to rollout any initiative because you are working with a team that is employed by you. In the franchise business, you’re communicating with serial entrepreneurs and investors who are skeptical and have to be a part of the process — or you can forget any significant level of network integration adoption. Our operations team partnered with our franchise network and tested each aspect of the platform, and from our field tests and franchisee feedback we created punch list items for hundreds of enhancements over several years — and Daron and his team delivered, big time. This completed the vision for our Digital Toolkit designed to help our franchisees drive top-line revenue and bottom line profits.
CS: Wow, that sounds like a major undertaking. Is Crunch the only one with this consolidated software platform?
It was definitely a significant initiative, but well worth it. Any major initiative worth taking on is going to consume a year or more of your life, and you don’t get to stop running the business or managing all the other operational initiatives while it’s happening. I am just fortunate to have such a tremendously committed and loyal operations team to support and execute my vision. I’m confident the work we did with VFP and their VFPnext technology gave us a significant competitive advantage. Others may now benefit from our work, but I think it’s also important to elevate the fitness industry in general, and I’m happy to be a part of any effort that helps more people achieve their fitness goals. After all, isn’t that why we’re all in this industry?
CS: How has your relationship with VFP been?
I already knew from my previous relationship with Daron that he’s a man of his word and that he’s open to direct criticism and flexible when it comes to development and how to maximize resources. An undertaking like this would never have been possible without the partnership mentality that Daron and his team have at VFP. It’s one thing to have the vision to elevate the guest and member experience and improve operational efficiency, and it’s another to find a partner who can roll up their sleeves and help make it a reality. Using an off-the-shelf solution that has the development capability and required bandwidth can get you to your goal faster. VFP is that partner. Period.
For more information on VFP, visit https://vfp.us/.
