Most gyms do not have a lead problem. They have a “no one owns follow up,” “our brand doesn’t match our price,” and “we never planned where this thing should live long term” problem.
Welcome to Gym Marketing Made Simple, the show focused on cutting through the noise around gym growth. Each episode centers on practical marketing, sales, and leadership systems that help boutique gyms build steady momentum without guesswork or constant outreach.
Episode Highlights
In today’s episode, Sherman Merricks and Blake Ruff is joined by, Josh Martin, and Stu Brauer to talk through what they are actually seeing every day with gyms they work with: why ads are not the real issue, how your brand and social need to line up with your prices, what solid follow up looks like, and how smart real estate decisions set your gym up for the next five to ten years.
Episode Outline
What “shrinkage” in CrossFit and micro gyms really means
Why every market goes through boom and squeeze cycles
The $200 subscription question and understanding your own pricing
Owners acting like consumers vs acting like operators
Time horizons: bad weeks vs real quarterly trends
Seasonality, spring break, and why some months are always softer
How organic social sets the stage for winning ad campaigns
The four things your Instagram should show a stranger
Why inside jokes and blurry class photos hurt your brand
“Bad leads” vs weak sales and follow-up
The 40 / 60 / 80 benchmark Sherman’s team uses at Lasso
How to treat early leads as sales reps for your team
Simple, playful sales language that gets real replies
Stu’s path from gym cash flow to owning his building
Lease first, then buy, and when to loop in a real estate pro
Using events like the Gym Marketing Made Simple event to get real ROI
Episode Chapters
00:00 Stop thinking like a consumer, $200 subscription test
01:13 Intro: Gym Marketing Made Simple with Sherman, Blake, Josh & Stu
02:00 Industry “shrinkage,” CrossFit, and market cycles
06:07 Owners, time horizons, and “bad month” panic
08:55 Seasonality, spring break, and realistic expectations
12:08 Social media that actually backs up your ads
18:05 “Bad leads” vs bad sales and weak follow up
24:02 Lead benchmarks: 40/60/80 and cold vs warm traffic
29:23 Stu’s real estate play and buying the building
38:06 Why Stu’s speaking at the event and how to connect with him
Conclusion
Sherman, Blake, Josh, and Stu lay out the gap between what most gym owners think is broken and what is really going on. The gyms that stop blaming Facebook, stop calling everything a “bad lead,” and start owning their numbers, their follow-up, their look and feel, and their lease are the ones that stay in the game when everybody else taps out.
CTA
If you want better leads, better closes, and a plan for where your gym is going to live next, subscribe to Gym Marketing Made Simple, share this with another owner who needs it, and book a call with the Lasso team so we can help you tighten up the whole system front to back.
👉 Book a free strategy call: https://www.lassoframework.com/
Thank you for spending time with us and actually working on the business, not just in it. Keep holding your gym to the same standard you expect from your clients, and the marketing, sales, and real estate pieces will start to line up a whole lot faster.
