Top 5 Reasons Why I Switched to a Zen Planner Website

Why I decided to look at yet another website template option

There are obviously tons of web design companies out there that offer template based websites for small businesses, and there are numerous Wordpress templates available that would work nicely for most gyms. There are even a few companies that "specialize" in martial arts and fitness studio websites.  So, this begs the question: why would I think there needs to be another option?

First off, over the last 14 years I've tried all the other options and more.  I coded our first website in html, hired a pro for our 2nd site, switched to Wordpress, and then experienced a handful of different template sites in recent years. As a Zen Planner user, I could not be happier that Zen Planner has expanded into this space.  Here are my Top 5 reasons for wanting a Zen Planner website...

1. Full integration with the Zen Planner backend 

The number one reason that I wanted Zen Planner to launch this service is because no website out there does a decent job at integrating with Zen Planner to the level that is possible.  Just look at all the prospecting fields there are within each contact record.

It seems like all the website companies I've seen are expanded into the CRM market, so they are busy trying to create websites that bill for memberships and track attendance, etc.  I actually started signing up with one company (I won't say who) who told me that they could totally integrate with Zen Planner, only to find out 2 months later that they really couldn't at the level that they promised. What's worse is that they said we should ditch Zen Planner and go with their CRM so that everything worked better together - WHAT?!  I don't think so.

Another website template's backend shows some of the similar (but inferior) features they offer.

It makes more sense to me that a CRM company would move into the webspace, rather than the other way around.  Above is a screenshot from a great company that we currently use (and are switching from).  You can see that we are paying for features that we don't use and that they likely plan to expand.

Note: To be fair, I should mention that one possible reason for other sites having terrible Zen Planner integration has to do with the fact that they don't have a fully open API for developers and tool makers.  There are good and bad reasons for this in my opinion, but this subject is worthy of it's own article... so look out for that in the future.

2. One less website or tool to manage

If you're not familiar with this term multiple system chaos, it basically refers to the common problem of having so many technological "solutions" that getting actual work done makes your head spin.  I've seen studios that have one website for clients, another website for leads, a separate emailer, and multiple databases and systems that collide and cause a logistical nightmare.

I first heard of the term Multiple System Chaos from an interview with the CEO of Infusionsoft.

One day I'll write an article detailing all of the tools that we use, why we use them, as well as how they all work together.  But for now, let me just say that the idea of having one less tool to manage makes me ecstatic.  As you can imagine, it's a lot of work to sync calendars, membership offerings, and marketing messages.

3. Finally: A website for both leads and current students

The current experts in our industry speak as if websites are only for leads - not for current students. But, you know what?  Every website company offers something for current students, right?  Why?  Because we all want one!  The sad part is that all of these members areas suck... They can't show your billing, your attendance, nor any relevant information.  If you as a business owner can figure out how to duplicate all of that info, or feed it into a member site from your CRM, my hat's off for you!

If we do this right, we'll finally have a useful and relevant website that can benefit both leads and current students.  Imagine that!

4. I love the design

Of course this had to be one of the reasons!  Zen Planner has great designers and good looking templates.  Check them out here:

• https://theme1.zenplannerhost.com/
• https://theme2.zenplannerhost.com/
• https://theme3.zenplannerhost.com/
• https://theme4.zenplannerhost.com/
• https://theme5.zenplannerhost.com/

5. This is going to save us money

Zen Planner has very reasonable prices for their website service.  All said, in addition to all the above benefits, switching to a Zen Planner website is going to save us about HALF compared to what we were paying before.

Side note: If you're one of those people who prefer to buy a website right out instead of paying monthly, I bet you a steak dinner that I can change your mind, real quick!  I used to design websites for a living (don't judge me by this one, haha) and I charged a lot of money - so trust me - paying a monthly fee is a great idea for so many reasons:

• It's just like having someone on staff who can make any changes you need at any time.
• You can now stop being an "expert" and hand off all glitches, problems, SEO, design, etc.
• Get a consistent write off instead of one big one for tax purposes (I'm not a tax expert).
• If it's not working as you would like it to, you have leverage to get it fixed.
• Someone else is in charge of mobile compatibility, or whatever new standards come up.

Learn more about Zen Planner's Integrated Websites

If you're a current Zen Planner user, you can contact support or check out the full list of features here.

If you're not a Zen Planner user already, sign up with my link to save $100 and try it out.


About me: I'm in the unique position that I've tried out all the gym CRMs out there and I became a superfan of Zen Planner - so much so that I made this blog.  I run a martial arts and fitness gym in Santa Barbara with my family.