Mahya kahrobi - Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Amir Ahmad Mozaffari - Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Lila Sabbaghian Rad - Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Background: The purpose of the present research was to examine the relationship between internal marketing and customer satisfaction in private women s fitness clubs of Tehran. Materials and methods: The population of this correlational research consisted of all the employees and customers of women s fitness clubs with at least six months membership. 165 employees and 335 customers were selected as the sample using Morgan s table. The Internal Marketing Questionnaire of Money and Foreman (1995) (α=0.94) and the Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire of Gohar Rustami (2009) (α=0.91) were used for data collection. The data were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson correlation coefficient, Freidman test, and multivariate regression. Results and discussions: The results of Pearson correlation showed that there was no significant relationship between internal marketing and customer satisfaction in the sample fitness clubs (r=0.08; p=0.135). The results of Freidman test indicated that satisfaction with health (4.57) and mental satisfaction (4.38) were the most important components of customer satisfaction. Moreover, the results of regression analysis showed that 6% of changes in satisfaction can be explained by the components of internal marketing (R2=0.06;p<0.01), and that information sharing is the most important predictor of customer satisfaction (β=0.23;p<0.000). Conclusion: The implication is that development of information sharing is an important factor in internal marketing. It is also important to pay special attention to internal marketing in order to improve customer satisfaction in fitness clubs

Internal marketing, satisfaction, fitness clubs