ABC Financial, Little Rock, Arkansas, has acquired GymSales for an undisclosed amount, ABC Financial announced on July 22.
GymSales, Melbourne, Australia, is an international provider of fitness sales management tools.
The introduction of GymSales powered by ABC amplifies ABC Financial’s strategy to be the leader in holistic club management, according to the company.
GymSales provides intuitive tools that help capture, nurture and convert prospective health club members, as well as identify and manage upsell opportunities, which translates into improved retention of those members, according to ABC Financial CEO Bill Davis. The company does so in an automated manner with trigger-based communications that give club operators real-time insights to help improve overall sales performance.
This acquisition is the first of what Davis told Club Industry could be several acquisition or partnership moves to create more holistic club management offerings for the company’s customers.
“Most of our customers are engaged with anywhere from five to eight application providers that they are left integrating on their own,” he said. “So this is first of several types of integrations that we believe we are going to be able to provide our customers and prospects alike.”
ABC Financial is looking at opportunities to expand its company in three areas that affect club operators: sales capabilities, revenue cycle management and programming.
The programming part of the equation is one that ABC Financial has focused little on in the past but is committed to doing more with in the future, Davis told Club Industry.
This expansion will occur under the company’s build, buy, partner approach, Davis said.
“We are pursuing our product development very intentionally, developing those things organically that we believe we are uniquely positioned to do so,” Davis said. “And our next generation revenue cycle management capabilities are a perfect example of that because our domain expertise in the area of revenue cycle management is second to none. But there are capabilities that will broaden club management that we are less experts about, and we will critically evaluate the market as to whether or not there are viable alternatives in the market that not only bring that capability in a more accelerated fashion but also in a more holistic fashion.”
When it comes to partnership pursuits, the company is looking at best of breed offerings that may not be fitness industry specific, such as door access and point of sales solutions.
But for now, ABC Financial is integrating GymSales, which has a strong presences in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, into the ABC Financial fold. That includes keeping the management team on board. That team is led by GymSales founder Tristan Alexander, who will join ABC Financial as vice president of product management.
“GymSales is known as the leader in this space,” Alexander said in a media release. “With the commitment from ABC to invest in and support GymSales, our clients will continue to enjoy enhancements and expanded capabilities. The integrated solution will provide everything fitness clubs need to create the best member and employee experience when prospects join a club or members sign-up for additional services.”
ABC clients can purchase GymSales powered by ABC as an add-on module to extend their existing capabilities with DataTrak. GymSales will continue to be available globally with integrations to other club management systems.
GymSales’ comprehensive module eliminates the need for multiple applications to complete the member acquisition process, performing tasks that previously required myriad programs and duplicate data entry. Its smart social media integration personalizes member communication and the efficiency and effectiveness of lead/sales management through its suite of analytics.