Before you invest more into growth, know what deserves the investment.
This is a working conversation for established fitness operators who want a clearer understanding of what may be limiting growth, what the problem could be costing the business, and what should be addressed first.
We use your actual business situation — not generic advice — to determine where the strongest opportunity may exist.
Complimentary. No obligation to work with McClain Consulting after the call.
A strategy call should produce clarity — not just a sales pitch.
The objective is to understand the problem before deciding whether McClain Consulting should be part of the solution.
The most visible problem is not always the most expensive problem.
You may already have an opinion about what the business needs: more leads, better advertising, stronger salespeople, more content, lower churn, or better follow-up.
But solving the wrong problem more aggressively can simply make the business busier without making it better.
The purpose of the Strategy Call is to separate symptoms from constraints so you can better understand what deserves attention before committing more money, time, or people to fixing it.
Leave the conversation with a clearer picture of the problem than you had when you entered.
We are going to talk about the business behind the marketing.
This is not a branding brainstorm or a generic marketing consultation. Depending on the situation, we may look at the numbers and decisions behind five areas of the business.
Demand
How many opportunities are entering the business, where they come from, what they cost, and whether they are qualified.
Sales
How many leads are contacted, booked, shown, closed, lost, and followed up with.
Customer Value
What customers are worth, how long they stay, where cancellations occur, and how retention affects the economics.
Existing Opportunity
Old leads, no-shows, lost prospects, inactive customers, former members, and other opportunities already inside the business.
Growth Economics
What you spend to acquire customers, what those customers are worth, and where improving performance may have the greatest financial impact.
Come prepared to talk about numbers.
You do not need perfect reporting. But the more accurately you understand the business, the more useful the conversation can become.
Estimates are acceptable when exact numbers are unavailable. We care more about understanding the economics than creating the appearance of perfect reporting.
Apply anyway. Missing data can itself reveal where greater visibility may be needed.
We will not automatically tell you that you need more leads.
The recommendation should follow the diagnosis. Not the other way around.
Increasing lead volume may not be the highest-value move if too few of those opportunities become customers.
Retention may deserve attention before additional acquisition spend.
Reactivating existing demand may create more value than immediately buying more traffic.
The primary problem may be discipline, ownership, process, or management rather than strategy.
Measurement itself may need to improve before aggressive growth decisions make sense.
This conversation makes the most sense when there is something worth optimizing.
The strongest Strategy Calls happen with established businesses that have real operating history and enough capacity to act if a worthwhile opportunity is identified.
Apply If…
You operate an established fitness business with proven demand.
You already have paying customers and real operating history.
You want to understand your numbers instead of relying on assumptions.
You believe the business has growth potential that is not being fully captured.
You have enough financial and operational capacity to act on a worthwhile opportunity.
You are willing to discuss what is actually happening inside the business.
Do Not Apply If…
You are pre-revenue and still validating whether people want the offer.
You need immediate revenue to make payroll or keep the business open.
You are looking for guaranteed revenue or guaranteed member results.
You are unwilling to discuss business performance information.
You want someone to simply confirm what you already believe.
You are not in a position to implement meaningful changes if a problem is identified.
We move from context to diagnosis to priority.
The call is structured to help both sides understand whether a meaningful problem exists, what it may be worth solving, and what the next step should be.
Understand
We establish where the business is today, where you want it to go, and what has already been attempted.
Diagnose
We examine the relevant numbers and customer journey to identify the strongest constraint or opportunity.
Quantify
Where the information allows, we estimate what the problem may be costing or what improving it could potentially be worth.
Prioritize
We determine what should likely receive attention first — and what probably should not receive additional investment yet.
Determine the Next Step
If McClain Consulting is a strong fit, we explain the engagement we believe makes sense and why. If we do not believe working together makes sense, we will tell you that too.
Not every Strategy Call should end with the same recommendation.
You do not need to know which McClain engagement you need before applying. Diagnosis comes first.
You May Not Need Us
The problem may be something your team can address internally without a McClain engagement.
INSTALL
The diagnosis may reveal that important growth infrastructure is missing, disconnected, or underdeveloped.
OPTIMIZE
The infrastructure may exist, but performance needs systematic testing, measurement, and ongoing improvement.
OPERATE
The business may need someone to take significantly more responsibility for managing and improving the growth function.
Know the level of investment before we speak.
You do not need to choose an engagement before the Strategy Call. But there should be alignment around the financial level of the work before either side invests time in a conversation.
Ongoing engagements also include an implementation investment.
Paid media spend and applicable third-party expenses are separate.
Give us enough context to make the conversation useful.
The application helps us understand the business before we speak. We review your current position, growth goals, financial and operational capacity, and the problem you believe needs to be solved.
If there appears to be a meaningful reason to speak, we will move forward with the Strategy Call.
The goal is not to fill the calendar. It is to have useful conversations with businesses where our approach may genuinely make sense.
Apply for consideration
A few things worth knowing.
Is the Strategy Call free?
Yes. The purpose is to understand the business, identify whether there is a meaningful problem to discuss, and determine whether a McClain Consulting engagement should even be considered.
Does applying guarantee a call?
No. Applications are reviewed for fit. If we do not believe a conversation would be useful, we would rather be clear about that than waste your time.
What should I bring to the call?
Bring the clearest information you have on revenue, customers, leads, marketing spend, appointments, sales, cancellations, customer value, and the growth goal you are trying to reach. Estimates are acceptable when exact reporting is unavailable.
Are you going to pitch me during the call?
If we believe McClain Consulting is a strong fit, we will explain what we would recommend and why. But the conversation begins with diagnosis, not a predetermined package.
What does working with McClain Consulting cost?
INSTALL is a $5,000 one-time implementation. OPTIMIZE begins with a $3,500 implementation and continues at $4,500 per month. OPERATE begins with a $7,500 implementation and continues at $8,500 per month. Paid media spend and applicable third-party expenses are separate.
Do I need to know which engagement I want before applying?
No. You should not be expected to diagnose the problem and prescribe the solution before the conversation. That is part of what the Strategy Call is designed to help clarify.
Do you guarantee specific revenue or member results?
No. Business performance depends on multiple variables, including market conditions, the offer, economics, execution, team performance, customer experience, and factors outside our control.
You do not need another opinion about your business. You need a clearer diagnosis.
If the problem is unclear, the solution is still a guess.
If growth has become inconsistent, expensive, difficult to understand, or overly dependent on you, the first step is not automatically another campaign. It is understanding what is actually happening.
Apply for a Private Strategy Call