A Guest Post From Ninja Fitness Marketer, Victoria Judge (also known as The PT Coach)
I was in a bar recently watching what passes for romance and seduction at midnight on licensed premises play out before me, and I got to thinking about the similarities between the world of dating and the world of marketing.
This bar was full of girls wearing more make up than clothes, falling about drunk and weakly fending off the attentions of red-faced, sweaty guys who later could be found throwing punches at each other in the street while they waited for their kebabs to be handed over.
What were those girls truly looking for that night? What do they actually want from a relationship? What message did they want to convey to the guys –and what message were they actually putting out there? Are the guys proud of their beer-fuelled aggressive rampages, or do they experience secret shame the morning after? Do they want to be the sweaty sleaze all their lives?
When we’re trying to attract dates OR clients, do we really understand what we’re looking for, are they right for us, and are we going about it in the right way?
When crafting the image of your personal training business that you present to the outside world, there are seven key areas to consider so that you avoid getting treated like a cheap date:
Intentions
Start with the end in mind when planning out your marketing strategy, tactics and sequences. Know, in clear and very specific detail, what you want to achieve with your marketing:
- What kind of client do you want to attract?
- How long do you want them to train with you for?
- Are you looking for a one-night-stand or a long-term relationship?
- What offer do you want them to take up from you?
- How do you want to be perceived by your target market?
We teach people how to treat us: in business, and in relationships. Set clear intentions for how you want your prospects to treat you, and stick to them like glue in your marketing message.
Niche
Don’t put it out there that you’ll train absolutely anyone for anything. Rate yourself more highly than that, and don’t come across as desperate for date OR a client. Desperation is a huge turn off: rarity and exclusivity are a turn on.
I’m not saying play hard to get: I’m saying – be choosy.
Most people have a type they go for. Being a generalist doesn’t work any better in marketing than it does in dating: have a niche, a target market, and tailor your marketing efforts specifically towards those people. You’ll get a heaps better response rate.
Branding
This is SO much more complex than a logo and a tagline. Your personal brand is the essence of who you are: we express ourselves through our clothes, our conversations, our reactions to others, our body language, facial expressions, and hundreds of other imperceptible, unconscious communications. People are forming opinions of us, consciously and unconsciously, every second they are in our presence. Assume the same to be true of you as a personal trainer, and of your business.
Your brand is something to be extremely proud of: it should represent everything you hold important and true. Your core values, as well as what you offer your prospects and clients. When forming your brand it’s essential that you’re clear on these core values and that they are woven through all your marketing.
Perceived Value
I’ll say it again. We teach people how to treat us, in business and in relationships. If you’re putting it out there in your marketing that you’re a cheap date, that’s how you’ll be treated.
- Never discount.
- Never project anything other than high-quality professionalism.
- Never compromise your values or standards to ‘win’ a client.
- Never beg.
- Never believe yourself to be, or present yourself as, anything other than a premium service provider.
Overcoming Objections
There’s a lot of talk in the field of fitness marketing about overcoming objections and honestly, I find it a huge turn-off.
You can’t – and shouldn’t – have to persuade a guy or girl to like you. The potential for a relationship is either there or it isn’t.
Attraction comes down to heaps of different influences: from pheromones to common interests. But if someone’s not interested in us, we don’t launch into a sales pitch about why they’re wrong! (At least I hope not!). You might be able to overcome objections with some fast talking, or alcohol…but this isn’t a good way to date or do business.
I coach, advocate, love and practice Education Based Marketing. This strategy involves finding out what people want, and giving it to them, when they’re ready for it.
Maybe the object of your interest at the bar is ready to hop into bed with you on the first night – but more often, they need to get to know you, like you and trust you first. For me, helping a prospect reach that stage of trust is the ONLY way to do business.
Don’t approach your marketing strategy anticipating objections and how to force your way past them. Go into this believing 100% in the value of your services, and market in such a way that your prospects develop the same belief and really WANT to engage you as their personal trainer.
Closing
Yuk. Seriously, YUK. I really can’t stand that term.
As with overcoming objections, if you’ve done a great job with your education based marketing, your prospect comes to you ready to buy, and there’s no need for any shiny-suited salesman tactics. There is NOTHING worse than having some sleazy guy you have zero interest in try to force himself on you at the bar.
Of course there comes a time in your potential relationship when you have to make an offer. But if the object of your desire already knows you, likes you and trusts you, they’re going to be receptive to the offer. And if you’ve taken the time to really get to know THEM and what they want and need, you’re going to make the right offer.
Everyone’s a winner. No yukky ‘closing’ required. This is about giving people what they really want, and pre-selling NOT hard-selling.
Making The Right Offer
One of the secrets to never having to ‘close’ (shudder) or overcome objections, is to know how to make the right offer at the right time.
Maybe when the pub closes, they’re all ready to come home with you. Or they might agree to dinner. Or they might be interested – but even giving out their phone number feels too risky for them. Especially if they’ve had bad experiences in the past.
In marketing your personal training, you need to ensure you’re making an offer that’s easy and safe for EVERYONE to take up. We call this the ‘Education Spectrum’.
At the far end of this spectrum, you have the person ready to hire a personal trainer, and they’ve chosen you. At the very beginning, you have someone who is only thinking about solving a problem, or achieving a goal. They’ve not even reached the stage of considering hiring a trainer. Your offer needs to speak to and appeal to both these people, and everyone in between.
Be Audrey, Not Lindsay
If you’re a good fit with someone, in love and in business, a relationship will come naturally. But first you need to know exactly what that good fit is for you, what you want to attract, and make sure what you’re projecting to prospects and potential partners will attract the right person.
Don’t be the pick-up artist. Don’t be the cheap date. Don’t be the sales guy.
Know your target market, talk their language, let them know who you are and what you stand for, and be the perfect choice for them.
Above all – stay classy. Less Lindsay, more Audrey.
Magical stuff Victoria – great post. It just proves that there is indeed MUCH more thought needed when putting together your offer and presenting it (and yourself) to potential clients. Every conversation is a potential first date, whether it be in person or through your marketing.
Did anything V say hit any home truths with you?
If you would like to get your hands on more of this type of gold, Victoria has some really exciting things happening at the moment. She has a kick-arse, 12 month personal training business success program that the Australia fitness industry has never seen. To check it out and pre-register so you get all the good juicy bits, head over to her site and make yourself known.
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