Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I need to know about the views and feedback of my site.  I`m at www.newhomefitness.com.  Please share your comments with me.  I truly know the patent pending concept through NewHomeFitness has been well received.  I just want to expand it to all demographics.

Thanks for your input.

P.S. I`d be more than happy to make changes with good feedback about how I`ve advertised.


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Adrian D Griffin
Newhomefitness
Corp: South Bend, Indiana
574-855-4437
1-800-761-0321
www.newhomefitness.com
sales@newhomefitness.com

Home page - It took me a few reads before I "got" it. 

The idea of building a room in a new home or in an addition for fitness gear completely escaped me until I went deeper into your site.  If it confused me, it might confuse others.  Maybe you should spend more time selling the concept than the equipment.

You also have way too many links to your store.  You can`t shotgun the call to action all over the page and hope that someone clicks through. 

I am just curious, why is your store in a different website?

I also have a question about your "Showroom Location".  Where are you?  Your "About Us" page says that you are a member of `St. Joseph`s County Chamber of Commerce`,  but do you have any clue how many "St. Joseph" counties there are in the US?  Your location page and your contact us page don`t provide an address.  The location page doesn`t even tell me what state you are in, let alone what city.  You might also want to post your showroom hours.



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Steve Mann
Internet Videographer
MannMade Digital Video
My Email

Here`s the link.

First of all, the white text on blue backing is hard to read. If you must have this reverse contrast, then at least put in some extra line-spacing to make it easier on the eyes.

More importantly, the way you have your concept designed, I took it to mean a "new form of home fitness." I didn`t at all expect to see "fitness rooms for new homes." That should be rapidly and clearly emphasized.

In my opinion, if someone isn`t building a new home right now, your site has no value to them. So to avoid annoyance, make it clear. It`s like going through a whole site that`s really cool, only to discover it`s a service only offered in a town on the other side of the country.

Consider that although many people may not be building a home, they may do so later, or they may know someone right now who is. So if you don`t annoy those folks, they might be willing to promote your site to their friends.

Next, I see that you have packages and so forth, but so what? You`re selling the idea that you can get "normal and ordinary" fitness equipment for a lot less, and do something with it. Right?

The emphasis on your site seems mostly to be that you sell home fitness equipment. That`s not what you`re actually selling. So how can you re-focus on what it is that you`re actually selling?

Kathy and I spent the first half of our first year believing that we sell messages done in special signal flags. So we promoted words like "Welcome," or "This is fun." Then we suddenly realized that nobody can *read* signal flags!!

Now we`ve changed our fundamental strategy. We sell flags! Not messages! It just happens that the flags spell messages, and that`s our "gimmick."

Your site, right now, sells fitness equipment. But what you actually sell is *savings* in an expensive investment. The way you do it is by adjusting the house while it`s being built, not after the fact. So....what`s your "gimmick?"

Thank you firstly for your immediate response.  Secondly, I see that the navigation of my concept through my site should be more simplistic considering it`s a novel concept to all.  I probably need multiple sites considering I have a retail location and also e-commerce, offering more purchasing options for those who already have a home.

 I do agree with your opinions though.

Thanks. 

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Adrian D Griffin
Newhomefitness
Corp: South Bend, Indiana
574-855-4437
1-800-761-0321
www.newhomefitness.com
sales@newhomefitness.com

Multiple sites isn`t a bad idea at all. That, or a more sophisticated navigation system. But either way, it looks as if you might want to sit down and do some brainstorming on "What is my core product concept?" :-)

Hey CraigL,

I have begun to formulate my concept approach to every demographic and not just by using my website.  This is good!  Great info!

Thanks,


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Adrian D Griffin
Newhomefitness
Corp: South Bend, Indiana
574-855-4437
1-800-761-0321
www.newhomefitness.com
sales@newhomefitness.com

Adrian,
As a philosopher, I`ve observed that one of the most difficult skills a human being undertakes to develop is "conceptualization." One reason it`s so difficult is that very few people have any sort of defined explanation of what is a concept in the first place. Ayn Rand has a whole book on the process, but not many people have read a copy.

A concept is like the top of a pyramid. Depending on how many pieces go into that concept, the pyramid can be very tall, or quite low to the ground. A pyramid can also have a very wide base, or just a few inches at the bottom. So too, a concept can be wide and all-encompassing, or it can be narrow and constrained.

We "build" a concept out of our observations, experiences, and the conclusions we draw from those experiences. When we have too many similar experiences to hold in our head, we "subsume" them---gather them together into a box---under a new word. That new word represents a concept.

One exercise you might try is to sit down and list every possible thing you can think of that relates to your business. If you know Excel, list each thing, no matter how odd, in a column, each in its own cell.

Then go through the list and see if you can find "index" words, to put into the next column over. An index word would be 1 word you would use if you were trying to find that thought---that line.

Then sort the two columns. See if you can find some patterns.

For example, you have: new, house, home (they`re different), health, money, room, power, excercise, machines, recreation, construction, wood, beams, 2x4s, concrete, lights, and the list goes on and on and on.

But your patterns begin to narrow: Cost, room, bulk, health, efficiency, and so on.

Having a concept is directly related to developing your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). That helps with branding, logo, marketing, and customer perception. It also will help you to decide if you need multiple Web sites, or perhaps a "door" for Customers, and Real Estate Developers. Or, for Retail vs. Wholesale.

It`s not at all an easy thing to do, particularly when your business overlaps between a service and a product line.

Not E-Z, but I`m the one who holds his hand up to answer the question despite the number of classmates. 
I have observed the consumer bewildered by the myriad of items to be purchased for their fitness room.   My experience with the consumer who has exhausted their means on the newly built home ultimately caused the light bulb to go off in my head on how to create a bigger customer base by bringing a solution to their problem...thus newhomefitness.  The unique selling proposition will enhance my placement in their minds culminating in the betterment of society in terms of fighting the obesity problem.
This is fun!  Thanks CraigL






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Adrian D Griffin
Newhomefitness
Corp: South Bend, Indiana
574-855-4437
1-800-761-0321
www.newhomefitness.com
sales@newhomefitness.com

:-) Okay...this is a start, but it`s not a USP. What you`re saying, essentially, is "I noticed a problem and I have a solution."

What problem? And What solution? That`s where we have to end up... hopefully in less than 15 words. See? :-)

Consumer Problem:  I just built a home and can`t afford good fitness equipment. 

Solution:  Include the fitness room in the cost of the new home using the patent pending method of newhomefitness.


Consumer Problem:  The home is built.  Now I have to purchase equipment using credit at 18% to 29%

Solution:  Through Newhomefitness you could have a fitness room added to the cost of the new home saving you hundreds of dollars.

I hope I`m headed in the right direction.

I await the reply with anticipation.






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Adrian D Griffin
Newhomefitness
Corp: South Bend, Indiana
574-855-4437
1-800-761-0321
www.newhomefitness.com
sales@newhomefitness.com