I decided to take it a step further and have some of our Elite Mastermind members offer up 3 things that are currently having a big impact on their businesses.  Here you go:

B.J. & Kori Bliffert

1. Implementing a scripted new member orientation before our two-week tryout, rather than winging it.  Every member gets the same message at every orientation: they learn all the rules, what’s expected of them and the cost of the camp should they be invited.

2. Systematized and scripted closing process.  Again, no more winging it, same close every time = a predictable outcome.

3. 1-1 Scripted goal setting meetings after closing the new member.  Though we’re still working on this one to get more Prograde sales, it has created personal relationships and a stronger sense of "we want you to succeed as much as you do" attitude with our members.

BJ & Kori Bliffert own Full Throttle Fitness Systems, a warehouse gym in Frisco, TX specializing in Fitness Boot Camps, Kettlebell Training and Small Group Team Training.

Wil Fleming

1. Incentivizing referrals. By simply adding the gift of a free t-shirt we have successfully turned every one new client into at least 4-5 new leads. No longer do we have to hit the pavement for new athletes we just had to hand out shirts! The only caveat to this is to make sure you ask for all the info you need to capitalize on the referral. For athletes – that needs to include parents’ names, home phone, and sports played. This is significantly different than what is needed for adults.

2. Focus on high return activities. When doing assessments, consults or conducting sessions is what pays the bills – why spend time on activities like updating your Facebook with your "killer" workout of the day? Does it really bring in clients? 

3. Be involved and be seen. As a coach of athletes it is of the highest importance to be out in the community at athletic events supporting Athletic Revolution athletes. Be seen and interact with parents everywhere you go. Offer to do fundraisers for the local youth teams and high schools. Oh, and don’t be a dope and forget to collect contact info anyplace you can!  

Wil Fleming is the owner and director of performance at Athletic Revolution Bloomington / Force Fitness and Performance in Bloomington, IN. Wil is a member and contributor to the IYCA. He has trained over 25 division I athletes in the last calendar year alone and his Athletic Revolution works with nearly 200 athletes on a weekly basis.

Ryan Ketchum

1. Creating the best atmosphere and experience possible.  At Force Fitness/Athletic Revolution Bloomington our goal is to make our clients, athletes, and campers feel like the best part of their day or week is when they are at our facility.  We go above and beyond to get to know each of our clients.  Retention of our current clients is far easier for us than attaining new clients.  

2. Special low barrier to entry programs.  We have run the same basic program with nutritional information, training system and other incentives over three times under a different name with great success.  The cost to join the program is very low and it has been a great boost to our business.  We brought in over 50 new boot campers in one month using this tactic.  You may not keep every single participant but many will continue with your programs.  It is also a nice little boost in revenue if you need some extra cash flow for the month.  We run these programs once every 3-4 months during different key parts of the year (Spring Break, Summer, Holidays, New Year, etc). 

3. Leveraging your current network for referrals and opportunities.  We recently pulled up our data base and had over 700 contacts that we came up with that might be able to help us grow our business in some way.  A lot of the time all you have to do is ask and offer to help them out in some way as well.  There are at least 2 or 3 goldmine contacts in everyone’s network, the trick is figuring out who they are and how they can help. 

Ryan Ketchum is the co-owner of Force Fitness and Performance and Athletic Revolution Bloomington.  Force Fitness/Athletic Revolution Bloomington focus on semi private training, athletic performance, youth programs and boot camps.   

Steve Krebs

1. Enhancing clients experience by doing monthly member appreciation events like nights out, get pampered day. Also having an awards and recognition day at the end of each camp.

2. Barter system! The biggest lead generators for my biz are my FREE radio spots! I trade with the owner of the most popular radio station in my area. Every month I get 2 weeks of boot camp ads for free! I developed this trade by leveraging my relationships. I also have a trade with the local NBC affiliate. I’m now on the news once a week for the rest of the summer. I always send thank you gifts to both!

3. Track your numbers. As soon as I started tracking all of my numbers my biz skyrockted! I track of member, lead generation, reactivation, clients lost, life time value, monthly income, monthly expenses, and my sweat equity.

Steve Krebs owns and operates Next Level Athletic Performance and Steve Krebs Fitness Boot Camps in Central NY. Steve is also creator and "star" of the Steve Krebs Show.

Tyler English

1. Look around you! Leverage your current network for hidden marketing opportunities. Each and every member of Tyler English Fitness knows someone who can benefit from our services. In turn we have been able to expand our network to include regular television, radio, and local business contacts that have lead to continued television coverage, radio promotions, joint ventures and print coverage. It is because of this new extended network that Farmington Valley Fitness Boot Camps were voted "2010 Best Weight Loss Center" in the Hartford Advocate and our programs have continued to be featured on NBC Connecticut, FOX 61 and WTNH Channel 8. The kickback from this alone has allowed our referral network to expand rapidly! All of this was made possible by a current member within our facility’s walls and at absolutely no cost to us.

2. Dare to be different! Create a unique, energetic, one of a kind experience. My brother and I pride ourselves on the energy and atmosphere within our gym. If you walk into any gym or health club they all do the same thing. They are boring and they take in everyone!

   So only work with those who YOU want to work with and are willing to do what it takes to be your client! Do you see what everyone in your area is doing? Now go do the opposite of every facility in your area!

   Make your program exclusive and special to those who are lucky enough to work with you. Our clients know that they cannot get this unique experience anywhere else! Their time with us is far and away the best part of their day! It is reasons like this I am able to tell people I love what I do and I work with people who I want to work with.

3. Get them results and fast! I always like to say, "you don’t get sh*t in this world, you work for it!" So why not make it so easy or "Barney Style," as my bro and I say, and make it impossible for your clients to not achieve results! You should have a systematic approach to everything your client’s do. From nutrition, to exercise, to when they are not with you! Guide them along. From the time they walk in the door, to the time they attend your boot camp orientation or initial consultation, to the exact moment they hand over their credit card. Give them the tools to become your next walking talking billboard so they can show future clients what is expected of them.

   Not only will your job become easier, but also everyone will be talking about "that boot camp."

Tyler English is Connecticut’s leading Fitness Professional and Fat Loss Expert. He is the owner of Connecticut’s #1 Hardcore Warehouse Gym, Tyler English Fitness, and the founder of Connecticut’s Most Elite Fitness Program, Farmington Valley Fitness Boot Camp.

Jeff & Tiffany Larson

1. Free Trial: The one thing that works really, really well for us is our 2 week free trial.  Before we joined BCBP we didn’t believe in giving anything away for free and therefore we didn’t.  I think in these times if people are going to make a monthly investment into a boot camp which is a higher price than a gym membership they want to be sure of what they are going to get so you have to show them your stuff.

   Since we started the 2 week free trial we get anywhere from 20 to 35 new campers try our program each month and we usually convert about 75% of those people.  But the point is, it is hard to convert people if you don’t have them and before the trial we didn’t have them coming in like that and the trial has been huge in taking our boot camp from
   60 campers to consistently over 200 campers per month and increasing our income by easily $20k per month.

2. Reward Referrals:  We generously reward referrals and make sure all of our campers know it.  If one of my campers refers someone that joins my camp and that person is going to spend $561 to $1740 or more with me…. I should nicely reward that person form helping me make that much money.  We give $50 to $100 for each referral plus other goodies like Prograde, t-shirts and special classes.  We do not do ANY print advertising and almost all of our new campers come from a referral.

3. Treat Them Right:  It really doesn’t matter how you get campers into your camp, if you don’t treat them right, get them results, and make have an excellent experience then they won’t stick around.  We provide lots of added value to all of our campers including, nutrition talks, measurements, travel workouts, free Saturday classes once a month, money for referrals, birthday gift cards, recognition, appreciation parties, group activities like hikes, beach workouts and canoe trips and more.  We also, provide a great program that is well thought out not just thrown together the night before, we make special time before and after class, we make special time for people who need extra help and reach out for it and we treat our campers like friends.  Our campers appreciate our attention to detail and know they can’t get it anywhere else.

Jeff and Tiffany Larson owners of Napa / Sonoma / St. Helena Adventure Boot Camp.  Fitness boot camp and kettlebell training focusing on fat loss and putting safety and quality first.

18 great business building tips from some of the best fitness pros I know.  Now your job is to pick a couple and start integrating them into your business.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

Recently we found out that we’ll soon have another addition to the family and needless to say – we’re excited!  So with that exciting news came some reflection for me over how much has happened over the past few years.  If you watched the webinar I did a couple weeks ago, you probably learned a bit about how much things have evolved for our business ventures and for me personally.  It’s been a wonderful ride and there’s not a day that I wake up not feeling fortunate.

There have also been a lot of lessons along the way – here are some of the most important ones…

1.   Deadlines are the difference between getting stuff done and just talking about it.  All of my biggest successes have come with deadlines attached to them.

2.   My favorite times are simple family ‘hang outs’ like Holly, Tyler and I watching a ballgame or movie. Nothing beats low hassle quality family time.

3.   My favorite business times are our Mastermind Meetings.  I love being surrounded by like-minded, entrepreneurial fitness pros.

4.   It’s often said that you’re the average of the five people you associate with the most.  Over the last few years I’ve certainly seen this hold true – over and over.

5.   There is a much stronger correlation between your practical education – stuff like Perform Better events, business coaches, etc – and your professional success than there is a relationship between your formal education and your professional success.

6.   9 times out of 10 your biggest limiting factor is in your own mind.

7.   Determine what you enjoy doing and do best – then outsource as much of the rest as possible. For me that’s writing, working with coaching clients and members of our various programs, developing game plans for our businesses and finding opportunities for growth are tops among my areas of focus.  Loading blog posts & newsletters and tech work are not.

8.   If you want your problems solved – start looking for solutions rather than dwelling on the problems.

9.   Successful people implement stuff in a hurry.   The faster your speed of implementation – they bigger your bank account.

10.  It doesn’t matter what you know.  It matters what you apply. If you don’t apply something it’s wasted knowledge.

11.  Focus on behaviors rather than outcomes.  You can control behaviors and by disciplining yourself to enforce the new habits you’ll almost always assure yourself of getting the outcome you want.

12.  The first couple weeks of doing something outside of your comfort zone are always the hardest. Discipline yourself to get through that and you’ll typically be able to stay the course.  For me, writing was like pulling teeth in the beginning.  Now it’s one of my favorite things.

13.  Business is like fitness.  There is no magic pill and results don’t come overnight.  Focus on the process and you’ll get there and enjoy the journey.

14.  The ‘free line’ has been moved.  Most of the successful people I know give a lot of value away.

15.  Investing in you is better than any stock you can buy. We spent more on our business education in the past year than ever before – and our business doubled.  Invest in yourself if you want to grow.

16.  The most important thing I do for my business is to play my day the evening before.

17.  People will pay more money to for you to make their life easier. The more you can provide ‘done for you’ for your audience, the better off you’ll be.  Watch infomercials and they’ll prove this to you time and time again.

18.  I’ve observed hundreds of fitness pros over the past year and it’s as true as ever: Do the same thing you’ve always done and you’ll get the same thing you’ve always gotten. The people I’ve enjoyed watching achieve tremendous growth all stepped out of their comfort zone to get there.

19.  Learn by ‘doing’ – not by talking about it. If you want to get good at public speaking…speak.  Want to get good at writing…write.  Want to become a better salesperson…get in front of more people and sell.

20.  It never has changed and never will: You can’t help people until they want to help themselves.

21.  The grass is not greener on the other side.  The grass only gets greener if you water it.

22.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  That’s the most important business advice you’ll ever receive.

23.  Life isn’t always fair.  Accept it and move on to making the most of the hand you’re dealt.

24.  Luck does happen…people to do get lucky.  And you’re a lot more likely to ‘get lucky’ if you put yourself in the right spot for luck to happen. Even the people who win the lottery at least buy a ticket.

25.  It’s never too late to start following your dreams.

26.  Learn from people that have enjoyed successes similar to the ones you want.  Model what they’ve done to get where they are.

27.  High achievers aren’t smarter or more talented…they just do the things everyone else just dreams about doing.

Hopefully you took something away from them – I know I have.  If any of those really resonate with you or you have some lessons of your own to share – comment below.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

Here is the Part II of the roundtable discussion on assessments:

How does the assessment influence the programming you do with your clients/athletes?

BH: The assessment is the foundation of the program.  It provides the answers to the questions of what this client needs to do to close the gap between who they are today and who they will become with proper training.

EC: It’s incredibly influential on what we do. 

It dictates contraindications; for example, someone with poor ankle and/or hip mobility may not be prepared to squat safely.  

It dictates our “filler” exercises; these folks would do specific ankle and/or hip mobilizations between sets of compound exercises, or separate from the session.

It dictates compound exercise selection; someone with poor frontal plane stability and a history of lower back pain would need more single-leg work and less bilateral loading.

Finally, it dictates how “progressed” an exercise should be.  For instance, many women struggle to do “clean” push-ups from the floor – so just prescribing a push-up isn’t as appropriate as prescribing an elevated push-up off a bench or the pins in a power rack.

MR: The assessment is the foundation, or cornerstone, for everything I do.

The more quality feedback I get from the assessment, the better my programming will be. 

I’m extremely lucky to work with a guy like Bill, who has spent 20 years of his life assessing clients in the gym or in the clinic.  When he sends me their problems list, it’s akin to a major leaguer getting that fastball right down the middle – I know I can absolutely crush it.

The more thorough your initial assessment is, the better your resulting programming can become.  Period.

For the individuals reading these posts, how can an assessment help their fat loss clients?

BH: One of the keys to a fat loss program is getting a client to generate a high level of intensity during a session.  Clients that have common instabilties and mobility limitations are limited in their ability to access the larger muscles which compromises intensity. 

For instance, a client lacking hip extension because of shortened hip flexors won’t be able to effectively activate large hip extensors like the glute max.  They must therefore substitue with smaller, less effective muscles.  Small muscle = low intensity.  Low intensity = no fat loss.

If your client is stuck using the three pound pink dumbbells, you can forget seeing much progress.

EC: To take it a step further, if you had to ask me what the single-most important factor is with respect to success on a fat loss program, I’d say “continuity.”

If you aren’t assessing clients before throwing them into a “generic” fat loss program, you’re just waiting for the least experienced of them to incur a chronic or traumatic injury.  And, if you’re hurt, on top of being in pain, you’re also not dropping fat.

MR: It’s funny, because a lot of people think assessments are only for high-end fitness enthusiasts and athletes.  However, I feel as though the assessment is every bit as important for fat loss clients.

How many fat loss or overweight clients come to you with poor mobility?  Orthopedic issues like a bum knee, or bad back?  And how many just have horrible work capacity?

If you don’t take the time to examine the client and how they’re currently moving, it’s very challenging to pull together a great training program for them.

Same question, but for athletes?

BH: Athletes have the same problems.  Let’s use the same hip flexor issue as above.  An athlete with shortened hip flexors can’t activate glute max effectively.  He’s immediately more likely to strain a hamstring.  The glute max is also a high intensity muscle required for top speed running.  No butt = no speed.  Sure you can try to do glute activation exercises ‘til the cows come home, but it won’t make a difference if you don’t address the shortened muscles.  If you didn’t assess this in the first place, how would you address the problem?

Another big issue with athletes is fatigue.  Most athletes we get have horrible general fitness.  We know this because we test them.  A fatigued athlete not only performs poorly, but he’s more likely to be injured.

EC: Being a successful athlete is about finding a competitive edge.  If you aren’t getting assessed, your training is – to be blunt – just throwing shit on the wall to see what sticks.  I meticulously measure all of my professional baseball players when they get back from the long season to know exactly what we need to do to get them headed in the right direction as soon as possible.  In a sport with a long in-season and short off-season, you can’t spin your wheels for a few weeks and feel things out.

As an example, many pitchers we see develop large, unacceptable shoulder internal rotation deficits over the course of the season if they aren’t good about their flexibility training.   I get the typical minor league baseball player back between September 15 and November 1 (depending on how long their seasons go and how much time they take off after the season).  Most of them start to toss again right after Thanksgiving, and anyone who manages arms will tell you that it’s tough to gain back internal rotation in a shoulder when someone is accumulating significant throwing volume.  So, when it comes down to it, we might have 3-10 weeks to get that range of motion right with soft tissue work, manual stretching, and self-stretching.  If I don’t assess, they miss out on that crucial time period – and they run the risk of developing shoulder or elbow problems because of the issue.

Conversely, a small number of our pitchers have congenital laxity and will NEVER need to be stretched into internal rotation at the shoulder.  In fact, stretching them into internal rotation would increase their risk of injury (it’s better to be too tight than it is to be too loose). 

If I give these two groups the same “arm care” program, I might help some people, but I jeopardize the careers of others.  Assess, don’t assume.

MR: I feel the biggest reason that high-level athletes don’t achieve their goals are due to injuries and the subsequent interruption to their training.

By thoroughly evaluating an elite athlete, you can examine their current issues and what could be holding them back.  For instance, a lot of powerlifters have bad backs.  If they are constantly either working around the issue, or not taking the necessary steps to address it, they’ll never achieve their true potential.

However, if you can nip those little injuries in the bud, and give your athletes consistent training, there’s no telling how far they can go.  You have to keep them healthy and training at a high-level, though.

Do you feel an assessment could be performed within a very large group setting, such as a boot camp?

BH: Sure.  By performing assessments prior to participation, individuals can be placed in groups by their needs, fitness levels, and levels of movement proficiency.  This will allow a more optimal training experience.

EC: Absolutely.  It all comes down to knowing the assessments and practicing them over and over again.  Last year, I assessed an entire Division 1 college pitching staff in under an hour by myself and individualized flexibility recommendations and strength and conditioning contraindications for each of them.

MR:  You may not be able to evaluate them individually within the confines of the class (outside of the always assessing mindset), but you can absolutely have them come in individually and get an assessment done.

Another option is to simply start the class with very low-level training, addressing the most common issues you see – weak glutes, poor scap stability, faulty core/lumbar spine stabilization patterns, etc.

I find that even though many clients feel as though they have a great training base, when you focus on doing less complex exercises correctly, you can get a wonderful training effect.

————

If you have questions for Bill, Mike or Eric – post them below and I’ll ask the guys to stop by and answer them when they get a chance.

Also, don’t forget Bill, Eric and Mike have agreed to provide my readers with a big discount on Assess and Correct – an incredible resource detailing many of the exact assessments and corrective strategies they use at Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training and Cressey Performance. If you order before March 3rd and use the coupon code ‘RIGSBY’ you’ll get $30 off the normal price – so it’ll be $97 instead of $127.

If you don’t already have a copy, it’s a must have for every trainer and coach.

You can learn more here:

www.AssessAndCorrect.com

So check out Assess & Correct, submit any question you have below and also let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this from time to time, focusing on helping you deliver better results to your clients.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

I am in a fortunate position.

I get to see what many of the most successful fitness professionals in the world do to build successful businesses.

I also get to see what holds many of the struggling trainers back.

And I can tell you this:

If you want to run an extraordinary training business, it takes more than just effective marketing, the ability to close sales and delivering a bunch of workouts.

Your clients are paying you to get results.

With that in mind I asked Bill Hartman, Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson to share their thoughts on a few questions I had concerning assessments and their role in delivering programs that will get clients results and turn them into raving fans.

Here’s Part 1:

What is the role of the initial assessment?

BH: The initial assessment represents point “A” in the training process.  The client’s goals represent point “B”.  Without identifying the measureable difference between the two, it’s impossible to determine the client’s needs and develop programming to close the gap between today’s status and where they plan to be in the future.

Is it possible to train someone without an assessment?  Sure, but I think you’ll quickly find that a tremendous amount of time is wasted on progressing and regressing exericses as you move through the first part of the training program.  You’ll also put the client at potential risk for injury by asking them to perform exercises for which they’re not prepared.

Training is a multifactorial process.  Without prior knowledge of mobility, stability, range of joint motion, general strength and endurance, every component of the training program is a guess.  The more information we have in developing the training program, the faster the progress.

EC: To piggyback on what Bill said, I’d simply add that most folks want quick and (dare I say it?) easy results early-on to “justify” their decisions to hire a fitness professional in the first place.  If they feel like they’re just being put through a factory line, all the exercises are too difficult or easy, and they’re constantly feeling overwhelmed or unchallenged, then they’re not likely to stick around long.  An assessment enables a coach to avoid these pitfalls.

MR: The initial assessment gives us feedback on what limitations the client/athlete currently has.  It tells us what they do well, what they don’t do well, and what we need to address within their training.

It’s funny that people want to argue about “how much” assessing is enough.  Some want 4 or 5 tests, while guys like Bill, Eric and I are willing to spend some serious time up front to root out any issues a client may have.

Here’s how I look at it – I’m going to do as much assessing as I deem necessary.  I think we sometimes forget that our job isn’t to expedite the process, or to make our jobs easier, it’s to make sure that our clients get the best possible results.

When we start re-focusing on the clients’ needs and goals, everything gets a lot more clear.

Please discuss the “always assessing” mindset.

BH: I use a statement “Everything is an assessment” when speaking or working with our interns.

As detailed as we are with out preplanned assessment, there are factors that cannot be identified or anticipated.  For instance, technique, mobility, and stability change with varying levels of fatigue, speed of movement, and load.  Therefore, we must be attentive to these changes to protect the client and assure proper loading for that day.

A guy that comes to the gym well-rested and well-fed may perform significantly different from a guy who only got four hours of sleep last night and missed 2 meals.  Sometimes this may happen to the same guy.

By always assessing, allow a coach to adapt the program to the individual today.

EC: Along those same lines, I’ve actually worked backward from things I’ve seen on the training floor to create assessments.  The goal is to have assessments that “carry over” to real performance as much as possible, and sometimes the best way to get to that point is just observe what’s going on and work in reverse.

MR: Every second of every session, you should be evaluating your client.

How are they moving today?  How is this in comparison the session before?  Or when they started?

I can often tell how a client is going to perform simply by watching them come in the door.  If their shoulders are slumped and their head is down, chances are they’re not going to have a great session.

This, however, goes beyond simply assessing for the sake of assessing – this now becomes coaching.

How do you all use an assessment within your semi-private training models?

BH: Even though we train our members in groups, each one of them undergoes a formal assessment.  This allows us to program to the individual needs of that member.

We’ll have as many as four members training together, but each member is performing his or her own individualized program.  It takes more time to assess each member and then develop a program for each of them, but that’s one of the things that separates our gym from the rest.

We provide our members with a higher level of service from the moment they become a member.  It makes an impact on their attitidue right away.  It’s quite common for a new member who’s hired a personal trainer in the past to comment that no one’s ever taken the time to determine their needs before.

That’s very powerful and has a tremendous effect on our outcomes.  How committed would our members be to generic program that everyone does compared to one that’s designed specifically to their needs?

I can tell you that it sets us apart immediately.  We’re perceived as specialists.  We’re providing a much higher level of service than anyone in the area.  It adds value.

EC: Agreed on all accounts.  We run things very similarly; clients all undergo individual evaluations when they start up, and they get their own programs in accordance with the results of those evaluations.

An added bonus to the one-on-one first session is that it allows us to do some “intensive” teaching right off the bat.  All of our clients learn our exact foam rolling series on the day of their evaluation and go through a sample dynamic warm-up to get a feel for how an actual training session would start.  Then, they may go through pre-tests before some technique coaching on some lifts such as trap bar deadlifts, push-ups, single-leg exercises, etc.  This one-on-one coaching makes it easier to integrate them into a semi-private setting in their next session, as they know what to expect and have some of their technique flaws ironed out.

I also use the evaluation as a means of making sure new clients understand that my entire staff and I are interchangeable.  So, while it is a one-on-one session, it is not one-on-one with a single staff member.  A new client might do their evaluation with me, then learn foam rolling and a dynamic warm-up with Brian, do their pre-testing with Chris, and then do their lifting technique work with Tony.  All four of us, therefore, are privy to what’s going on with their evaluation, injury history, and goals so that we can set them up for success accordingly.  And, when they have questions, there are four people they can seek out – as opposed to just one.

MR: The fact that we use a primarily semi-private model has no influence whatsoever on how we assess.  We use the same assessment at IFAST whether the new client is going to be a one-on-one, a distance client, or a group training client.

Think about it like this:  The more information I have initially with regards to a clients needs and goals, the better I can develop a training program to help them achieve or address those needs and goals.

Doing less work up front leaves me with exactly that – less work up front, and typically more on the back-end.  I’d rather really put someone through the paces up front to determine what can possibly hold them back, and address it right from the start.

That’s it for Part 1.  We’ll be back with Part 2 on Thursday.

Also, Bill, Eric and Mike have put together an incredible resource detailing many of the exact assessments and corrective strategies they use at Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training and Cressey Performance called Assess and Correct.

If you don’t already have a copy, it’s a must have for every trainer and coach.

You can learn more here:

www.AssessAndCorrect.com

As you can see, this is not an affiliate link and I am making no affiliate fee for recommending this to you.  In fact, I’ve asked the guys to pass any commission I’d have earned for recommending this on as a savings to you.  So if you order before March 3^rd and use the coupon code ‘RIGSBY’ you’ll get $30 off the normal price – so it’ll be $97 instead of $127.

So check out Assess and Correct and we’ll be back with Part 2 on Thursday.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

All too often I see business people, especially in the fitness industry, NOT leveraging their resources to grow their business.

By Resources, I mean the following:

- People you know

- People your family / friends know

- Local Businesses

- Complimentary Businesses

- Local Newspapers / Media

- Use of Fitness / Nutrition / Lifestyle Knowledge

- Prior Associations (Your high school, college, etc)

Let me give you 2 examples on how you can use leverage to grow or even BUILD your business.

A friend of mine has a friend who sells gym equipment. He is local and mostly carries machines and the type of equipment you would find in a typical globo gym.

But….. here and there he gets the kind of stuff I view as a treasure and the typical gym views as trash.

I decided to stop by his warehouse and see if any “treasures” could be found, low and behold, I stumbled across an entire set up of treasures for a new business I’m about to begin.

In short, we agreed upon a price, and it was super cheap! I kept offering an EXTRA way to thank him for such an incredible offer. I offered to hook him up with a Kettlebell DVD he can offer to any of the companies who purchase Kettlebells from him, or to do on site training for any of the Government agencies he sets up.

He decided to cut the “price” out entirely for the equipment and “trade” my instruction with Kettlebells for the equipment.

If I had never attempted to use my existing network, leverage my connections, I would have invested a good $4,000 trying to outfit the new business. The point here is, you NEVER know what value someone might attach to your knowledge or what can come about simply asking or reaching out to your existing network.

Here’s another gem for you.

One of my Coaches is a college baseball player. I allow him to train clients in the gym during off hours.

As a baseball player, he rounded up his fellow teammates and picked up an awesome little side business simply by letting his teammates know that he has a place to train them.

Using his knowledge and existing network, he leveraged all this into a business that took all but a few minutes to create his sports training business.

Do NOT view this as an excuse to not go out and hit the pavement to grow your business. Not ALL of your business opportunities will be staring you square in the eyes, other BIG opportunities require serious hustle and foot work.

You must always remember, it’s not 1 way to pick up 100 clients, it’s 100 ways to pick up 1 client.

I suggest you get a sheet of paper out right NOW and write a list of your existing network and how you can leverage all of these relationships where you help someone and in turn they offer to help you. It’s not always perfect, or always 50/50, BUT, you must always bring your A game to the table and show people the greatness you have to offer them!

Zach Even – Esh is the owner of The Underground Strength Gym in Edison, NJ. Zach’s gym is quickly becoming the hub for fitness professionals around the world to visit to learn Zach’s methods for building a highly profitable fitness business from the ground up with little start up costs and at break neck speed. Zach’s MAJOR passion is showing people how to do what they love and make a lot of money doing so. If you’re ready to kill it in the fitness business and want to learn how to do it at break neck speed, with no investors, no loans and simple marketing techniques that even a Caveman can use, then Zach is your go to man!

Do This: Target a Niche (or Two)

Not That: Try To Be All Things To All People

Specialists are more financially successful that generalists.  Let me give you an example – in medicine a Family Practitioner earns on average about $145,000 per year while a Cardiologist earns $342,000 per year on average (According to the American Academy of Family Physicians).

That’s over twice as much for those of you match challenged folks

Identify a target market and become the local expert for it.  It will make marketing easier, referrals more common and you’ll be able to charge a premium fee. My *favorite* niche to target is youth fitness – if you’re interested in learning more about that, check out http://YouthFitnessOpportunity.com for some great free information on it.

Do This: Build a ‘Real Business’

Not That: Treat Your Business Like a Hobby

After all the great changes we’ve seen so many fitness professionals make over the last few years, the truth is there are still many (most) trainers that run their businesses with less structure and planning than the neighborhood kid that mows lawns in the summer.

If you’re not using systems or in the process of creating systems to run your business – then you probably are a candidate for the ‘hobby’ category.

If you’re waking up and hoping new clients miraculously walk in the door instead of having a plan for lead generation, retention and referrals – then you probably are a candidate for the ‘hobby’ category.

(At this point I’m starting to sound like those old Jeff Foxworthy ‘You might be a redneck jokes…’)

A ‘real business’ is systems driven and has a plan for everything from client generation to service delivery.  A solid business owner has a handle on his / her numbers and doesn’t just fly by the seat of their pants.

Do This: Invest in Your Business Education

Not That: Consider Education an Expense

Education is an expense only if you’re going to do nothing with it.  If you’re going to use what you learn then education is better than any investment you can make on Wall Street.

I personally buy at least two books per week, belong to at least a dozen membership programs or newsletters, have an easy six-figures worth of information products and invested $18,000 in Mastermind Groups last year alone.

That doesn’t even touch on the live events I attend and the travel expenses that go with them.

I do it because they all make our businesses and the businesses of the people we work with more money – plain and simple.

If you invested $1000 in the stock market and turned it into $2000 over the next 12 months, you’d be considered a huge success.

If you invest $1000 in your education and apply what you learn you might make back $10,000, $20,000 or more.

I’ve bought a book for $12 on Amazon and turned something I learned into six-figures – and you can too.

Just invest in your education and promise yourself that you will use what you learn from each investment to more than make back your initial investment.

Spend $100 – make back $101 or more.

Simple but effective.

If you have any ‘Do This, Not That’ examples, share them below. We’ll be back Monday with a guest post from Zach Even-Esh telling you how he outfitted a new facility with no money out of pocket. Enjoy the weekend!

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

With Eat This, Not That, the idea is pretty simple – trade something less supportive if your goals for something more supportive.

Same thing applies here.

Do This: Offer 3, 6 and 12 Month Programs

Not That: Sell By The Session

People pay their mortgages by the month.  They pay their car payment, credit card payment and the rest of their bills by the month.  Sell them training programs that are billed monthly.

This will give you a more stable business income, make your offerings more financially manageable to many people and keep your clients around longer.

Do This: Use EFT Billing

Not That: Play ‘Bill Collector’

If you got into this business to chase people around and ask them for their payment, please email me and let me know.  I’ve never met a fitness pro that did and I’d be interested in meeting the first.

Don’t spend your time chasing payments, use EFT and automate that aspect of your business so you can focus on getting your clients results and getting more clients.

Do This: Have Multiple Streams Of Income

Not That: Be A ‘One Trick Pony’

If you’re putting all your eggs in one basket, you’re taking on a lot of risk.  The successful fitness pros that we see all have a variety of ways they generate income.

Here are just a few of the ways you could be generating income…

• One on One Training
• Semi-Private Training
• Small Group Training
• Bootcamps
• Youth Fitness
• Sports Performance Training
• Corporate Fitness
• Offering Memberships
• Selling Prograde (you could sell other supplements, but why;))
• Offering Weight Management or Nutritional Coaching
• Offering Short Term Niche Programs – Bridal Fitness, Pre or Post-Natal Fitness, etc.
• Information Products
• Paid Seminars or Workshops
• Consulting
• Licensing
• Selling Products Like Bands, Workout Muse, etc.
• Employees
• Multiple Locations

How’s that for a start? Pick a couple – or a few.  Just don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

There are 3 and I’ll be back in a couple of days with a few more. In the mean time, if you have any ‘Do This, Not That’ ideas of your own, share them below.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

In the last few days I had a couple of successful fitness pros in for private coaching sessions.

One of the fitness pros, Chase Karnes is a young guy that just recently graduated from college while the other, Billy Corbett, is one of the more accomplished guys in the industry having been at this for over 20 years.

Both of them are already very successful.  Chase trained the whole time he was in college and has a schedule completely full with clients.  Even though he just graduated in May, from a financial standpoint he does better than most people that have been doing this for a long time.

Billy has trained everyone from CEO’s of billion dollar companies to NBA All-Stars.  He’s one of the top Lacrosse performance experts in the world.  He’s been successful by any way you can measure success in our industry.

Chase had a bunch of legitimate excuses that would’ve prevented him from achieving the success that he’s had to this point.

He was a full-time college student.

He commuted to a University that was about 45 minutes away.

But he still trained pretty much full time, studied a lot of the guys doing a great job in the field and even spent time visiting places like Bill Hartman and Mike Robertson’s gym to learn more.

Instead of dwelling on the obstacles that might prevent him from getting a head start on enjoying a successful career – he just took action and got stuff done.

And now he already has a waiting list and is looking for ways to take his business to the next level.

You’ll be hearing BIG things from Chase – I guarantee it.

Like I mentioned before, Billy has had a TON of success in his career and has a wonderful business in Denver.

A few months ago I made a suggestion for Billy to add a bootcamp profit center to his business. Even though this was kind of outside his comfort zone as it was a pretty drastic change from the one-on-one and semi-private training he’s had (and continues to have) so much success with, Billy went ahead and took action.

That little bootcamp became a 40K per year profit center for Billy and he’s now going to add another time slot to expand it.

Chase didn’t let obstacles get in his way – he just took action and got a heck of a start on a great career.

Billy didn’t let all of his past successes prevent him from trying something new – he just took action and was rewarded with a nice boost in income.

There are always a million reasons why you can’t do something if that’s what you’re looking for.

You’re far better off looking for the reason that you can do something.

Then just do it.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

Craigslist, lead boxes, direct mail…TV, radio, newspaper…public speaking, door hangers, gift cards.

They all work – and they all fail.

It depends on how you use them.

If you want to get them most from your marketing efforts, here are three tips that will lead you to prosperity.

Define Your Niche. One of the things fitness pros don’t get about niche marketing is that they think they can only have one niche.

Wrong.

The key is ‘niching’ (not really a word) each marketing message. You can serve different niche or target markets at the same time, but your message much speak to each of those niche markets individually.

For example, you can target both baseball players and busy moms – but you need to have a compelling USP and the right marketing message for each of these groups.

Moms aren’t interested in learning how to improve their fastball or get a scholarship and baseball players aren’t focused on losing their mommy belly and getting back into their skinny jeans.

Treat each accordingly

Work Your Network. Hopefully by now you’re getting this whole network thing, but if you’re new to us – here goes: Your network is made up of your past and present clients, prospects, business contacts, referrers, and joint venture partners.  Friends, colleagues, former co-workers, family members, neighbors…everyone you know.  Even the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.

This is your million dollar network.

List them out on a spreadsheet and identify their contact information & everything you know about them.  Now, start reaching out to them, adding value to their lives and making sure they know what you do and who you help.

When specific things you need help with – look here first.

Your network is the single most valuable asset your business has.

Treat Your Clients Like Gold. Overdeliver at every opportunity and your business will grow.  Guaranteed.

Give great service. Get to know your clients. Give gifts. Send thank you cards. Remember their birthdays. Treat clients like family.  Treat prospects like clients.  Treat everyone like you want to be treated.  The more you give, the more you’ll get.

If you do this – EVERYTHING else you do to grow your business becomes much, much easier.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.

Then I read an article from Elite FTS CEO Dave Tate about the value proposition of his business and it’s ‘We help people break personal records.’

They’re both spot on – the focus of training should be PRs.

You’re either getting better or you’re just killing time.

And business is exactly the same.

You should be focused on setting personal records in your business.

Setting PR’s for most new clients in a month.

PR’s for most business income in a month.

And it doesn’t have to stop with getting new clients or generating more income.  You can set goals for almost anything in your business from camper attendance or client performance to monthly retention.

You should be setting PR’s in everything.

Let me tell you something – business becomes a lot more fun when you approach it this way too.

So start tracking each area of your business and start setting PRs.

You’re guaranteed to make 2010 your best year yet!

Oh, one more thing…if you you’re up to it, post how many clients or campers you have below and we’ll follow up at the beginning of February to see that you set a new PR.

How’s that for accountability?

Dedicated to your success,

Pat Rigsby

Pat Rigsby is a Co-Owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association & the youth fitness franchise Athletic Revolution as well as a fitness industry consultant serving thousands of personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Sign up for his fitness business free newsletter to discover proven marketing, sales and business strategies, along with blog updates, news, and more! While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter.