What Are You Missing In Your Fitness Business?

Improving Your Weak Points For Your Fitness Business

In golf, they talk about fixing one aspect of your game and shaving a handful of strokes off of your score all at once.  If you get better at putting, all of the sudden those 90’s that you’re shooting become 85’s.  If you get better at pitching and chipping those 85’s become 80’s.

I think that same approach will work for improving your fitness business numbers too.

I’m going to use bootcamps as my example, but this approach works for any business. Here are some areas for improvement and some simple steps to make that happen.

The Quality of Your Camps – If your camps are bad there is no amount of marketing that will mask it.  You should be retaining at least 80% of your people from one month to the next – and that is a minimum number.  If you’re not, something about the way you’re delivering your camp is broken.  Here are some tips to fix it:

• Implement the Workout Muse system.  It’s a proven, done-for-you system that will not only give you a complete format to follow for your camps, but it will also add energy to each session.
• Plan ahead.  If you’re thinking up your camp workout 15 minutes before camp…stop!  These people are paying you to help them achieve their goals so you should be prepared.
• Be complete. While you can’t individually design each campers program, you can certainly make sure that each session combines all the elements of a well designed training session.  Group training doesn’t mean bad training.
• Bring it.  Every day you have to bring energy, personality, enthusiasm and be ready to motivate and inspire.  Your camps should be a high point in each of your campers’ days.  If they’re not, your business will struggle.

A Consistent Approach To Marketing – I noticed a few Bootcamp Blueprint members that had what I considered low numbers and honestly, I have to assume that means they’ve not been marketing.  Every day you should be doing a couple of things to grow your fitness business and generate new prospects. Here are the marketing strategies I’d focus on:

• Public speaking.  If you’re not doing at least 2 speaking engagements per month you’re leaving money on the table.  If my numbers were low, I’d be doing one speaking engagement per week.
• Networking.  Nothing sexy about it, but you should be passing out 2 week trials – preferably 3 per day, attending networking events on a weekly basis and reaching out to everyone already in your personal network.
• Business of the Week. I just introduced this promo in Blueprint in early August and it’s a sure winner.  You should be contacting 2-4 businesses per week at minimum.
• The fundraiser.  Another BCBP exclusive that is a killer.  Great for business growth and great for your community.  A win-win for sure.  Just identify an organization that needs to raise money and reach out to them with your fundraising opportunity.  They keep all the proceeds and you get all the leads.

Work those four and work them hard.  Your numbers are guaranteed to climb.

Converting Prospects To Clients & Referrers – Every prospect should be considered precious when you’re trying to grow your business.  Here’s how to get them to buy more often and refer more:

• Personal attention. A personal call to each prospect. A personal introductory session.  A card thanking them for coming to camp.  People want to be treated well and feel important.  Provide that and they’ll not only become clients…they’ll become raving fans.
• A scripted offer.  If you don’t have a scripted sales presentation you’re missing sales.  Plain and simple.  I’ve provided a script in several different venues…BCBP, my free Fitness Sales e-book and on PTU…model it and close more deals. If you’re getting most of your prospects in on free trials, offer to allow them to ‘trade in’ their trial for a big discount off of the next month or a 3 month program.
• Ask for referrals early.  As soon as someone joins camp – even on a trial – ask for referrals.  Ask them to give you the names and contact information of 3-5 people that they might like to join them in camp and you’ll provide their guest with a 2 week free trial.  If that person joins you’ll give the referrer $50 off their next month.

Making It Easy To Stay – You need to make it easy to continue to work with you.  Sounds simple, but it’s amazing how many trainers make doing business with them difficult.  Here are some tips:

• Be easy to pay. Implement auto-renewal.  Use Volo and set up your business so you’re not chasing money at the beginning of each month.  With auto-renewal the responsibility to stop working with you is now on the client instead of the burden of re-signing people falling to you. This simple step will improve retention 25% for sure.
• Move people to 3 month or longer commitments.  From this point forward, start selling 3 month contracts to all new prospects.  Don’t get caught up in moving your current campers to anything beyond auto-renewal – but all new people make 3 month commitments.
• Have a downsell.  If someone can’t continue at 3, 4 or 5 sessions per week, offer to downgrade their program to 2 sessions per week.

There are certain areas in everyone’s fitness business that, if improved, will provide a big surge in business.  Identify those areas – start with my suggestions above – and start growing your business today!

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.

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