30 August, 2004 - Let's not reward laziness

A fitness centre I was at the other day had a big letter 'E' painted in the car park spaces located closest to the centre's front door. They told me these spaces were reserved for members of the club's Executive Club, which costs more to join and among other things, gets you a private lounge. It's similar to Qantas Club I guess.

Rather than save members calories with less distance to walk, how about rewarding those members who make walking the furthest a good habit. Paint the E's on car spaces furthest away from the centre entrance and check which cars are in there at set times. Have a staff member record number plates to go into the draw to win a prize which is drawn at the end of the month. You get an entry every time your number plate is noted and entered.

Not only will this make a big fuss about taking opportunities to walk whenever you can, it will help people build a healthy habit that will flow onto shopping centres, movie cinemas and wherever else they park.

28 August, 2004 - Half portion - Half price

In the lift up to the big Ikea home furnishing and accessory store in Richmond (Vic) Australia there's a poster that promotes Ikea's in-store restaurant. The simple offer is "Half Portion - Half Price" kids meals. Wouldn't it be good if this option was available everywhere to help portion distorted individuals cut back on calories. Trust Ikea to come up with a great concept. Why not ask your local eateries to make the same offer to your clients?

24 August, 2004 - I got my doughnut, and it was free!

At last, Krispy Kreme Liverpool, NSW have restored my faith in quality service and food (see my 10 August post below). Today, waiting in line at the store I was handed a complimentary plain doughnut - my very first hot, fresh Kispy Kreme. It was quality stuff... mmmm mmmm. I now know why people say they are so good. And I'm not getting paid to say this. By the time I got to the counter, I'd finished my doughnut and felt satisfied, so I didn't need to buy another. I did though because I felt obliged by their gift, and gave it to a friend later in the day.

Make sure you really enjoy the whole experience of eating small amounts of high quality 'sometimes' foods sometimes, rather than always. Thanks Krispy Kreme!

19 August, 2004 - Give your clients a "Goodie Bag" of tips and tools

Each Year the Royal Easter Show in Sydney sells tens of thousands of show bags filled with all sorts of goodies for the kids. They love them! Supermarkets now give shoppers "Goodie Bags" filled with food and personal care products. I got this one for free today with a AUD$2.95 Food Ideas magazine. There was more value in the goodie bag than in the magazine.

What goodies do you give your weight loss clients? Tip sheets, diet plans, progress trackers, recipes and even food samples make great value take home bonuses for clients.

When you start a session tell your client they will go home with a goodie bag of helpful items, and build the contents as you go. If you are looking for bag fillers, stay tuned as I'll have some useful tip sheets for you soon. In the meantime check out the FREE STUFF for my stop-sign fridge poster.

10 August, 2004 - Still no doughnut!

Last month, I shared how I was ticked off after waiting 15 minutes in the cue and then being told I'd have to wait another 5 minutes for a plain doughnut at Krispy Kreme Penrith, NSW. I didn't hang around.

It happened again today at Liverpool, NSW. "That will be a 5-minute wait sir." I said, "You're joking!" They said there were none available because they'd just filled a large fund raising order. Don't these people want me to try one of their highly rated food experiences?!

Tip: Keep a small batch of fresh ones for the first-time customers who only want to buy one to try. Don't sell these to anyone who orders multiple doughnuts. They can wait. I'll try again soon and let you know how I go.

Disclaimer: I did buy one cold custard-filled doughnut today. They had lots of those. It's the hot fresh ones I have'nt seemed to be able to get a sample of yet.

7 August, 2004 - How not to get kids to eat fruit

Today, I attended my 5-year-old Joseph's soccer party at a children's activity centre - Kids-A-Maze. The little guys were in the Rocket Room with party food laid on think - sausage rolls, savaloys, chocolate crackles, fairy bread and more. But here's a picture of the fruit they were provided with towards the end of the meal. Just how is a 5-year-old meant to crack open an orange fo this size without any utensils? And what is whole fruit doing at a kid's party? Of course, it was left untouched.

Tip: Provide fresh chunky fruit salad skewered on tooth picks, so the boys can quickly grab a bite, enjoy and go back for more.

On the activity side of things, this place was fantastic for getting kids away from the television, being active and having fun. Where is your local children's activity venue to recommend to parents?

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