Business fitness as important as personal fitness

Having been involved in the New Zealand fitness industry for over 30 years, Tony Martin is a Kiwi fitness legend.

Competing in over 100 bodybuilding shows including winning the Natural Olympia in 2000, Tony's vast knowledge of training and sports conditioning has often been sought by high-profile New Zealand sports stars - including several All Blacks - to help them improve their performance.

With a dedication to providing the best possible training environment for his clients, Martin's Sports Connection fitness centre in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill is also a popular destination for hundreds of Aucklanders who want to access a gym with one of the most diverse selection of training options in the city.

Martin explains "I take pride in providing a comfortable atmosphere where ordinary people can come to reach their fitness goals.

"So, we make sure that we have everything people might need to succeed in doing just that with a program that's perfect for them."

Martin talks enthusiastically about the range of fitness programs that Sports Connection provides, with everything from treadmills and free weights to traditional aerobics, Zumba, Pump, Step and Yoga classes.

They also offer boxing and a more intense 'kick-boxing to music' class called K-Max (through Radical Fitness Systems) as well as regular 12-week Challenge courses for corporate groups.

A feature of Tony Martin's facility is its TRX Suspension Fitness equipment, a system developed and used by US Navy Seals that is designed to build core body strength as well as joint and muscle stability. Sports Connection is one of just a few gyms in the country to be offering this training system.

Tony knows that to perform at the highest level, sports players need not only discipline, planning and commitment to their training program to maintain and grow in their fitness, they also benefit from a skilled training advisor to keep them focused.

It's a principle that Tony has also applied to the running of his business. For over a decade, Tony has utilised the services of direct debit payment services company Debitsuccess to manage his clients' membership plans; a working relationship he describes as "financial coordination."

Martin explains "before we started working with Debitsuccess, we faced an administrative nightmare every month trying to process, manage and chase up all our members payment plans. We also had no simple administrative tools to do so."

Sports Connection was one of the first fitness centres in New Zealand to start using Debitsuccess. Tony says the fact that they are still using Debitsuccess shows just how well their systems work, adding "it really is an innovative, efficient service that Debitsuccess offers, with top notch customer service to match. Because they handle any issues with debtors, it lets us get on with the job of providing great service to our members."

As well as handling all the payment processing for Sports Connection, Debitsuccess provides the centre with its locally developed Clubware software, which gives the gym staff an easy-to-use platform to coordinate their clients' memberships.

Tony Martin concludes "we consider our staff to be the real heart of Sports Connection, because they are from many different walks of life and come in different shapes and sizes. No matter what a potential client's background is, we will have someone who has walked in their shoes who can show them the way to better health.

"In the same way, we've been grateful for the support we've received from Debitsuccess, and the business experience and acumen they have provided to help us run an efficient business that keeps people coming back."

For more information about how Debitsuccess can help your business succeed with customer payment solutions and administration call 09 481 0498, www.debitsuccess.co.nz

31st January 2008 - RADICAL FITNESS EXPANDS ACROSS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND