Who is Lifecycle Fitness?
LifeCYCLE is a Frederick, MD indoor cycling studio whose goal is to create a space where everyone can feel comfortable, motivated and welcome on and off the bike!
Their approach is engaging, fun and realistic. LifeCYCLE provides the accountability you need and the community you’re looking for- who will cheer you on the entire way!
We spoke with Emily Harlow, Co-Owner of LifeCYCLE, to learn more about their studio and why they made the switch to Xplor Mariana Tek.
The Challenge
LifeCYCLE Studio had been using MindBody since opening their doors in January 2020. They had spent a lot of time working with the MBO team, learning the ins and outs of the platform. While they felt pretty savvy when it came to using the software, they weren’t getting what they expected out of it.
“I felt like it never did what I wanted it to do. Every time I’d reach out to support, they would give me a bug report for my issue, but they never got around to fixing anything. I was left to just figure out how to work around the system myself.”
Additionally, they were spending a lot of money on extra software subscriptions to address feature gaps in the platform and get a truly “all-in-one” spin studio software solution.
“We had several partners as well to make up for all the things our software couldn’t do, or at least couldn’t do well. We were spending a fortune each month between all our tech.”
LifeCYCLE was already looking for a new fitness studio software solution just two years into their term but were concerned by what they thought would be a complicated transfer process.
“I wanted to leave Mindbody over a year ago, but I was SO NERVOUS. The thought of changing all our clients over was a huge source of anxiety. LifeCYCLE is a spin studio, so we also have performance tracking on all our classes/bikes. Moving platforms would mean we’d have to change our performance tracking companies also AND we had a custom app – so we’d have to change that as well. It was a huge deal for us and completely overwhelming, so I just kept pushing it off.”
Xplor Mariana Tek’s Solution
The LifeCYCLE team reached a point where they needed to make the switch.
They needed a truly all-in-one platform to manage their spin studio that worked as they expected it to.
After extensive evaluation of Xplor Mariana Tek’s indoor cycling software platform, they decided to pull the trigger in the winter of 2022.
They were assured that the switch over to Mariana Tek would go smoothly, but they were pleasantly surprised by just how easy it was.
“The process of changing over was NOTHING like I envisioned. It was smooth, seamless and nearly flawless. I was SHOCKED. We were pretty hands off the entire time. Our onboarding specialist had us review some documents and reports, but for the most part, they took care of everything for us.”
The Results
“I wish I had done this years ago. It was SO worth it to us from a financial standpoint and from a customer experience/branding standpoint.”
The LifeCYCLE studio team got exactly what they were looking for from the Mariana Tek platform. The powerful functionality they needed to manage all aspects of their spin studio and better serve their clients, bundled in a streamlined, easy-to-use software package.
“Mariana Tek is so organized, so streamlined and so simple to use. It’s honestly exactly how a fitness studio’s CRM and management platform should be.”
Best of all, they were able to reduce their monthly software bill significantly by cancelling all the additional subscriptions they needed to make up for feature gaps in their previous platform.
“We’re also saving so much on overhead because we could get rid of all those extra software partners since Mariana Tek does most of it!”
Then there’s the icing on the cake. LifeCYCLE Studio had been using BrandBot (Mariana Tek’s marketing automation solution for fitness studios) for over a year to streamline their marketing efforts and drive more revenue.
Because Brandbot is owned by Xplor and integrated into Mariana Tek, LifeCYCLE Studio can keep reaping all the marketing automation benefits they’ve grown accustomed to without having to learn a new platform.
“BrandBot is owned by the same company as Mariana Tek and BrandBot has been a game changer. We started using BrandBot (with Mindbody) about a year ago and we’ve seen an increase in revenue because we are able to send out meaningful and trackable drip campaigns to clients. If you end up moving to MarianaTek, be sure to utilize their Marketing Automation. I HIGHLY suggest it.”
The LifeCYCLE Studio team isn’t the only fitness studio experiencing the revenue-boosting results of Mariana Tek’s Marketing Automation solution (Brandbot). On average, Clients who use Marketing Automation convert 26% more first-timersto clients.
Emily’s Closing Thoughts
“To anyone reading this: I know this probably sounds like I work for the company, haha! But I promise you I don’t! After our transition to Mariana Tek, I told the team that if they ever had any studios who were hesitant to make the change like I was, to share my name. I know what it feels like, and I know how utterly relieved I was at the end!”
Ready to Make the Change? Book a demo to discuss your studio’s needs with the Mariana Tek team!
Article by Xplor Mariana Tek
First published: 19 April 2023
Last updated: 17 April 2024