When it comes to generating more qualified leads for your fitness business, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by the many options you have.

Which of the 201 different strategies do you use?

When is the right time to use them?

How many should you do at one time?

These are all valid questions that I hear from trainers on a pretty regular basis and I sure they have been running through your head at some stage of your business journey.

I have a theory

Well it’s not really a theory, more like a game-plan… a strategy.

If you have read any business books, surfed Facebook for long enough or been to a seminar – you will understand that it is important to run more than one marketing strategy at the one time.

Obviously if you putting all of your energy into one thing and it is not super-successful then you are left standing at the alter without any new leads. So to avoid this it is good business practice to run multiple strategies at once – I think they call it your “marketing mix”?

Now while I agree with this in principle it still doesn’t shed any light on the finer details – what, when and how many? So I want to shed some light on what I have found to be the most effective way to develop an ongoing marketing campaign.

When it comes to marketing strategies and like to be reasonably black and white so I see there is two different types (or stages). The first is what I eloquently call drip-fed strategies and these are basic campaigns that trickle in leads on a regular basis but are never going to overwhelm you with demand.

Essentially, these types of lead generators only expose you and your business to one or two clients at a time.

The second type of marketing is what I call mass exposure strategies and (as the name suggests) these get you in front of loads of people at one time. Now preferably, these you will exposing yourself (in a legal way) to a well chosen group of your target market.

Stage 1: Drip-fed marketing

In this stage of your marketing development, I think it is very important to develop a range of at least 3-4 different strategies that are collectively providing you with a regular source of drip-fed leads.

An example of this would be to implement a few of the following strategies in your business:

-          referral system

-          business alliances

-          on-going social media strategy

-          website

-          human billboards

-          value add to database (email marketing)

As you can see, all of these strategies all have the same common characteristic in so far as they will provide you with exposure to a few potential clients at a time but can also be very targeted.

Now if you have been a reading this blog for a while, this stuff will not be new to you. But if I asked you is you had 3 or 4 of these strategies currently providing your business with regular leads, what would be your answer?

I thought so…

So the biggest challenge you initially face when marketing your business is getting a few of these strategies up and running and actually having them give you a solid return on investment (including your time).

It is fair to say that these strategies are not ground breaking but the real reward comes when you try something, it doesn’t work and then you refine it. A lot of the time, just one small change to a campaign or strategy will make all the difference so it is vitally important to continue to test, measure and refine.

Don’t just write it off.

Stage 2: Mass exposure marketing

Once you have got your drip-fed marketing in place, you will have a healthy foundation of leads consistently coming into your business. This makes me happy and hopefully it makes you money.

Then it is time to expose yourself to the masses (get your mind out of the gutter).

Mass exposure marketing simply means getting one message out to many people at once (who would have guessed?). Some examples would be:

-          workshops

-          webinars

-          open days

-          expos

-          charity days

-          media exposure

-          jv database blasts

-          viral social media

-          business launch (or re-launch)

As you can see, these campaigns or events are of a much bigger scale then the drip fed strategies but with extra effort comes greater reward. Here a couple of examples:

1) Mason Doherty from Storm Fit Fix in Tasmania ran a 30 minute healthy living workshop for his local council and now has a new group of 20 council employees participating in his boot camp every 8 weeks (paid for by the employer).

Total cost: a few hours of time.

Total return: $5760 every 8 weeks plus up-sells and referrals.

2) Ellie Burscough from Power Mums has a stand for her Mums only business in her local Mothers Expo and generated nearly 700 leads in two days.

Total cost: $2000 and her time

Total return: A massive hot database, an extra location, over 40 sales in the first week and a huge boost in turnover (still growing) and exposure.

What makes these two trainers special?

Absolutely nothing – except they have the courage to go big and search for mass exposure. Like I said before, these strategies involve a much greater effort but the reward is well worth the time.

I am going to be giving you a lot more detail on all of these mass contact strategies as we progress throughout the year, but for right now simply concentrate on getting your stage one marketing sorted (including refining your sales process) and then you can think about going big.

Footnote: if you are thinking that you will never be able to achieve the same things that Mason and Ellie have done, think again. I knew them both when they were just starting out and they were both quite apprehensive about what to do and when.

Each little win they had in their business built their confidence and allowed them to think that they could go bigger. They both took some knocks along they way but they have also developed an unwavering self-belief that they will succeed.

Rock on.

Rick :-)

P.S: If you want more detailed information on how to implement these strategies that make up each stage, check out this series of free coaching videos I recently put together.

For the past four months, I have been working closely with the members of The PT Fight Club coaching program and some really, really cool things have been happening.

Aside from everyone stomping on their fear and excuses to really create some movement in their business, it one stat that I uncovered last week that really hit home. In the last four months, the PT Fight Club members have generated over 3500 leads. Now I am not sure where you are in your fitness business journey – but in anyone’s language that is a serious result.

So after thinking about it for a while – I decided to put together one completely over-sized, free business building resources to show you exactly how we have managed to do it. This is by far the biggest free resource that I have ever put together and it includes 8 coaching videos, 5 member interviews and about 5000 words of copy.

All of this content is specifically focused on teaching you how to fill your books with quality clients – cos that’s how we roll at the PT Fight Club

Click Here To Access The Page

I have made this page completely free to access and you don’t even have to enter an email address. But make sure you have a pen and paper handy, because each of the 7 steps that I coach you through are loaded with specific actions to follow.

I also interviewed a bunch of the current PT Fight Club members and they explained exactly how they drilled each of these seven steps to really make a huge difference in their business. All in all, it is one massive mother-ship of practical business building content that I know will make a serious difference in your business.

Warning: random thought…

It’s really funny because as I sit here writing this, I just remembered how much making videos used to completely freak me out. Not even 6 months ago, a friend in the industry asked me for a video testimonial for him and I just flat out refused – even the thought of getting in front of a camera was bloody terrifying.

But now I find myself running a business coaching program that is full of me giving 30 and 40 minute tutorial videos. Why? Because I wanted it really bad. I discovered that my desire to make this happen was greater than my fear of it. So I had to push through those initial stages of being a nervous, gibbering mess in my first couple of videos and work hard at improving.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I want to make it very clear that no matter what level you are at in your business, consistently edging yourself outside your comfort zone will bring you great rewards. I know, you have heard it all before but now is the time to act.

Over on this free page is all the information, action steps and resources  you need to fill your fitness business with clients but it is completly useless if you don’t do anything with it.

Now before I sign off so you can go and get busy, have a quick look at this 30 second video and you will get a good idea of what the PT Fight Club is all about…

So if you are sick of being a great trainer but just an average business owner – now is the time to do something about it. On this page, I have outlined the exact process I have taken the members of PT Fight Club through to achieve some really amazing results.

Now you have all the tools and information you need – the only thing stopping you new is YOU,

Don’t let that happen,

Rick

P.S: Sorry I haven’t been around much on the blog lately. It has seriously taken all my time and effort over the past four weeks to put this free content page together (and you know I always like to provide as much take-home value for you as possible).

You can check it all out here…

A fitness marketing post by Rick Watson

Now I don’t normally like to be so negative but this has just gone beyond ridiculous and it needs to be said.

LEAD BOXES SUCK.

Everywhere I look, “experts” in fitness marketing and business building are talking up lead boxes as the secret ingredient to build your client base.  You know how the sell goes…

“Start your business, buy 25-30 lead boxes and get them out in all the local businesses in your area. Collect all of the leads from you lead boxes weekly and convert them into your business. You will have an instant client base within weeks…“

Don’t believe the hype – lead boxes are a seriously flawed marketing strategy that leave you with nothing but that dirty feeling of tricking people into joining your business (and we all know how that ends).

If you are not familiar with the “lead box” strategy, it is commonly built around bribing someone to leave their details with the promise of potentially winning a prize. You give someone the prize at the end of the month and then proceed to call everyone else who entered and say “you didn’t win the prize, but you have won a free session (or a similiar crappy prize)” in an attempt to get them into your business.

Funnily enough, this process doesn’t convert so well (even if you have sick phone sales skills).

But they are still heavily promoted and personal trainers are still spending money on it.

I think this is simply a case of business owners following the pack. You know how it is? Not knowing any different so they simply follow what everyone else is doing. That really drives me crazy, so today I want to give you my point of view and potentially stop you from spending your valuable time and money in the wrong place.

Let get straight into it…

Here’s 12 Reasons Why Leads Boxes Seriously SUCK

1. They are not targeted to a specific group or audience.Yes, you can choose which business you put them in but beyond that it is anyone’s guess who will fills the form in.

2. EVERYONE is doing them – so if you want to neatly blend in with your competition, then this is an awesome way to do it.

3. The public very quickly becomes de-sensitized to the boxes after the read them once.

4. In my opinion, they look cheap and tacky – but if that is how you want your business perceived then that’s cool.

5. They attract really poor leads (who just want free shit).

6. Because the overall concept and the prize is generally perceived as having very little value, it will be treated that way. Expect a low rate of return calls and lots of cancellations.

7. They are a short-term strategy as the leads normally drop off really quick in each venue.

8. They are time consuming to manage.

9. Low ROI (return on investment) for $ and time invested over the life of the strategy.

10. There is absolutely no connection or relationship built with your audience.

11. They add very little value to the actual business who displays them. This means you potentially have to add another incentive for them (which is normally done by giving them more free shit – agghhhh).

12. If you provide a prize of free training each month, not only are you publicly devaluing your service around the entire community, but you are also giving away your time (and money) for free. Month after month after month!

So as you can see, I really don’t like lead boxes

BUT…

IF you currently have invested in lead boxes and want to make the most of them, I would follow these four steps as a bare minimum:

• Test the response monthly (move the box if your response sucks).
• Give away something of value – not free shit (you might want to leverage your business alliances for this).
• Call everyone and have a discussion about THEM, not you.
• During that call don’t try to sell them anything (even if it is free), instead ask them if it OK if you add them to your email database so you can regularly send them out information about (insert goal 1 and 2 here).

Yes, lead boxes are way to generate local contacts (both business and potential clients) and gain exposure.

Yes, lead boxes might get you the occasional lead (especially when they first go in).

But if you think about the psychology of who is entering these competitions, there is a good chance that:

1. They are either tight or broke and that is why they are entering your free competition.
2. They don’t really want to train at that moment (otherwise they would actually call you and start).
3. They are generally the same clients who regularly cancel, haggle on price and generally piss you off.

Is that the type of client you want to attract to your business?

Not me.

So Whats The Solution?

If you are actually committed to following through with this strategy, I would look at it as a list building exercise. They may not be ready to buy from you right now but that situation may change in the future. So get them onto your email database (with their permission of course) and provide them with value.

When they are ready, let them come to you rather you doing your best to manipulating them into a sale.

All the most effective marketing strategies are based on a healthy relationship. They know you, they like you and they can clearly see that the value you are going to provide them will create the change that they really need.

Or you could give away free shit like everyone else -  it’s your call.

From where I sit, I think you can do better. You can be different. You can be premium. You can be valuable

Got an opinion, let me have it…

Cheers,

Rick

BTW – if you have lead boxes currently in your business and those boxes are generating consistent leads that convert  into long-term clients, then I would love to hear from you also in the comments section.

Without a doubt, marketing your fitness business and generating more clients is a crucial aspect of your overall success. To seriously scratch your “get more clients” itch, I have asked ten of Australia’s best business minds (cue Dr. Evil backing track) to come together in one friggin massive blog post and hit you up with what they think is the most effective way or ways to get more clients and build your fitness business.

This is some seriously solid information from some people in the the fitness industry that I have a heap of respect for. So without taking up any more time, lets hear what gold this collection of business owners, coaches and speakers have to say.

Oh, one thing before we get into it – after you have read through to the end make sure you let me know what was you favorite tip in the comments section and why.

Lets do this. First cab off the rank is…

Leela Cosgrove – Rock-Star Marketing Extraordinaire

1. Know your Niche

Firstly, the definition of Niche is that it’s not WHAT you do, but WHO you do it for. Martial Arts is not a niche. 25-30 year old women who want to get a black belt is.

You’ve got to know WHO you’re selling to, otherwise it’s impossible to target your marketing. If you’re having any problems with your sales and marketing, I find that 90% of the time it comes back to not having a well enough defined niche. “Women” is not a niche – it’s 50% of the country.

25-30 year old single women who want to look hot because they want to find an awesome guy to get into a relationship with is an AWESOME niche … crazy chicks who’ll do pretty much whatever you tell them because their goals are so clear … and you know their precise pain points in order to develop a message that will get them interested (for example “Hey, Fatty! You’re not getting any younger and all the good guys are getting married … if you don’t shift those kilos you’re never gonna find a husband” (I don’t actually recommend using this approach).

2. Build Your List

It’s the secret behind all of the great internet millionaires – they’ve got hundreds of thousands of people on a list who LOVE their stuff and who are just hanging out to buy from them. When you’re developing your list, you want to follow the 80/20 rule – 80% of your messages should be pure content, only sell 20% of the time. I’ve seen so many people build a list, only to burn it by trying to sell to it constantly without adding value.

The value you will be completely dependent, again, on who your niche is – remember!!! It’s ALWAYS about what’s valuable to THEM … not your perception of value! You may think a Paleo diet is the most fascinating thing ever – but if you’re targeting people who just want to lose a couple of kilos and feel a bit better, the Paleo thing is likely to overwhelm them.

It’s called Message to Market Match – and it’s imperative to get it right!

3. Sell Like a MoFo

When it comes to marketing, Leela really knows her shit. I have never met anyone who invests more time, effort and money into continually developing her craft. At the end of August she is throwing a massive 3 day business rockstar seminar that will change the way you look at marketing forever (in a “make loads more money” kinda way).

Luke Scott – Mobile Personal Training Mac-Daddy

Hey there, I’m Luke from Revolution Personal Training. In another interview I recently did with Rick, he referred to me as a web ninja… I’m not too sure about that, but I do have some pretty smart people around me who help me out in this department.

The single best thing I have found that has kept our phone ringing and our enquiry email inbox full has been our website. However this needs to be done in the right way. Just sticking a web page up and hoping is not the answer. A unprofessional website makes you seem exactly that.

So my number one piece of advice would be:

1. Build a professional looking website.

Professional looking does not have to equal expensive. If you are making money from your website down the track you may wish to reinvest back into it and upgrade it. However initially you can find something very professional looking at a very reasonable price. My first website that lasted me around 5 years with some additions and tweaks along the way only cost me around $400 initially, with a small fee to host it each year.

My current site is an entirely different story!

2. Build a community around your business.

If you can start to build a community within your business people will be falling over themselves to be a part of it. People love to socialize. Whether it be at work, on the weekend or in their spare time people love to interact. Many people even seek out gyms, personal trainers and fitness classes for the social aspect before the health benefits that come from it.

So not only will people be pushing themselves more and working harder in groups, but they will also want to keep coming to maintain contact with the people they have formed bonds with. These passionate champions of your business will be the best referees you could possibly ever ask for!

Once you have built these bonds and this community capitalize on it. Use social media sites like facebook fan pages and twitter to engage your members and to show the outside world that there is more going on at your business than just training. In addition to group training programs run things like fundraising events, weekend training challenges or social gatherings. People are drawn to this sense of community and team.

Use it to your advantage.

3. Ensure you present well, look the part and are seen a legitimate business not a hobby.

Lets face it, personal training might well be for many people considered a luxury item. As much as we tell them it is an essential like electricity and water, the public don’t quite yet view things this way as yet. So when they are ready to part with their hard earned dollars they want to make sure the person they are spending their money on wants to be there.

If you are a trainer building your business whilst still earning the majority of your income elsewhere insure that you present like a well experienced, professional outfit even if you’re not quite there yet. Have uniforms organized, even if very basic, have a business address even if it is simply a post office box, and have a dedicated work phone number with a professional voice mail. I could go on forever here on small things you can do to present well and seem bigger than you are in the beginning but these few are a great way to start. Remember peoples perception of you is their reality so make sure they perceive your business to be a well oiled machine.

Luke runs a kick arse business which predominately focuses on mobile personal training in South Melbourne. He has worked hard to dominate the “personal training” search term on Google for a heap of Melbourne suburbs and now reaps the rewards by receiving 30-60 leads per month (just from search engines).

Justin Tamsett- The Godfather Of Fitness Consulting

Above and beyond everything else, I think one marketing rule should never be forgotten – potentials clients don’t care who you are!

When I look at many flyers, newspaper ads, lead boxes and other marketing material the majority of fitness businesses have the name of their business at the top. And at the risk of offending readers of this credible blog (especially as I am just a guest blogger) putting your business name at the top is your ego speaking.

The average person doesn’t care ‘who’ you are! They care what you can do to help them. So tell them that!

If you are looking to get more clients then attract their attention with how you can help them! Your emotional based headline must be directed to what results they will get from working with you. It is that simple but we screw it up – we all do it!

You see everything you do is marketing and must grab people’s attention.

Make sure the headline matches the needs of the customers you want. That will get them to at least see your marketing piece and hopefully spark an interest to read on. I guarantee your logo or business name will just blend in with the other 3000 marketing messages the consumer sees every day.

That reminds me . . . who do you want as clients?

Much of the fitness marketing I see is aimed to everyone so no-one responds!

Be more specific with your message and your offer and you will have less enquiries but more sales. If you want mothers to be your clients, then make your message specific for them; use an offer that mothers respond to; and have a picture that mothers can relate.

This is a critical component of marketing ensure you know who you are marketing to and you will increase the response rate if you are meeting their needs.

Finally, give them a call to action. Assume nothing from the people that read your marketing piece. This means be very specific what you want them to do when they have read your piece – do you want them to call, email, visit your website or grab you in the gym. Whatever the case, in the bottom right hand corner of your marketing piece clearly state what you now want them to do.

From my experience of screwing marketing up for the past 20 years in the fitness industry, it is not the medium we use to market our business that determines the success. It is the message and for whom. If you get the message right to the customer, then they will do as you ask regardless of whether it is a newspaper ad, poster or flyer!

With over 20 years experience in running personal training businesses, gyms and specialising in fitness business consulting, Justin is one dude who you will definitely learn a lot from. To get hooked up,  you can check out his facebook page or make it a little more personal by joining one of his many PT Business webinars.

Ben London – The Fitness Business Web Geek (With Sick Guns)

My number 1 fitness marketing tip right now? Use your about page to generate QUALIFIED leads

Your website or blogs ‘About’ page SHOULD be one of your top lead generating tools on your site. However, a common mistake a LOT of businesses make is to create an ‘About’ page that is all about themselves and NOT what you can do for others.

You might think that your ‘About’ page is the place to tell the world your life story and why you are so awesome (I know you are), but in reality, most people who look at about pages want to know about your business and WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM..

How Do You Do This?

Your ‘About’ page should be structured in a way that you provide basic solutions at a glance to your target market and use their active curiosity to ‘opt in’ for more information.

You’re about page should include the following 4 features in this order:

• WHY/HOW you can help the reader
• Facility to Opt In For More Information
• Social Proof (Brief Testimonials)
• Facility to Opt In For More Information
• About You
• Facility to Opt In For More Information

For Example:

On my blog “My Business Is Fitness”, the target audience is personal trainers just like you.

The objective of my blog is to provide information and solutions to help you build your business so on my about page, the introduction acknowledges several key problems many fitness professionals face daily. So my About Page begins:

Why My Business Is Fitness Will Help You Build YOUR Business And Increase Your Income

• If you want to convert more leads into clients, then you’ve come to the right place

• If you’re lacking the motivation to succeed with your goals, then look no further.

What this does is instantly answer key questions that my target market may have.

After all, you have to put yourself in the shoes of how people found your page and what THEIR desired outcome of visiting your site is.

For your fitness business on the other hand; you may begin like this (for example):

Why [Insert Your Business Name Here] Helps More Housewives Lose Weight Than Any One Else In [Your Town/Area].

• Have You Tried Every Diet Out There?

• Do You Want FAST Results?

Do you see how this is more POWERFUL to your target audience than:

“My name is Sharon and I have a Cert IV and a Garmin watch and I can bench 200lbs!”

From here you give a BRIEF description of your business:

“For the past 5 years [Your Business] has been helping women JUST LIKE you achieve your weight loss and wellness goals and we would love to help YOU!

Sound Interesting?

Enter your name, email address and phone number below and we will send you a FREE information kit, or someone will be in touch with you, or whatever you prefer.”

[Insert Opt In Form here]

Next you provide Social Proof of how great you are.

Here’s What Our Clients Are Saying About [Your Business]!

Several short, one sentence client testimonials are perfect, or even a 30 second video of a client giving you a recommendation.

“Sharon helped me lose 30lbs and it’s staying off!” – Irene

“[Your Business] made it so easy, I recommend them to everyone!” – Molly

Etc.

Want To Learn More?

[Insert Opt In Form Here]

By now, if the lead is genuine about results, they should have provided you with their details in one of these Opt Ins, but in case they really do want to know who you are, this is where you tell your life story and highlight your achievements:

About Sharon:

“My name is Sharon and I have a Cert IV and a Garmin watch and I can bench 200lbs Etc!”

And of course at the end of your spiel:

[Insert Opt In Form Here]

Since redesigning the MBIF ‘About Page’ using this structure, my subscriber base has grown 10 times what it was before, I only wish I’d implemented this strategy sooner.

Check out my About Page here to get a idea of how to structure it.

Ben London is the author of My Business Is Fitness, a blog which he updates several times each week with strategies to help fitness professionals just like you build your businesses. He is also a bit of a social media hussy, with almost 3000 MBIF Facebook Fans and over 7000 MBIF Twitter Followers.

Jodie Hebrard – PT Studio Super-Star

So I got to catch up with the  Rick the other day and he asked me what are my “3 nuggets” to build a business and my mind raced straight away – “ you only want 3?”

But I soon realised, building a business is simple (but not always easy) and it really can be boiled down to a few things, when done well, that will help you kick some serious ass!

1. There is NO other option

The earlier years of my business was fueled by attitude at the highest altitude.  I didn’t know what I didn’t know, which is pure bliss in hindsight. I said YES, without knowing. I TRIED something new and when stuff “failed”, I read book after book,  learning and growing.

I swallowed ego and pride daily whilst cleaning the toilets, doing the accounts, taking phone calls, training clients, hiring and training trainers and generally figuring it out as I went. I analysed setbacks for “feedback” rather than seeing them as failure.

So, the question is, will your business succeed….?  The only person who knows is YOU.

2. Market, market, market

If the phone ain’t ringing or your inbox ain’t dinging than you should be focusing on nothing else.

I had NO concept of marketing when I first started…….I had come from the luxury of working in a gym and “walking the floor”.  So when I opened my 300 sqm studio, with NO gym floor enquiries and $8k a month in overheads, I soon realised I had to figure out how to get clients (and I highly recommend you do the opposite and have a marketing plan ready to GO, before you open).

I learned from the good ol’ test and measure……………try something, pay attention to the response, change it or keep it the same – FULL STOP.

…AND start building your database in whatever form you can.

For me it was simply OUTLOOK and sending out not so glamorous emails, but I started building it and soon realised the power of “your list”.

3. Money follows management

Oh the joys of cash-flow; making money and managing it!

You are only ever given by the universe, what you can handle, so I suggest you take this part of your business VERY seriously and with great respect!

TWICE now I have made a bunch of $$$$$$$$$$$$$ and nearly lost it all!  You think I would have learned the first time, but apparently I am a slower learner.

I’ll be blunt here –

1. Set up a budget – PERIOD!
2. Make sure you have a cash-flow forecast so you manage the ebbs and flows of your cash coming in and out…
3. Set up a “Profit Account” with a regular  (weekly) transfer that is SEPARATE to your “Wages”

And when things “get tough” my quick solutions are –

• Eliminate EVERYTHING that is luxury

• Put your prices up (as long as you are providing value)

• NEVER sell an ASSET to solve your cash-flow problem…….

Most trainers I chat to don’t “like” this area of their business, but I’m immediately fascinated as to why they are in business…. ? (My answer to that is to make money!)

Food for thought…….. :-)

Happy growing a kick ass business that provides you whatever “success” means to you!

Jods

Jodie has spent the last 7 years building up a 7 figure studio with her husband in the heart of Brisbane and has now leveraged herself out of the business. She has learnt how to do it by relying on no-one and just getting out their and making it happen. You can check out her business and connect with her at www.zenergy.biz

Richard Marc Toutounji- Big Business Builder and Forward Thinker

1. Networking

The old fashion talking to people is by far the best way to get clients and I believe always will be, this includes speaking at a local event, telling people you meet what you do and ensuring that your passion comes out in your conversations.

Before you hit the streets it’s important to understand who you are and what your brand is all about. When someone asks you “what is it that you do?” your response needs to be a structured clear strong and powerful answer that can be said in one sentence.

2. Personal Branding – I have always loved personal branding and haves spoken about it many times at seminars and events but recently it hit home more than ever.

When I was a contestant on the Amazing Race Australia TV show, we wore bright yellow t-shirts with the words ‘Focus, Believe, Achieve!’ splashed on the front, which created a huge amount of talk in itself.

The shirts immediately pictured our brand of who we are and created an identity of us to be instantly recognizable. People may forget names but when someone sees your brand if it is your business or yourself personally they need to instantly understand who you are and what you stand for in a second.

3. Online Presence – the top 2 points networking and personal branding I believe are the nuts and bolts but without online presence you have nothing to bolt it on to. You can be networking and branding but these days people won’t give you a business card they would prefer to connect with you online.

You may have a conversation with a potential client at a party on the weekend  but eventually when the party is over and and Monday comes around they will want to check out your website to find out if what you can deliver is in fact true. They will do their research on your business by looking for testimonials, about us page – your background about your business all on your website.

A conversation with a potential corporate client goes off well but if you don’t have an online presence how can they show their colleagues how good your company is when they get back to the office. The good thing about an online presence is that it is the cheapest and most effective marketing that you can track in as much detail as you wish.

To create an extremely effective online marketing method one MUST include the following:

Video – Without a doubt you need a professional video filmed, which only needs to be 60 seconds in length and placed on the front of your website with a clear call to action ie. fill in your contact details. Cost – you can film your video and edit it yourself for free on your computer or Meet Your Personal Trainer provide a filming team to your business location to film, edit and upload from as little as $120.

Online Directory – It frustrates me when I hear personal trainers say I have my own website I don’t need to be on a directories. The benefits of advertising on a directory is that you will have another form of traffic that are actually searching for a fitness solution.  Even if your website ranks 1^st in your area, you want your brand to be seen everywhere, users will search multiple ways to find the right solution for there needs.  To advertise your business on a directory it would cost you on average between $20 – $80 per month  and you only need just one client to make a return but the branding in itself is priceless.

Website – A website that’s ranks well in Google and converts your traffic into leads is the goal. There are search engine optimization (SEO) companies which can assist with this service. This can cost you anywhere from $500 – $3000 for a decent website design and ongoing SEO can cost between $50 – $500 per month.

Social Media – It doesn’t have to take over your life but having a Facebook and Twitter account that are updated daily is a must to get people talking about your brand.  There are many ways to receive clients from these methods but the easiest way is to just start conversations with people and the rest will take care of itself.

If you apply the above strategies to your business and execute them all correctly, there would be a massive change in your business.  I ran Australia’s largest Corporate Wellness Company for many years employing 80 staff around Australia and 95% of our leads came from having an externally good online presence.

Richard Marc Toutounji is what I call a serial entrepreneur. He is always thinking “big-picture” and this often means that he is often the first to develop ground breaking businesses before anyone else. He leads rather than following. He has also done his time on the floor, running and selling a number successful PT businesses. Right now he providing personal trainers all over the world with more leads using the power of video with www.meetyourpersonaltrainer.com

Jen Forster – The Group Training Goddess

So I have been asked by Rick to share my 3 best tips for building a client base in the fitness industry.  And I am sorry to disappoint you but I only have one to share. This one though, I believe, is becoming under-utilised but could become one of the most inexpensive marketing strategies you will ever adopt.

Sure, there is a plethora of ways you can do this, just jump on good old ‘Google’ and you will have no shortage of ‘experts’ to guide you.  You might even sign up to one (or thousands!) of their ‘free reports’ via an email auto responder (oops, sorry just had to slip that one in….)

OK, here it is.

Get amongst your perfect clients and give them massive service and massive value.

There, you have it!  My work here is done ;)

OK, why do I believe this is one of the greatest tools you can use for growing your client base.

There are many reasons and you will discover these for yourself if you take my advice, but I will give you three.

Be an ‘experience’.  People don’t often remember what you did but they will always remember how you made them feel.  This is the sort of experience that they will share freely to anyone else who wants to listen.  And guess, what? Just like in ‘When Harry Met Sally’ [insert groans here] they will want what they’re having.

Be yourself.  Resonance and rapport are key to growing a client base.  There is an old saying that says ‘if it smells like fish, it probably is’.  This is true for you too.  Don’t try to be like every other trainer out there.  Show your human side and be your authentic self.  This will put your clients at ease and have them feel comfortable when they are with you (not inadequate or shrouded by your shadow of knowledge) and be even more comfortable to share who you are with others.

Be present in our community.  You are not a sign, a slogan, a Facebook page, an email or a business card.  You are real and your community needs to know that and know who you are.  Be involved with events and promotions.  Make a point of visiting at least 6 businesses in a week, just to say hello.  Build rapport and build trust in your own back yard.

This is also one of the best strategies I know to reduce the ‘hard sell’.  With this sort of ‘unpaid marketing’ the selling has already been done – and not by you.

Jen is a power-house in going so far above and beyond the expectations of her clients that she has now developed a tribe of loyal clients who will never train with anyone else. While readily admitting that she is just a Mum doing her thing, it is obvious that she is so much more than that.  She is an inspiration to many (including me) and you can check out her work at Goal Power or Woombye Workouts Facebook pages.

Sonja Falvo – The Ninja Of Nutrition

1. Develop Your UVP

Before you begin marketing your fitness business, you first need to clearly define your UVP – your Unique Value Proposition; what VALUE do you bring to your clients, what VALUE to you give that makes you stand out, what VALUE makes you unique and is why someone would choose to do business with you over someone else. There are a number of key questions you need to answer that will help you to develop your UVP:

1. Who do you help?
2. How do you help them?
3. What is the intangible benefit?
4. How is that translated into a tangible benefit?

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can put them into the following format:

I help_________________
By__________________
Which______________
And the outcome from this is_______________________________

Example:

I HELP small business owners BY giving them powerful tools and strategies on becoming experts in their fields WHICH increases their profile in the marketplace AND THE OUTCOME FOR THIS IS an increase in sales of at least 17%.

You always have to put yourself in the shoes of your clients and ask yourself ‘what unique value are your clients going to gain by doing business with you?’

2. Become A Writer

There are so many writing opportunities that you can take advantage of, both offline and online, that can really help you to increase your profile in the marketplace. One of the benefits of publishing your own products, whether they are short reports or full-length books is that when you have a product with your name on it, it shows that you’ve accomplished something and consumers in general tend to associate the author’s name with the area of expertise that they’ve written about.

When it comes to writing, there are different angles you can take; you could create articles or books based on how-to do something, or provide a solution to a specific problem, give a certain number of tips on a specific topic, or provide shocking new information that you feel will have a positive impact on the life of your reader. But regardless of which angle you take, you always need to ensure that what you are writing about reflects your area of expertise and gives the reader valuable information.

Here are a few ideas on how to get your work published, if you are not already doing so:

• Write articles for newsletters (your own or other businesses), for Article Banks (eg. www.ezinearticles.com) or for trade or commercial magazines
• Write E-books that you can use as a value add, a product to sell, a data capture tool on your website etc
• Self publish a book
• Create your own information products; CD’s, DVD’s, audio downloads etc

3. Use Blogging & Social Media

One of the easiest ways to get your information out into the public arena is through blogging and the use of social media such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Forums etc.

Blogs are relatively simple to set up and in most cases they are free or fairly inexpensive, so there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t have one. Once you’ve started your blog, the aim is then to create posts that demonstrate your area of expertise. The easiest way to do this is to answer common questions about your subject matter that your target or niche market would be interested in reading about. You could also comment on newsworthy items and latest trends affecting your niche.

There are also many other ways to get your name out into the world wide web with social media applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Squidoo, Digg etc. The great thing about these sites is that most of them now enable you to put you RSS feed (which is a link to your blog) in your profile so your updates are automatically sent out or updated on these sights. Even Ezinearticles.com has a twitter feed update, so every time you add a new article, they tweet it to your account and to theirs!

Social media is a massively growing phenomenon which is only going to continue to gain momentum; Facebook has over 700,000 people per day joining and now has over 600 million active users so this is not something you want to miss out on!

Sonja is someone who definitely someone who  follows her dreams with passion and purpose. After many years in the industry, she realised there was a massive gap with the level of nutritional service and support that fitness professionals could provide their clients. For three years she went about developing her solution to this problem and  now heads up Nutrition Complete – an online nutritional meal planning program specifically for fitness professionals.

Rick Watson – Trainer, Coach, Blogger, Surfer, Dad, Partner, Gardener, Road-Tripper

Alright – I couldn’t put together a blog post of such gigantic proportions and not have a little something to say myself. Here are my top three ways to generate more clients in your fitness business right this very minute…

1. Never Stop Asking For Referrals – Ever

Building your business from within is one of the best ways to really develop a strong core group of clients and I think you know that most referrals end up being great long-term clients . Their are plenty of ways to skin a cat when it comes to asking for referrals but these are my two most effective:

1. Get over yourself – I know it feels a little weird when you first start, but this is business.
2. Call the best 5 performers in your business in your business at the end of every month and ask them how they are enjoying their training. Then ask them who else do they know that would dig getting the same benefits they are? Make it very clear that you want more of “them” in your business – because you love working with people who put in the effort and get the reward.

2. Give Away A Shitload Of Specific, Valuable Content Before You Even Think About Promoting

Gone are the days of flyer drops and self-gratifying newspaper editorials to a cold, no-specific market place. We now live in a world where relationship marketing rules the roost so its best to stop marketing like it’s still 1987.

The Specific Bit – Make sure you are pointing everything you do towards the right people (your target market). So invest some time in really nailing down exactly who it is you want to service. Like Leela said right back at the start of this post, targeting women is waaay to broad but targeting… say, female CEO’s who need to look great, feel confident but have a serious time challenge – that’s a friggin’ niche that you could construct a specialised service around.

The Valuable Bit – Unless you have a clear picture of your target markets past failures and current obstacles you will be just guessing when it comes to providing them with value. So ask them – sit them down and get a clear picture. Once you have this you will be able to always provide value – whether it is as your bait piece, blog posts, Facebook page, video, face to face workshop and (most importantly of all) your actual service.

Going above the call of duty when it comes to providing value before you promote your business will always leave you with a group of warm leads who like and trust you. This will obviously improve your conversion rate of future marketing.

3. Be As Human As Humanly Possible

Why do you read this blog?

I bet it’s not because of my cool header, awesome spelling or amazing writing style.

From the feedback I get, many of you come back each week because I give you practical content that helps you in your business and I do it in a no-fuss kinda way.

Just like I would if we were sitting together having a beer and chat.

You know I am human because I tell you my failures, my fears and my vulnerabilities (along with all the other good business building stuff).

What does this mean for you? It means you know that I understand what you are going through; that I understand what it takes. If I always just spoke about the “fluffy” successful stuff, a natural divide is created. Its human nature.

Like Jen said, people like to buy from other people – not from cool logos and fancy uniforms. What this means for your marketing is that you need insert a human aspect into your business. Every headline, every piece of website copy, every marketing piece, every Facebook post; in fact everything you do – you want your people to say “I feel like you understand ME“.

To achieve this you must structure your business around them, not you. Ask good questions and use the answers to create awesome, specific and valuable marketing that speaks directly to your audience. Firmly press your marketing thumb into there biggest pain but do it with compassion because you get it; you understand.

Because you’re a human. Not just another boring, one-size fits all personal training business.

4. Organise A Flash Mob

Do I really need to say any more? Picture a big boom box and random people all joining together to compete an exercise routine to launch your business or just get yourself on the news. It will be done…

I am serious, it will be done.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Well there you have it – 22 kick arse fitness marketing ideas that will go along way to helping you generate more clients and build your business.

Did you have a favorite tip that really hit home for you?

Do you have any tips of your own that where not here that you have had great success with?

I love forward to hearing your opinion.

Cheers

Rick

P.S: I promise not to put together anymore 6000 word blog posts for a while. But if you did find this post valuable, don’t forget to through your email addy in the box below so all future post slide effortlessly into your inbox.

This is the situation…

Just over 6 weeks ago, I opened the doors to my online coaching program called The PT Fight Club. It was a place where you could access high-end coaching information at an affordable price AND also work on overcoming any fears, lack of confidence or excuses that may be holding you and your business back.

These were two factors that I felt were crucial for a lot of business owners – access to affordable and practical business info AND learning the ability to overcome your obstacles. For me, they go hand in hand because it takes guts to run your own business so having a regular dose of knowledge, accountability and support goes a long way.

I gotta tell ya – the response to this program has blown me away (in a “I get a buzz seeing trainers take action” sort of way). With the right info and the courage to use it, the current members of PT Fight Club have been really hustling as they work through the coaching videos and implement the actions straight into their business.

Check out some of the feedback I have received from Fight Clubbers over the past 6 weeks:

Rick, your service is absolutely amazing and your advice is second to none. Would never have thought I would be already killing it in my business and still hungry for more success. I have 12 new clients in last couple of weeks, 11 additional people already signed up to my 8 week Boot camp starting in MAY, and this is all whilst being flat out doing a complete re-brand on my business name/website/logo etc etc.

Leroy Faure – Elite Fitness Australia

Loving PT Fight Club. I can pause the videos when my daughter is screaming or to do the homework as I’m going and take heaps of notes. Love the content and the structure. Can’t wait for more :)

Ellie Burscough – Power Mums

After just 6 weeks of operation, we already have 92 active PT Fight Clubbers just like Leroy and Ellie all building their business with momentum. From their feedback, it is not just the content that is delivered that makes the difference but also the additional support by either email or phone that makes this a complete program.

And I have to admit – that’s the bit I love the most. Interacting daily with the PT Fight Club members gives me a real feel for their business and adds an extra element to the program – support.

But it is also the reason I have decided to shut the doors for a few months.

After running this program over the past 6 weeks, I have realised that the support is as just as important as delivering the program content through videos, newsletters, CD and reports. So I have made the call to shut the doors for three months once we have 100 members and then concentrate on delivering the program AND supporting the members of PT Fight Club.

Why?

Because I want to continue to be able to provide this same level of support and still provide all of the extra services I have planned. Right now, if I let more than 100 members in – I will find myself running a full-time support service and this will take my attention (and time) away from delivering the other aspects of the program.

Bottom line – having 100 successful PT Fight Club members is way more important to me than having 1000 struggling ones. I must stand by my service and therefore I must close the doors – even though I will lose money doing so.

What does this mean for you?

It simply means a great opportunity…

If you are worried your business is not the right structure to get you where you need to go,

If the thought of generating consistent clients as we head into a cold winter freaks you out,

If you are not confident in selling your service and converting your leads without using a free session,

then you and I need to get to work.

I currently have 8 more positions available in The PT Fight Club for personal trainers who are committed to making a change in their business. The investment is $47 per month and as you can see by the testimonials, most of the trainers make this back in the first week of the program.

On the price – I also want to quickly mention one thing.

I have been receiving a l0t of feedback from the crew telling me that the value of this program far exceeds its investment (which is cool because that is my intention) but $47 per month for this amount of information AND personal support is kinda crazy.

So…when the doors re-open in three months time the monthly investment for PT Fight club will be $67, which is still ridiculously low but starting to get more appropriate for the level of service the members receive.

That means that the first 100 “foundation” members of PT Fight Club will only ever pay $47, even when the doors open again in three months and the price goes up.

So if you have been sitting on the fence, waiting for the “right” day to join our team of under-dog trainers punching above their weight- it is now time to take action…TODAY.

Click through to the official PT Fight Club website, register your details and make sure that you get one of the remaining 8 positions so you can immediately get your hands on all the previous coaching videos, newsletters, reports and CD interviews.

The PT Fight Club is here to stay and we are 100% committed to member success.

But if you prefer not to take action, become accountable in your business and feel completely supported – it’s probably best you don’t join us….

Cheers

Rick

P.S: For those of you who skim read and then go straight to the P.S, here’s the deal. There are only 8 more positions available inside The PT Fight Club and then (once we hit 100 members) we will be shutting the doors for three months. When the doors re-open, the monthly cost will increase to $67 due to the high level of value and support each member receives.

P.P.S: So to drive your business forward not backwards this winter, click here to register for your last-time $47 membership to the PT Fight Club.

P.P.P.S: Doors will shut for three months as soon as all 8 are gone – took six weeks to get 92 members, so realistically they shouldn’t really last that long (I am predicting 48 hours at best).

About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, smiling personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches and runs a PT Fight Club teaching personal trainers how to fill their books but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read and would be up for some daily banter, you can check out his Facebook page.

Recently over at The PT Fight Club we have been doing a lot of work on what obstacles in your business traditionally hold you back from seeing the kind of growth you deserve. One of the hottest topics has been the fear of asking your personal training clients for referrals

fear is especially prevalent if you are a new trainer starting out because you are just building your own confidence in your service. I have previously written about Why Referrals Rock And How Any Trainer Can Get Them but one of the missing ingredients of that post was overcoming your fear of simply asking the question. I have spoken to a lot of trainers about this over the past month and while some of them say that the thought of asking someone for a referral just straight-out freaks them out; others feel like they have the confidence to ask but don’t really know what to say.

But before we even start to talk about overcoming fears and asking questions, I think it is important to ensure that your business is in the right shape to even be asking for personal training referrals. If you go back a couple of steps and actually think about WHY people refer, there are two main reasons (amongst many).

1. Logical: that your service get results, is high in value, well priced and appropriate for their goals.
2. Emotional: that they feel good about helping you, their friend will be well looked after and that they enjoy the experience in your business.

So as you can see, people don’t refer on logic alone and in the same breath they don’t refer on emotion alone. The two work hand in hand as the strongest determining factors when a client is considering a referral for your business. OK, that’s all good and well but what does it mean in the real world of running your business? It means that you have to put some bloody thought into the entirety of your business before you can expect referrals to flood through the door. Even when you overcome your fear of asking, if your other ducks are not in a row then the chances of a referral are heavily reduced. Here is my 5 step game plan to setting your business up for high referrals:

Step 1: Provide A High Value, Trusted Service

Lets start right form the start. Before you even consider asking any of your clients for a referral, your service must absolutely f-ing rock. I’m not talking about just going through the motions in your business here (you know, just rocking up to a session, doing your thing and leaving).

I am talking about providing a complete service that is 100% focused on the client both while they are in their session and while they are not training with you (where most of the damage is done). If you are delivering a half-arsed service there is a good chance your clients will not be getting the best results in the world.

So make sure you are continually focused on achieving the best results possible for every one of your clients (and please don’t think that your service simply ends when your session is over – go the extra mile and get the extra reward).

Step 2: Have Self-Belief

The thing about self-belief is that it is completely transparent. People can clearly see when you haven’t got it and they can equally see when you have. So it is essentially that you can say with unfaltering confidence…

“I believe that my service will get you the results you want”

Now if you don’t completely believe that. If you are not 100% sure that if they join your business and follow your instruction that they will get great results, then you are screwed. Call it faith or call it self-belief but the bottom line is that you must believe that you can successfully provide your service.

It you can’t – people can see straight through (and that emotional motivator of “referral trust” goes straight out the window).

Step 3: Don’t Let Your Ego Run Your Business

Can I be anymore ambiguous?

What I am referring to here is relationship between your ego and your fears.

Let me explain…

Normally when I ask personal trainers what they are scared about when asking for referrals, the response is that the person will say no (this is the same for normal sales as well). So the “no” brings on a feeling of rejection and their ego cops a couple of quick punches to the head. What I am suggesting here is to run your business as much like a business as you can.

Try to remove all of the ego-based emotional strings that come with putting yourself out there and just be methodical. Do the work, test the questions and refine the approach. A “no” is not a personal attack or rejection to you – it is someone saying that they do not feel comfortable referring someone to your business. Evaluate why, make changes and move forward rather than feeling sorry for yourself and your precious ego.

Step 4:  Operate With A Big Set Of Kahunas (aka Courage)

Now you can do all the planning and have the best service in the world, but if you NEVER pluck up enough courage (mixed with a solid dose of self-belief) to ask your clients for a referral then you may never get one.  Now the phrase “ask and you shall receive” is a little of the mark here but it’s more like “if you don’t ask you may never receive.”

Even if you are crap at asking for referrals, working on your courage to ask for them consistently over time is a skill worth developing. In 14 years of PT, I have never come across a client giving a negative response to someone asking for a referral. So keep sucking in the big ones and asking those questions.

It gets easier…

Step 5: Use A Well Planned Personal Training Referral Question

As you can see from this post, there are a number of different factors that contribute to your clients feeling comfortable referring their friends and family to your business. One of the most important is the actual questions that you ask face to face with your client and this is often the most daunting aspect.

In relation to scripts (sales, phone, referrals etc) I am big believer that the person who is using the script must feel comfortable delivering the content. It must sound and feel natural for that person as this will assist them in feeling comfortable in the delivery.

But scripts are used for a reason and that is to unsure that you (or your team) say the right thing, every time so it is important to find a mutual ground between what is right and what sounds natural. When asking for general referrals, this is the normal question I use:

“Who do you know that would really benefit from losing 5 kg’s (insert any result that your client has achieved) just like you have?”

The three cool things about this question…

1) You ask “who” do you know not “if” you know anyone – specific right from the start.

2) You focus the question on benefits for the prospective client.

3) You complement you client for achieving a specific goal – they feel a sense of achievement along with a sense of gratitude.

Don’t simply just sit down with your client after a session and say to them:

“Do you know anyone that would like to train with me?”

It’s unspecific and focused or your needs rather than the benefits of the prospective clients.  You will have a much bigger chance of a positive response using the first question.  But as I said earlier, if this question is not something you would normally say in conversation, simply use the same key points but adapt it to your natural style. And with that, Bobs your uncle and you have a 5 point game plan to overcome your fear of asking for referrals.

Waddayareckon?

Rick :-)

About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, smiling personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches and runs a PT Fight Club teaching personal trainers how to fill their books but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read and would be up for some daily banter, you can check out his Facebook page.

The answers.

We all bloody want them but no one is prepared to give them without expecting something in return.

Well today is going to be completely different – today I am going to give you all the answers and ask for nothing back (well maybe just a little bit of action on your behalf).

But in order to give you all the answers you need to successfully market and sell your personal training service I was never going to be able to fit it all into one blog post.

Unless I made a video :-)

So I have taken my camera-shy butt out from behind the keyboard and have put together a video tutorial that will give you the answers; the big picture on:

• How to build a marketing and sales funnel that works for your PT business.
• Identifying where you will get quality offline leads from.
• The most effective ways to generate warm online leads that actual turn into paying clients.
• How to use phone sales so you never have to de-value your service with free sessions again.
• Overcoming your fears when faced with the big challenges in your business.

So if you are heading into the Easter break feeling a little burnt-out after putting in a massive start to the year – stop, grab a pen and paper and watch this video. Then take some nice time off to re-group during the 5-day break but come out swinging when everything starts again next week.

The video is just over twenty minutes long, so grab a coffee or some lunch and settle in (I guarantee it will be much more educational than surfing Facebook or watching the news).

There is a lot of stuff covered in the video so if you have any questions, just throw a comment down below and I will get back to you.

Enjoy…

Rick :-)

About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, smiling personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches and runs a Fight Club for personal trainers but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read and would be up for some daily banter, you can check out his Facebook page.

You better sit down and pay attention to this one because what I am going to tell you today WILL change the way that you run your business and it WILL bring more paying clients through the door.

Got your attention? Ok, good.

Whether you have heard of it or not, the concept of your marketing and sales process as a funnel has been around for ages and I think first came from the US.

It goes a little like this…

In a perfect world, your marketing efforts bring a bunch of qualified leads into the top of the funnel from a variety of different sources and they then move though your sales process (initial call, email, comp session etc) and drop out the bottom of the funnel as a happy, paying client.

Sweet – life is good.

BUT – this “perfect” scenario is unfortunately a long way away from reality for a large majority of fitness businesses and as this is the one process that actually makes you loads of money, I thought it was worth bringing up today.

Here is my best artistic impression of what an average fitness business’s sales funnel looks like:

If you look past the dodgy hand-writing you may notice a few unfortunate similarities to the structure of your business. Don’t stress, you are not alone and here are the four reasons this sales funnel is running dry…

1) Not enough leads being produced at the top of the funnel (4 strategies is not enough, remember leads are not clients).

2) First point of contact is the option of email or phone. Given that option, most people will choose the lest confronting version (email) which is much harder to convert from.

3) They are doing comp sessions. Nothing spells out lack of value more than giving away your service for free.

4) I have a sneaking suspicion that they don’t have a tested sales script to follow through-out the comp session (did I mention I hate comp session – I want you to be valued and paid for your work).

5) No follow up for client who has chosen not to begin training (2 weeks is always good).

Alright, so as you can see and you may even have experienced this type of system before – there are many flaws which will be effecting the total amount of initial leads you will be converting into paying clients.

Which means less business and less money in your pocket.

So what is the answer?

Four main things I would do differently to make sure my funnel produced a healthy flow of clients would be:

1. 1. Get way more leads in the first place.
   2. Make sure every lead came with a phone number (this is much easier than you think).
   3. Call THEM and take them through a scripted sales call.
   4. Lose the comp session.

The simple thing you have to remember that every name and number you receive, you will have with their permission so they are obviously have a desire to look and feel better. From this point you really to find out a but about them and how you your service can solve THEIR  problems.

Here is an updated version of a marketing and sales funnel that has included the three points I just mentioned…

With this revised model, I have included a couple more online and offline lead generating options (from a cast of hundreds), ensured that they produce leads with phone numbers and then use a phone sales call to increase the conversion rate.

More importantly, this funnel gives the business owner much more control of the entire situation. No more waiting for email replies, of people to call you – the potential client shows an initial interest in the marketing phase and you then manage all communications from there.

Action Step

So your task for today is to grab a pen and some scrap paper and draw the marketing and sales funnel for your current business. By establishing a visual representation of how leads move through your process (that may be a bit of a loose term for you), you can get a better idea of what areas are working and what are costing is clients (and money).

Compare yours to the two examples in the post and see where you are sitting.

As always, if you have any questions just post them up in the comments section and I will get straight back to you.

Cheers,

Rick :-)

P.S: Keep your eyes peeled over the next week or two because The PT Fight Club is getting closer…

About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, smiling personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches and runs a kick-arse business building program for personal trainers but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read and would be up for some daily banter, you can check out his Facebook page.

As a business coach, it is my job to stand in the face of my coaching clients and challenge them to achieve more than they would (a lot like having a trainer).

So today it is your turn for a business workout and this challenge involves building up your credibility and authority in your local community and in turn, generate more quality leads for your business.

Let me break this down for you so you know exactly why this is so important:

1. For the majority of trainers, you are the face of your business whether you like it or not.
2. People buy from people they know like and trust…period.
3. While there are some sexy marketing strategies out there, nothing beats talking to a potential prospect face-to-face (and the conversion rates prove it).
4. Building on-going relationships with other businesses and community groups in your area is an amazing way to develop likability and trust with the right people (and it’s free).

Looking at all of those four point together, it paints a pretty clear picture that your business is going to exponentially benefit from being the go-to fitness guy (or girl) in your local community. This doesn’t happen by accident but it is highly effective and it is absolutely FREE.

So to put all of the pieces of puzzle together in a lets-not-screw-around kinda way, here is your 30 day challenge:

Challenge #1: Give a 10-20 min talk to a community group.

Every day you are out there educating people in how to be fit and healthy – both in and out of there sessions. Condense some of that information into a short presentations and offer to come and speak to a community group who is specific to your target market.  Get your local paper for a full list of community groups and get busy…

Challenge #2: Organise to meet with 3 local business owners you have never met before.

Again, choose local businesses that share your target market. Touch base and let them know you are interested in finding out more about their business and how you can refer your clients through to them. Use these meetings to gather a good understanding or their business but also make sure they have a good understanding of yours.

Always leave with a follow up action (training session, phone call, another meeting) at the completion of each catch-up.

Challenge #3: Write a Healthy Living article and have it published somewhere in the community.

Alright, this one may sound a little tougher than the rest but it is actually quite easy. Most publications (whether they are local newspapers, small business newsletters or sporting club mail outs) are always looking for additional content of good quality so have a good look around and put your article forward.

Your name and contacts details must be included in the bio of the article.

There you have it…. 3 challenges in 30 days.

That is your mission.

It is important to do all three challenges at once as we want your exposure to the local community to be as widespread as possible.

Are you up for it?

Rick :-)

P.S: I know you may not feel confident enough to do all three of these challenges. Just remember that everyone started somewhere so there has to be a first for everything :-)

P.P.S: Post up your progress over on my PT Business In A Box Facebook Page wall or for some more discrete accountability just shoot me an email.

About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, smiling personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches and runs a kick-arse business building program for personal trainers but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read and would be up for some daily banter, you can follow him on Twitter @ptbusiness or check out his Facebook page.

Photo Credit: Shashi Bellanomkonda

Christmas should be a time to kick your shoes off, head down to the beach and get some well earned R and R, but for too many trainers it is a stressful time of no sessions, no income and no love (well maybe that’s a bit harsh).

It’s a cold hard fact that a percentage of clients stop training around this time of year but that doesn’t mean you have to pack up your bat and ball and go home. There is still much work to be done before you can harass the fat man and watch the boxing day test.

So today I am going to show you through seven ways that you can pump life into your business at a normally quiet time of year. By completing these seven steps, you will not only finish the year with a bang and get some well earned rest but you will also super-organised to smash your way into 2011.

Don’t Stop Marketing

I don’t want to hear that crap excuse that people don’t want to start exercising now because it’s Christmas. Exercise is not seasonal, it is a lifestyle. The reality is that you are faced with two obstacles at this time of year:

1. People take holidays.
2. People spend a lot of their $$$ on presents.

So focus on the huge market of people who don’t take excessive holidays (remember that our country is full of workaholics) and give them an training offer with a low price point to remove that objection.

For example: Train from now til the end of the year for $27.

Is it a little crazy? Yes.

Does it work? Yes.

This is also a great time to be out networking in your local community as there are a lot of end-of-year events and networking functions on offer.

Go…get out there and build some new relationships.

Show Your Gratitude

Your clients are everything.

Without clients in your business, you don’t to feel emotionally connected to your work, you don’t get to feel like you are achieving something worthwhile and you definitely don’t have the ability to create the lifestyle you currently enjoy.

Please don’t over-look this fact so I will say it again…

Your clients are everything.

So do you f’kn best to make sure that have a very clear understanding of how grateful you are to have them in your business. Phone calls, Christmas presents, hand written cards, parties – whatever you think you need to do to let your people know that are are truly grateful for the effort they have put in this year.

If cost is an issue, make a personal call to every client and tell them yourself.

Get Feedback

If you haven’t already collected feedback from your clients about your service for the year then you need to to it – tomorrow. Ideally, a feedback form should be done every 3 months but the end of year as a perfect time as it gives you the opportunity to see how your service stacks up.

By implementing this form, you can also give all of clients a clear picture that you are pro-active in improving the service and providing new services in 2011. This is a nice thought for them to take into the Xmas break.

Confirm EVERYONE for 2011

Now when your client has there last session of the year, it is really important that you confirm them for next year. Yes, I know your not stupid but when I say confirm I am not talking about..

“So we are going to see you again next year Dave?“

I am talking more like a I’m-coming-around-to-your-house-if-you-don’t-show-up kind of confirmation…

“So Dave you are back from holidays on the 4th, so our first session is going to be on Thursday the 6th at 5pm. I will give you a call on the 5th to confirm. Did you write that down?“

It is part of your job to make people accountable :-)

Run A Holiday Training Program

If you are a sole-trader, I would probably not recommend doing this as I think that your rest is more valuable than working through. But if you have a team member or two who is available to work through the Xmas period, running a holiday training program can provide you with extra income in a normally quiet time.

This could take a number of different formats; I know that with our studio in Melbourne a lot of our client used to holiday down in Portsea (bay-side holiday town), so we would run a holiday group training program for our clients who still wanted to train while they were away.

If you have clients that are working through, can you provide them with a program and have one of your team to run it for you?

Load Your January Marketing Into the Gun, Ready To Fire

Although somewhat sadistic, capitalising on the general populations holiday excess in the New Year is always a profitable pastime for many trainers.  The phenomenon that is the New Year Resolution does offer a rare time throughout the year when the majority of the people are looking to improve themselves (or at least shake that dirty hang-over).

So any trainer who is not standing at the start of the New Year with their marketing plan firmly in place is not serious about their business. And I’m not talking “lets do a flier drop” here, surely those days are numbered….?

Think in-active clients, think current clients, think local business, think local community groups – they should all be hearing your message loud and clear come January.

Kick Off Your Asics And Have A Beer

Now you may not like beer, in fact you may not even drink but my point here is that (like with your weight training) your rest and recovery is just as important as the work you put in.

January is going to be big – in fact 2011 is going to be massive for you so make sure you get some solid time off and away from your business. You may think that you can’t afford it or that there is too much work to do but that’s bullshit.

Stop making excuses and go an enjoy your holiday break – you have earned it, no matter where your business is at.

Come back in January refreshed, re-energised and ready to bring your full power to 2011.

Alright, so that’s my contribution to the silly season.

Maintain your focus, get organised and head into Christmas knowing that you are going to hit the ground running in January so fast you may injure yourself.

Cheers

Rick :-)

P.S: Keep an eye out later this week because you will have the chance to win some cool prizes (hey, it is Christmas after all).

About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, smiling personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches and writes books for personal trainers but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read and would be up for some daily banter, you can follow him on Twitter @ptbusiness or check out his Facebook page.