Fit Business Insider

There are a lot of mistakes personal trainers and coaches make that hold them back from reaching their business goals. Here are 12 of the most common:

Mistake #1 – Thinking that aggressive marketing will make up for a mediocre service. The bottom line is this: you can generate a lot of leads with a strong marketing push – but you won’t keep those clients if you’re all sizzle and no steak.  You have to deliver great results and you have to create an environment that your clients love being in.

I don’t know of any great personal training business that doesn’t get a lot of their clients from referrals. Obviously, you can’t generate referrals with a run of the mill service.

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The fitness industry is broken.

Plain and simple.

Only about 16% of people belong to a fitness facility or program in the U.S.

Of the ones that belong to health clubs, only about 30% are active users.

The average personal trainer makes under $30,000 per year.

Most people who enter the personal training profession depart soon after to get a ‘real job.’

I’ve got my own opinions on why things are the way they are – opinions about the consumers, the commercial clubs and the personal trainers.

I suspect you do too.

I’ll share mine soon enough – but tell me yours first.
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Here are some of my random secrets for getting the most from your time.

Online

1. Looking at too many things online – group all your reading / research together.

2. Browsing forums, Google, etc with no real purpose – if you can’t tie it to a goal, eliminate it.

3. Take notes on anything valuable so you don’t have to re-read.

Procrastination

4. Learn things quickly.  Pour yourself into them.

5. Set deadlines for everything.

6. Do the tough stuff first.
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Welcome to our brand new feature. Our Fitness Marketing Time Saving Tip of The Week!

First thing every Monday you’re going to come to PatNickandJim.com to set the tone for your entire week.

You’re going to learn a proven method for getting more done in less time.

You’ll discover how to enjoy your life more.

Before you do anything else, start your week with this tip. Pat, Nick and I will be taking turns each Monday to make running your Personal Training business easier than ever.

Ok, so here’s the first one:

Read the rest…

Need more business? More clients? More money?

Who doesn’t?

Fortunately, growing your personal training business is pretty easy, but you do have to do something to make it happen.

Usually something you aren’t currently doing, or at least doing well. Here are 3 ways you can bring in more business, more clients and more profits within the next 30 – 45 days.

1. Implement referral systems. This doesn’t mean simply asking for referrals. You need to do it routinely and systematically. Have 2-3 methods of asking, and have a method to reward people who do refer.

2. Build your back end. The toughest part of running a personal training business is getting new clients. Why not maximize your relationship with the clients you do have and sell them additional products and services.

3. Raise your prices. Most trainers undervalue what they do and charge way too little for it. And many others offer a steep discount if a client is willing to buy any significant number of sessions.

Stop discounting, and start adding value. Look for ways to increase your hourly rate through semi-private and group offerings. And raise your rates for services and products both.

There are a dozen other ways to generate more business and more profits – but if you’re not already doing these, then this is the perfect place to start.

“How and when to talk about your cancellation/rescheduling policy”

It can be one of the hardest things to do.

Is there a more uncomfortable feeling than when you have to tell your client you had to charge them for a session they missed?

Well, if you make your policy crystal clear up-front you’ll go a long way towards eliminating any potential problems in the future.

Something you need to be aware of is the fact most people don’t regard your time to be as valuable as you do. And that isn’t because you are a personal trainer. It’s because most people haven’t the slightest clue how valuable their own time is! It is your responsibility as a professional to thoroughly explain the client/trainer relationship. That includes the value of your time, their time and exactly what your cancellation/rescheduling policy is.

So when is the best time to talk about all of this?

Immediately after closing your sale and your prospect becomes a client. Mind you, this does not mean you explain your policy and procedures 5 minutes before they start their first session. No, the best time to handle all the details as to what they can expect from you as their trainer and what you expect from them as your client is before you leave the consultation.

Understand your new client is extremely excited about the decision they’ve just made. They are proud of themselves for having taken the leap and deciding to hire someone to help them do it right. There’s never a better time to openly and honestly explain how valuable your time is and why your cancellation policy exists and how it works. There’s never a better time to help them understand it is for their benefit as well. They’ve made a commitment to fitness and nothing short of an act of God, family emergency or illness is a reason for them to no-show for a scheduled appointment.

It’s also a great idea to take the time now to explain how your relationship will grow as you work together.

As my friend and fellow trainer Joe Stankowski likes to say, “there’s a reason they call it ‘personal’ training.” So right after they have paid you to retain your services is the critical time to discuss the fact that just because you begin to know one another well doesn’t mean you won’t charge them. Before you leave the subject make sure they have completely understood every word you have said and agree with it. Don’t just give them a contract to sign that explains they have read the policy and are ok with it.

You can even tell your new client you will periodically remind them of the policy as the relationship grows.

Why?

Because this is a professional relationship no matter how well you come to know your client. Taking the time to explain yourself fully from the very beginning will save your serious headaches in the future.

Yours in prosperity,
Jim Labadie
http://www.trainandgrowrich.com

PS- Please be sure to forward this to any fitness pro you feel it will help!

PPS – Resources to help you dominate your competition!

Under $50 bucks:
http://www.celebrityfitnessimage.com
http://www.fitnessbusinessmindset.com
http://www.velvetropesalesandpr.com
http://www.amazingfitnesspresentations.com

Over $50 bucks:
http://www.fitnessinfomistakes.com
http://www.howtogetmoreclients.com
http://www.howtogetmorepublicity.com
http://www.howtogeneratereferrals.com
http://www.howtoprofitwithbootcamps.com

There I was sitting in her living room. I was completely trapped. How in the h*ll did I get into this?

We were supposed to be talking about her hiring me as her in-home personal trainer. And for awhile, we did.

But then it happened. All of a sudden she’s trying to recruit me to be a part of a Multi-Level Marketing company.

UGGHHHH!

Now I’m fully aware of the arguments for and against MLM. I am fully aware that there may be a fair amount of you reading this that are involved in MLM.

Personally, I just don’t dig it. If you’re into it, that’s cool with me.

Doesn’t really matter. It’s not the point of this post.

What I am going to teach you is how to set an appointment of any kind so that you never waste any of your time.

Believe me, I’d love to have back the hours of time I wasted talking to this woman who was trying to convince me to sell water filters and silverware and everything else under the sun to my clients. Even worse was the fact I didn’t stand a chance of gaining her as a client unless I became involved in her MLM deal.

UGGHHHH!

Sorry, I’m rambling.

Ok. Here’s what you need to know. This is so simple it might seem ridiculous. But I can almost guarantee you aren’t doing this right now. (Unless you have my Ultimate Sales Kit for Fitness Pros that is)

1) YOU need to be in charge of all conversations you have with prospects and associates when it comes to your business. Be polite and gracious. But also be very protective of your time.

2) Set the terms of your meeting. When and where will you meet? How long will you meet for? What EXACTLY will you talk about? What is the desired outcome of the meeting?

3) In regards to #2 you can do this so long as you ask them politely AND make sure everything is ok with them. Yes, that means asking persmission.

Is that time ok?

Is that what you want the outcome of our meeting to be? If not, what were you hoping it would be?

4) Confirm the meeting at the end of THAT conversation. Don’t wait until a day before to ask if they will be there. Why? Because in today’s fast-paced world you never know if you will be able to get a hold of them. If the time you are supposed to meet seems iffy then pick a new time when you have their attention.

Does this always work? Almost always.

Is it possible you’ll have some person try to change the terms of the meeting on you? Of course. But this gives you the best possible chance of improving your business and preserving your most precious commodity – TIME!

Thanks to the MLM woman I lost three hours of my life. How many hours have you lost to nonsense? What else could you be doing if you protected your time more vigilently?

Yours in prosperity,

Jim Labadie
http://www.TrainandGrowRich.com

PS – Resources to help you dominate your competition!
Under $50 bucks:

http://www.celebrityfitnessimage.com
http://www.fitnessbusinessmindset.com
http://www.velvetropesalesandpr.com
http://www.amazingfitnesspresentations.com

Over $50 bucks:
http://www.fitnessinfomistakes.com
http://www.howtogetmoreclients.com
http://www.howtogetmorepublicity.com
http://www.howtogeneratereferrals.com
http://www.howtoprofitwithbootcamps.com

What are you going to do with all your free time?

You know. When you’re taking 4 day weekends all the time, what are you going to be doing? Where are you going to go? Who will you see? How will you get there?

You don’t know?

That’s perfectly fine. Not many people do.

But if that is what you want, that is what you need to start to plan for. Think about it. Meditate on it. Script it out.

Are you spending time with family? Playing golf? Heading out on your boat? Going to visit friends?

The more real you imagine and plan what you want your future to look like the faster your sub-conscious mind (and the Universe) can make it the here and now.

I’m going to the movies this afternoon. That’s what I do pretty much every Friday afternoon. I LOVE movies.

And you know what?

I imagined I would spend my Friday afternoon’s this way a long time ago.

Yours in prosperity,

Jim Labadie
http://www.fitnessbusinessmindset.com

PS- The testimonials are coming in fast and furious!

“I just listened to your interview with Zach for the third time! The more I listen to this the more powerful it becomes. It truly changed my mindset for the rest of the day. This is a process for me or anyone doing this type of mind-shift, but the CD has me catching myself when I get negative and changing things for the positive.
I hope to see more products like this from you in the future. Thank you for “Paying it Forward!”
Georgette Pann
TheNutriFitness.com

~~~

“For years I struggled as a personal trainer and felt hopeless wondering how I was ever going to make more money in this business. It wasn’t until I started listening to and applying the principles Jim speaks about that my business took off!

Once you “get it” and practice the laws of attracting money you will see for yourself how this truly works! Now money comes with LESS effort than ever before because I understand how I was sabotaging myself from success. It’s so exciting to see my dreams come true far beyond what I’d first imagined!

If you are serious about being, doing, and creating more than you ever thought possible as fitness professional then you need a copy of the Fitness Business Mindset CD TODAY!”

Heather Picken
FeelingLikeaMillion.com

http://www.fitnessbusinessmindset.com

Joey Atlas of http://www.personaltrainerbrand.com and I have filed with Chases Calendar of Events to make January 2nd of each year National Personal Trainer’s Day.

What does this mean to you?

Well, we’ve created a press release you can very easily modify and send out to your local media to so you can promote your fitness business.

Here’s what you need to know:

- For more info on National Personal Trainer’s Day go to:

http://www.nationaltrainersday.com

- To copy and paste the news release we’ve prepared for your use go to:

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/national.htm

- We’ve marked the areas you need to modify in BOLD CAPS. And it will take you all of 2 minutes to change so you can send it out to promote YOUR biz.

- Where do you send it? Contact all your local media and ask them who you should send press releases to on the subject of health and fitness. Also ask them how they want it sent.
It’s typically by email or fax.

That’s it. It’s as simple as that to get out a top-notch press release to help you get some media attention for the New Year’s rush that is coming.

Happy Promoting!
Jim Labadie
http://www.nationaltrainersday.com

PS- For those of you who still don’t think it’s worth your time and effort to obtain publicity
check out what one of my top students has done getting her name out in the public eye.
Susan Hill has just been named the new Sports Science consultant to the PGA of Mexico.
Go to this website and then click on ‘comite educativo’ on the left hand side.

http://www.pgamexico.org/

That’s damn impressive. Way to go, Susan!

PPS- Get to work on this right away. And stay tuned to your email because I’ve got one more thing this week you can’t afford to miss.