Tue, 15 December 2020
We’re approaching that time of year when every personal trainer who is committed to a career in fitness needs a new fitness client process. You need a system or a method. And you need to measure whether it works. After 37 years in fitness, and 33 as a one-to-one trainer or health coach I’ve definitely made my share of mistakes. But actually, thanks to my ex-husband and friend, back in 1992 I developed a process and I have used it over and over to describe how I work with clients, to start clients, and to continue with clients. My first session follows several steps.
Consultation with New Fitness Client Process More and more with each book published, media appearance, TEDx talk, keynote speech, clients will apply to work with me without ever doing a consultation. But still 50% of the time, I will consult with a customer not sure if we’re a match or with questions about how it works. Even during this consultation, I share the steps of how I work with clients from beginning to next. We all like to know what to expect. Setting expectations should be a part of your process. Following enrollment there is Pre-First Session Homework for the New Client Documents are Turned In Homework is Turned in 24 or more hours before I meet with a client. That guarantees I have time to go through them and start identifying an ideal lifestyle plan. That plan however is never the actual starting point. Literally, never. We’re working with real life humans with a history of habits and preferences and a reality that has to be a part of the step-by-step change we help them make. Books to read for supporting you in supporting them: Identify Questions for First Session I’ll pick one, two or three areas where I want to ask questions. If I don’t see an obvious ONE THING to start with and ask if the client agrees, I’ll ask them which feels like a bigger pain point for them so we’re co-collaborating on a starting point. I never turn a client’s world upside down or assign an arbitrary goal out of the blue. They are somewhere before we met. That’s our starting point for deciding where to go next and for deciding what turn to take. I have a template that I use for those meetings. I use a checklist. I list the follow up questions I need to ask to collect all the data I need. Those questions are qualitative and quantitative both. The answers to those questions that I’ll use to finalize the actual proposed plan for week 1. In my mind I’ve got week 2, 3, 4 also plotted. That’s creating an ideal. There is always a change to it based on data and feedback from week 1. Platforms for meeting:
Follow up connections with clients:
Start Your Sessions Systematically Ditch the small talk and the, how are you? Seriously, catch your clients when they throw that back to you. Yes, it’s polite and conditioned but it’s trite. This is about them. The purpose of this call is not to open up how you are. I’ve got their session prep form in front of me when we talk. But I always ask, is there anything else you want to add to this list or is it complete? And: Is there anything unusual coming up for you in the next week I should know about so as we talk I can take that into account so you’re next week’s plan makes the most sense for you? I ask if the client wants to go through things from top to bottom or if there’s a highest priority item they want to start with. Give Choices All of that is about putting the client in charge. Listen, we’re co-collaborating here it’s not a dictatorship. My job is not to make someone co-dependent, it’s to help them rely on their own judgment and take charge. It’s more about that than taking responsibility. A client who’s reached out to you is extremely responsible. My view is the client is an expert. No one knows them better than they do. My expertise is hormone balancing fitness, kinesiology, movement, and behavior change that sticks. We have to do this together. End Sessions Systematically One of the important things for you to do is pad your sessions. I learned this the hard way. When I would have calls with 3 clients in a row and then have the day take off like a runaway train, getting back to send homework and summarize the session and give recordings to clients became really hard to do. So, I leave 10 minutes minimum and I’m also taking notes (keyboard right into their call transcript). You can also transcribe it with otter.ia but you will have to go through and edit that or have someone on your team do so. That way I send homework, recordings, any additional resources to a client before I start anything else. It’s so much less time consuming done this way. A part of the session end for my new fitness client process is letting them know when we have 10 more minutes in this session. It’s a good time to ask, is there anything additionally that you want to make sure we talk about today, or do you want to continue on the track we’re on? Foreshadowing There is always a next step. I want clients to know that even as I keep the steps small in the beginning there will be bigger ones that I may believe they’re capable of even before they do. I’ll plant seeds about their progress, their goals, and about our working together and what next steps are. You want to make sure you have a next step. What will your clients need or want next? If you can’t keep a customer or client and keep them on track with life goals you’ll also jeopardize your business. Find a way to always be thinking, what’s next for this client? How can I serve them in their next step? Often those options don’t require that one-on-one attention. That then provides a new opportunity for both them and your business growth. That’s the sign of a business with longevity. |
Tue, 8 December 2020
Optimize your organic reach right now for fitness business success in the coming months. No matter when you’re listening (reading) this, it’s time to do this. If you haven’t started early and aren’t already 60 days into your pre-launch for the new year (as I create this early December 2020) then put on your calendar RIGHT NOW to start October 1, 2021 preparing for Jan 1 2022. For now? Let’s roll up our sleeves and start making what you’re doing now matter more. Need help? I’ll get you lift off AND 10 months of branding, marketing, and selling strategies if you’re working with women in midlife. Use key words. Distribute key words in three places:
If you’re on word press, use a tool called Yoast, even on the free level to help you know when you’ve done this. Before that you need to do some homework. Do you know the words you want to be “found for”? These are words that you deliver on. These are the problems your clients come to you with, in their words not yours. Key words are a part of the transformation your clients want. Your key words are a mixture of the problem and the solution that your ideal customer wants. So before key words even? You need to know what your favorite customers of all time, who made the most progress, and loved working with you, say they want. What do they say they’re grateful for? Because you and I could say we give our clients muscle mass and strength. But even in 2020 when I write about it constantly and you’re reading about it as the way to help and support them, it still is not what they ask “Dr. Google” at 8pm on their couch watching Hallmark movies. It’s not what they search for at 2pm when they should be working but they’re distracted by feelings of bloat or discomfort in clothes that don’t fit any more. How to Improve Your Organic Reach (Homework exercise) What are those words? Take a moment and come to the show notes later and do this homework because it’s big. Problem #1 Way my client describes her problem: #2 Way my client describes her problem: Transformation #1 Way my client describes what she wants: #2 Way my client describes what she wants: Personal Condition #1 Word or phrase that describe my client’s status (in her words) #2 Word or phrase that describe my client’s status (in her words) Some combination of problem or solution plus condition are your key words. Do your homework. The Mistake that Fails Your Organic Reach Does this sound familiar? You know you need to post regularly on social media. So you set aside time to do it, create the graphics, a quote, or take a picture, even invest 30 minutes in creating a REELS. But do you go into action doing that before you even think about what your ideal client is thinking or feeling right now? No judgment here. I’ve done it too. Not that long ago I spent hours on Sunday creating my week’s posts for the week, cueing them up as scheduled on platforms and wa-la, done! (I’m typing wa-la thinking I don’t even know if that’s a word!) Them vs You Here’s the deal…. If your posts are pushing your content and information that you think people NEED out there… it will fail to get you traction. It’s a conversation. When you do that it’s like sitting across from someone who is talking and instead of listening, you’re thinking about what to say next. You may have the answer to their problem but it’s not going to resonate with them if you deliver it like what they just said doesn’t matter. How Do You Know If You’re Falling Short? Look at what you’ve been doing. How well has it been working? If you continue to do more of it… how will you get different results? If your reach over the last 3 weeks has not gone UP, it’s time to change. On a blog post, use all of the previously mentioned. The same goes for your show notes if you’re podcasting. What about social media? Both YouTube and now Instagram even are becoming more like search engines. So if you’re not doing the same with title, description, tags on YT and using hashtag strategy that works on Instagram, you’ll fail. Instagram is Good for Your Organic Reach, Too, Done Right Instagram strategy is not posting daily. It includes the right hashtags based on research, the right number of hashtags, relevant hashtags for your content, the right use of images, graphics, memes, quotes, and your content matters. Are you telling stories? It’s social remember. So longer posts that describe who you are, and why anyone will care about what you say are important. Ask questions. Use your timeline, stories, IGTV and REELS as well as lives. Encourage DMs to communicate. Especially when you’re smaller, it’s possible to generate leads and customers so long as you’re not selling on social. Your Organic Reach vs Paid Traffic Know that once you begin using paid advertising your organic reach will go down significantly. A platform that knows you’ll pay to play will begin to require it. A good rule of thumb though is that if your organic reach isn’t going up, you don’t want to pay for it to reach more people who won’t respond! Always look at how something does organically first, then build on that momentum. It’s the same way January is a busy month in fitness, right? It’s the month you should be advertising the most. There you have it. Not so secret secrets… and the biggest one of all is doing these consistently. Links mentioned in this episode will be in the show notes at fitnessmarketingmastery-dot-com/organic-reach Resources: |
Wed, 2 December 2020
Posting feverishly without getting results? Fitness professionals social media efforts generally either fall into one of two categories: definitely work or definitely failing. If you’re spending money for someone to do your social media, or you’re spending time doing it yourself, it’s expensive to get zero results. With more ears and eyes on social media than ever, this is for you. Any one of these 7 fitness professionals social media mistakes can hurt you. Fixing any one of them is definitely a step in the right direction. Let’s dive in. Episode Sponsor Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist 2.0 – includes the 10-month branding, influencing, and positioning support for growing your fitness business with the help of social media. You get it all including the hormone balancing fitness prescription you need for working with women in menopause. More here. (open for enrollment during December). Posting before you have a strategy Imagine a pee-wee soccer league. If you don’t have kids of your own, you may have coached, you’ve got a niece or nephew, or you’ve just watched this. A 5-year old cares more about treats than the minutes they play. But inevitably one kid will finally get the ball and run with it to score the perfect goal… for the other team. If you are consistently posting without results, you too may be running in the opposite direction. Now, are you helping your competition directly? Not exactly, but you are using time and energy where it is not paying off. Before you post…
Posting without a message & mission
Fitness professionals social media posts should be in alignment with the message and the stand they take everywhere. It can’t be the same as every other fitness professional. What do you stand for? What do you stand against? In 2020 we’ve been presented with a number of challenges that we may never have thought would polarize our audience, but have. From masks to vaccines, to quarantine, to racism, there have been reasons to address these things that may have been listed in your style guide as “never talks about.” (If you don’t have a style guide, you need one. It will force you to know your message and your mission in a way that everyone you work with knows clearly what’s in and out of bounds.) Learn more about Style Guide creation. Missing hashtag strategy in Instagram Fitness professionals social media mistakes on Instagram are many, but the biggest ones involve hashtags. If you’re not aware of the number of hashtags you need on social media, the place you want to put them and don’t, and the range of the hashtag popularity to use based on the size of your current following, you’re wasting time. Being consistent is about doing the right thing consistently. If you want to get in on some of the secrets that make your Instagram not just grow your following but grow it authentically with people who want what you’re selling, it’s a part of the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist program. Not supporting (specific) others and engaging Social media is meant to be social. You can use social media to create relationships. Give to others. Identify 100 people who are doing what you want to do or related to what you want to do in a complimentary way. Follow them. Take time regularly to comment and post and DM them. That should be as much a part of what you’re doing and not random. List those people out specifically. If you’re tempted to copy, don’t. People smell a copycat. Notice how larger accounts post. They don’t post their freebies. They post content that organically connects to their freebies. You have to have an engagement first. If you haven’t got eyeballs on your content, back up. Connect. Start looking at your insights. Neglecting to Use Insights Insights are free! Fitness professionals social media mistakes center around this one on every platform. Not using insights is like ignoring your friends when they call. Eventually they are going to stop calling. Fitness owners and managers have almost cultivated this bad habit when they didn’t know enough about social media and turned the process over entirely to a young member of their team that they assumed “know more about social media than I do.” The only way you can create more effective messages that resonate with your audience is to measure what matters. Set up a weekly “weigh in” and start looking objectively at whether you increased or decreased engagement, which posts, what type of posts, and what content works. Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Yes, it takes time to get traction but if you’re still posting to a handful of people after months it’s time to change your strategy. Forgetting how your customer feels Preaching doesn’t work. Teaching works sometimes. Talking to people works. Listening works best. Are you ever asking questions? So often fitness professionals social media posts probably feel condescending to your clients. Imagine how they feel and post based on that. When someone is frustrated and in despair, they don’t need to read a post about getting steps in. Maybe they need to read a post about how hard it can be to start when you feel the road is long. Tell a story about when you felt this way. If you look super fit, and your customer is not, you need to relate to them somehow. That’s not to say you have to have been fat or out of shape at some point in your life, but you need to relate to struggle. Not telling your why You could be a plumber, teacher, lawyer or doctor. Why are you a personal trainer or health coach? Fitness professionals social media accounts are often void of the backstory. That’s like getting to a movie 10 minutes late, or not reading the text on the screen so you know the significance of the story. I can relate because last week we were watching a Tarzan movie and I was admittedly multitasking on my laptop. My son rewound and said, “Are you reading this?” Much of the movie would have had less meaning to me if I hadn’t read those screens. The same is true for you. Periodically, you have to share your story again. Introduce yourself. Tell them who you are, your rags to riches story, the story that makes you relatable and unique. What is it? What makes you cry, cringe, sing, dance and celebrate? There you have it – fitness professionals social media mistakes, why they hurt, and how to fix them. Links to mentions in this podcast: How to Avoid the Biggest Mistakes Training (and reaching) Women in Menopause - masterclass Style Guide step-by-step (SCROLL DOWN on the page) My Social Media Book from Healthy Learning
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Tue, 17 November 2020
This post explores words you use costing you customers! No one wants that from time and energy spent writing articles or doing podcasts! Create a Common Enemy For us all in 2020 it’s been COVID19. For the first time in the history of the world we all have a common enemy. No matter who you might blame or back or what you do or don’t agree with about how it’s been handled, we are just people. We’re daughters and sons, parents, siblings, significant others who care about the health and well-being of our own. It doesn’t matter if someone speaks your language or is across the street or across the globe, we’ve experienced a moment in time connecting to others. If all workplaces communicate their mission so much that teams hold take not just the mission but the obstacles to achieving that mission personally, they’d thrive. If entire teams come together fighting the same cause – as opposed are pitted against each other – there will be fewer internal rivals and more job satisfaction. There are Plenty of Bad Guys And if you can harness a villain – be it age, or bone loss, or cancer, or sedentary jobs, or misinformation about fitness for midlife women… you can then become a part of a team with your audience and tribe. You fight with them, instead of preaching or teaching. It feels very different. Teaching, without intending to, can feel like judgment. If you instead are sending your message to “them” or to “the cancer” or “the menopause” or the “stigma”… then you’re fighting the battle with your audience. Read/Listen to these two headlines: Why What You’re Doing Is Not Working for Midlife Women/Clients How to Harness the Power of Misleading Information Feel the difference? In the first there is a hook and it’s more negative. Like, you are doing it wrong! Don’t make this mistake. There’s definitely something to be said for it. There is certainly a large percent of population that will be more likely to click on that than something giving them content. In the second example, however, there’s no blame on you the reader. It still suggests something is wrong, yet it implies that I’m going to give you the secret to be a part of the solution instead of telling you you’re a part of the problem. They’re both potential subject lines or titles for a blog or podcast. Which one speaks to you more? Which one would you click on first? This Very Post's Title There’s a time and place for either a negative or positive title. And the best way for you to decide which you use is to test it. I’ve found many times that say, 3 Biggest Mistakes, will get more clicks than 3 Biggest Secrets. But… don’t guess. Start testing, even if only by looking at your statistics on traffic to your blog, or on popularity of YouTube videos. I’ll let you in on a secret. I considered variations of two subject lines and narrowed it down to these two before choosing: Are the Words You Use Attracting More Customers? Are the Words You Use Costing You Customers? Obviously, I chose the latter. Because it’s more urgent. Do you feel that when you hear it (or read it if you’re at the show notes)? Pay attention to how it feels. And remember every one of your customers is going to experience responses unique to their life, sense of humor, prior experience about the topic. When in doubt, run your titles by some of your customers. Come up with at least 10 if not 20 variations of titles. Narrow it down to a few good titles. Use a tool like Headline Analyzer to see how well you’re doing. Be conscious of key words in your title you want to use throughout your post text too for S.E.O. Did I just lose you with SEO and the importance of key words? If you want step-by-step support for doing this and treating your content like part of a real business, that attracts real customers I’ll link to how to learn more about the 10-month Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist. It’s open now for a limited number of trainers and health coaches and only for a limited time. You want to leverage your content to stand out in the noise.
So, let’s explore some words that are dripping with emotion and how you can use them. I’ll give you some examples of how I have used them recently. Avoid Words You Use Costing You Customers with These Examples Gambling (In my TEDx talk after I revealed the poor statistics on science for women and exercise I mentioned it's like "gambling... with really bad odds." That makes listeners who are impacted, angry. Crap (Sit ups are Stupid, Crunches are Crap is the title of a book by a recent Flipping 50 podcast guest. Brilliant and I wish I'd thought of it myself! The title is important because crap, doo-doo, or the actual word, conveys very succinctly that something stinks. Not you but it. Lies Everything Women in Menopause Learned About Exercise May Be a Lie was the title of my TEDx talk. I’ve used it again in blog posts and podcasts. The word lies conveys strong emotion, and certainly brings us together if I’m revealing lies to you that you didn’t yet know about. Then I’m going to give you solutions for revenge in the content. Not telling the truth… “I haven’t been telling the truth, I was doing it wrong, we’ve all been doing it wrong.” These words, some exactly this and some implied were also a part of that TEDx talk. Let me also make something clear, you don’t create a talk and then move on and create another. Your signature story is your signature story. You go to a Bruce Springsteen concert and expect (or demand) to hear Born to Run, right? James Taylor had better play Shower the People. They may weave in new content, but audiences want and need repetition. Before you start talking about a topic, make sure that in a year and 5 and 10 you still want to be talking about it! Betrayed I’ve used phrases like betrayed by your body and betrayed by the fitness industry and even medical community in blogs and presentations. It evokes a strong emotion, right? So it’s not the same as if you’d been betrayed by a spouse, but betrayal by anyone or anything can make your content memorable, or remarkable. And to stand out, be something liked, shared, commented on that’s exactly what you want. What they don’t tell you… This one would be easy to insert into a post. What they don’t tell you is… When I talk about stress with clients, especially when I’d first published You Still Got It, Girl! I would point out that though our parents probably all had the sex talk with us, what they didn’t tell you was that we were going to feel stressed. They didn’t give us the ways to abstain from that or to a morning-after solution if we did have stress. There wasn’t a stress-talk like the sex talk. In talking about it like that I made it not their fault. And I made them think back to that moment when they had the 5thgrade health session where parents come to talk about puberty and all the things. It got personal because of a memory. Misleading … I’m about to publish a post for my Flipping 50 community about Misleading Fitness Studies and Poll Results from an annual trends report. I do it every year and yet it always a hot topic among both fitness professionals and midlife women seeking intelligent fitness tips. So think about how you can look at 5 of your recent titles and see how you could have put an emotional hook in the title. Myth-buster – This is used commonly in titles and it’s almost always a winner. The only exception is if you over use it or it’s not an emotionally enough charged title directed at a narrow enough audience. Weight loss Myth-Busting Debunking Weight Loss Myths Those are both potential titles. Yet, they’re pretty general. Change to Menopause Weight Loss Myths or to Debunking the Menopause Weight Loss Myths in 3 Recent Fitness Magazine Articles - now you’ve got something specific, targeted at an audience, and timely with some urgency. Two More Empowering Words These last two words- and by no means this is an exhaustive list - you may realize you do have emotional words in your posts, emails and conversations already. This podcast is just going to give you more of them to use strategically. These two words are ones you could use in titles and in copy to provide a solution when you might start talking about your program or service. Reclaim Here’s an example of a title: How to Reclaim the Muscle You’ve Been Losing Since 30 That would peak curiosity for one, if women are like, wait a minute! I’ve been losing muscle? And it gives a solution for them too, and gives a solution to someone who you may already have informed of muscle losses that start after 25. Here’s an example of using that word in the body of an article or email: You can reclaim that muscle and in doing so boost your metabolism. Get back This is another way to say reclaim. Try them both out, or use them both. Because remember you’re going to be writing, and talking, and creating video about your topic for a long time. You’ll want to use different words to appeal to different customers as you do it. There you are! Some specific examples of how to avoid words you use costing you customers! It’s Not To Late! Remember it’s not too late to change titles of YouTube videos. If it’s not getting traction and you know it’s good, go revise it. If you really haven’t had any traffic to your website articles, and you’re sure S.E.O. is something you’ve never thought about? I’d go in and change it. Then from here on out think about your title, the key words in your title you want to be found for (these are words and phrases your customers say and search for frequently), before you post. For now, what I want you to do is go back and look at your content and title. Are you repeating the words you want to be found for? For instance, the words you use costing you customers is the phrase I’m using in this post. Did you hear/see what I did there? I just inserted the phrase again in the post. Words You Use Costing You Customers (and relationships) Really, this works two ways. The words you use, and the words you don’t use could both be costing you customers. And it’s no surprise. Because if you’ve got a family, whether it’s kids, a spouse or parents and siblings, it’s HOW you say anything that gets the results you want, right? So, try on everything! Read your Instagram posts! Do they sound preachy and teachy? Instead of the motivating and inspiring you were shooting for? That’s good homework. Then as you begin to weave in some of these emotion-laded words you’ll begin to engage even more. Resources mention in this post: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist FREE masterclass You Might Also Like: Words to Leave Out of Your Posts, Tweets, and Blogs It’s Not Your Content That’s Killing You, It’s This: Get More Traffic to Blogs, Videos |
Wed, 11 November 2020
A personal trainer & coach business plan is about the last thing some fitness and health professionals will want to focus on. Have you got a plan? Are you running a business or a hobbyist? And there is nothing wrong with how you answer that question. Unless… you have the income and revenue of a hobbyist and feel as if you spend the time and energy of a business. If you work with midlife women, I can help. I can help you recommit to definitely doing more of what you love, and doing it in a way that rewards you. Because when you make more money you have both more influence and freedom. The Money Dilemma If you want to do more good, it requires money. You can change things with money. Whether that’s through scholarships, and donations or it’s through your own freedom to create more programming to support more individuals, the influence you have on the world, your family, will be in part due to money. This Thursday I’m holding a special master class for personal trainers, health coaches and women in midlife who would love to be involved in a healthier career choice. By the time we’re off the class you’ll know if this is the right choice for you, and how to really start, grow or scale your business .. you’ll also know why now is the right time. Link in the show notes.. or visit flippingfifty.com/specialist-masterclass for details. Personal trainer & coach? You need a business plan! It’s called a proforma in most circles. A Business Plan? If you’re just now getting serious about what you need to do now to succeed or start for the first time… yet you’re already falling in love with the idea of becoming a personal trainer & coach you may think that a business plan is something entirely different than what I’m about to share. This business plan is for those trainers who feel like this is all gyms, equipment, exercise, and motivation. Really, you will have to have a business plan. One that outlines how many customer you need and how you’ll get them. You’ll need to project how much the advertising and marketing will cost you and how much it costs to get every single lead. You’ll have to project the amount of revenue from each client, the average time each client will remain a client, and if they’ll pay you monthly, annually or another frequency. Because, hey, banks like to know that. And even if you aren’t going to use any borrowed money and you’re going to invest very little to start your online business, you’re going to want to do your homework. Be Heard Above the Other Personal Trainers & Coaches It’s busy out there. Loud and noisy trainers want the same customers you do. So you’ll need to pay somehow to get your message in front of them unless you’re a celebrity. Nervous? Well, you can relax. Although those things are definitely things you’ll need to think about before you really declare yourself a business. Before you incorporate, and decide if LLC is the best for you, if you can secure the business name you want, or whether someone has already trademarked it and could sue you. Just relax about all that… we’ll talk about that another time. You may be interested in walking through it with the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist 2.0 10-month program. I’ll link to that in the show notes. This business plan I’m about to share is more down to earth. Your Personal Trainer & Coach Business Plan This is not your typical business plan, so if you’re hoping I’ll give you a personal trainer & coach business plan like a proforma, let me get clear. It is the plan most out of balance if the proforma business plan is going to happen it has to be in order. Listen, if you’re driven to success, in your own personal fitness, and your fitness business goals, there’s a chance when you begin working on your business you’ll let other assets you need to build it, slide. Here’s how to keep this three-legged stool in balance. There are three critical parts. Some of us may have felt these slipping away in 2020. There was so much business pivoting that more creating, more keyboard time, more learning time, more online meetings all had to happen. That squeezed something out. What was it for you? Exercise? Good food prep? Sleep? Or did you go the other way? Focus on your own physical plan. Flirt with over exercise, under eating and hyper diligence to an extreme? If you’re going to be your best for the long run, which is business, you need all of these. Here they are. There are 3 Critical Parts to this Plan: First in your personal trainer & health coach plan is … Critical Part #1: Physically Planning– Are you exercising in your sweet spot? Are you planning your own meals ahead? Are you prioritizing the amount of rest that you need? Look, most first time trainers, health coaches, fitness instructors work a few hours a week. But they exercise an astronomical amount of time. They think they’ve got to look better than anyone else, be fitter than anyone else, and do more than anyone else as if that somehow qualifies them. In someone’s eyes it does. Let’s look at this though. First, fitness comes from the right amount of exercise and right amount of rest. A few repetitions done to muscular fatigue, the right amount of protein- veggies – carbs and fat for the individual, along with the right amount of rest is more potentially specific to fitness than more volume. Personal Trainer & Coach Beware and Be Smart I won’t get into some research circulating right now that women over 40 need more volume, but I will share with you that without assessing an individual women… who also needs more rest between workouts simply giving a blank statement about volume is going to create more problems of over exercise and under rest. That trainers is what we’ve been trying to break through for years. With one article in IDEA magazine containing one small line about rest and recovery, we could set women back for years.
Trainers are too willing to blindly read an author’s interpretation without reading the primary research and thinking through it themselves. Number of subjects, how was the research conducted? And all the details – like current hormonal status and nutritional compliance matter. Okay, end of rant! If you do take a look at it, read with consciousness that this is not about more volume alone. There are many ways to achieve volume: weight, or increased reps, or increased frequency, and you must not do any of them alone in isolation without looking at rest & recovery including sleep, time between reps-sets-and workouts, and nutrition while understanding the signs a women’s hormones are messaging you and her. Critical Part #2: Mentally Planning – Are you allowing yourself what you need in order to be creative? I had to guard that creativity by not taking any appointments until noon. I block off full days to do planning for events or several days to do year planning. Recently, I took 2.5 days to work on a specific project where I could work, hike, eat, and sleep with no distractions. It took me a while to figure out that if I don’t, I’m working more but working poor. I’ve tried to work this into a purposeful trip, and I’ve learned that never works. There’s always something spontaneous that comes up. You’ve got to be fully present and fresh to do good work. Even this last week, I got away for 2.5 days to work on my next year plan. I know I have to do that. I have to block it off and out. I’ve gotten about 15 months of planning done – into forecasting January 22 as it’s the beginning of November 2020. But that couldn’t happen without time, space, mental bandwidth to focus on and evaluate. You Need Time To Evaluate Your Business You want to evaluate what you love doing, what gives you energy, those clients or tasks that suck the energy from you, and the value of your time and what you could train and pay someone else to do so you have more time yourself. You get into business for two or more reasons. You want freedom. Freedom to do the kind of work you want, but freedom of time and money to do it. So, if you’re simply working around the clock or you’re broke, something is not working. You may need to dig into where your revenue came from last year. What flowed to you easily, how much time it took, what does that mean for the amount of time and energy you place on what you do and the amount of revenue you generate? Are you earning your hourly worth? Or are you just working a lot without a real profit and loss statement that works for you? For You, If You’re Just Starting If you’re not creating a course, or program or package, this might sound a little foreign to you. Yet, maybe it’s time for you to take a look at how you will scale your business. So, that it’s not all you leading personal training sessions or bootcamps or group fitness. It’s not all you coaching by phone. But you’ve got a program, a group, some passive income from a course and you have products that help you make money when you’re not required to be there to make the money. Unless you can continue to raise your rates and charge $100-$200 an hour or more, it’s going to be hard to make a good living training exclusively and also have a life. No matter where you live, you’ve got to have free time, and be able to enjoy yourself. And finally, Critical Part #3: Spiritually Planning – Fill yourself up. Maybe for you that’s something specific or alone time. Maybe it’s partly your exercise or outdoor time. Whatever it is for you, acknowledge it and then guard it. I am more spiritual than I am religious. I do pray, but more so I mediate, and I enjoy quiet time, and time in nature. You will find me in church on Christmas eve and giving thanks before family dinners. I won’t be in church regularly, but if someone asked me to teach Sunday school or help with Bible School, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Know You You need to know what fills you up in this way. Belief in something beyond you and this moment is sometimes necessary in business to keep going. Seeing this just as something, something others have gone through, you might go through again, something with meaning and meant to lead you to the next step, that can make all the difference when things are hard. And if you’re really running a business, not a hobby, it will be hard. There will be hard decisions. Decisions about people. People who let you down or disappoint you. You’ll make business decisions not on emotion but on numbers. That’s three legs I told you about. But there is another consideration in your personal trainer & coach business plan. The Extended Part of Your Business If and when you’re ready to hire a team, or even a virtual assistant for the first step, you’ll want to check on whether they’re taking care of themselves. Do they get enough sleep, exercise, and take their vitamins? Do they have all 3 legs of this stool working for them? There you have it 3 Critical components to a personal trainer & coach business plan that don’t include your revenue, assets, marketing plan, but instead includes the foundation from which you’ll be able to make objective decisions about that business. Questions? Comments? Leave them below show notes at fitnessmarketingmastery-dot-com/business-plan If you’re working with midlife women (and hey, who’s not) especially if you are one .. or if you’d like to start, I’ll link to a special master class I’m teaching about why right now… is the absolute best moment in history to start and or grow and scale your business. The Master Class will cover: Fitness Specialists #3 Secrets About Now, You, and How to coach women in Menopause [Save Your Spot] You Might Also Like: |
Tue, 10 November 2020
If you are not asking how to create fitness marketing videos better, faster, and more effective at supporting your ideal clients, you’re nuts. If you already do it, you can always do it better. I don’t watch a single YouTube video without learning something. Whether it’s something to do or not to do, I am an eternal student! Organic Traffic is Not Dead I’ve grown my YouTube channel to 118,000 almost entirely organically. And, honestly I can say that when I do “pay to play” it isn’t as effective as the right video performing organically because I’ve shared it and amplified it regularly after it initially posts. So… while I’m about to share gold with you… don’t forget that step 5 is just as important. That is, continuing to share it consistently with slightly different words or images. In this episode! This 4-step plan to create fitness marketing videos is one of my earliest lead magnets when I first began coaching and consulting with fitness professionals as a primary niche more than a decade ago. Starting then would have been a fantastic idea. And starting today is the next best time. I’ll give you more tips in some upcoming podcasts about being good on camera and getting more confident, but many of these steps you can start on and they will already improve your confidence to create fitness marketing videos. Need More Simple Marketing to Stand Out? If you love and or need this, especially if you work with midlife women, you’ll love the 12-month Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist mastermind. It’s always been my mission to help the fitness industry by getting and keeping the heart-centered coach and trainer. I do that by giving you the skills not just to coach them on the fitness but to market and message in a way you feel good… and so do they. I’ll link to a special masterclass I’m doing on Thursday, sharing more about how you can become a true brand influencer. Not to star on social media but so that you can influence the world health. Start Here Let’s dive in… and you’re going to want to take notes, so that you’re answering all the questions I ask in each step. I’ll even suggest you pause the podcast to answer. Step 1: Define Your Objective
Step 2: Choose Your Topic
Step 3: Choose a Findable Title
Step 4: Create your Intro and Outro Scripts
That's the Findability Factor These four steps alone will increase the findability of your videos. Even if you’re creating them, if your ideal prospects aren’t finding them, it’s costing you time. Your “next step” to social media: https://www.flippingfifty.com/specialist-masterclass |
Tue, 3 November 2020
Interested in providing menopause coaching services? Whether you’re dreaming about having a job you love getting out of bed in the morning for, or you want to ditch your cubicle (or shall we say, kitchen) life right now? Or you love the idea of using your skills and talking to women who want, need, and deserve support… menopause coaching services may just be for you. Before you dive in though you need absolute clarity about 3 things. You need absolute clarity about 3 things:
Now each of those can go into even more depth. Take leads for example That is all about knowing your avatar, or ideal client.
Then we can look at the way that you convert leads into customers.
Last of those three things you need to be absolutely clear about is how you deliver the service. Take for instance our Advanced Flipping 50 Fitness Specialists. They can coach via phone, Skype, Facetime, Zoom or in person if that’s convenient for the client. It depends on the nature of your service and on the geography between you and your client. I, for example will meet via Skype or Facetime with my international clients. We are going over exercise plans, but we’re not working out. I’m writing a plan for them, and then may provide just that, ask for video of them doing moves to assess them, and I may provide video for those less inclined to follow workouts on their own. I’ve been training this way since the mid 90s. It’s Training Peaks style, though I use my own website and member area. What Speed are You Going? Next up, I’m going to walk you through speed. Speed is going to be important for you to look at now and consider whether it’s a match for what you need to happen. If for instance it takes you a long time to even get leads that you need to fix right away. I’m sure you can see that as a problem because without what we call traffic whether it’s walking in the door or hitting your website, no traffic means no customers sooner or later. Is It Your Livelihood? And if it takes you weeks or months to convert most of your customers, what are you going to live on and eat meanwhile? The goal would be that once you’ve listened to what your ideal customer wants to buy, you’ve created that and you’ll sell that and they’ve been waiting and excited to get it. Or if they’re new to your list, then they will want to buy it within a predictable time because it’s a great fit for exactly what they wanted. When it’s predictable how long it will take you to get new customers after you get leads you can relax a little about having a stable revenue. To increase it you’d do more advertising! That’s easy! Effective? You then have to talk about how effectively you’re doing these things. What is the rate of conversions on your leads? Because if you’re only converting a small number (less than 40% of people who come through) there’s a gap in the quality of leads that you’re attracting or in the messaging and that’s something you want to dig into. Measuring What Matters
Depending on the sophistication of your CRM or customer relationship management, in other words, your email and data tracking, you can track these numbers there. And you can also track where your money is coming from. Then from those products and services you can look at how much time it took you. You’ll learn if there’s really a profit margin for you when you take out your expenses. Menopause Coaching Service A menopause coaching service like that of the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist is a business. You want to treat it like one, whether you coach 10 hours a week or you coach 40. Customers expect a level of service that can only come from you investing in yourself, your business, and delivering the best over time. I’ll link in the show notes to a master class where you can get more information about how to learn more about the business side of personal training and health coaching. I can definitely spare you a few mistakes, and help you find your distinguishing factors that make you exactly the coach someone is looking for.
Referenced in this Podcast: Master Class for Menopause Coaching /menopausecoach |
Thu, 29 October 2020
Attending a fitness conference this year? Taking a continuing education course? How well do you consider your goals and what you want to accomplish from the content you consume? In the world of fitness conference content and fitness association award winners it can be hard to distinguish between smoke and mirrors. Fitness Conference Reflect Reality? Is all that glitters, or has boobs and botox, really substantiated success you’re seeing? Or are you in fact seeing the evidence of marketing. The package is the surface. What’s inside that matters right? Before I go on, I have to say this, I’m a presenter at fitness conferences too. And you should look at me with the same scrutiny that you look at anyone else. I’ve presented internationally since 2000 for associations including IDEA, NSCA, CAN-FIT-PRO, ICAA, SCW, ABC, and Fitness Fest and MEDFIT, multiple times in many cases. I’ve also published articles for several of them and serve as Subject Matter Expert or advisory board member for others. Fitness Conference Content Alarms Taking advice from a presenter at a fitness conference talking about making money and programming can be tricky. Consider two very different skill sets. One skill set is the science and its practical application broken down into a daily and weekly action set that will get your clients or customers results. The second is the ability to make business decisions based on profit and loss, on profitability, and scalability of a program. There's More And yet a third is the ability to look at the much bigger picture of how many lives have a positive influence from the pursuit. Maybe a decision is okay if it’s purely for enjoyment and hobby-sake. If it’s a business that must pay the bills, support individuals and their families, and ultimately build a legacy not just have a spotlight and have fun, then there are different sets to apply and evaluate. Your Fitness Conference & Experts As a business leader – if only for yourself: someone who pays bills and taxes based not just on what you make but on what you keep – you need to be sure that you separate these two very carefully. I recommend that you look closely at the “back end” of any of your beloved presenters and do your homework. Learn from them, they are some of the best, and they are using science to relay programming to you. However, they may have no idea of how to actually implement a profitable program. How do you know? Ask these questions:
Knowledge vs. Application Because although a university lecturer may be a wonderful teacher, that lecturer has a regular paycheck regardless of the job or effort they put in (until someone evaluates them of course!) And you, as an entrepreneur or someone working on commission, do not have that luxury. If you work as a manager of a department, the profitability of your program matters. This year more than ever, if the profit margin on your programs and services has not supported your business but has only been supported by it, you’re in a pickle right now. That just doesn’t work anymore. If you’ve created a department of personal training for instance that simply extends the life and success of a club’s members but really has no profit margin due to expenses and high commissions with too little revenue, without enough members continuing in, you have not created a sustainable model for this moment we’re in. We Don’t Celebrate Losses I’ll leave that touchy subject alone because it’s my educated guess that those trainers, managers, owners in that position right now are not listening to this episode. They’re in a place where survival, not up-leveling, is and has to be their focus. For you though, listener, it’s time to get real. For those sessions you’re choosing and those continuing education courses your taking, make sure to filter what you’re learning together with from whom you’re learning it. The Bottomline So, there you have it, a sneak peek into how presenters are evaluated or they’re not. Never once since 2000 when I began presenting did any conference organizer ask for my tax returns. My feeling is often that the greater the number of initials behind someone’s name, the greater the number of titles, the greater the need to make up for something or prove something. The OverKill on Certifications and Titles Why would someone need a handful of jobs if just one of them were sustaining their lifestyle? It’s a question you must ask. What is their business model? How do they earn money? How did they scale their business? How do they enjoy freedom in their life? Is this a model I want to use for my own? You don’t have to get all you need from one individual. I do think you want to choose carefully the individuals you follow to know they match your values, and the life you aspire to. Did I stir up any questions? Comments? Leave them below the show link at fitnessmarketingmastery-dot-com/fitness-conference
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Tue, 27 October 2020
To grow your personal training business in 2020 and in 2021 you’ll have to do things differently than you’ve ever done them. If you’re starting a health coaching or personal training business you may honestly be at an advantage. You’re not trying to fit into a mold that has only marginally been working in the past and that’s forever broken since COVID19 began. You can most clearly evaluate the problems happening now and solve them. Why would you ever stop yourself from getting what you always say you want? Why would you stop yourself from making the kind of money you want? Why would you ever do that? But we do. If you don’t try, you can’t fail. If you don’t start, you can’t risk the embarrassment or discomfort that comes with not knowing exactly what comes next. If you wait til you’re 100% ready, you’ll never do anything. I didn’t say it first. To grow your personal training business in 2020 you already know what’s staring you in the face. You weren’t ready for changed that happened. You do have to deal with them, anyway. You start where you are. If you find yourself thinking you need one more certification, or maybe you need a degree or another one… If you think you just need to review this information again… If those things are always preventing you from doing the things that really get you clients … Like making phone calls and following up on them… Like learning how to create better emails and going live on video so you get better by getting comfortable… Like getting in front of people to speak… in podcasts, on their summits, and again on your own live social media accounts… If you put things off until an imaginary time when you think you’ll actually have more time…. Your life will be a series of “I’ll be happy when…” “I’ll make time for that when…” What Will People Think? No one wants to be judged or criticized. Your mistake though is in thinking that people aren’t judging because you’re not doing something. They’re always judging. The point is, their thoughts in the end don’t matter. What matters is the regret or reward that you had doing the thing you wanted to do. If you are worried about being liked, or popular, or worried about what they’ll think… you’re making it all about you. It’s about them. But we do this. We do it when we’re scared, insecure, not feeling safe. Stop Procrastinating to Grow Your Personal Training Business in 2020 There’s a flip side to this procrastination. And that is… why you get in your way when it’s going well. When things are going really well and you find you get hurt, or sick, or you refuse to make more progress. Not outwardly, you never say, I’m not going to make progress, but you hit a wall. What’s that about? Well, it’s not really a wall at all it’s a ceiling. When you’re doing really well and you’re gaining momentum, say you’re getting clients, making more money, and suddenly you can’t grow any more, in fact you may have a set back. What’s that all about? It’s Got a Name It’s called Upper Limiting. It’s a definite thing. You have a happiness ceiling. You’re only comfortable being so happy. And after that you keep looking for the other shoe to drop. You ask all the time what’s the worst thing that will happen? In fact you’re looking for the worst thing to happen. So you think of reasons why you can’t do something. You’re too busy. You’re overwhelmed. You have to figure it out for yourself first (as if you must be perfect before you can share it with others). You have a long list of “I can’t because…” going on inside your head. There’s a reason why you can’t start creating your own brand on social media or begin offering classes or create a course. There’s a reason you can’t call someone you know you could help and ask them to be a client. There’s a reason you won’t get a coach and learn how to create an offer that is irresistible for the customers who love you already. There’s safety in claiming you’re overwhelmed or in getting ready to get ready. At least you subconsciously think there is. What you want to do is see it coming. Every time you are about to grow, do something new that has potential to increase your revenue or your happiness quota, you’ll resist. We all do it. You’ve got to expect it. When you find yourself eating poorly, staying up late, skipping workouts or working out too much… because that’s so comfortable to think if you just look more perfect… that’s self-sabotage… or upper limiting, trying to keep you safe from doing the things you really want to do to grow your business.
Trying to start or grow your personal training business in 2020? I’d love a comment from you. If you’re a trainer or health coach or want to be… I encourage you to look at the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist… or learn more about the directory of F50F Specialists and where they are if you want to work with someone locally. Write support@flippingfifty.com and mention you’re interested in learning more about how to become (or expand as) a menopause health coach or personal trainer. The world needs you now more than ever!! |
Tue, 13 October 2020
Fitness statistics right now are a little grim for gyms. How does physical activity stack up though? Pretty well. It seems the public is discovering they don't need gyms, trainers, or at least onsite, in order to move more. The best news is that those who were least active are getting more active. And not detrimental for immune system-sake, the most active, perhaps most reliant on gyms, are now exercising slightly less. This episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Ronto from runrepeat.com. If you haven't visited the site, check out the articles they're publishing now. My guest: Paul loves adventure. Over the past 20 years, he has climbed, hiked, and ran all over the world. He’s summited peaks throughout the Americas, trekked through Africa, and tested his endurance in 24-hour trail races. He has worked in the outdoor industry for over a decade and continues to focus on athletic pursuits. Our Conversation:Share a little about the survey methods, who you surveyed, how you did so for listeners. Demographics of those surveyed? What did you notice about age groups, and genders? What qualified as “exercise”? Other questions we answer in this episode:Do we know if this is active being more active, occasional exercisers becoming more intentional, or inactive becoming active or any breakdown of that? With an increase in exercise 88%, the big question is, especially for my listeners -at risk for losing muscle and bone in a big way during menopause - "are they exercising right"? Muscle loss and bone loss are accelerated for women in midlife not exercising with optimal exercise prescription. What are your thoughts on that? "Walking" for instance and yoga or Pilates.. while wonderful exercise will not sustain muscle or bone for women with accelerated losses due to hormonal changes. Who knew there'd be a dumbbell shortage?! What do you think about the solution to that supply- demand problem? Fitness Statistics Right NowA couple weeks ago now Business Insider published an article on 5 major fitness chains and athletic stores declaring bankruptcy. What are your thoughts for privately owned fitness businesses? Is there a difference in the "umbrella" fitness business (serving all ages, full service childcare, pool, gym, group fitness, training) vs. boutique niche studios (Pilates, yoga, small 1:1 training) and projected success rate? Major at home equipment and programming retailers like Peleton have gained great success during this time. What are your thoughts about the future of fitness? Beyond that point when a vaccine is discovered that's then proven, tested, and return of confidence by consumers what do you think about fitness centers as we've known them to this point? Will what is now known as online, hybrid, or brick-and-mortar business be forever changed? The message: Health and fitness are more important than ever. You're not irrelevant if you're a trainer, as long as you're not using the same message you were pre-pandemic. No one "needs" you to move more. We're learning that people do prioritize exercise and when they have the time, they do it. Certain populations stand the most to lose (bone density, muscle, strength, mobility) without exercise. So while there's still a need, if you're focused on getting back to what you were doing you could be missing a huge opportunity. Connect:Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist Create Your Best Bio | Stand Out Beyond Alphabet Soup
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Wed, 30 September 2020
I have learned what I’m about to teach you so many times the absolute hardest way possible. I’ve proven to myself that it doesn’t work the other way. Statistics have shown me, proven it to me, and yet nothing… NOTHING… is a better lesson than a painful one. You can have 4 or 5 projects to do, but some are highest priority. Let’s say you juggle all of them for a month, doing a little and making a little progress – or getting some of them done but not with great quality. You’re just checking the box off on posting social media, for instance. You don’t really know what you’re doing or how to use your insights or call to action. Then none of the things you’ll do in a month change your revenue. If you’re in charge of revenue that’s a problem. How to Prioritize by Numbers If you instead have a project that once created is going to earn you $997 every time you selling and you’re going to sell 10 of them a week… it becomes obvious you should spend 100% of your time on getting that finished, right? If you don’t know how to create an offer that is irresistible for your customers, you should spend time learning it, creating one, practicing presenting it. Because if you present an offer that is between $2500 and $7500 for a “best year” package and you sell 10 of those over Black Friday specials and New Year sales time, you can significantly add to your bottom line. Should you spend time on that? Structure Creates Freedom This system lets you evaluate ideas, realities, risks, and probabilities. You can do the projects yourself, delegate them, ditch them or work with your team on them. Some things you’ll want to shelf and look at again later to see if it is a good time. Step-by-Step Prioritizing time to build your fitness business Here’s how it works. If you imagine you’ve got five projects that could take your time today.
If you created the course, you’d never get the social media posts done. If you do the social media and video blog (vlog) you never get the course, presentation or new training package done. And then you do it all over again weekly. Your time between sessions and meetings is so little you can’t do it all. How do you decide what to do first? You write down… because if you put it on paper… and by write, I don’t mean you actually do it in pencil but I do find that works best for me. A keyboard also works. You ask these questions: What impact this will have on your business? How much revenue will it bring in, by when? How much will it cost? When will the expense occur? What is the benefit to doing it? For instance, if you’ve got creating a video, blog or podcast on your list. It is the place where you have an opt ins, where you boost content and gain email subscribers. It provides social proof by giving your current social media channel a highlight, increasing views, letting prospects get to know you. How much time will it take? To start, on an ongoing basis. Whose time will it take? (there’s your cost… how much is your time worth – and that’s not zero or how much will you have to pay someone to do your podcast set up, editing, show notes - $100 per episode?) Course Example Let’s say you’re creating a course. You can do that in a weekend if you’re recording. The editing will take another day or more. Adding the pieces to a website or uploading to thinkific or kajabi, will take half a day, creating a product, writing the copy, will be tasks you want to consider. Even in doing the project analysis for time, cost, benefit, risk, you will be advancing that project by asking key questions. You’ll be determining how much of the project you can and want to do and what you need to hire. Don’t Forget Personal Relationships While you’re doing your business on a spread sheet, don’t forget your personal relationships. This one doesn’t cost you money, but it does cost you if you want it and you don’t delegate your own time and energy to it. I’ve been on the other end of the phone and heard, “Do you know how many employees I have? Do you know how many times my phone rings?” Answer: I know there’s only one me. There’s only one me and you. Or there was. I’ve been multitasked. A project never done, never full attention. You know the absolute difference once you’ve been the one, right? Life and Business Co-Exist This podcast and the coaching & consulting I do is about creating both the life and the business you love. You want freedom as much as you want revenue, and many people honestly would trade money for freedom if they’ve created businesses that painted them into a corner. You can build both at the same time. You’ll have to make tradeoffs but if you look up and you don’t have a relationship and want one, look at what was on that yellow legal pad of notes every day and what wasn’t. Really No Time to Build Your Fitness Business? Do you really have no time to build your fitness business? Or are you chasing after the things that keep you busy, make you feel productive, instead of actually finishing things that matter? What things can you delegate to someone else and what have to be you? Immediate impact once finished come first. It’s the glass ball vs rubber ball analogy. Some things will never be done. But some things can’t wait until some day to be nurtured. So, when you’re evaluating cost, evaluate all costs. Relationships, money, and what fills you up most. You may decide it’s a sense of accomplishment that fills a void in you, or you may decide it’s a relationship. There’s no right or wrong answer but getting it down on paper will tell you so you can see it very clearly. Life is short. You can spend the time you have to do only the most important things. Time to Build Your Fitness Business By the Numbers If you, for instance create that course, then it’s done. Of course, you’ve got to market it forever, but you can’t, and you can’t earn a cent until at least the concept of it is finished. I by the way, highly recommend creating and marketing the course before you build it. The course you imagine someone needs is not necessarily the course anyone wants. You could waste time money and energy if you don’t create it with the money already earned and listening to exactly what they’re willing to pay for. Social Media The impact of getting that social media posting done this week? Could be big… but if it’s not bringing in revenue then you’ll do better delegating that with specific systems someone else can follow using your style guide (I’ll link to it in the show notes). Once you have the course done your social media posts can then tease exactly what your clients should know, feel and do for you. I talk about systems in The Health and Fitness Professionals Guide to Social Media Marketing (published by Healthy Learning). As much as you might think a social media book is outdated by the time it’s written – as I told my publisher before I agreed to write it – it’s really a book about your entire marketing system. And it’s never been more needed today. If you feel like you’re just throwing up posts to keep up or copy and you don’t have a system and strategy? Pick it up. Start connecting revenue with social activity. Fitnessmarkeringmastery dot com/priorities |
Mon, 28 September 2020
Branding for fitness professionals right now can’t be an afterthought. How is your brand fitness? Your brand health? Are you standing up and standing out compared to the thousands of trainers, fitness instructors, health coaches and yoga teachers who have flocked online since mid-March 2020? This episode is brought to you by the Flipping 50 Specialist. Your choice for hormone balancing exercise for women in menopause. That intro was not meant to make you panic. My guest in fact is here to share tips about how to brand yourself and stand out. My Guest James Patrick is an award-winning photographer, bestselling author, entrepreneur coach, podcast host and public speaker based in Phoenix, AZ. He is the founder of FITposium, an annual conference guiding fitness entrepreneurs to grow their careers. James has received a bevy of awards for his work as a photographer, marketer and entrepreneur. Leveraging his diverse experience, James has presented on stages cost-to-coast in the United States and has been interviewed for numerous TV, radio, magazine, newspaper and podcast features. James Patrick’s mission is to create art and opportunity for others. Questions and topics we discussed: Many of our listeners are recreating businesses, some are students realizing their dreams of fitness careers, personal training, gym ownership … is changing. They’re forced to market differently. Everyone is online, yes customers, but also competition – which are not only other trainers, classes, but anything taking customer’s attention. Let’s talk about branding for fitness professionals. From the basics… how do you define branding? To put it in your own terms… what is your brand as a photographer? What are components of a brand? How do you stand out – that’s the question for a lot of trainers? How do you stand out without changing who you are, feeling fake? What would be the top 2 o 3 things a fitness professional wants to have to help build a brand? What exercise do you have that can help identify a unique brand strategy? Do you have a question we didn’t answer?
What are your questions on today’s topic: branding for fitness professionals? Leave them in the comments. Fitnessmarketingmastery dot com/brandingyou Connect with James: jamespatrick.com Instagram: @jpatrickphoto Facebook: @jamespatrickphotography LinkedIn: jpphotography |
Fri, 4 September 2020
If you can’t get fitness clients and it’s keeping you from pursuing your passion, this is for you. Whether this is post-or mid pandemic or it’s after, you’re going to have to generate sales to have customers to grow a business. On the other end of the phone, the biochemist who wants to teach others how to cook healthy said, “I’ve never been good at self-promotion or being pushy” Stop right there. In two minutes of our 20-minute session this health coach wanna-be had told me more than he knew. If even 2 of these are true for you, I’ve got an episode you need to hear:
It’s your belief and your own relationship with sales, salespeople, marketing and marketers that puts you in a position where you can’t get fitness clients. It may be your relationship with the title of personal trainer or health coach. Do you have a “real job” now and believe that this thing you want to do doesn’t qualify or you can’t make money doing it? No Fitness Pro Learned How to Market and Sell from a Degree or a Certification I’ve worked with countless fitness pros who said this was their passion but it’s not what they went to school for. They’d say, I’m passionate about this, but they were passionate about their own fitness not necessarily teaching it to others. If you’re listening to this podcast and you’re confident you’re here to inspire, educate, motivate others to a healthier lifestyle then I believe you can. You just may need to do some work first on yourself. Deal with your own beliefs, develop the skills necessary not just to teach exercise, or cooking or meal planning, but to persuade, and market and influence someone to actually spend time, money, and energy changing… something that we all resist. Change is one of the hardest things we do. The easiest first step is deciding to change. The rest is uphill. What is marketing? What is fitness marketing? Do you become someone different when you’re marketing? Or do you become more you, an individual who helps others, adds value and transforms lives? Questions to ask when you can’t get fitness clients:
If you never asked, you never told someone this is what you do, did you even give them an opportunity to say yes. Here’s what we often do and don’t even realize… you’re doing personal training, health coaching, or teaching cooking classes as a side hustle. When someone in the group asks what you do you tell them you’re a biochemist, or an engineer, or a legal assistant. They don’t even know you ARE a health or fitness coach. Because you didn’t share it. To them this is just a hobby for you. Until you talk about It first, you’re not even taking it seriously. Why should they? Or you fall back on something else to boost your confidence. You mention your spouse and what they do. You mention the country club or look for ways to put yourself in a different Do the personal work.
These kinds of sessions are called breakthrough sessions. But if you don’t know what is going to happen during that session, first and second and in the middle and last, it’s not going to be a very effective session. My Own "I Can’t Get Fitness Clients" Mistakes I’ve made this mistake before. I was so confident that I was a good listener and that I could help anyone by answering questions that I just let them run the session. I didn’t structure it. That meant that some of those appointments turned into clients and a lot of them did not. It was random. For the most part, the people that became clients already had their minds made up they wanted to start before we met. The consult was just a waste of time. When I gave structure to that consultation it became far more than a waste of time.
I wanted to know they were serious about continuing, they had to do something before they got there. They had to go through a 10-day challenge participating every day, or they had to be a part of an audience where they were in a 10,000 coaching program or where they were being sold one. They also fill out a 5-question form before they get on the call. The questions I ask make sure that they know this call is about deciding which package is the best next step.
That’s called a breakthrough call and it’s something I teach my marketing fitness today coaching mastermind. In order to do that: You have to have a system, process, or method that is uniquely yours. You have to know exactly who you want to help. You have to have confidence in the transformation you provide. You have to know that this is something your ideal customer wants and is looking for. There’s no celebrity to this. You’re not a Kardashian promoting a watch-me, look-at-me channel. You have to legitimately have something that you believe will help people and improve the quality of their lives. They need to be looking for answers. If you can’t get fitness clients right now:
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Mon, 31 August 2020
What if I told you the fitness marketing questions you were asking in January are the same questions you should be asking now. Surprised? There’s a chance you might not have been asking questions, and just assuming you knew the answers back then. You might even have gotten away with it. But you won’t anymore. Now is not the time to assume, pretend, or just plow through with the same message you’ve always had. If you’re still persuading them based on the need for fat loss and overall health, you’re missing the boat. The biggest obstacle now isn’t time. It’s actually fear for many. How are you overcoming that? For Example In this example, I want you to think about your ideal customer and the problem you solve for them. If you’re still working with “everybody” and you can solve every problem, this really isn’t going to help you. If you already have identified your customer, your process or method, and you know what transformation you get them this is for you. Say you’re offering a program to start in fall. It’s a weight loss session for your ideal customer whose been at home, been on the couch, been in the pantry, been stressed and gained that quarantine 15. The mistake? Talking about your program. What? Then how do they find out about it? you might be thinking. I get it. But you don’t for instance jump on to a Facebook live or write a blog post titled, “Here’s why you should join my program.” No one is going to be motivated to tune in to that! You have to talk about the topic of your program, the problem that it solves. You want to talk about questions your audience is already asking about that problem. That’s the gold so that you can connect to them. So, at the very root of a successful program is the fact you always build a program based on what your audience is telling you they want. The two big questions:
It’s really that simple. There’s no trying to figure it out or detective work. You ask. You listen. You build it. Then when you start talking about the problem, you understand it. When you start talking about the fact there is a solution you give them quick wins. When you tell them there is a more permanent easy solution, you reveal you have a program that would be perfect. Start with Better Fitness Marketing Questions The question isn’t, what’s your special going to be next month. If your marketing planning has been to list the discount you’re doing every month through the end of the year, it’s time to launch fitness marketing 2.0. Have you surveyed lately? Why not let them tell you? Ask the simple question, what do you want right now? What do you need? How has your fitness changed since COVID began? If you could wave a magic wand what would you like to change about your fitness in 2 months? Instead, what’s often so true of fitness professionals is the temptation to jump in to why your program is perfect and it’s the perfect time to lose the quarantine 15. Then you tell them everything they get, how many sessions, how many weeks, how much nutrition information, how many handouts. And you tell them the price. Just features. How to Find Better Fitness Customers What you need is to have someone searching for answers find you. Or have a blog or video you create or the live you did feel like you read their mind! And here’s how you can do that. That is a warm lead. Use a tool called Answerthepublic.com You have a limited number of free searches daily. (based on IP address) So don’t mess around. Play with words first and then enter them. Narrow things down. By now if you’re listening to this podcast you know that weight loss is way too broad a topic. Ask as if you were the target market you want to attract. A weight loss program for a 60-year old woman is going to be different than for a post-natal mama or a 20 something bride, right? So, ask … how to lose weight before my wedding… how to lose weight after 60. You type in terms and the search site basically spits out all the questions people are searching for about that topic. The terms you type in might be wedding planning or after 60 instead of weight loss. Just an idea. If you’re going to attract people who’ve gained weight to use our original example, you have to meet them where they are now. What do they think right now? What are they searching for online? Better Fitness Marketing Questions So, again you might think weight loss, but that is such a big topic, as you can imagine. COVID weight or quarantine 15 might be other terms to play with. You’ll come up with a list of questions that you can use to tease a live Facebook session, a webinar, or a blog or podcast even before you release it. You may find others start adding questions too. Essentially, they’re telling you what they want and will be more likely to buy if you address them. Say you identify 6 steps for losing weight in COVID. Whether you do a live video, or you blog. Give them quick wins and answers to one or two of those things IN DEPTH, don’t hold back. For respect of their time you keep it to an hour or a short post and let them know that. Then let them know that the other 5 parts are equally important and you go into them in your program. We can’t stand incomplete loops or missing pieces when it’s something we really care about. So that’s the time to link to your program. Need more support? You might like this. How Many Questions Do You Need? You can come up with 8-10 questions you’ll answer in a webinar or blog. If I’m launching a program I will use relative questions as prompts for short podcasts leading up to the program. And in every episode I insert the program as the sponsor of that episode. I’m growing my list no matter when someone hears it because if the program isn’t open, there’s a notification list so they’ll be first to know when it is open. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist
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Mon, 17 August 2020
Have you spent any time learning to write your best bio? Who has right? Who learned copywriting in college? Who got real life marketing support from their certification? Answer? No one. Now is the time. Everyone is online and everyone is reading your bio... if it's good. Otherwise they're gone in 3 seconds. Best Bio Reasons A boring bio will not help you get noticed, get hired, or get profitable. You can stand out better on social and your website with something unusual. You also want to be doing interviews. Get booked in the media, and on podcasts and summits right now. [Need help? Comment and watch for a future training.] You’re going to want to download the cheat sheet I created for this episode. If you’re creating a niche- serving women in midlife or some other niche – you want to be nailing that everywhere you are introducing yourself (website, social media, webinars) or you’re introduced (media appearances, podcasts, summits). You want to be the funny, credible, relatable trainer that stands out. So, go download that worksheet so you can do a few of these tricks for yourself. Avoid a boring bio and start standing out as the unique fitness professional you are. 1) Read your current bio. That includes anything you’d share with a podcast host, media producer, or in your “about” section of website or social media If anyone else could insert their name and it would work, you’re making people yawn. Are the people you really want to work with going to be impressed? Are you remarkable? Is anyone talking about you? Do they remember you out of all the other trainer bios they read? Be yourself, everyone else is taken. 2) Say a lot in fewer words. Pack adjectives in before your name. Bestselling author, 8-time Ironman, golf mom, and Old English Sheepdog owner Debra Atkinson…. So, what do they know about me? I’ve got a little credibility, and I don’t have to lead with degrees and certification alphabet soup so actually I become more credible than someone who has education but hasn’t really been all that successful. Makes them wonder at least right? I may gain a little respect among athletes, win moms over who’ve spent time dealing with bleacher butt, and pet owners think we’ve got something in common. Keep it fun, too. I’ve done that here by not following the stuffy boring intro everyone is expecting. 3) Add an element of humor that makes them smile. Try the rule of threes. She’s currently swimming in paperwork, riding the desk, and running Flipping 50 more often than training for triathlons and she’s here to share her new book… TEDx talk… program… Keep it fun. (unless you're not: but usually people want to have fun) You can do that all the way through. I share my book titles with my audience because they tell a lot about my attitude about aging, and fitness for midlife women and make women smile. She’s the author of six books including You Still Got It, Girl: The After 50 Fitness Formula for Women and; Hot, Not Bothered. You don’t have to have books or funny titles though. Tell something funny about yourself. Again the goal is unexpected. She’s a TEDx speaker, a blender chef, and an average golfer. Then you’d add for your host, Here’s Debra Atkinson. Or… Please welcome TEDx speaker and hormone balancing fitness expert whose son still asks when she goes to the kitchen, “what’s better than burnt?” And the answer is not burnt… Debra Atkinson …. The point is to relay your credibility but yet let them know you’re far from perfect and poke fun at yourself. They want to know you’re just like them. If they can't relate, not only are you on stage, but you're on a pedestal and they think what you're teaching won't work for them. 4) Write 2 or 3 questions that an interviewer can read before he/she reads your bio. They should be relevant to the topic you’re going to talk about. I frequently speak about exercise interventions for menopause. So a few questions relevant to the topic and audience of women in midlife might be: What if I told you everything you learned about exercise was a lie? What if you could reduce hot flashes, night sweats, as well as belly fat and get rid of low libido by changing your exercise? Then host’s next line is… ”Well, stay tuned because my guest is …” The last thing most media and podcast hosts want is a long bio. “Send me your long bio” said no one ever. So, make it short and so fun they feel brilliant, witty, and can take the credit for it by reading it. When you make them look good you’ve set yourself up for success even before your interview starts. That’s it. Take the pieces and put them all together. I created a download! Want help? Download the worksheet for this episode and start having more fun. Here’s the added secret about making your best bio by making it more fun. You start to think about yourself differently. You’re suddenly more unique, the only you there is, and that can change everything. Go to the show notes at fitnessmarketingmastery/boring-bio "Conversational is the new professional." Other episodes you might like: Best Fitness Marketing Tools Right Now (free to fee) Leave a rating in iTunes if this was helpful! Thank you! |
Fri, 14 August 2020
Whether it's a Yelp review or it's your own observation, every business can experience that moment when customer support sucks. Here's 3 reasons it does and what to do about it. #1 Cause of Customer Support Sucks There’s no “delight” factor.
Sending little gifts – even as small as a pdf, or a video – that is unexpected can change the relationship you have with your customers. Is there something fun that happens on the phone, when they log in, when they get an email, or stop in your front door? If you’ve got a receptionist or a front desk staffer who seems to suck the life out of you, it’s probably happening for members too. Often someone who needs attention themselves may want to have a front desk position. Be sure you recognize someone who wants to be the center of attention from someone who wants to make a customer feel like the center of attention. Authentically Own Your Mistakes Every business has technical issues or a customer who isn’t as comfortable navigating online whether it’s Facebook groups and pages or a webinar or your member’s area. So do I. When I have someone who is upset, whether they want to cancel or whatever, and I can I personally either
And they’re so surprised. No one does that anymore. If they see you on social media or YouTube videos, you are a sort of celebrity to them. Just taking the time to let them know you’re sorry they had a poor experience, admitting it was a problem you too were frustrated with if that’s appropriate, and letting them know what you can do, is often enough to turn someone who wanted to cancel into someone who is grateful for your support. It’s not easy. You and I can take it so very personally. But if your customer support sucks, even for a minute and it wasn’t your fault, own it. #2 Cause of Customer Support Sucks My Pleasure vs No Worries Did you know when you say “no problem” or “no worries” you actually tell a customer they were a pain in the ass? The brain doesn’t process “no” or “don’t” – those negatives. Instead, relay that:
It matters! To the customer and to your customer service staff. If they can’t say it, or feel uncomfortable saying it, they likely aren’t your source of customer delight. I’ve said it and you’ve said it, though, right? No worries! Hanging out with your friends and family maybe it’s okay. But this small thing is a big think in terms of the psychological impact of words on your customers. Remember your role. You are only there to serve them. Let that shine through that this is what brings you joy… making their day. You can go from customer service sucks reviews to raving fans. #3 Cause of Customer Support Sucks Instead of Over and Over, Fix It Once They’re fixing things with a one-off that should be fixed at the root of the problem I had a customer support staff member quit abruptly. After an f-bomb and then followed by a “have fun in the support box” wish. During the middle of COVID19. Best thing that has happened to my business for 14 months (since he started). Only, I didn’t know it at the time. I thought he was doing okay. Customers did like his ability to help quickly. However, unbeknownst to me – and that is 110% my fault – he was creating more problems than he was solving. What Problem Solving Ability Does Your Support Have? Because he was just fixing same problems over and over and assuming that was his job, he never pointed out that he was repeatedly having to do the same – literally – task for specific programs. Like training clients, you don’t want to give them a stretch to relieve low back pain. You want to find out why they’re experiencing low back pain. I needed to know this kept coming up over and over so we could have identified months ago that more people than were every asking customer support for help were coming to the site and going away unhappy. Keep Training Even After You Hire He could only do what he was capable of doing. He could follow instructions, but he couldn’t see the bigger picture. The system of having him track frequently asked questions wasn’t detailed enough to give me insight on the isolated problems we could easily have fixed. Then I, in effort to pick up the slack was in my own support box for about 2 weeks. It was eye-opening and again, worst and best thing that could have happened. We’ve fixed and automated so much in the last two months we’re increasing traffic, increasing leads, and increasing revenue at a dramatically greater pace. How do you set this up? First in hiring staff members you’ve got to take them through some problem-solving questions. Literally, give them some scenarios that happen in your business. How would they proceed to solve those, what would they look for, how would they document, and how would they language the customer? If your customer support sucks, whether you ARE your customer support or there’s someone else handling it, like me, you’re responsible.
Imagine how inconvenient it is for someone to stop in during evening or weekend hours when they want to use your services and find no one can help them with gaining access. Does that happen in your business on or offline? How can you prevent it from happening? Always Open There’s a rock and hard place with online business. You promise 24/7 solutions and access. But if your customer is in her tights and wants to workout and can’t access her account at 7am Saturday morning you better have some automation or someone to help. Customer support sucks if a customer can’t get help to use your product or service when they want to. Going from “customer support sucks” to raving fans isn’t easy. Best and worst thing about our jobs is working with people – and technology – and people who are very opinionated about technology. You can do this if you remember why they’re upset and take control of the things you can. |
Sat, 1 August 2020
The future of the fitness industry is changed, that’s no secret. In this episode I take a look at the past, present, and make a few predictions and express our wishes about the future with someone who has plenty of experience. My guest Rico Caveglia Chronological Age 78 Fitness Age 35 is America’s Healthy Aging Trainer and creator of The Ageless Living Lifestyle, The Vitality For Life Training System the Be Bold Never Be Old Wellness Club and the Fearless Aging Podcast. He is a speaker, author of 29 books/DVD programs and a personal trainer and health coach, for 38 years. He is a multi- Gold and Silver Medalist in the California State Senior Olympics. His mind/body/spiritual interactive training programs educate, inspire and empower participants to enjoy a high level of total wellness for life. Debra Atkinson, your host My own background with one foot in academics teaching at a university for 15 years, supervising our interns from the advisor side of the table, while also running a personal training department during half of that and training interns who worked for us. I’ve spent time working on private and public sector of fitness, working with agencies and associations, and for small privately owned businesses. This episode We thought it would be fun and worthwhile to look back at the start of our experiences in the fitness industry, Rico’s 38 years and my 36 and take a decade by decade look at then, now, and the future if we could predict it and at the very least our hopes. By looking back we look at the future of the fitness industry too. How did you start… so let’s be honest, health coaching wasn’t even a thing. Personal training was just – where you were – rooting at that point. Share a bit about your start and where that was. From the perspective of getting clients, hourly wages, revenue. What was that like for you? So move forward into the 90s. We’ve had the good sense to have a little smaller hair, stop wearing our underwear on the outside of our tights, and slide, and step were in full swing about then. Questions in this episode:
Connect with Rico: ricoc@AgelessLivingLifestyle.com www.AgelessLivingLifestyle.com www.BeBoldNeverBeOld.com Show notes: https://www.Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/future
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Thu, 30 July 2020
Spending your time wisely right now is more important than ever. I’m a big believer that you have to guard your personal workout time. Also that if you’re still doing the fitness plan that you had in February of 2020, and you’re experiencing any additional stress from the pandemic that you’re doing yourself a disservice and depleting your immune system. Enough on that. Let’s talk about spending your time right now. Come back with me right now to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. You learned it in psychology 101, again in your health class potentially. At the bottom of the pyramid is Safety and Security. If you don’t get that right you can’t rise above. In January of 2020 you may have been focused on the top of the pyramid, in influence and legacy. Yet, potentially now you’ve dropped back as many of us have to needing to secure finances, and reduce expenses. What activities you spending your time on now? Be sure that the way you spend your time reflects where you are right now. You’ve got to drop activities like influencer posts in social media, and detailed SEO work, or trying to reach indirect lead generation sources. You do want to be spending time figuring out how to make a sale today. You’ve got to take direct responsibility for asking for business today.
At the end of the day, a friend’s husband said he knew how his business was doing based on this one simple thing, “If I have more money at the end of the day than I had at the beginning.” |
Wed, 29 July 2020
I was sitting at my dining room table it was dark and I was still in my pajamas. From the night before. I hadn’t washed my face although I had taken the dog out – in my pajamas. Get fitness customers by learning to tell stories. Everyone loves a story. Yet, few people use storytelling for a positive impact in their marketing. Instead we broadcast information as if we’re World Health Organization or National Institute of Health. Most fitness pros go on and on about the benefits of exercise and the features of our services, or worse, the certifications and qualifications of your staff. As if… no one else can say the same thing. But of course, they can. You don’t have the edge on Pilates, or strength training, or functional training, or whatever your favorite mode of exercise is. You didn’t invent it. But no one can tell your story. There’s one thing to remember about a good story though. Make it about them. When you start telling stories you can connect with people and get fitness customers. In a way you can’t unless you tell stories. Stories become the why you. But it’s not comfortable. It’s vulnerable, its transparent and you may resist it or have in the past. I spent a weekend with a business once, interviewing key managers. We told their stories about why they were doing what they were doing and not… teachers or plumbers. We told why it meant something to them personally. We told about how their personal life or family members become a part of every conversation with a customer. We put together these video clips to get fitness customers easier, more authentically, and to humanize a business. But the General Manager never implemented them. It wasn’t comfortable. It was new. Right now? It is exactly stories like that which will take you from being a business or personal trainer, to being the friend and the guide who will help too. So how do you tell stories that get fitness customers? Follow a few key tips below to start telling your own story. I’d suggest writing it out or speaking your story and transcribing it with Otter.ia (I’ve mentioned it in prior episodes). Once you have your story, you want to pick the point. What’s the point that story illustrates. Whether it’s funny, sad… matters. For instance, a sad story will get attention more than a happy one. Think about Sarah McLachlin’s sad dog commercials. They get donations. But, you can’t use them all the time. When you’ve got your full story down. Leave out the parts people already know- from Stephen Spielberg. Drop into the middle of a story. Grab them. I could barely see the interstate through my tears. The reason I was leaving was calling me on the phone telling me he wished I wasn’t leaving. Let me go. Let me go or hold on tighter. The front and back seats were full of computers, blenders, client files, and my bike was on my carrier. So, that’s what it had come down to when I needed to pack. I’d left a house full of non-essentials sitting in the middle of each room in my 4200 square foot house to live with these essentials for however long it took to sell my house. My TEDx talk for instance was a string of stories that let you (and me as I was telling it) be in the moment. You want your listener to see themselves in the story. So, imagine under the pressure of relaying a very important big idea in under 15 minutes, if you’re going to tell at least 5 stories? Whether you are doing a 3 minute video, you’re writing a 800 word blog, or you’re talking on the radio, you want to tell a story. You’ve got stories. No one else has them. It’s a simple and easy way to get fitness customers who you will love working with and will love you back. If you need help…. Today through Friday I’m offering the Fast Flip business coaching to help you nail your message. It’s 12 weeks of accountability calls. But Saturday it’s over. If you need to get into action, your message or the actions you are taking are not working, take advantage of this special offer. Link in the show notes will be removed when I’m full or it’s over. |
Tue, 28 July 2020
Can you create a quality relationship with your fitness customers? Or do you have to rely on selling to the already interested or people you know? How old are your kids? What are they doing this summer? How are things for you during this pandemic? What’s your work like? These might be logical questions and yet, if you are talking to a parent you’ve not created a bond with them. You’ve just distracted them. If someone’s thoughts go to their livelihood, and concerns about future earning, you may have talked them out of something before you even begin. Create a Relationship: Don’t Lose Them Some of the most common questions asked in sales are about family. Are you married? Do you have kids? How old are they? So, if someone has marital problems, or wonders where their kids are right now and what they’re doing right now – like most mother’s minds will go – you’ve essentially lost them. You think you’ve bonded, but you’ve given them a reason not to pay attention. Meet Them Where They are If a prospective client comes to you (by phone, Facetime, Skype) and is thinking about their job status, whether they’ll be working from home, in the office again soon, or they might have hours cut and she’s scared, she is going to have a hard time looking at training three times a week for a year to avoid osteoporosis. If you’re talking to someone who is soaking wet and you start talking about the benefits of exercise, they clearly aren’t going to listen in that distracted state. Right Place Right Time Having the right conversation at the wrong time is going to alienate you from that prospect. It’s nice, it may be true that they’ll reduce their chance of heart disease but it’s not what is going to make someone train with you. If you show them a bicep curl in the middle of a pandemic, is that going to help with their immune system, their stress level, their cravings for junk food feet away in the pantry? Give them a Quick Win To do that you have to really know what they want. What is urgent about it now? Why aren’t they already there? What do they believe about it? Give them one thing. When you meet you might go deep into core exercise, a stretch for the lower back issues, but one thing. Go deep and solve that and suggest the easy maintenance. Don’t solve all their problems, solve the one that’s bleeding. If you think if you give them that free session you’ll give them so much they won’t need you, it’s probably the way you’re setting up that session, creating expectations about that session, and conducting that session. Someone with lower back pain doesn’t need a week’s worth of workouts, and a dozen exercises. They need an understanding of 5 things contributing to their back pain (so you open up needs to get more support from you), they need to understand the difference between immediate relief and long-term solutions. Trainers are the Best Sales People You can dig deep into that one thing. And leave them needing and wanting all that you have. No one woke up in the morning wanting a better bicep curl. So be selective in the things you share in social media. Does your content peak curiosity in the clients you most want to work with? Maybe the answer to that is yes. Maybe you want and love working with women whose greatest urgency during this pandemic is their arms. Know Who Choose the person you want to work with, show something they care deeply about, so deeply that during a pandemic they are willing to spend time, money, and energy getting. A facility is not a sales strategy. Relationships are. Days are coming I believe when the membership sales team is a thing of the past. Whether someone wants to join or they really want and need to train and have a place to do it, a trainer can sell transformation far better than a sales person. You’re in a Moment of Opportunity if You Can Create a Relationship You can workout at home and get as good or better results as you do in a gym. It’s just a playground. The emergence of studios and boutiques in recent years has proven that less equipment and higher quality movement is the answer. You’re a trainer with the world open to you right now. There are home gym equipment dealers right now overwhelmed with the amount of business they’ve been flooded with. Those people buying equipment, however, don’t know what to do with it. There’s also a prediction for those people that can hang on through this that there will be a surge in fitness centers. There’s a chance that some are just waiting for the second stimulus check they think may be coming, and then they’ll cash in their chips. That will create opportunity for trainers who have a business mindset and understand profitability and scale. The question is, what are you doing right now to learn it if you don’t know it? Other Episodes You Might Enjoy: 7 Tips to Be the Trainer Everyone Wants to Work With Medical Fitness in the Middle of a Pandemic Resource: |
Tue, 28 July 2020
Your 90-Day fitness marketing plan is 30 minutes away. You’re going to have to do the work. But what it is will be clear. But knowing exactly what you need to do and who on your team or when you are going to do it is half the reason you’re not closer to your goals now. That and the pandemic. But look, we all know it changed things. But it changed things for all. So, it’s a level playing field. Do you think clients and customers who aren’t meeting you in person and utilizing you otherwise aren’t exercising? They are doing something, or will be. I could say, it may as well be you, but really I want to say heck, yeah it should be with you. It doesn’t make sense that it wouldn’t be you. Create Your 90 Day Fitness Marketing Plan But you’ve got to sit yourself down, take 30 minutes to map out your 90-day plan. Otherwise, my guess is all you’re going to do Monday is compare how bad this Monday is to how great one you had in January before this all started was. You cannot compare now to then. The next thing you’re going to do is keep yourself busy. But busy is not productive. If you don’t have a list of the things you need to be doing, you’re going to do something else. We can always find things ourselves or worse, someone else is going to hijack your time. So once you’re settled in I want you to do the following things. 30 Minutes to map out your 90-day plan Write down your big picture goals for 90 days. Ordinarily I’d ask you to include your year, but let’s face it, right now we’re trying to regroup, pivot, listen and respond and that annual goal may be something you have no idea about right now. But 90 days? We can see that far.
You should be making a profit. Run what you do (even if you work for someone else) through the revenue and expense filter. Side Note on "Business Expenses" Seriously, buying Lululemons if you don’t need them can’t be a justified expense. But right now my suggestion would be even if it’s a personal want… that you don’t blur the boundaries here. Let’s be serious and cut expenses so you can get to profit again faster. If your jog bras are shredded and you really need one.. you could get it at Target. Buying this end-of-season sale stuff at Athleta when you weren’t shopping is not a necessity, right? During good times you can do that. You can stock up. But now? It’s still money you have to spend you may not have or can’t predict you won’t truly need elsewhere. Don’t be that person with a Suburban, gel nails, bleached hair, and new Lulus at the bank needing to talk about your options for bankruptcy or loans. OK – end of rant. Now what are the revenue drivers that you have or need to put in place right now to earn that number every month? What kind of expense will you have in creating those products or services? Be smart here. You need next to nothing in terms of expense to package and bundle a service that someone can buy on Venmo or PayPal from you today. You can create documents online, you can use a free graphics editor like Canva. What is free but the most time consuming is getting copy writing down. You have to know how to create an offer. How to present an offer, and then get started. Who needs to do the work? Is that just creative time, research into big sellers for you in the past, looking at (purchasing or opting in for your competition’s services)? When is it due? Notice I didn’t ask how long it will take. Any task will expand to the time it is given. So decide. How much revenue will it bring in? For this you’re going to have to dig deep right? You’re projecting already how much you’re going to charge, how many you’re going to sell, and you’re going to have to have a game plan for selling that many. If for instance, for every 10 people you talk to you sell 5, then you’ve got a 50% conversion rate. That means if you need to sell 10 of them a week you need to talk to 20 people – who are of course your ideal customer that you wrote the copy and script to persuade. Your List That also means… you have to start a list, reach out for those people so you can book the consults. Whether you call and say, “hey, I’ve been thinking about you and I’ve got an idea that will help you stay on track, would you like to hear about it?” Or you email or text them something similar, you’ve got to have the plan for:
And you have to decide you’re going to hit that goal or higher by the deadine you set. If you don’t sell as well you have to talk to more people. Did you notice what I just did? The words I used were “that goal or higher” and that’s what you want to be focused on. Be open to more. There you have it. Let’s recap those steps and break them down into exactly what you can start working on today. Key Point Summary:
Working with women in menopause? The first and only training designed for trainers who work with women in menopause based on the Flipping 50 program that's helped 150,000+. The Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist.
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Sun, 26 July 2020
You can be a personal trainer every client wants to work with. Though I'd argue you only want to focus on being the one your ideal clients want to work with. Now is the time to learn the skills and spend the time taking the right steps. In this episode I share 7 tips you can use right now. If you really want to be a personal trainer every woman in menopause wants you want to look at the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist.
That's all 7. There you have it. Seven tips to be a personal trainer every midlife woman wants. (and tells her friends about) If you want to be a personal trainer anyone wants you first want to let them see you in a way that they can see a glimpse of themselves in you. That doesn’t mean that as a female in her 30s or 40s you can’t work with men in their 60s or 70s. It doesn’t mean as a male you can’t work with young female athletes. It does mean you have to be willing to show something in you that will resonate with the clients you want. Is that thing vulnerability, drive, a chronic illness, is it a desire? Figuring out what that is, is your job. Other podcasts you might like:
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Sat, 25 July 2020
Want to change your fitness business? Would that change your life? I’ve got 14 questions you want to answer. As much as you’ll hear them and think this is silly, maybe even - this is something I’ve heard before, if you haven’t got answers to them that are clear for you, or it’s been a while since you’ve revisited… you need to answer them. Write your answers down!
Tuck your answers away and review them from time to time. Most importantly though, be sure you’ve answered them all, especially the last 6 questions. It’s those last six questions that will give you the clarity you need to start having a message your customer understands. Of Course Asking you right now if you want to change your fitness business is like asking if you want hot water for your shower. Of course you do, everyone’s business has changed. You may be thriving and yet you’d be an anomaly. Everyone is pivoting, figuring it out week by week and month by month. But suggesting that you and I look closer at what part we play in the success of our businesses is a must. If you’re used to doing an annual plan you probably need to change that right now to a monthly plan. We can see that far ahead. Uncertainty Even that may be tricky given universities don’t yet know for sure if there will be football games or who will attend live. Schools don’t know for sure if they’ll be in session or virtual. Once fall activity is set though it will give us a little projection for a few months though. We’re in a unique moment in time. One thing that does happen is that it’s different and hard for everyone. It levels the playing field. The skilled, talented, and consistent will survive. You can thrive. |
Fri, 24 July 2020
Say no right now should be on the top of your list if you want to not just survive but thrive in the coming months and years. Yesterday I went over what you need to say yes to. If you missed it I highly recommend you go return and you’ll have the complete loop. Another thing you should take a serious look at is the last 4 spots for the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist open right now. Say no to these if you want to focus:
Say no Saying no to some of these things is hard. You will struggle with it. No one wants to lower their lifestyle. But as you earned more and times were good and you were enjoying the lazy attitude you’d always rely on someone to do things for you, you increased your lifestyle to a point where you have little wiggle room. Am I right? The house, the car, the things you had to have the kids in? The nails, the hair, the facials, the massages. Some of those things aren’t happening right now and can’t. That alone is saving you money. Find Money There is money in other places if you look. Make this a game. How much money can you find this month? The last thing you should be saying no to is thoughts that sabotage you. Don’t be a victim. Do be creative. You can’t be creative when you’re stressed. S take time, go hike, nap, sing, listen to music, podcasts, color, draw, journal. Do what you need to do so you can get creative and think what if… Resources: |
Thu, 23 July 2020
Say yes to :
Time for a makeover You absolutely should say yes to these things and more. You were bored and you’d gotten complacent. You were operating on a schedule, thinking about your 4 o’clock instead of your client by name. You’ve got a reason to get re-engaged again. Look through your files. You’ve got old ideas, old packages, bundles, and programs that you could revise, refresh and offer at a new price. Say Yes to Growing Your business Say yes to learning skills you need to know to grow a business. You can’t help more clients with the 5% of your deepest level skill without getting clients in the first place. Buff up your website. Commit to understanding what qualities make a website easy to navigate and keep a customer on longer. Learn what good copy that converts is and the difference between that and copy your literature instructor would be proud of. By changing your emails and learning how to tell a story that puts your customer in the scene, that makes them see themselves in the story or say, hey- that could be me, you can improve your connection and your sales. In order to say yes to these, any of these that you’re not doing you have to say no to other things. There’s no way around that fact. A Few More Questions What do you need to delegate? What do you need to dump? What might you be doing right now that seems important but isn’t? And what do you need to do that seems a waste of time and isn’t?
Category:marketing
-- posted at: 8:48pm MDT
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Thu, 23 July 2020
Say yes to :
Time for a makeover You absolutely should say yes to these things and more. You were bored and you’d gotten complacent. You were operating on a schedule, thinking about your 4 o’clock instead of your client by name. You’ve got a reason to get re-engaged again. Look through your files. You’ve got old ideas, old packages, bundles, and programs that you could revise, refresh and offer at a new price. Say Yes to Growing Your business Say yes to learning skills you need to know to grow a business. You can’t help more clients with the 5% of your deepest level skill without getting clients in the first place. Buff up your website. Commit to understanding what qualities make a website easy to navigate and keep a customer on longer. Learn what good copy that converts is and the difference between that and copy your literature instructor would be proud of. By changing your emails and learning how to tell a story that puts your customer in the scene, that makes them see themselves in the story or say, hey- that could be me, you can improve your connection and your sales. In order to say yes to these, any of these that you’re not doing you have to say no to other things. There’s no way around that fact. A Few More Questions What do you need to delegate? What do you need to dump? What might you be doing right now that seems important but isn’t? And what do you need to do that seems a waste of time and isn’t? |
Wed, 22 July 2020
Look, people who very recently were in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at legacy and influence suddenly find themselves seeking safety and security in the bottom of that pyramid. They can’t be both. Communicate to the person based on the situation they’re in. We are still in the middle of a pandemic. You still may be reaching out to people in your target market, who have medical issues they need and want to address. Those problems haven’t gone away. Yet, you can’t ignore the moment and the way it lands for individuals. You need to merge your message with the moment, the middle of a pandemic moment, that we're in cannot be ignored. If you either work with businesses, or you're working with other trainers, medical exercise specialists, or allied health care professionals as you reach out, potentially you have to be conscious. Duped “tone deaf,” failing to reach out and be of service before you reach out to make gains will accelerate your decline. If you, for example, reach out in need of an affiliate partnership relationship where you have a message about a program that is a benefit for a specific problem, you have to be inclusive of the times and the moment that we're in right now. New Normal: Not, But Different Everybody has problems today they did not have in January or February of 2020. If you ignore what's going on for the person on the other end of that receiving message you will alienate and lose potential relationships that could have been forged in this special time. You will have more opportunity and deeper relationships when you observe a few common communication guidelines. Do you have, serve, or are an agency, business, or association? How have you served before asking? How have you responded to their needs? How have you given, generously, asking what they need and how you can support? Expect that everything has changed, and nothing is the same. In some cases, you may be pleasantly surprised. There are opportunities. You should also assume that it’s false that “everyone is not spending money right now.” Because some are spending the same and others are spending more. Silver Lining Health has risen to the top. Some businesses and their owners have been operating on a more limited basis, freeing up time to focus on their health. They’ve also got the message that a strong immune system is crucial now and later in a way they’ve never had that message before. Be Helpful First All of us are dealing with something different. This will continue indefinitely, right now we don't know for how long. For a lot of people this is a time of survival mode. And if they believe it’s true, especially, then you're reaching out as standard operating procedure for your organization, your agency, or your business, you’ll sabotage relationships. Instead of first reaching out with what you need, ask, how can I help you? Anything less stands a good chance of resulting in a breakup. There are some businesses and associations going over and above. There are many whom you’ve not heard from. Imagine if you were dating, and there was conflict in your relationship. Whether you caused it or not, whether you intentionally did something or not, doesn’t matter. If it's there, you can't ignore it, or pretend that it doesn't exist if you want to continue that relationship. You've got to address it. Deepen Relationships By Offering Support So, for those trainers, medical exercise specialist fitness professionals, and health coaches that want to create a bigger business through the opportunity we have in this crisis and pandemic right now, you have to be thoughtful. You have to be of service. You have to change your usual standard operating procedures. Whatever they were in January or February of 2020, they are forever changed. If you’re still on the same timeline, you’re still promoting the same programs, you’re ignoring the real problem, you’ll lose. You will not only sabotage relationships you’ve had up to this point, and you'll lose the opportunity to create deeper relationships with brand new individuals. Everyone is figuring out how to pivot and how to change. So, if your business is operating on old standards in this new moment, you will lose. Operating with pre-pandemic strategies in the middle of a pandemic is like using a 1970 research study to design your 2020 exercise prescription. Win Win in the Middle of a Pandemic? How can you take what you need and turn it in to an asset and an advantage for someone else that you need something from? How can you turn it around? There are three steps for conflict resolution. Think about how they might be applicable now, even before there is a conflict. Apply a potential conflict or barrier reduction before there ever is a barrier. What kind of a relationship, could you create then? Step one is validate. Validate the person who's going to receive your message or the person who's sending you a message. Step two is make them happy. If you can't give them exactly what they need, you can still start with, here's the good news. This is what I/we can do. What is that minimum viable acceptable space you can give? Start asking what it is you want, and where they are and what they want at this moment. Step Three you go into action. You don't put it onto them. But you go into action, making it easier, better and simpler, so that they want to forge forward with you, feeling as if they've landed on a soft spot with you as an ally in this moment we're in. Anybody who's operating by the same standards that they were in January or February, ignoring the needs of the people that they serve and the people that they serve both internally and externally will fail. You will alienate people to the point that they're already under set stress. Look, internally, you know you’ve potentially cut hours, cut pay, laid off, or you’re trying to navigate PPP loans and what that will look like. Terms are anybody’s guess. You may be wearing not one but all hats in your business right now. There is nothing harder than losing internal customers who’ve come to be like family and close friends. Take care of them if you’ve still got them. Leaders lead. You don’t have to have the answers. Communication begins with asking then listening. Respect Their Space Everyone you come in contact with right now is potentially in survival mode and wants to be in thrive mode. But in order to do that, they've got to pivot, and they potentially have 90% more things on their plate than they had pre-pandemic. Start with presence. Show up. You don’t have to have answers. Find out what the questions are anyway. Ask if you don't know and provide solutions when you have them. Offer an ear when you don’t. Offer opportunities so it's easier for them to participate with you, easier than ever. Look, people who very recently were in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at legacy and influence suddenly find themselves seeking safety and security in the bottom of that pyramid. They can’t be both. Communicate to the person based on the situation they’re in.
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Tue, 21 July 2020
Feel like quitting? I got up this morning feeling overwhelmed. Within 10 minutes of opening the research to complete the things that had to get done today, I’m excited. I can’t wait to share this message.
When you feel like quitting you are not alone. Feel Like Quitting If you don’t feel like it today, realize you may very well feel like it tomorrow. I remember distinctly while working with a colleague of mine who also used to mentor an entrepreneurial community at Iowa State University, I asked him how he always seemed to stay so cool. He was calm, reserved, and yet he managed hundreds of employees, experienced turnover and customer complaints, traveled a lot and had a family. He answered that he knew it was going to happen. He expected a certain amount of things to happen. It Will Happen Just recently, I heard this again on a favorite podcast. It is chaos the guest on the show said. Talking about reaching one million or 10, that it doesn’t ever get more calm. You bring in more chaos with growth. When you feel like quitting remember that. If you can reframe and expect there will be people, and days, and situations that occur we can’t control. And then come back to why you do what you do, and can you not do it? I was just out of college in my first job and I hated the situation. Mostly because it was painfully clear to me that I couldn’t in the model I was in at the moment, do what I loved and earn the living I wanted. So, I went back to school and was going to finish my art degree. But I lasted a semester. Because I couldn’t not do fitness. It pulled me back in. An Instagram Post I’m not going to lie. There are some very challenging days – lets be honest, every day, and week and month since COVID has been challenging, behind the scenes of any business. And still, within 10 minutes of starting to work, I’m EXCITED. . . I can’t wait to share this message. . It will help women (who will help more people) do the things they need to do … that will give them such pleasure and higher quality of life. . This is the difference between taking a vitamin and taking a prescription. You get benefits not side effects. You get the delight factor back in your life – or get it for the very first time. . . Exercise is medicine. Take the right kind for you… you wouldn’t take your husband’s, your son’s, or your daughter’s prescription. End of post. It Will Happen You will feel like quitting and right now I think you’ll feel like you’re being forced to. You are not. You are forced by our circumstances to change the way you’ve been doing it but you only will choose to quit. The world still needs you more than ever. Here are 5 things to do when you feel like quitting.
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Mon, 20 July 2020
What’s the worst fitness marketing mistake you can make? Let me list a few… what stands out for you?
Well if you guessed any of those were worst - though they’re good contenders - you’re missing it. The Worst Copycat marketing is the worst fitness marketing mistake you can make. If you’ve heard and believe plagiarism is the greatest form of flattery, you maybe haven’t heard that plagiarism when it comes to marketing, in other words copycat marketing, will be a fast track to failure. What to do instead. First, you’ve got to ask if what you say is something anyone else could say. Or does it fall in the, “well I should hope so category” meaning that should be what some would call a “no brainer.” You shouldn’t have to say it. It should be an expectation your customers have and naturally wouldn’t even seek you out if they didn’t already believe it. If so, you haven’t been terribly distinct in your marketing. You should be able to answer these questions:
What is it about your system or method that no one else can say? You want to base what you say in your marketing on 5 things: your background, your interests, values, your methods, and on your customers. I’ve been talking about this all month long and for decades before that. I’ll be talking about it for decades more. You don’t want to be like others. You want to be distinct or you’ll be extinct. There are too many trainers. You might want to ask before ever having the consultations you have, something got you here, to me, what was that? From that you will potentially find out if there are any distinguishing features about you already out there. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist Other Episodes You May Like: |
Sun, 19 July 2020
There’s one piece of advice when you’re ready to create a fitness offer that you don’t want to ignore. If you haven’t done it, gotten results from it, yourself, you should not be teaching it. Similarly, if you want to make affiliate offers – either to sell other’s products, or to ask others to share your products and services, you want to have proof they work. What's an Affiliate? Let me back up and define affiliates if you’re new to them. An affiliate relationship means you’re set up in a way that you can invite others to share your products and services with a special code or URL that tracks sales they earn and pays them a percentage of the sale. If you are being an affiliate for someone else, likewise, you have the opportunity to earn a commission for sending traffic and creating sales for them. How Much Can You Make (or will you pay) Generally, commissions for online or digital products are 40-50%. If you are doing live coaching or purely coaching, or selling hard products, percentages are much lower. That makes them less attractive for affiliates. So, if you don’t have a digital product yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t create a fitness offer affiliate, it just means you can keep them small. You Can Keep It Small Go to your local business friends for instance, give them services or money back. When you know your customer lifetime value it’s easy to reward for referrals with a monetary gift. If you know that anyone who experiences your massage therapist will be a return customer, you might want to give a massage for a referral to a membership or certain size training package. Know your customers, and your business partners and you’ll create a fitness offer that will appeal to them. When You’re Ready to Go Big You’ll need to know your numbers. Affiliates who do this as their business model want to know what your conversion rate is and how much they can expect to make per lead. If you’re not yet tracking your numbers, you need to start. Other things too are things you’ll need to consider. You’ll want to know 6 months to a year in advance when you’re launching programs, when the promotional period is, and you want to provide materials for your affiliates to use. You can expect and ask for all of those things for anyone you want to support in their affiliate too. Do You Love It? I have a policy of only sharing things I know, love, and trust. That means I’ve literally used anything I promote or put in my resources list. (A resources list on your website is a very passive way to promote products). But if you’re still in the middle of fixing your own problem and you haven’t done something with good results – ideally haven’t gotten predictable results for at least a high percentage of clients you’ve used it for, you’re not really an expert anyone would want to follow. Wait on that fitness offer. Wanting to teach how to write a book for example isn’t something you should do if you haven’t written a book. But should you teach how to exercise for menopause if you haven’t been there yet? Or teach how to exercise for osteoporosis or Parkinson’s? Of course, that is different. But.. you do want to have something that establishes you as an expert. How to Establish Expertise Have you written articles published in scientific journals? Have you gotten results for a large number of clients? Have you served on an advisory board? Have you got anything that makes you the expert? If not, and this is something you really want to do, focus on getting some of those things under your belt. Try interviewing 100 experts in the area you want to be an expert in. Try offering a group training for the market you want so you can gather data on your system and document it. To be an expert, you have to be able to show a system or method that gets repeatable, reliable results. You’ve got to have more experience than only yourself – a study of 1. Having less than 5-years experience as a full time trainer (at least 32 hours a week) really isn’t enough. You’re on your way. The more you serve only a niche and not a wide variety of clients the faster you’ll get there. A Wise Fitness Offer I caution you not to become an expert in a mode of exercise. Be the expert in a problem a customer wants solved. Use the mode to serve them and justify why you think it’s best. There you have it, how to create a fitness offer or affiliate, and when you’re ready and when to wait. But it won’t be long until you have an offer that will convert. Resources: |
Sat, 18 July 2020
Today I'm gonna dive right in and share my best fitness marketing tools for sharing your message and saving time. When when that's what we're all. I'm going to literally give you a meta description of what I'm doing right now. I mean, literally right now. So as I record, many of you who've been listening to this streak to help you market your fitness business journey This extremely strange and different time that we're in in the middle of July actually we're in the second half already third quarter if you want to look at it this way. My Podcast Streak And I'm doing a streak of 30 days, it's not comfortable some days like the day I actually would like to be walking or working out right now because I'm in an all day virtual conference for two days and doing a lot of sitting but you I made a promise to and I made a promise to myself, so I'm not gonna lie to either one of us or let me off the hook. so busy is busy. But you know what we want our clients to exercise don't wait even when they're busy. We want them to make use of that 10 or that 20 minutes and show them they can do it they do have time and they do have energy and even that little can get them result. So it is with you. Best Fitness Marketing Tools in Action You take 10 minutes every single day to market get better at marketing. Learn. skills of marketing, you will become a better marketer. So if you avoid it, you hate sales or you say that number one thing you need to do, stop saying that, that'll save you a little time. Okay, here's what I'm doing. Literally as I do this, I am using a platform to record my podcast called Zen caster that's ZN ca St. r.com. You can record an audio, they suddenly recently have a beta video option rolling out. And I would suggest that if you're looking at starting a podcast, that you look at video, because video is something you can use everywhere. Audio or Text So not only can you pull out the audio, only somebody can take you for a walk and not have to be watching. Let's face it, it's head and shoulders. What are you going to do, right? But you can also place that interview on YouTube and You know, even though I have taken this podcast, and my other flipping 50 podcasts, also to YouTube automatically for years going on nine years for this podcast going on eight years for that one. It's a static image. It's the cover of my podcast because it's only audio. And once I got people over the hump on the flipping 50 channel, and they all wondered, why wasn't the video working and realized it was because there is no video, you have to understand my women are between 45 and 65. And so they're not at all attuned to the fact that most podcasts were audio only when I started eight years ago. But also I have to be in tune to the fact that when it's on YouTube, they expect it to be video. That is the reason I've actually removed in the last week in fact, I've removed my podcasts from automatically loading to YouTube. What is Zencastr? Sometimes I will have someone who simply doesn't understand or who can't get on to Chrome browser, get their micro microphone all hooked up and get on Zen caster and it's just a little overwhelming. So what we do often instead is abandon ship and we use a teleconference and the quality of that recording is poor. Conference Lines Act Fast to Implement the Best Fitness Marketing Tools I learned all these things the hard way and I fortunately for me, I am a quick start, which means I make a lot of mistakes because I jumped And I do it first. And I know I live by done is better than perfect. And a lot of times for entrepreneurs who are successful, that's absolutely the way they operate. So for me, it's it was more DNA and genetic it wasn't a conscious choice that I'm going to be this way because I want to be successful. It just is so lucky for me. But, you know, what I found is Zen caster does all of the post production and the advantage of Zen caster is I send a guest, a link, if I'm interviewing somebody, and I've done two people, I've interviewed two people at the same time. And so there's three of us on and that will work to or I record even solo here as opposed to just recording in GarageBand, which personally I don't like and or recording on quick time which isn't as high of quality but I Done that as well. But this is the best because what happens is it automatically records on my computer. Guests So unless you have some real issues with noise and you know somebody is finger Hitting the microphone or the microphone is hitting their zipper, that's not going to go away. But if it's quality and problem with internet, as long as you can hear and gather enough of the information, then in post production when you hit that it's all taking care of what happens for me. High or Low Service You can set this up to is simply you click post production, you take both of those recordings, and then you leave and they let you know when that is automatically dropped into your Dropbox. So from there, what I'll do is take it to either a tech team, and they will do the addition of adding music over my intro and my outro if I want to sometimes like right now, I'm doing this in real time practically so I'm recording it right now. I'm going to load it up right now. I don't have time to do the extras. So I'm just doing the bare minimum because done is better than Perfect, and I want to get the message out and whether it's all dialed up, dialed up and accessorized with music on the intro now Pro is less important to me than I give you steps and tools and actions you can take right now, that's not true all the time. But it is certainly today. And for me more often than not if I have an important message to share. Upgrade So, you can also take the next step and there will be say a $3 tard for every hour of time that you have. So if you have really short podcasts, the free version of Zen caster will serve you very well as you need to you can buy that time and you you don't pay for more than you will use and you can also opt for going pro and Zen caster where you can pre record your introduction with music and then just drop that in yourself and Take care of the editing. There is no more middleman, you just done it. Now you might have a team who wants to do that for you work in. In my case, right now we're in COVID. I'm cutting out all extra curricular costs and fees. So anything I don't need any subscriptions I've had, or you know, don't use on a regular basis. I mean, they're gone. Keep the Budget in Mind I'm not using them and being smart about what do I absolutely have to have to run my business? and What don't I and this is one of the things where I can still spend maybe 10 more minutes editing my own podcasts as opposed to sending it off and then waiting right for a day for them to get back to me as they can. So that's Zen caster.com. The other tool you're going to need if you decide you want to do a podcast is something where you can transcribe or think about it the way I do. You want When you post a podcast, you want the show notes, almost like a script. But really just a summary of here's the questions we answered in this podcast. Here's the main takeaways. My Process So, I will occasionally I will write out blogs, I'm a writer, so I prefer to do it this way. And I'll write blogs on topics that I know are important. They're in response to what my customers and clients are talking about at the moment. And I will decide, should this be simply a blog with illustrations and infographics Fix or photographs? Or is this one better for me to talk through in voice, but then I've already got the show notes. I actually can just condense them or load the whole thing up. And the combination, you always want show notes. So if you don't write the blog first and then decide and essentially read that, or use it as a script, when you're recording, you can do what else I'm doing now. Now, honestly, I don't do this very often. But I'm doing it today because I'm in a virtual conference all day today, in about three and a half hours or two and a half, actually, wow, I gotta get going. Work Made Easy So think about that in advance because that may change how you promote. Okay, a couple others that I want to mention that I've already used this morning, and it's only 8:30am on a Saturday morning canva.com. So I've talked about this one as well, but this I would get the free version and then think about how easy it is. And once you've used it for a very short time, I would consider getting the business version. I think gets about $115 annually. But if you do any posting on Instagram especially that is based on graphics on visuals and then being sharp and clean and crisp in it, and you're not great at it, then get Canva so you use it, you can use it for almost anything. I'm using it for just about everything. I've used it this month already twice for creating presentations. I mean literally, it's replaced my use of PowerPoint. I love the color. Why Canva Makes the Best Fitness Marketing Tools Transcribe Meeting Notes You can record the notes in in your otter. So if you ever we ever we will, I hope sit around the conference room table again. Rather than rely on somebody to take notes and record them in their own voice 21:17 Use Them Right Now So think about those tools Canva and otter you could use right now Zen caster and Lipson if you're thinking about a podcast, and I hope you are, there you have it. Those are the tools, I recommend that you Get started with today if you've got other tools that you love, I'd love for you to share them below the show notes. And you can find show notes today at Fitness Marketing Mastery. com forward slash best fitness marketing tools. There you have it. What are you waiting for? Get busy on those graphics. The world needs you more than ever. Resources: Transcribed by https://otter.ai |
Fri, 17 July 2020
Communicate During the Pandemic Been slow to communicate during the pandemic because you’re so worried about getting it right? What you already really know is that you have to get into action to get it right. Ongoing learning, listening, and growing/pivoting. How to be in charge of supporting the community. You can’t operate in a silo. Not one where your department does it’s own thing. Not one where your business does it without reaching out to support other businesses and the people in it that you serve. Be the change the world cries out. Step Up Don’t wish it was easier. Don’t worry and wait for it to go back, or just to ride the wave. You can be the change. You will get it wrong, then right, then wrong again. Ask anyone in business whose been there for decades. If you want to stay around you do need to be moving forward every day. You may have very little in the bank account. You may not know what the next week looks like. But you have today. You can take small actions every day. One thing about business that was true 6 months and a year, and 5 years ago IS still true today. How to Communicate During a Pandemic Call someone specific and offer a specific solution to their specific problem. Paint the picture of how that will help them. Worry less about what you’ll charge and how you’ll deliver it. If you tend to start thinking “but that won’t work because…” you’ve got to flush those thoughts out. If you’re surrounded by people who respond that way at a meeting, you’ve got to remove them from your presence or remove yourself. You don’t have time to have patience right now for people who can’t pivot, be flexible, and who don’t want to do things differently. They won’t make it. But you can. Just Start You don’t need overhead. You don’t need to buy equipment or tools. You do need a step-by-step action plan to leverage skills you already have with problems your market has and provide answers. Take Action The steps are simple. Make calls. Make one a day. Ask what the individual’s biggest struggles are right now. (energy, sleep, stress) Ask what they’re doing about it. Ask how it’s working. Offer one or two small tips to help them implement right now. Ask if they would like more help. Empathize with the fact that right now it’s hard to focus with so many variables and changes happening around us. Ask if they would like help from you. Answer that you want to find a solution that would be easy to say yes to. Brainstorm. Ask, I could do that, would it be helpful? If we can find the right time and best way to support you, would you want to proceed. Examples given during the podcast for taking it one step further. You can communicate during the pandemic in a way that will lead to breakthroughs in your relationships. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist |
Thu, 16 July 2020
What if I told you I don’t recommend you ever become a personal trainer or health coach? Would you say, are you nuts?How does that make sense coming from a 36-year fitness professional? And on a podcast dedicated to fitness marketing ease & elevating the professionalism of the fitness industry? Well, stay with me. The truth is no one should aim to be a personal trainer. It means too many things, and too few things, to too many people. If you define yourself as a personal trainer you will be falling into a stereotype where hundreds of thousands of other options exist. For a short time longer anyway, there are hundreds and thousands of them. Even when those who won’t do the consistent job of showing up doing the things the successful do… you will have competition. Your goal is to eliminate it by setting yourself clearly and distinctly apart. Don’t Be a Personal Trainer or Health Coach if…. If you can’t describe what you do and how you do it in a way that immediately tells your ideal customer why you, and you alone are the one they want to work with, you’re going to struggle. Right now, we all need to make the road as obstacle-free as possible. So, you’re not a Pilates instructor, or a yoga teacher or a bootcamp leader, or anything else that puts you into a group of nobodies. In this podcast I’m going to walk you through examples of a list of questions. I want you to go get something to write with and some paper to write on. And if you love your keyboard, I guarantee you that you really want to tap into your creativity by putting pen to paper when you’re brainstorming. Don’t be a Personal Trainer without Answering These:
I save busy women time and give them energy to do the things they’ve been missing out on I use the Flipping 50’s after 50 fitness formula for women to get repeatable, reliable results I design unique hormone balancing exercise & lifestyle programs for women in midlife, I’m a Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist My customers tell me they can sleep better – some up to two hours more a night in as little as four weeks working together. My customers can finally stop counting calories and obsessively tracking their food intake on an app and start living their lives again I help women ditch traditional methods of fat burning that backfire on them in midlife and get real and permanent results I don’t require calorie counting (in fact I’m completely against it) and workouts are super short not long I coach my clients more on mindset and changing for good than I do on the physical exercise. What do you do? Know how to answer these questions and know where to use these answers in emails, on your website, on consultations, and in conversations to get attention and get clients. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist |
Wed, 15 July 2020
If you’re training women in menopause, you have questions. It’s not all a to b to c to d… and success. The best way to learn is to be in a group where you can go over your cases and clients because there is no one absolute path. You can find those easy ones, and yet you’re going to think you’re doing everything right and realize no, the belly bloat, the lack of fat loss, the extreme fatigue are still obstacles. Questions about the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist I answer today:
Training women in menopause ... easy mistakes to make Working with women in this phase of life is rewarding and frustrating. If you're still trying to focus on fat burning by eating less and exercising more you could make clients feel worse not better. During perimenopause when many women haven't even begun to realize they're not getting results because of hormone changes, you can find opportunities. Training women in menopause with a blueprint for assessing hormones makes it easy. When you can interpret both the signs from the body and from lab reports and suggest testing options you can create a unique and in-demand business. You're not limited to training women in a geographic location. Once you've got the skills menopause is something every woman in the world goes through. There area 46 million women in menopause now and 6 thousand women enter it every day. RESOURCES: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/programs
Direct download: 2020-07-15-t11-24-47am-final-mix.mp3
Category:coaching clients -- posted at: 9:27pm MDT |
Tue, 14 July 2020
Don't waste this crisis. What on earth could I be talking about. Yes, this Debra and you’re listening to the Voice for Fitness Professionals’ podcast and I have not lost my mind but we have lost the way we've done business. It's gone. And yet now, if you are still trying to figure out a way to take your personal training business digitally… meaning, you're still meeting with one client at a time you're still delivering one on one sessions. In fact, you're creating a session that they'll use over and over and over again. You really got to take a look at that. Keep Your Assets And you own that property, too. You should be using it and you should be losing their name, so that you edit those videos, so that is for anyone who has the same problem as they do the same problem that you're working on tackling with that particular client, could be then in your vault and used for somebody else or something else. 1:16 Immediately, you could use it as a teaser. You edit that video down on your phone. Simply, or even in iMovie, again, on your phone or on your other device that you now have marketing and or something a tool that you can use on marketing because let's face it marketing is the place that you publish. The message, your message is what's important. And that's what we're going to spend the rest of this podcast, talking about what's your message. Do you really know what it is? Because right now, it cannot be the same as it was in January or February of, 2020. You have to address now and you have to predict the future. You have to figure out a way to use a message that gets across. What we want to say and what is it that we all want to say right now, as trainers and health coaches: Exercise is required in order to be healthy and have a strong immune system. What they Need vs What they Want It requires exercise right now. This alone is not a good message. But this is the underlying underskirt of the message. So, now you've got to figure out what was your message before. Look at that. And then know that's just isn't going to work. You know, if you were using some esoteric tagline? Things are much more real than the last 2 pounds 3 ounces someone can’t lose. In January of 2020 even if you were using something like “you can't outrun a bad diet.” Right now, that is just so trite, it's not going to work. Right now, people may care about their belly fat. They may care about the extra weight in the middle but you can't make light of it. Weight Loss During a Crisis? You really need to get with a message that isolates the important the quarantine 15 is a health risk. More than anything, right? So it's certainly not doing wonders for your sleep, potentially or your sleep apnea, or your energy level, or your confidence, or on and on. Right. But what you're looking for is something that is short and sweet. And if you're not used to telling stories with your messages You've got to get good at that right now. Because the only way to really relate to someone, right now, is to talk in stories to tell stories that connect you to them. These stories are not about you. These stories are about them. Your customers. But these are not testimonials. You need an emotional grab. What do we all want right now? What do we need? Well, we miss our families. And I don't mean our immediate families, if you're at home and your mom or dad and your, your kids are at home and they're, they've been home from school, you know you're not missing them you kind of wish them maybe they could go to camp, but you may be missing an extended family. You may not have been able to see that new baby born during COVID. You may be missing someone who's ready to pass. You may be missing someone who you know you know isn't on their deathbed, but you have a limited number of years. And it could be today, it could be tomorrow. You may be missing your adult children and your grandchildren. Find Common Denominators the Crisis has Made True All of those things are true for all of us, and potentially, people are being reminded right now, of what is truly important. They're doing some rearranging in their mind about what they want and what will be true for them, potentially in the future. But none of their hopes, their dreams, or wishes, and none of the skills and talents and uniqueness that is them will get to reveal itself or play out without health and exercise is a key part of that a client of mine, and you're welcome to use this once said to me, truly out of the blue. And I couldn't have asked for a better testimonial. I don't know how I would ever have prompted her to say this with a good strategic question, but what she said. After her having had cancer. After having had blood sugar issues. After having had multiple injuries from falls. She said, no matter what the question is, the answer is exercise. That’s an example of a good story set in very few words that gets the message across. You might want to get a little bit more strategic with that. Starting to preface it with during COVID we all have lot of questions. Some of those questions go unanswered. For now, but we can find the answers to some questions that will help us have the resilience to search and find the answers to others. And then you drop it in. No matter what the question. The answer is exercise. That's your lead tagline. What tagline, were you using. It was esoteric, then it's more than esoteric now and you've got to get rid of it. Something relevant right now has got to be your new message. You need to talk about it. You need your customers to understand it to get it to talk about it, so that every time you meet with them. They can repeat and reveal that to you. You're more than welcome to use that. You can use it as long as you put your original self into it. You can't simply plagiarize somebody else's message and hope that you know if hundreds of other trainers, use that exact same message, who were listening today, you'll get more business. How on earth, can you expect that that would ever happen? And then you've got to take a good look at once you get that message across. Which marketing channels will you be using your email your social media platforms. And in the next podcast. I'm going to talk about funnels. If you haven't got one. I'm going to offer you a 90-minute session to look at your funnels so that you can make money right now. you can start making money. 9:19 This week, but you can't do that randomly saying hello to somebody on social media and saying, You need exercise. Here's what I have to sell you can buy. That just doesn't work. If it ever did, you were really really lucky and lazy. And it also doesn't work if you work for a fitness center that serves all kinds of audiences from young to adolescence to want to be athletes to college students to young moms and dads to midlife women to older adults. They don't all need the same message so if you're emailing all of them. And basically putting spam in their inbox, because of those market, potentially, there's five or six different people receiving that one event where there might be one small thing in it that pertains to them. Right now, you can't sell personal training. You can't sell packages. And you can't sell EFT and be talking about the options to pay as something sexy, or now you have to talk about the benefit. And you have to talk about something that's a lot lower ticket price. And you've been offering, in order for it to make sense to the customers that you're talking to. Now, people who are prospects right now may never even have been your customer before. There are a lot of people right there even in your geographic location, who stopped going to the gym. It may be helpful healthy. I'm 56 I've done eight Ironman I did one last November, I’m extremely healthy, and I quit. I just don't need to be there. I don't need to be there. I didn't want to be there not wearing a mask and I certainly don't want to be there wearing a mask, when and if they stop mandatory masks. And as I went in last time the first and only time, since it started and saw 99% of the members standing side by side, side by side on equipment nope no equipment marked off is kind of us. 11:44 No one had a mask on the staff, when I walked in had masks on and they were six feet apart. No one else did. You don't know what you're getting into. But many, many of the people that you're reaching or could reach, whether they have the lungs of somebody else or not, are free and loose. They are rolling around waiting. Like little marbles to drop into the right hole. And it could be you. So, personal trainer if you don't want to waste this crisis, please take advantage of the opportunity. There are potentially more people available, but not for you to sell the old thing that you can sell your business model, or while potential for a long while, won't be based on a beautiful facility and terms of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment, your business really always was about the people in your business on both sides. Your customers, and you are your employees. So, if you haven't trained them well, Now's the time to get started. Make sure they are able to be soldiers with a message. The message that you need to get out there right now. Transcribed by https://otter.ai |
Mon, 13 July 2020
If you want to build your business in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, learn to make the smallest actions consistently. The following was transcribed by Otter. 0:31 I'm not worried about that. I'm actually worried about you sitting back and waiting, without doing anything. 0:40 So let's talk about this because the truth is today. It's a Monday. 0:45 It's not even halfway through July, and I didn't want to post today. Just like potentially you may not want to take the actions that are more difficult for you. Surely I didn't want to post today because I didn't have a lot to say. I didn't have something specific that I'd written that I'd prepared, because there's a lot going on right here, I'm in the middle of a launch, I'm trying to do something and the other side of my business, and it's busy. There's a lot of emails, there's a lot of podcasts, there's a lot of videos that I'm creating there's a lot of pages and copying that I have to rank. And this kind of fell to the bottom of the list. But here's the truth. This between you and me, is exactly what you need to hear, because there are no easy days there are no shortcuts, and especially right now it all feels like potentially we're working twice as much for half as much. Right. 1:47 So what I want you to know is, if you really want to grow your fitness business, your health coaching business which it may evolve more into a health coaching business than a personal training business. 1:59 Pick up the phone. 2:02 That is probably the one and the best thing that you can do is everyday make yourself make at least one phone call, you're going to make those phone calls to a list of people. So right now, what I'd love for you to do is if you're walking and you're listening great brainstorm while you're walking or soon as this is over and I guarantee you it's gonna be short because I am totally winging it. What I want you to do is take your phone out and record into your phone record five people around you. Maybe they're in your family maybe their friends your neighbors your colleagues and list them in your phone, and then go to your next outside circle people they know people that you've barely met people that you've met though and you know exactly by talking to them that you could help them that they definitely have a problem, they even said, and suggested that they're looking for answers to a problem they have acknowledged that they have the problem record all the names of those people, and don't filter, just write them down, or record them in your audio, while you're walking or while you're at home sitting at your desk, it doesn't matter but get a list started. And if you never wrote this down before write it down so if you record this into your phone what you shouldn't be recording it into is truly otter because it'll record for you. The words that you're saying and take it down and dictation, and then you can download it send it to yourself, and you've got the list, you don't have to then come back and write it down and dictate for yourself. 3:37 But here's what you're going to do. You're going to call those people at least one of them every day. It doesn't matter if you call five tomorrow you still have to call one tomorrow, or you fall call five today you still have to call one tomorrow, one a day, every day just like a vitamin. So, if you decide to get ambitious doesn't get you off the hook, or tomorrow. So you're on vacation, really, are you on vacation during when you're traveling, whatever is happening to you make one phone call every day, you have to put something in action. Here's the way that phone calls gonna go. You're gonna tell someone you've been thinking about them you're asking about how they are how this whole thing is treating them and let them know that you've been thinking about them, and you have a couple ideas you'd like to run by them. You can't ask Can they meet face to face but you could say do you want to meet on zoom or right here Do you want to meet on FaceTime. What's better for you but I'd love to share them if you're interested in hearing it. 4:43 And most people are going to be flattered and say yes. And then from there, you're going to share, literally, you've got to have good idea so right so you can't make this up. But you have to share the game plan. 4:58 I mean, what have you thought about with this person so let me give you a for instance, this afternoon, I met with a woman named Marilyn. I'm meeting with her on a volunteer basis. Look, I'm extremely busy I'm in the middle of lunch for the other side of my business and there's a lot to do, but. 5:19 Earlier this year, her husband was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, that's all before COVID-19 hit. 5:27 And she's lost. And she was going to discontinue her membership. And I reached out to her about it and about why the reason why is she's feeling so disconnected and wants to pull away from people she's just not liking crowds. Even online crowds to participating in the members area and talking really isn't something she wants to do now, but you know I think she's at a point in her life when she needs to be taking care of herself, more than ever, because she's going to be doing a lot of caregiving in the next few months and potentially years. And it's not gonna be easy. So if she stops now she disconnects now what will happen. I don't think it's what we want. So I offered to have her stay in the membership, but also offered my services for the next 90 days so for 12 weeks in a row I'm her accountability coach. And what I'm doing for her is laying out the plan. I said I see myself is just your accountability check in. We'll talk about what's been the problem this past week, what's been your goal, what days you're planning to do the things you agree to do what might be obstacles and how you can overcome them. So that you've got a place to report, you've got an organized plan in front of you for these next seven days. How does that sound. 7:00 And of course she said Good. Now, you may come up with a plan for whoever it is you're talking to and they may not agree, but chances are if you are very thoughtful and you sit down with this in mind, with them in mind knowing their past history knowing what they've said is important to them. Chances are, with somebody, thinking about them. That kind of flattery is fairly rare that kind of being cared for, is fairly rare outside of your very small nucleus seven in an immediate family, people will listen. 7:39 And even if what it is you offer doesn't land on them exactly right. 7:46 They may suggest something else, and then you're having a conversation, not about if you'll work together but about how you'll work together. And at the end of that conversation you will finally get to, what are the details, how will this work how much will it be, because that shouldn't be the last thing that you talk about the detail is how you're going to help them, how you're going to help them stay accountable the transformation that it's going to bring to them and what it's going to mean to them right now. During this moment. 8:19 And that is it. But that simple action, you'll take every day calling one person. 8:27 Not only could change somebody's life, not only essentially change 365 lives. Now look at a lot of cases you're going to call somebody and leave a message. So on Sundays, you may have a return phone call, but you have to make that new outreach. 8:47 Even that could change a business in the best of times, let alone the worst of times, how it happened could be by phone by Facebook by Skype by zoom. 8:59 Make it work for the both of you, not for one. 9:04 And there you have it, how you can build your business from the ground up. It may look different than it did before, you may not need to be standing next to somebody or demonstrating with them. What they may need is for you to help hold them accountable to share with them videos that they can want on their own. 9:24 It could be much more simple than you might be trying to make it. Having a digital or a virtual business isn't really the point. The point is the value in the transformation that it creates. And you, my friend, have the skill and the talent to do that. 9:43 That's it. That's all I've got for today. But that one little gem. 9:50 Might just transform your business. 9:53 I'd love to hear from you. You can put your comments at the bottom of the show notes at Fitness marketing mastery.com, forward slash build your business. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/build-your-business |
Sun, 12 July 2020
Your emails don’t get sales because of your copy. It may be your subject line, or your content or both. Subject Lines are Only the Beginning First, they have to open it though so let’s start with the best subject lines. You can GOOGLE the “best subject lines of all time” and get a bullet point list of some. But that’s not the best way to get your customers to open. The best way is to know them. Then you learn to write copy… copy that converts. You can’t copy someone else’s copy… but you can learn from it. What’s the difference between copy writing and copy that sells? So that you can understand why your emails don’t get sales and flip the switch? Copy is sometimes clever, so carefully grammar and punctuation checked, that it misses connection. You’re neither writing for your college literature professor or for an article in Science Digest. You’re writing to get someone to take the next step. You’re having a conversation with the reader. If you’re not thinking about what they currently think and feel you’ll never connect with them. If you’re not thinking about what the logical next step is for them, you haven’t come up with a Call to Action (CTA) makes sense for what you want them to do next. How can you write good copy? The kind that gets you sales? Not the kind that makes you comfortable or is grammatically correct? Not the kind that tells your reader how smart you are or how much they don’t know and need you for… because even that dance is tricky. If you offend someone or convince them they are doing it so wrong right now without making an emotional connection, you won’t inspire them to keep reading. It may be true, but you’ve got to take their side. Nothing bonds like a common enemy. So … play it that they haven’t failed, the system failed them. Like COVID19 has bonded a lot of people in the world – we all want this over. No one likes wearing a mask. What can you have in common with your audience, not know better than them? Big Reasons Emails Don’t Get Sales (and what to do about it)
Take action: Take an hour every day this week and write. Write in a whole new way. And even if your open rate is far about industry average, and your click through rate is too, we always strive to improve it, right?
When you can take someone from pre-aware that there is a problem, to awareness there’s a problem, to awareness there’s a solution, and that you have a solution, and that your solution is the only solution… That’s the role of good copy. Know exactly who you’re writing for when you write copy. Are they aware they have a problem? Are they aware what they’re doing isn’t working? Or are they pre-aware there is even a problem with the way they’re exercising? If you haven’t really sat down and thought about first, what stage the customer you are writing a love letter too is in, how can you really write anything that will help them? This is a game changer. You’ll go from finding your emails don’t get sales to a significant change in your email conversions. And you’ll feel better about the messages you’re sending. Marketing after all is a conversation when it’s done best. Resources in this episode: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist Private Fit Pros Facebook group
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Sat, 11 July 2020
You may think a fitness passion is an indicator of your fitness business success. But how are you are earning money for that fitness passion? If you even slightly had a negative reaction to that question, stay with me. Unless you merge your fitness passion with a healthy money relationship you won’t reach the success level you want. Burning Fitness Passion? Have you said any of these things?
Sound familiar? Is your money relationship sabotaging your fitness passion? You have to raise your self-worth before you raise your net-worth. If you say things like, I don’t have to make money… really? Doesn’t money help you influence more people, share a bigger message, and change the world in the way you want to? Whether you spend that money to better support your kids, start a foundation, donate it to the poor, create scholarships, or create business opportunities and jobs for others who wouldn’t have one… money is the way to make a difference. I think it’s time to take a look at the message you’ve always been given about money. And there are a lot of them. They’re on both ends of the continuum. Was This Your Money Foundation?
Limiting Money Beliefs? If you have limiting beliefs about money and having it, making it feels dirty, wrong, or greedy. Or wanting things … certain cars, or homes, or clothing feels indulgent and luxurious or for other people but not you… You potentially have a fitness passion that could ruin your career. Right now more than in January of 2020 and before you can’t afford this one thing for sure. You can’t afford a fitness passion without a love relationship with money. What just happened? Did you take offense and have a hard time hearing me say a love relationship with money? Pay attention because that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Do a lot of questioning right now
I don’t have all the answers for you. You first have to be willing to dive into your relationship with money. You need to open your accounts daily or at least weekly. You need to look specifically at the revenue you generate and what you spend. Trainers and fitness instructors are notorious for spending money on clothes and shoes not really considered as “required uniforms” and because you wear them for things other than work exclusively it’s not legal to use them as a deduction. And the forgotten thing is often, it is still an expense. It isn’t “free” because it’s a write-off. It still costs you far more than you get for a deduction. Money Pros I suggest you connect with an accountant who is up to speed in all things fitness industry. Also find a resource that can help you manage your own money and learn how to save for your future. The younger you are when you start, the better. But if you love what you do, and you’re good at earning and saving more than you spend it’s never too late to build wealth. A fitness passion without a positive relationship with your money can be an expense rather than an asset. It’s not too late to get curious about your money, where it goes, and how it can grow. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist Krisstina Wise Wealthy Wellthy podcast & programs
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Fri, 10 July 2020
What’s the Know, Like, and Trust Myth? The fitness business lies you’ve been told weren’t always lies. They’re often carefully hidden in a partial truth. At one time they may have been true. Right now, during corona, and in the future after the pandemic is under control, there is one specific myth I want to tackle here. It’s this: Customers need to know, like, and trust you. If you’ve been in business and done a little marketing homework, that’s what you’ve been told.
The customers who will buy from you need to believe they are like you or you are like them. They have to see themselves in you. Even if they aren’t there now, if you ignite or reignite some desire they have, then you are closer to creating a fan, a follower, and a customer. Three Types of Customers
This last group needs a lot of nurturing. It’s your job to make sure you have content for each of those types of avatars. The first group is ready to join you and take action. They want to start you just need to give them a simple point of entry. How do you increase your “Like” Factor Faster? Share you. Business is getting personal. Think about it. You’re in people’s living rooms, kitchens, and ears. With the increased likelihood you’re doing business online if you’re going to stay in business, you need your content to feel like it’s on that intimate level too. A cold, quote unquote, professional presentation is not going to warm up a cold audience. A Story about Getting Personal I had a customer last year reach out to me. She wanted to join my membership site but she couldn’t afford the single payment. She wanted to know if I could split it so she could do the more economical annual payment but split in two. She explained her circumstance. She had a young adult daughter with Down’s Syndrome, she was working full time and trying to juggle selfcare with it all. I called her personally. Her daughter heard me leave the voicemail and ran upstairs to tell the mom that someone called, and she thought she recognized the voice as someone she knew. It turns out the daughter was also doing the workouts with her mom. You may or may not know Down’s Syndrome patients also have weight issues that predispose them to health risks. That’s the kind of personal reach you want to have. If you ever called and talked to customers live they feel like they know you personally, not just as some authority figure. Ways to do this:
Leave your professional, cold voice at home. No one wants it today. They need connection with people not a business. If you’ve done okay doing it your way with cold, professional, made-up, dressed-up content before this, try getting real. You’ll accelerate the connection and improve your know, like, and trust factor in a much more authentic way. Last Note You may have imposter syndrome and think you have to convince people of your qualifications and justify why you by being falsely “professional.” For others it’s potentially not the first thing of importance. They want connection. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist
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Thu, 9 July 2020
Tempted to buy marketing templates that take care of your newsletters and social media posts? Stop. Unless you want to donate money to the seller. Here’s why it will never get you results. Especially since the world changed in March 2020. The problem is not the quotes, or the posts, it’s the lack of YOU in them. Why You Really Can't Use Other People's Templates It’s the lack of you using analytics (that are FREE on every social media platform) that kills your social media marketing. No one is you. If you’re given a template you’ve taken personal training and already watered it down. Personal training that is about the uniqueness of an individual – their flexibility, mobility, strength, endurance, their alignment, their daily repetitive movements and postures… should also be about the optimal match between the client and the unique trainer. You're the Brand You’re unique in your “why” and your education, and credentials, in your life history and work history. You’re unique in your brand. Marketing templates that give you the same quote cards and memes, even images to use as any other trainer, make you lost in the sea of hundreds of thousands of trainers pouring content online. What’s happening now is that the few that are good, really good, really connecting are standing out. You can still find room to stand out too. What you do need is a system. You need a style guide, and a way to create blog posts that don’t take you 8 hours like many other well-researched articles can. You want to know how to generate SEO for gaining traffic organically before you ever spend money on advertisements. The short cuts right now? The work every day. Your GPS So, it’s true my friend. You will work harder. You will not have it handed to you. And it’s also true that you will sustain your career by rolling up your sleeves. I will add a link in this very short episode for both the Style Guide, and for the 5-Minute Blog posts. If you don’t have content on your website, start with the 5 Minute Blog Posts. Block off three hours. Create 6-8 blog posts of at a minimum 300 words. Give each a scientific reference and an internal link your website. Don’t ask a blog reader to buy something. Ask them to leave a comment or question. Ask them to follow you on social media. When you have the right actions in the right sequence you will create a business that will last. Resources: Leave a rating, comment, and subscribe in iTunes Ask a question there and I’ll answer it in a future podcast |
Wed, 8 July 2020
What are the Best Social Media Fitness Posts? Looking for the key to fitness posts and wondering why you can’t get any traction? Well, here’s what’s getting in the way for most fitness centers and trainers. Especially if you’re an introvert! Because as far as social media and fitness posts, it’s the personal ones that do best. That’s you … a person… talking, sharing, taking someone on a tour of your home, your kitchen, your pantry, your gym. It’s you… having your massage therapist, nutritionist, personal training director or most popular trainer do the same. It’s you as the general manager or owner getting on talking about what YOU do… and what you struggle with, what a typical day is for you. Your Best Social Media Fitness Posts for Personal Training & Fitness Programs Now Connection with people who feel isolated, lost, uncertain, and need a positive message that fitness can provide is a foot-in-the door for fitness professionals who will do the work. You have to do something that many trainers aren’t willing to do. You have to 1) open the kimono and 2) share the imperfect side of your life 3) tie it to your audience. If you can do that, and will do it consistently you can win hearts, alienate the people you are so wrong for anyway, and you will help people. This episode is all about what makes the best social media posts. Best Social Media Fitness Posts right now include:
In the episode I break down each of these and give you examples of how you can use them. Here’s how you take your unique qualities and create the best social media fitness posts to position you for your ideal customers. Tie Your Business to Your Social Posts Combine your unique interests and skills with your client’s desired transformation and the unique method you use to get it for them. Are you an artist? (that’s one of mine) and do you help athletes or midlife women like I do? And how do you do it? Even if you think you don’t have a unique method or system, I bet you do. You meet with a client first by? Phone call or consultation, currently by zoom. Nothing unique?
You may not be able to see this “thing” yourself. Someone else can though… consider asking someone else- a dozen someone else’s to tell you why working with you was so great and got them such good results when nothing else had. Then go back through the list… and you’ll have a better idea of how to tell stories and you can also plant the seed about your unique process/method/or system in all of your messages. As you keep mentioning over and over again, people will want to know more. End Notes In this episode we covered the prompts for the best social media fitness posts right now. They’re personal. You have to connect. And we covered the what is missing in many posts that could be “best” … but that won’t ever result in more business. When you use your special sauce and combine these, you will steadily see your influence and your leads begin to grow. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist
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Tue, 7 July 2020
Fitness testimonials are still one of the best ways to connect to your next customer. If you can get your customer to create a video answering these questions I’m going to share with you – whether they do it on their phone or you record it on yours or in the social distancing Zoom or Skype recordings of the moment, video is gold. If not video, then get them to write it and ask if you can use their picture with it. If not their picture, their full name. If not their full name first name and last initial. And age is also relevant when you’re gathering fitness testimonials. Another strategy is to ask a question in your Facebook group. Your paid program probably has a private Facebook group. Ask questions:
How to Edit You can ask permission of these people to use their posts OR you can screenshot them and block out their name and profile image. It still shows in real time and in a believable representation, someone else- not you – took time to add a comment and we’ve come to believe that if it’s from Facebook it’s legit. What doesn’t work? Fitness testimonials you’re talking about what someone else said. You can make that up and whether you would, you did, or you didn’t, if your customer really doesn’t believe enough in your services to do a video, write a letter, send some kind of tangible proof they are raving fans and recommend you, then it’s probably not a good fitness testimonial. The more like your ideal client the subjects you choose for your fitness testimonials are the better. If you’re choosing to ask clients that aren’t like your ideal clients you’re wasting your time. Outstanding Examples There’s definitely a reason you might want to choose someone people aspire to be, someone in the public eye that people know and respect. Maybe they show how someone as busy as the mayor or the president of the university can do it, so the watcher will think, I can too. But if they’re too different, too eccentric, they aren’t in the same income category or educational status as your ideal customers, then it won’t do you as much good. How to Get Started with Your Fitness Testimonials So, you want to first go to any of your prior clients, the ones who got great results – and remember great results aren’t always a before and after picture. Sometimes it’s reducing or stopping medications or gaining confidence and not something as visible as losing 25 lbs. Then you want to make sure you ask for what you really want – video first. If you don’t get it, at least, you’ll have a default if they won’t do video, you can ask for a written or social media fitness testimonial instead. Let them know you’ll send them the questions you’d like them to answer so you make it really easy for them. That way you do make it easy for them and you take control of the content you’re going to get. Tell your client that you’d really appreciate it if they use the question to start their statement. Personalize Focus on problems you help in your questions, too. If you work with people who have back pain, or fibromyalgia, or osteoporosis, get specific with your questions. How were you feeling in regard to your back pain before you started? How was your strength before you began personal training? Then once they answer, you may prompt them with… How is life different for you now? It’s really nice if you’re there with them and doing video but if you can’t be try to either write it or use a voice message. You can create a voice message on your phone and just have them pause and record their responses. They can send them all to you and you can edit them to create one video or keep the short clips to use in a variety of ways. Summary There you have it. It’s easy to do. If you have a little more time than you wanted right now, it’s a perfect time to get these. Update your old ones. Fitness testimonials are important to people finding you. Remember the greatest value though is in that next customer finding someone in your prior customer – as well as you – being like them. It’s not just that they need to know, like, and trust you. They need to feel that you are like them. More on that in an upcoming podcast. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist Try Speak Pipe for audio recordings |
Mon, 6 July 2020
You’re going to make a fitness marketing mistake during your career. Otherwise you’re not trying hard enough. Most success comes from trial and error. With marketing something works for a while until it doesn’t and that’s how you know to change. During this particular time however there are mistakes that are easy to avoid. And 5 of them are in this episode Key Points to Help You Avoid Your Next Fitness Marketing Mistake: 1) Selling the same thing you were selling January 2020 There are unique problems happening right now. Uncertainty, and less cash flow are true for some. If you know your clients you know if that’s them. So low-ticket offers can be a smart thing to do. Get them into a short-term program not an ongoing, open-ended program. Focus on the right now problems they have. 2) Targeting a market that has shrunk or disappeared. Target those with urgency, fear, and with money rather than those who were barely able to pay. There are a lot of people who don’t have time right now. Our time has turned into more work not less. Don’t assume that everyone is sitting around. 3) Thinking no one is spending money right now You won’t do anything if you believe this. It’s just not true. And remember you’re not selling services to just those in your backyard right now either. At least you don’t have to. 4) Waiting and worrying for things to get back to normal It’s not going back to the same business or the lazy way trainers were fed clients by clubs. The revenue inside gyms is going to be lower. The clients inside gyms are fewer. Clients of your local gym have access to trainers worldwide and know it now. Unless they have sessions paid in advance, you need to be not just a trainer. You need to be the trainer they need. Waiting for someone else to figure it out for you 5) Being tone deaf. Look everyone wants a little normalcy right now. We don’t want to keep talking about this virus and all that brings. But we also can’t ignore the fact it’s changed things. Especially in your fitness business. So, you should be talking about it. This is easily the biggest fitness marketing mistake of them all. You’ve forgotten how to have a conversation. They’re just people. Your people. Talk to them. Mentions in this Episode: |
Sun, 5 July 2020
Do you have a true fitness community? People are social beings. There’s so much documented about longevity and health connected to social connections. This COVID19 has gone on long enough that everyone to some degree is missing the connection with their groups, attending events of like-minded people, and the health benefits that come with it. If you are in a fitness center if you’re in one, the same people aren’t all choosing to be there in a group. Schedules have changed such that the same faces aren’t there for those members that do come in. You can be a solution to this problem and provide yourself with a unique way to learn what offers right now may be of interest to your prospective members. You can use this as both nurturing for current clients and attractive for prospective clients. Platforms
The idea is to create a community within a community. You may think you’ve done that with your membership. The reality is some of your members have nothing in common. You want to find ways to connect people to each other, not just to you. Then serve them in that group. Think clusters of smaller groups with special interests. Ideas for Developing small fitness community groups
How to Handle the Workload Got a team? Have one of them do one a week. Give each day of the week a theme. Focus on doing them Monday- Friday and use the weekend to send them out in emails. (to your segmented list that wants them). By the way this segmented list is the key to your success. If you’re still emailing everyone on your list every time you email, now more than ever you’re killing your success. If you send all your emails out to all your customers, you can’t nurture your people with what they really want. You ignore their behavior which is a clue that you’re not talking to them about anything that’s interesting to them. If customers aren’t opening your emails because the title or the contents were never for them if they did? It’s a pretty sure thing that you’re never going to sell them. Don’t Forget Fitness Community Segments You’ve Ignored How long have you been ignoring the people on your list that your personal trainers have the least in common with? The guys in the weight room more than you think they should be? They definitely have something they want. They’re there early every morning or every night after work. There is probably something they would respond to if you started talking about it. You can talk about protein needs, recovery, ability to gain lean muscle or avoiding injury from XXX by switching out to ABC. Wouldn’t there be value in finding out if you’re leaving money on the table? More Topics to Get You Started Have a nutritionist or health coach teach cooking or simple ways to eat well. Get specific. Teach to a special audience. Teach to older adults. Teach to moms with young kids. Teach to the cooking-for-one older or younger segments. Do a segment on salads in a jar, making dips and dressings, talking about the difference between keto and paleo. Have your massage therapist teach a myofascial release session. Although you think that will decrease the need for their work you couldn’t be further from the reality. Random bits of information in videos ultimately give you the opportunity to serve first, engage with them, gain trust, and see that they need and want more structure than just this. Do It Live If you’re a procrastinator worried about what people will think, getting flustered or getting it perfect? Focus on the real connection when you’re human. No one wants perfect. Be relatable, especially now. Everyone has roots grown out, unruly hair, has gained a couple pounds, is a bit forgetful… talk about that in fact. Do it live even if…. There doesn’t seem to be a large live audience. There’s something about live that is attractive and real and raw (Just like I would say if you’re not recording live classes you’re teaching (and you’re paying people who aren’t working?) you’re crazy! You should be recording your spinning instructors, your yoga classes, your Zumba classes, and sharing those with your customer base. Whether you gift them a new video weekly in a member’s area and organize by category or you use this area as a new product to sell right now, it’s gold and you’re wasting an opportunity. After You Have the Live Meeting Share the recordings in emails. Segment your list for those that want the food, the core, the stretching, the yoga for cyclists & runners…. Whatever your themes are. Don’t make the mistake of doing what you want to do. Base this on the most popular classes you have (the ones that were packed) and poll your customer (Survey Monkey or Typeform) base. Don’t Skip the Survey Let them tell you what they want. Segment your members into personal training clients, group fitness attendees, and the rest. You might also include massage therapy clients. How You Ask Is Everything Ask a few short questions. Include a list of some of the topics above. Have them check the ones they’re most interested in. Then ask them to list them in order of importance – say their top 3. Include one open-ended option for them to add a topic that would support them most. What’s your biggest challenge right now? What topic area interests you most? Have them include their gender, age, and email. With the email you have a way to segment them or follow up with them. A Real Fitness Community Everyone has a voice and a vote. I know you have to set the Standard Operating Procedures and contrary to popular belief the customer is not always right or going to choose what they need. But people buy what they want. So you will find out what they want and be able to serve them, engage them, support their messy lives right now, by asking them. If you’re not emailing your best customers, your next customers, and your prior customers regularly you’re missing an opportunity that they’re finding online in other groups. Why not yours? Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist 12+ Marketing Fitness Ideas Podcast Show notes fitnessmarketingmastery.com/community |
Sat, 4 July 2020
Need a New Fitness Marketing Idea for Right Now? Feel like possibilities and leads have dried up? Even your current clients aren’t interested right now? I get it, these are unique times. But when everyone is lamenting about how hard it is, there’s an opportunity for some. You just have to focus on the changes for customers as you take action. Fitness Marketing Idea #1 Email frequently If you’re scared people will unsubscribe if you email more than once a week… or if you have let your list go cold and don’t even mail once a week, I’ve got news. They are waiting to hear from you. They want health and fitness content right now. They’re too close to the refrigerator, they can’t sleep and they a need strong immune system. I say this with respect, if you are afraid of emailing you’re really afraid you have no idea what you’re doing and you don’t know where to get help. I’ll link to prior podcasts and blogs that help you with this. And in a podcast tomorrow I’ll help you generate ideas. You need to start warming them up again. You need to communicate regularly with something of value. They aren’t waiting to hear what you want to sell though. That’s not giving them value. So if that’s all you do, you’ll soon burn out your list. Fitness Marketing Idea #2 Know what your clients open
Fitness Marketing Idea #3 Segment your list If you still email in one batch to everyone on your list… even those who never answer or haven’t for more than 30 or 60 days you’re hurting delivery and having the wrong conversation with them. It’s time to clean up your list. Regularly. Keep them in a group – knowing 85% of your list doesn’t buy right away. They have to think about it for up to two years. I’ve literally had customers say to me they’ve been on my email list, listened to podcasts and read my blogs and books for a couple years before they ever buy. So keep the long game in mind even now. And know that some of those long game people may have urgency in COVID19 they didn’t have before. Fitness Marketing Idea #4 Better titles and email subject lines I’ve shared before my favorite tools – like Headline Analyzer and I’m linking to it here. Save your headline for last, just like you save a subject line of an email til last. Then create 15 to 20 of them and play with them until they get a good score on this Headline Analyzer tool and they’re rich for the key words you’re going for on your site. Fitness Marketing Idea #5 Get engagement If you’ve segmented your list, and you’re writing better subject lines – after you’ve written content that answers questions, you need to make it a conversation. Every email should have a call to action (CTA). Sometimes that is simply to click on the video you’ve embedded in the email. Others it’s to click to your website where you have the recipe for the image you put in your email. In another podcast I talked about polls and surveys. Everyone loves to be asked and to give their opinion. So poll regularly. Let them know you’ll share results. Right now polling about wearing masks, or exercising at home vs fitness centers, or cooking in or eating out would be topics people definitely have an opinion on. ASK! Then share the results next week. You’ve given two great reasons to engage with you. When you get that kind of action on emails, when you are asking them to learn more about a program they are more likely to click to that too. Fitness Marketing Idea #6 Use “you” YOU is simply the #1 most powerful marketing word in the world. However, “you guys” is one of the worst. Check in with your social media manager or copy editor for emails. You need them to be good at copy writing, not grammar, and not English literature until the time you stop needing to persuade someone. Fitness Marketing Idea #7 Use emojis The open rate for emails with subject lines is 56%. You could overuse that too. So try once a week. The copy you choose for the subject line still matters. The content inside better be targeted to the one individual opening that email. Don’t waste an email open on content that doesn’t serve your subscriber or you’ll lose them. Fitness Marketing Idea #8 Use infographics, lists, and photos of the transformation Pictures speak a thousand words. No secret. And images like infographics that teach or show are savable. You can also share those on social media. They’re hot right now when they’re done well. Fitness Marketing Idea #9 Get quality content on your site Make it SEO-rich with key words your ideal customer searches for. Do they search for Pilates? Or do they search for an answer to a problem? Fitness Marketing Idea #10 Be Customer-focused Ask them, answer them. Serve them. Meet them where they are. Polls and surveys are the easiest and fastest way to learn more about what they want and will buy. Fitness Marketing Idea #11 Use testimonials with names, and images, or videos No one believes it when you say “customer said” unless you use a name, age, something to make it real. First and last name is good. Image is better. Video is best. Fitness Marketing Idea #12 Create video stories Not stories on FB or IG, though you might do that too. Tell stories, show prospective customers how to do something or how not to. Show them what it’s like to work with you. If you’re worried about your hair and make-up, you’re on the wrong track. If you’re worried about getting it perfect or making mistake, you’re not thinking about customers. Once you’re out of your head you will deliver the take that is going to connect you with others. BONUS Fitness Marketing Idea Lead, Don’t Follow. Leaders make choices based on best for everyone. In your case, that may be you and your clients. That may be you, your employees and customers. Right now you probably need to make money or you need to constantly be changing the way you used to do business. You’re forced to think bigger and globally instead of 25-mile radius if you’ve been a face-to-face service provider. What you do doesn’t come with a GPS or a road map or a model that’s been used before. Don’t wait for it. Don’t keep ideas to yourself. Watch what’s working. Apply it to your own model. Know When To Ask Are you constantly giving free live sessions away and never making an offer? Lead. People need organized step-by-step progressive fitness. Random acts of dropping in or choosing Pilates, or yoga, or weight training for toned arms does not equal specific results. Specific protocols and plans for specific people gets specific results. So ignore what others are doing. Do what is best for best results. Change what you’re doing not just to abide by restrictions. Do it in all of your services. Get rid of negative talk about the situation. Yours and others. What are you waiting for? Make a difference like only you can today. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist
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Fri, 3 July 2020
Procrastination got you? Feeling helpless? I’m not saying you don’t have reasons. We all do. And yet, there’s never been a time when health, a strong immune system is more important to every single human than now. Everyone needs to exercise. From the physical immune-boosting benefits, to the avoidance of muscle and bone loss, to the mood boosting and support for anxiety and depression, or enhanced sleep benefits, we need it. Right now all of those are top priorities for many more people than realized it before. So, while the gym may be closed, or it may be limited in capacity, and it may not be the place people feel safe, your services are still much-needed. So how can you stop wishing, worrying, and waiting? I’m going to share 4 reasons procrastination shows up in the first place. You’re not alone and you’re justified, my friend. But there are things you can do to get out of this and to feel better. And those who are staying in action, are staying positive, and who are finding solutions for what’s happening now, not trying to sell the same thing they were selling in January 2020, are going to be okay. #1 FEAR Fear is the number one reason for procrastination. Actually, right now nearly everyone has some level of fear. Hopefully you have an equal “it will be alright” attitude of optimism. Even if you can’t see it, believing that will help. You may not know how to get from here to there but you’ll figure it out. Do one thing, one small thing that you’re scared of every day. Heading into the unknown is one of them. You may have had a system of doing things or followed someone else’s for years, even decades, but even if it’s only months, now you have no system. We haven’t had time yet to figure out a new system entirely. A system gets predictable, consistent results repeatedly. In the moment we’re in, some of the predictable has fallen out. But the building blocks of it are still there. You solve problems. Figure out how to do that now. With existing clients and with new clients. Some of your prospects may be people who had a routine before this all happened. Then their world has changed. They have more on their minds, and may be a new source of clients who need help with a routine and an anchor every day. You don’t have to do the proverbial get out of your comfort zone. Just think of it as stretching the comfort zone you have. Things in your life have happened and either we shrink or grow from them. If you’re still listening, you’re someone who grows. Step-by-step So create a step in the right direction, away from procrastination. Fear only gets to stick around if you imagine that you had one option and you were doing it. That is only the way you were perceiving it. Can you allow yourself to believe that there are a dozen ways to do what you really did anyway? You solved problems. You did it in a unique way that people wanted to work with you. Identify those people. What was it about them that is similar? What did they all like specifically about you? Why did they stay with you? If they were the people you loved working with… you can start getting over your fear by starting to connect with more of them again. Can you make just one video today talking to that ideal customer? Can you call every client you know and ask if they’d like to do a virtual small group accountability training? Can you contact someone who is successfully doing what you want to do and ask for help? Take one small action in the direction of your fear. #2 OVERWHELM If you’re trying to picture the future 5 and 10 years and all you have to do you invite overwhelm. Especially now. There’s a reason to dream and have a vision. Can you just focus on how many people you’re going to contact today? How many people do you need to follow up on? Just one thing all week. For me, it was reaching out to 10 people a day about my TEDx talk. I shared it with each. That led to them sharing, to new coaching clients, to speaking opportunities and it’s an easy anchor in overwhelm. Find a way to sort through all the possible things you could do today and do the biggest needle mover. If you have one step you're much less likely to succumb to procrastination. #3 UNCERTAINTY Right now this is a hot bed for not doing anything but hanging with the family or friends, or just the couch. While that has been part of the silver lining of COVID19, you’ve got to ask if you’re hiding behind it. Truth is no one can be certain of whether this is 6 months, 12, or what the forever changes will be. But you can still be certain people need health, immunity, positivity, protection against disease that appropriate exercise brings. You can be certain of one step. Plan a few small steps are that are reasonable. Baby steps. Procrastination comes easy when you're uncertain. Choose one much smaller step than normal. #4 PERFECTIONISM Take action, imperfect action. Elizabeth Lombardo, a friend and fellow mastermind member is a well-know frequent guest expert on the Today Show and GMA. She’s has her own reasons to be stuck. Her husband was diagnosed about 4 years ago with Lou Gherig’s disease after countless weeks and months of mysterious illnesses. Her mantra before and now? Done is better than perfect. Plan for it not to be perfect. You know these shoes. You put new clients in them all the time. They are CEOs and outstanding in their work and world. Then they come into the fitness center and they’re not good at it or that’s their perception. With pounds of weight, no energy, and habits that make them feel terrible exercising, they expect after years of no exercise to be good at it. You’re not going to be good at something you’ve never done before. Plan on it. Plan on doing it anyway. If you do it badly there’s a chance you can get better at it. Baby steps. Not good at sales? Or don’t like sales? Pick up the phone. You can’t be good at something you never do. There they are, four reasons procrastination may have had you for a moment. And how you can prevent it. Resources: |
Thu, 2 July 2020
Today’s episode is all about how to make better videos and stand out. Let’s face it there are a lot of people online right now. Both your customers and your competitors so you might think that’s good and bad. The truth is its good and good. Consistency Often Wins Few people are going to get in it and stick with it long enough to look at the stats and change what they’re doing to get better results. Consistency if that’s your greatest asset, will get you far. So while you can’t just create videos you think they need, you need to create fitness videos they want and meet them where they are, you can make a very good compromise. This episode is really about diving into what your stats and insights tell you about your videos so that you can make the right decisions. SO if you haven’t been using analytics to your advantage on your fitness videos, now is the time.
Are They Yours? What you want to know from there is are those people coming to your email list? To do that you have to have something they want and will exchange their email address for. So while I’m not going to go into that now, I’ve got blogs and podcasts on how to create something of value that customers can consume in a short amount of time and get a quick win. You’ve got to be looking at your Google analytics too. If you’re using YouTube or Facebook or Instagram, are you able to see that your social media channels, particularly the one you want to shine are actually a source of traffic on your site. What You'll Learn to Grow Your List From my own analytics for instance I know that I have both organic and paid traffic. When I separate and only look at everything but ads my biggest source of traffic is organic traffic – meaning I’m coming up in searches for my key words. That’s thanks to content. Then my next source of traffic is direct meaning people actually know my name or Flipping 50 and they add that to the browser and get to my site. Then? My next source is YouTube. Which is good. I can confirm that the time and effort I put in making videos is worth it and then I may want to use ads to grow further. Analytics Then you want to look at the videos that got the top number of views during a certain period. What do people like? And is it inspiring subscribers? Are they watching the content longer? What were the most popular topics? Is this seasonal? Is it consistent? What’s the truth about the popular top 10? Say you have 3 or 4 videos in your top 10 that have titles about arms Or you have several that are titles featuring abs or core You’re looking for the themes that attract the most people First Funnel What you have is the beginning of a funnel. So create a cheat sheet that goes deeper into the topic that the most people are clicking on. Place a call to action in your video to get your cheat sheet. You have to have an email service – something like Constant Contact or AWeber or Mailchimp are common ones to start out with. Free to Fee When you send them from the video to the website you’ll have your webform there. Front and center where they’ll opt in for your freebie. From there you nurture them with similar content, and offer them a service or product that makes sense. Keep in mind that right now people need a different type of product or service than they used to need and want. So think problem solve. I’ll link to yesterday’s podcast where I talked all about problem solving – the mindset of trainers who are thriving right now. There you have it, how to make videos that serve a purpose for both you and customers who are looking for answers to problems. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist Think your fitness career is down the drain? I call BS Show notes: Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/grow-your-list |
Wed, 1 July 2020
Are you a trainer whose business is down the drain? You think that everything that you just spent your last 20 or 30 or 10 or 4.. recent college grad, I’m talking to you, is all down the drain? I call B.S. This episode is all heart… and more than a little frustration. If you think right now that your education, and all that time that you put into learning how to be a personal trainer or how to be a health coach is a waste of time or it's down the drain. You my friend, are pretending you're a victim. And you are not. If you choose not to be. That is, you've got to get creative. I know people who will survive, people who are truly personal trainers, understand that they weren't just somebody who had a job. If you think about what you do, and what I do and how I've done for 36 years…. Its problem solving. We solve problems. You can solve problems on the telephone, you can solve problems, via FaceTime, you can solve problems via Skype, using zoom. People have problems and you can solve them today just like you could in January and in July 2019. You can use any combination of those tools, but those are just the platforms. It doesn't change the way you relate to someone. If you can only deliver your services by demonstrating them? You may be in need of improving your communication skills. How well can you articulate, either through your voice by speaking it, and giving excellent cues, or by writing it, or transcribing what you speak? So you are an excellent instructor. You can cue. You can tell someone how to do something where to feel it, where not to feel it, and how to correct their movement. With the excellent articulation of your instructions. No one took that away from you. If you can do that speaking. You could simply transcribe it so it's written. And you have minimal editing to do to make that. I did exactly that with this episode. I created it while on a walk, talking to my phone. But every episode is also a blog post at the show notes on the site. So the transcription has time stamps. You can create a checklist, a description that accompanies a video of yourself. Now you have a product that you can sell. Not just to one client, one time, one hour at a time. No, you can sell one thing over and over and over. If you're open to possibilities. And you are really somebody who's passionate, not just about getting dressed, being in a position where you are in front of a mirror, or on a stage, you can do this. If you're really about problem solving, then you’re not seeing this as a huge obstacle after more than 3 months. It’s just a reason to get creative. There is always going to be a business model for trainers for health coaches for fitness instructors who are excellent at communication. As long as they don't get stuck, thinking there's only one model of delivery. Pick up your telephone call those people who you had been helping. They still have problems. They need them solved. But the problem somebody has, in June and July and August of 2020 and far beyond that, during COVID-19 are different than the problems that they had in January in February of 2019 or 2019 or 2018. So, if you've been a trainer for a while and you're stuck, thinking, the gym is closed (that you worked for), or it's open but clients aren't feeling safe coming back in. You really don't have a problem. You have opportunities. Because your gym isn't serving these people. So you have two options. If you were working for a gym, you either approach the owner or the manager and suggest that collectively as a team, you begin to deliver service in virtual or digital way, by phone, by Skype by FaceTime, by zoom a combination of those with products or single sessions. That you create that serve problems. And you've got to remember that this is opportunity. This may actually make you a better trainer. If what you've been doing in sessions, has been more about simply accountability. And I don't discount, accountability, because for some people that's 90% of it, but you can still do that in every virtual way that I've just described. You can also be a better problem solver. A blind person it's said has a heightened awareness and use of every other one of their other senses. They can smell, taste, and feel with their fingers, better than they could, better than sighted people, because they're forced to. And when you no longer are simply entertaining, you're no longer distracted by everything else going on in the gym, by everything else that a client might be talking to you about, or that you might be excited to talk to them about like what happened to you last night or last weekend. What you're looking forward to tomorrow or next weekend…they've done this weekend and they're doing next weekend. You know, it's part of conversation, as you're building rapport with your customers. Sometimes that becomes the conversation. Sometimes, to the extent that your training is actually overshadowed by the need for a social life for your client, and maybe for you. If you think about it, we all spend a lot of time at work, more time that we spent in our own homes. Sometimes with our families. And sometimes we can get confused and the boundaries get blurred. When you take yourself to digital delivery your other senses will improve. You'll become a better problem solver. So rather than thinking about a creative workout for your client, what you'll be doing more of is creating a workout that solves the problems of that unique client. And when there's one individual who has those problems there's another one. There may be 10. And there may be dozens, and there may be hundreds, or maybe thousands. And that's where you really give birth to a business model. If one client has lower back issues. If one client has a lack of mobility, solving those kinds of problems, then becomes something you can sell to the masses. Now you have a business model based on problem and solution, not based on personality, not based on how you look, or your popularity. Not based on a single client meeting you for a single hour. There's an opportunity right now that has never been better for trainers who can see it. And if you're willing to do the work you may have a learning curve. But it doesn't take much to learn how to turn on your FaceTime doesn't take not to learn how to record a training session on your phone. That you then have in a library, not just for one client. For many clients. To get started, as soon as you're willing to open up your mind to the fact that the strong will survive the creed, those willing to those who really do have a passion, and that platform inside a gym is only one way to look at things. Don't wait to become better. You can grow and be bigger, and really have a business that's sustainable, potentially than where you were before, where you have more revenue than you had expenses. So create products that people want because they solve problems. Additional Opportunities One of the other opportunities that you've got in front of you is thinking about what do you know, that other trainers and other health coaches need to know. Are there things that you can teach them that they otherwise wouldn't acquire on their own, or that would years for them to acquire, can you accelerate their progress. Can you accelerate or amplify the reach that they can have by teaching them new skills, making them more attractive to more people. Use your skills and apply them to their specific niche or market. For Example So, a trainer works with young student athletes. Maybe High School maybe college. Maybe those that want scholarships, pending we opened back up. At some point, we will. But those students right now may not be working with coaches and won't be necessarily doing team workouts. And those students who have motivation, and they have the programming that can get them ahead. Will Survive potentially and thrive and be the ones who stayed consistent and not waiting for things to blow over. So can you teach. Another trainer, how to use the skills you have, maybe its back pain prevention is your thing, your special power. You go deep in that. who doesn't need that, right? Specifically athletes need it. You know, and so how can you teach that and offer it to them? And you can also teach it to trainers who work with older adults, males or females. You could teach it to trainers who do specifically golf conditioning or back issues are common among golfers. So think about all the populations that you might choose to teach your special sauce to packaging, what do they need to know. So then you've got two different revenue streams coming in. That kind of product or service that you can offer to customers. Virtually on any virtual digital platform. And you've got the same type of delivery system, and platforms available to you to teach to trainers, and generally when you're teaching it to a trainer who will be teaching to multiple consumers, you can charge more. The value of that product is greater. Remember it is now and has always been about the transformation for the client. So that may be a revenue stream that you want to look into. If you are feeling like other things, other methods of increasing or earning revenue have closed their doors, other doors have opened. You’re just not looking for them. And you got to get to the handle of the door and try to turn again. Don't assume that a closed door is locked. Resources: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/programs Show notes: Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/bs |
Mon, 15 June 2020
How Do You Plan Your Fitness Career in These Times? “It’s a mess.” …said dear friend of mine and university lecturer describing what it’s like for kinesiology students who were to graduate or did this spring or summer 2020. “I’m at a place where I don’t have money coming in but I need to invest money in my future.” … said a participant in a recent master class. Sometime in the future this will be the year of COVID19 and you will be looking back knowing exactly what you did and how it worked out. You won’t be stressed or emotional as you talk about it. It will just be a memory. Right now, it may feel like a black hole. There are things you don’t know. What We Know Let me remind you though there are things we do know. We know people can’t be healthy without exercise. We know that they are distracted by other things right now. PPP loans and layoffs and full houses or empty houses, or work-at-home. We know they’re confused by what to do. We know they have so little time and energy. We know they’re scared, potentially depressed or anxious. All of those things point to a need for support, a plan, and that’s a model for business. Especially for those looking for support whose gyms are closed, or even reopened but they don’t feel comfortable. The business you end up working for may not even exist yet. Just 10 days ago authorities projected that 35% of brick-and-mortar businesses won’t be here next year. That’s before the next 6 or 12 months when we don’t yet know what will happen. New Business Models So while it’s easy to focus on the negativity of that, focus on this instead. New businesses will be there instead. They may be online or entirely different hybrid models. You may start your own business. Can you teach? Did you know with Zoom fitness instructors with a following are charging $8/class. Say 100 people do a class. That might work. One class won’t work but if you give people a reason to feel good, they’ll come back. That could be a membership. Instead of $8 a class, $29 a month. You can make it easy. Easy to get started. It’s not hard to set up Venmo or Paypal to accept money. Send the link for the private paid class. That’s figuroutable. How to Plan Your Fitness Career Whether you’re in your 50s and you need to decide how you’ll recreate your business, or you’re in your 20’s with ink waiting to dry on your diploma -or just hoping you get one now that the internship you’d planned has been put on hold indefinitely or cancelled… this is for you. No matter what you need to do right now at the moment - and it may be away from health and fitness - if you’re committed to a career and life in fitness, don’t stop building a foundation. It may feel like there’s nothing. But there is opportunity. When others are quitting, folding, going out of business, there is more opportunity for you. Few others will do the consistent steps I’m going to suggest. They’ll start and then realize it’s not convenient or it’s not earning them any money and they’ll quit. There are trainers and instructors who are getting paid unemployment and enjoying being at home getting paid. They’re probably trainers who should have been fired because anyone on your team complacent is not someone you want to work with. If you will stick with it, it will set you apart. Because no matter if you want to work for yourself or you want to work for someone else when that opportunity arises. Look, online fitness platforms are going to expand and going to be hiring … people all over the world are now potential hires when a business goes digital. What’s True People have found they can exercise at home. Some have enjoyed getting the commuting time back, the ease of any time they’ve got time, and that they’re not dependent on a class. Some have always exercised at home. But one thing most still need… is accountability. They need to report to someone. That is never going to go away. App or no app… talking to a person about what you are going to do, what you did and how it went, the value of that will remain. Start to Plan Your Fitness Career for NOW So, here’s what I’m suggesting you do: establish an online presence. Find your voice. Start getting comfortable with marketing in a way that will feel comfortable to you if you love fitness. No matter what happens in your future influencing someone else will always be a skill you want. And you’ll benefit personally in the process. Create a challenge that you’re willing to do yourself. You’re going to share the whole thing on social media. You can blog it, vlog it, share it in Instagram or Facebook or YouTube lives or recorded video. Here’s a rough idea of how to start. Choose something that is challenging for you.
Make it legit. Choose a walk to run program only if you’ve never been a runner. If you’re already a runner isn’t a true challenge. Cooking for yourself every day for 30 days is only really a challenge if you can’t cook! A yoga challenge is best if you are stiff as a board. Here’s why: people want to be able to root for you. They want to see you struggle. They’ll root for you if you’re more like them. Think reality TV. There have to be just real raw days of you doing this. Where to Do This? Choose a platform you’re already comfortable on and use. You may already have followers or fans. Choose a platform after you choose an audience that you want to work with. It’s the platform they’re on that you want to use. My advice for the project here is do this on a platform you’re already interacting on. You will be more comfortable and have less learning curve. What you’ll be able to do is replicate this whole experience later and do it for another “market” after it works for you. No matter which way you go: talk to ONE person whenever your posting. You want to talk as if you’re talking to a best friend. The best friend most likely to do this with you or want to watch you to see if it works before she does it. Know the Rules If you talk to “you guys” you forget a huge marketing tool. YOU is the most influential word in marketing. Know that anyone person is watching from their phone most likely. So, what “you guys” are you talking to? You’re not. Don’t think about what it’s like for you… think about what it’s like for the viewer. Seem like a small detail? It’s not… your following will drop off, you lose. Every viewer wants to feel special. The mind says, this is for masses, not for me. It feels weird. A listener doesn’t even know why but they begin to think you’re not talking to them. Start a pre-launch. First lesson in marketing! You’re going to choose a start date. Maybe you choose the 1st of the month or a Monday or your birthday happens to be this month. The week or two before that you start talking about this. Post about it, text about it, place polls about it. Invite others to do it with you. Set some “rules” or guidelines around it. Keep asking, polling, and getting engagement from your audience during this pre-launch phase. People like and support things they’ve helped create. They’ll be more personally invested in it. Then start, aka launch. Post the whole story. Track your progress behind the scenes. Are you getting more followers, more engagement? Use your insights. The world is online right now. Yes, you have more competition because of that, but I mentioned about, few people will be consistent. If you can commit to doing something for 30 days, showing up when it’s not convenient, when you don’t want to do it, talk about THAT. That’s real life. And people are resisting health habits now. They’re getting too comfortable staying up late watching Netflix or eating junk because it’s in the house. They’re trying to exercise but there’s no gym. They’re trying not to drink but the wine cellar is right there. You’re a marketing influencer. You have to start somewhere. Marketing is a skill that you will need no matter what else you do. We are all marketing all the time. You’ll learn so much from this little experiment – about how to talk to your audience, about how to attract the right people, and what they love. This doesn’t cost you anything. A little time and creativity. You’ll be in action. And that feels much more in control than waiting to see what you should do. The Gods are not going to open up and reveal the answer. No one in the world has ever gone through this before. Everyone in the world is going through it. Your answer could be just what you need, and maybe others are helped in the process. How Not to Plan Your Fitness Career Don’t wait and worry for things to get back to normal. They are NEVER going to be the same as they were. Ever. If you wait 6, 12, or 18 months for a see-what-happens answer you will have wasted that time. The time is going to pass. Start creating the future you want. Don’t try to do this all yourself. Get a mentor – whether they know it or not – and follow, study. Be careful with this one, however. Don’t surround yourself with people who are doom and gloom or feeling sorry for you. You may be related to them. So, you can’t just leave, but you can get the equal and opposite support. Find groups online, and podcasts to listen to that put positive, actionable steps in your head. Every time you listen to someone/news or around people ask yourself how it makes you feel. You need to find the things that make you feel good and make you want to take action. No leaders later are sitting back right now. They don’t know exactly what they’re doing either but they are making one decision and action at a time all the time. Don’t ignore other opportunities now to help you earn money. Get some money coming in and get grounded as you grow the fitness career you want. You may need to drive for door dash, or be a virtual assistant, or do social media for another business. Don’t however get complacent with that and forget proactively what you really want to do. Ten years from now you’ll still be driving for Lyft if you do that. There you have it the steps to plan your fitness career even in these uncertain times. There are fitness businesses that have been waiting and watching for more than 12 weeks now. They haven’t changed what they’re doing or what they sell. That is an opportunity for you. Just Start Don’t get hung up on the need for perfection. Think through these details. Pick a challenge that makes you a little nervous as well as excited. Have fun with it. That’s the key to staying excited about it on a bad hair day, no make-up day, too busy to do this day… you’ll post anyway. Last… don’t make this about Pilates, or Yoga, or TRX… make it about a transformation. You have to be solving a problem. You may use Pilates or running or weight training to do it. But people look for answers to problems. This is how and why we buy. We don’t go shopping for Pilates first. We have a problem we believe Pilates solves. Before that we have a problem. More on this in the next episode. Time to share Post in the show notes if you’re going to do this. If you’d like some support, and followers and feedback put your URL in the comment. Resources: |
Sat, 6 June 2020
How on earth do you decide what to post today? First, of all, my process is more efficient than ever. Although I love to get random ideas and I used to take random options, the more people I help the less I can do that. So while I do jot down notes, save them on my phone while I’m riding my trainer or when I finish a walk, I don’t just start posting based on a great idea. I batch. First I plan content around the topic or topics I’m focused on this month. I know what my new students have to know and believe before they get started, before they buy. First, though this: This should go without saying that you and I are both here to help people. You have something of value to offer. You are a client-centered coach and know the science behind what you’re doing and why it works and who it is perfect for. Because just anyone using marketing when what they have isn’t science based and heart-centered has led to the wide continuum of fitness industry quality. Okay, now let’s dive in. If I have a program that’s open soon for enrollment I am going to want to be sure everyone who is a perfect candidate knows about it. (I also avoid telling someone about it who doesn’t want anything to do with it.) I identify what they need to know and what they think they know.
How do I relay a message and make them feel smart, savvy, and respected for whatever they’ve been thinking and doing? I ask that because no one responds well to a condescending message. I want to teach not preach. So back to the batch. I pick my theme What's my topic or theme based on what's happening in our business? My topic this month is about a Strength training program. I want them to believe it’s crucial to aging and hormone balancing and think they absolutely need it. I want them to be doing it, with me, and know why there is a specific way how that is unique to hormone balancing. I meet them where they are. They’re doing barre, Pilates, yoga, and using small weights, bands or tubing. I also know they want to get rid of belly fat. They are very interested in core exercise. So topics I’m going to create content around include all of those things. I play with titles. I use YouTube, buzzsumo, answer the public and other tools to create titles that inspire my content. Then I gather for primary research on pub med, and specific journals I use. Next I make notes. I like to use at least one but up to 5 primary sources. I also link back to my own relevant articles on my site or other sites which increases the total scientific proof because they’re also referenced. I write bullets I create subheadings, and think about images and graphics that I would post on social media that encourage saving and lead back to the content where there is a specific call-to-action. Keep in mind your image doesn’t always have to be directly connected! It just has to get their attention. Note: no one is inspired by a set of dumbbells. Really. Call to Action (1) One option, a waiting list for a program. I can nurture them before the program opens. (2) Second, a direct link to a program that is open. This is much more shot-in-the dark unless this is a low-ticket item or you’re targeting a specific audience you know is interested with an ad. You have to remember you may be there to sell but customers are there to connect with friends and family and get helpful tips. Make sure you connect before you ever just promote your stuff. You’ll never grow your social or bring them into your world where you can influence theirs and their life. Help You Know What to Post? There you have it… that’s how I create social media. All of that happens after I’ve done foundational homework about who I want to reach what they want and what’s true of them now. If you want support, and you’re ready to take a next step.... Two options: Book a consultation about private business coaching Or Start the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist if you work with women in midlife and beyond. From the Advanced Specialist option I will help you leverage your knowledge and uniqueness to grow your business. I’ll link to both in the show notes Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/what-to-post
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Fri, 22 May 2020
You can sell right now. You can do it without being insensitive or tone-deaf to what’s happening. You need to do it with that frame of mind. There are plenty of people who seem completely blind to the fact we’re in a pandemic and everyone is making buying decisions from a unique perspective. You don’t want to be one of them. This podcast is for trainers, coaches, and owners who are attempting to take their business online, and who are in early stages of reopening, or those about to reopen or take their business in a new direction. The things I’m going to cover are:
Your customer’s needs right now are unique and different than they were 8 weeks ago. If you’re still talking about weight loss, they may be talking about sleeping. If you’re still talking about toning those arms for summer, they’re talking about how much vitamin C to take. If you’re still talking about core to get a flat stomach and bikini body, they’re talking about how to prevent stress-related back and neck pain. Know Your Competition It’s now the world. Everyone is online. By that I mean every trainer, fitness instructor, health coach. Are you better? More charisma? More unique? Have you established loyalty? But I also mean every news broadcast, and Netflix-binge-worthy season, and zoom free-for-all you can imagine. You’ll win if you’re serving. That means you’re serving in a way that they’re looking for. Don’t think that because you’re down the street if they were driving in their car or coming in during their lunch hour they need to go to your site or your social media page. Do you really offer an answer that they’re searching for right now? Some businesses are afraid to email. They hesitated to create content talking about immune boosting habits and how to deal with stress and get better sleep. They missed early opportunities to round up experts and communicate regularly. It's Not Too Late That doesn’t mean it’s too late. We’re going to be in this for a while. There are still problems there aren’t enough solutions for and that means there’s still opportunities for you. You’ll win by not being tone-deaf like thousands of other fitness pros that are using the same advertising strategy they had two months ago, ignoring the change in climate.
Do You Believe No One Is Buying Right Now? Is your customer really not buying now – or are they just not buying what you used to sell? Most likely they’re not buying what you were selling 2 months ago because they don’t have the same problems they had 2 months ago. Are you still trying to sell something that made sense pre-COVID19? Or have you created services that support this moment and these needs right now? Customers have new problems. They still have needs and they’re still looking for solutions. Not everyone is not buying or not able to. Some just aren’t buying because no one is offering them a “right now” solution to the “right now” problem they have. They want less stress, less tension, more energy and better ability to sleep. They want immune boosting exercise. They want it for less. They can’t buy your EFT 3 times a week program but they might buy a six-week program with accountability. They want a program that they can do at home if they have to or want to. They want a routine and schedule. They need accountability more than ever. And they know it. This Won’t Last Forever Fitness is forever changed. It’s not going back to the way it was. Not in Scottsdale, Arizona. Not in Boulder, Colorado, and not in Ames, Iowa or where ever you are in the world. It will look different. But it’s anybody’s guess as to how. You can be a part of creating it as it unfolds. If you’re the one asking customers you’re on the front lines of business rebuilding. If you don’t sit back and wait, if you listen, you’ll be leading them. You will eventually be able to sell something more and you will when they’re ready. They’ll want to buy from you. How Are You Communicating? Have you changed the way you talk to customers? Have you changed the message you’re sending to them? Are you helping them understand there is a unique way to use your services- potentially new not same services – now, that helps them get what they want and need now? And are you pointing out in your messaging that it’s not their fault they don’t know how, or may not have realized they’re making mistakes following the same exercise routine they had 2 months ago? Ask them. Listen to them. Tell them you’re creating something for them. Tell them you’re not just trying to take what you’ve always had and shove that down their throats. Change your conversation. Talk about how to feel good. (They’ve had it up to here with stress talk. They know they’re stressed, start telling them how to relax.) Tell them you’re listening. Tell them you’re creating something based on their responses. Then do. Not based on what you’ve always sold in times that were predictable but based on right now and what they need, want, and deserve right now. There you have it. 1) If you want to sell something now, start communicating. Put out a quiz, a survey, a poll. Ask customers what they most need now, what’s the hardest. I can give you a hint at what my customers tell me and that’s routine, a schedule, some anchor in the day and the week. Work with that. 2) Create something new, something now. Create a mini-series. Create a solution to a problem. Worry last about how to create it. Most often in the past if you’ve been lucky and made the mistake of creating services based on equipment and space instead on the problems of people, you’ll have to change the way you create your business. You’ll start building a stronger business based on people. 3) Price it and offer it in a way that makes sense for the time we’re in and still allows the touch someone needs. If this was helpful, leave a comment and subscribe in iTunes (or on Stitcher or iHeart radio). Make a difference. Stay strong at home. |
Tue, 19 May 2020
Note: this episode was recorded a few weeks before things began opening up. No matter when you listen you'll hear a leader making pivots, share how to stay calm and make rational decisions. How do you stay calm during these times? Anxiety does not discriminate right now. How are you doing? I’ve brought on a friend and colleague to chat about COVID19 as a business owner and talk about opening up, right now opportunities, and what she’s been thinking and doing. My guest: Robin Robertson has owned and operated the Bellingham Training & Tennis Club for 20 years and ushered in a 600% growth in membership while she took the club from a mom & pop 4 court tennis club to its current world-class facility with 5 indoor tennis courts, two strength studios, an indoor cycling studio, locker rooms stocked with amenities and a cozy member lounge with fireplace and free coffee. She is also the founder of Healthy Knees Coach and author of “Healthy Knees Cycling” with a new book due in May called “Healthy Knees Strength.” Questions we covered in this episode:
We are rewriting our standard operating procedures for cleanliness, creating options for members to purchase branded equipment packs so they have their own of the harder to clean like bands, talking about putting fears to ease with how to space in group training, what to do about indoor cycling spacing and ventilation) Connect with Robin: www.betrainingtennis.com www.healthykneescoach.com robin@healthykneescoach.com or robin@betrainingtennis.com Resources we mentioned: Book:
Program:
Show notes: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/COVID19-update
Direct download: Fit_pro_Robin_COVID19_update_-_Edited.mp3
Category:Personal development -- posted at: 3:57pm MDT |
Tue, 12 May 2020
So you want a fitness career. If spring of 2020 was your last semester, supposedly full of parties, plans, and optimism, you have officially been rerouted. If you just passed your certification exam or are on your way… Now what? It’s a bit of an oh-Sh*# moment. Stop! Take a bow! But first… I want to congratulate you. Stop and acknowledge it, especially if you didn’t get to officially cross the stage and flip your tassel, if you just got that certificate mailed to you – even though that’s typically what happens anyway. That job waiting for you may have disintegrated but do not overlook the thing you just did. The world does need fitness professionals. You can’t be healthy without exercise. You can’t have a strong immune system without exercise. Your weight loss, or sport specific program is not necessarily your best immune boosting program and people need proper instruction now more than ever. The Difference that is Now Fitness is forever changed. It isn’t what it was just a few short years ago when you declared your major. It isn’t what it was when you headed back to school after your Christmas break. It isn’t even what it was at the time you were looking forward to spring break. So what’s your plan B? Maybe you were a lucky one and you already were planning on an online business or a hybrid one at least. And yet, even that is different now. Because 100s of thousands of your fitness training and health coach colleagues are now online too. There’s more competition than ever. So What is the Plan B if You Still Want a Fitness Career? Here are 3 BIG tips for you. (1) Don’t blend in. Do not do what everyone’s doing. That’s easy in part, because no one was doing this and if you just follow the leader it’s the blind leading the blind. Just because someone was successfully established in a face-to-face training business does not mean they will be successful taking that training business online. For one good reason, if they weren’t there in the first place before COVID19, they didn’t believe online training was effective. If you believe that in your gut, you will relay that and no one is going to buy from you something that you don’t even believe in yourself. An established business with a track record is starting at square one just like you are when they go online. In fact, the more conservative, and set in habits and at pricing and package structures, the more they used a script and stuck with the script that worked decades ago… the harder time they’ll have. (2) Do homework. You have to set yourself apart and you’ll do that by doing foundational work. Know who you want to serve and why. Know what their problem is, in their own words. Three big mistakes any trainer can make are starting with:
So let’s go through them one at a time: I want to teach kickboxing… or yoga… or zumba … If you start like this you might have some success. But it’s limited. So someone has to be shopping for Kickboxing or yoga or zumba, first. Then you’re going to potentially have a problem already. Who might be searching for yoga, for instance? Someone who loves it. And that could mean an 18 year old, a 50 year old, and a 70 year old. Could be a male or female, an athlete or a woman with hot flashes and stress. It could be someone suffering from depression and anxiety. And the same is true for Zumba or Kickboxing (or fill in the blank). So starting that way can make it hard to write an ad or an email to someone. Don’t you talk differently to an 18 year old girlfriend than you would to a 50 year old man who’s dealing with depression? So if you want to have a fitness career, start with one of those people and the problem they have you can talk to them all day in a way they’ll listen. I want to use… bodyweight only… or TRX… or trampolines… I get it. Some tools are just sexy and fun and are easily accessible. But, to play devil’s advocate again, body weight training is going to eliminate anyone who has a shoulder issue and it makes it hard to do pulling exercises unless you’ve got a swing set – and even then… can you do a pull up? So you miss one of the most-needed posture-balancing exercises needed today. Should it be about the tools? Or about the problem someone has? If you find someone you work with is say, over a keyboard much of the day do you want them doing push ups for their workout? Or if they need to improve bone density, will body weight alone do it? If you focus on the person with the problem you can create a solution. I want to be on …. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok… By now you get where I’m coming from and if you can pick the person and the particular problem you solve, the only platform you should care about is the one that customer uses and loves. YOU may love TikTok and Instagram but if your customer is on Facebook or LinkedIn is an even better opportunity, that’s where you want to be. There is one universal platform no matter who you serve and that’s YouTube. It’s a search engine all by itself. Owned by Google and you can’t go wrong with it. Well, wait – you actually CAN go wrong with it. You have to be talking to one person. You have to appeal to the wants and desires of that person. You may know what they need. But they don’t necessarily (even if they think they do) so you have to meet them where they are. Message them in a way that gets their attention. Make your posts something they envy, want, desire, resonate with. Hate something they hate. Love something they love. Peak their curiosity. Avoid being teachy, preachy, or condescending. If you want to be shared and saved make it something they don’t want to forget. Make it something that makes them say, Yes! Or Huh, I didn’t know that, or I love this! (3) Never Give Up. What you try the first time won’t always work. What you try many times won’t work. You may get laughed at, told it’s risky, told no – for a loan or by a potential client, or told you’re crazy by your parents, friends and still feel like yes, this is absolutely what you’re meant for and want to do. Don’t give up. Surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to be doing, who can teach you and mentor you, and who have struggled too. Anyone with staying power has struggled a lot, made a lot of mistakes, and still believes so much in what they’re doing they learned how to make a good business decision – over and over again. They learned how to be scrappy and save money and where to invest it and where not to. Where to Turn For Help When No One Has Navigated THIS Before? Usually success leaves clues. If you follow someone who has stuck with it and created more than one business, they are usually the ones who can do it again. Make good decisions about following who you know is successful not based on their social media popularity. There you have it. If you want a fitness career there is still plenty of opportunity. It looks different. And you can do it. If you work with or want to women in midlife, the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist is the first and only hormone balancing fitness training that focuses on women in all stages of menopause. There are 46 million of them and they’re looking for support. The back end of the training provides business support to launch and leverage your knowledge. Now is the time. https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/programs Comment? Leave your comments below the show notes at fitnessmarketingmastery.com/want-a-fitness-career Whether you’re a University Lecturer, gym owner, recent grad, or newly certified fitness professional let me hear your thoughts. |
Sat, 25 April 2020
Fitness Leaders are Needed More Than Ever This is Debra Atkinson and you’re listening to the VrF professional’s podcast, brought to you by the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist. For trainers who want to make working with women in midlife their niche and want to own it with a hormone balancing exercise method that has worked for thousands of women since 2013. Right now is the time to learn, create content and programs that grow your business. The world is at home. And online. And looking for you. I’ll share the link to get more details on the trainers and health coaches we’re looking for to join our team. How else are you spending your time now? Fitness leaders … and I mean that in every sense of the word: those of you who stand in the front of the room and lead classes, who do it one-to-one, and who deliver it face to face or online or by phone, and to those of you who lead those staff meetings and pump up everyone else’s tires even now when you don’t have answers because you’ve never had this problem before. Who are you being right now? Scared or Scrappy Are you focused on the problems and how bad it is? Is it a mess? or an opportunity? What do you talk about every day? Is it a bigger deal that you can’t get your hair and nails done or that you can’t help your clients in their time of need the way you’ve done business up until now? Fitness leaders get scrappy. They learn to do what me and everyone else is doing right now and that is pivot. You do that by figuring it out as you go. The answers are there. You just can’t look to anyone else to find them. You can’t expect to do business now the same way you did Before Corona (BC). You can’t even expect to do business after it’s over the same way you did so it’s time to get scrappy about that fact right now. Those over-packed group classes may not be packed again. Those shared yoga mats and TRX and battle ropes, and spinning bike handles may not appeal to your clients any more. Sanitizing them – even if you can - is not helpful. Not in the world we’re in now that is governed by a respiratory illness. What you did two months ago and the way you did business isn’t relevant right now. If you weren’t online, you potentially are right now, and yet are you doing this as a bridge? Or just doing what you can to get by? This is an opportunity fitness leaders are grabbing to create a hybrid business. Needy or Creative Are you spending time asking someone else for answers? Someone who also has never lived through a global pandemic?Why would you suspect anyone else would have the answers? They are in the exact moment you are in. You may be reaching out to them because they deal with stress better. They’re more resilient. See that for what it is and value it. Try to understand why and understand that they don’t spend the majority of their time wasting energy on negative content or online “news.” Then begin to get creative. What if you did know the answer already? What if you got creative with your time right now? Companies that are used to making triathlon kits for elite athletes are sewing masks. Surely you can make some creative changes in the way you’re doing what you do that contributes as opposed to ignores what’s happening now. Create a New Answer What if you didn’t try to just compete with the noise online providing another one of thousands of workouts available right now? What if you stood out? Why would you? What aren’t your customers and clients finding? What aren’t those millions of people who weren’t exercising before COVID19 and already fit finding? Right now, they too are online more. Right now, they still are not potentially finding answers that serve them – who might be overweight, deconditioned, feeling awkward, depressed and alone. How can you creatively serve them? Seeing Problems or Problem Solving If you’re focused on the gym being closed, the fact clients don’t want you to come over or to come to you you’re missing out. If you focus on people not spending money right now, you are seeing problems. You’re potentially seeing problems that don’t exist right now. Not everyone is not spending money. Talk to anyone. People are Buying Both Wants and Needs They’ve likely bought something in the last week that they wanted. It wasn’t a necessity. They placed an order on Amazon or somewhere else. There are people who are actually working more and making more – not because they’re content collecting unemployment or stimulus checks – but because they have a service or product that is needed right now. Fitness leaders are problem solving right now. If you see a problem your customers have and you can create a solution appropriate for this time, you have a business. Your customer’s problems now are not the same as they were 2 months ago. Don’t repackage it and think that if it’s digital on Zoom or Skype you’re set. Right Now or Forever? That is a right now answer that won’t help you in the future. So I understand if you have to get something going on right now so that you have revenue coming in you may start with virtual classes and sessions you can charge for. Go deeper. How can you really create a more scalable service and business? If you see the same kind of client problems regularly, and you can help someone with a low-ticket offer they can use right now, you’re much more valuable than that trainer who targets a broad audience. If you’ve been told by anyone that you need to have a “broader appeal” you’ve been given bad advice. You want to have a niche and you want to be the best at it. If you run a gym or facility of any kind and want to serve a broader audience you hire more experts. If you are in a geographically challenged area with a small population base, then you need first to be come the expert in one thing. You can add another area of expertise after that, and after that. But you can’t ever again be a trainer for “everyone.” Every Client Has Unique Needs A working mother of 3 who’s a cancer survivor wants a trainer who understands lymphedema first and weight loss second. You can’t train her like you train other weight loss clients. A woman in menopause who wants weight loss can’t be trained like you train a 20 year old who wants weight loss. Critical or Courageous? If you’re being critical of someone who has more money right now, stop. You’d love to be in their place. Feeling secure and safe. And yet you if you get honest haven’t been willing to do the same degree of work to get there, take the same amount of risks, or lived within your means not beyond them. There is nothing congruent about the fact you won’t do or didn’t do what it took to get to the same point – whether that was ask for help, learn a skill or learn how to save and keep your money once you made it. If you say to someone “you don’t understand” isn’t it true that you delivered the message? You didn’t communicate it well. If you’ve said, “I’m just a personal trainer” or “personal trainers don’t make that much money” then you’ve got the limiting belief that stopped you. No one else said that. I earned 6 figures as a trainer and director. You can earn 5 figures working 3 days a week (I’ll link to a recent show with Stu Schaefer in the show notes). Everything you have and everything you don’t right now is the result of a choice. What Did You Choose Did you choose to live paycheck-to-paycheck? Did you ignore your profit-and-loss statement? Did you spend for support that you didn’t keep an eye on closely enough to know it was hurting you? You made the choices based on the facts you had. If you can honestly look back and say you didn’t make the best decisions, don’t wallow in that. You can choose again right now to do it differently. COVID19 is no one’s fault. None of us saw it coming. Never in history has this happened. Fitness leaders aren’t busy pointing fingers and feeling sorry for themselves. They’re productively exploring the problems people have right now and the skills, talents, and knowledge they have that could provide answers. Fitness Leaders Show Up in Tough Times Who you are as a fitness leader is what will determine your After COVID (AC). If you’re showing up, asking, and listening to your customers you can identify ways to be successful during and after COVID19. Fitness leaders aren’t only calling someone else asking for help. Though they’re not afraid to ask for something specific. They’re calling offering help and ideas, sharing solutions that could grow into products and services. And this will feel so much better. You’re a leader. Lead.
Direct download: 2020-04-21-t02-07-30pm-final-mix.mp3
Category:Personal development -- posted at: 10:31am MDT |
Sat, 18 April 2020
Before I begin the interview that you don’t want to miss, I want to check in with you about how you’re doing. It’s a strange time. You may be flirting back and forth with both feelings of lack and feelings of abundant opportunity. There will be changes ahead for all of us, particularly all of us in the fitness industry. For those personal trainers who have more than passion, who have tools, who have a plan, and who have a purpose they are committed to the future could be brighter than ever. That’s my belief. Never more than right now has health, wellness, and the exercise that HAS to be present for those to happen, been more important. The world is not only listening it is participating. So however small your own business or training practice was, you are in a perfect position to take control of your future and have an influence far greater than the one you may have imagined when you began this career path. This podcast is brought to you by the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist certificate. The changes we’re observing right now in the world mean that those 46 million women in menopause right now are seeking solutions, online, and finding the experts that offer an answer to imbalanced hormones. If you know the formula for adjusting a woman’s exercise based on her signs, you have a business opportunity that not only changes her life, but the lives of the three generations she influences. Learn more about getting started at fitnessmarketingmastery.com/programs. And now I cannot wait to share my guest with you! He’s a bad boy and secretly I love that about him! My Guest: Questions we answer in this podcast: Why do most trainers fail? Connect with Stu: Get Social with Stu: |
Fri, 17 April 2020
Have you created a program and announced its for sale to the sound of crickets? It happens. It's all in how to package it, price it, position it. Don't miss this next Voice for Fitness Professional's podcast interview with Stu Schaefer. Stu Schaefer is the 20-year veteran trainer that other Personal Trainers use when they want to learn how to quickly and easily get clients and build their business so they never have to worry about money again. |
Thu, 16 April 2020
In the next episode of the Voice for Fitness Professional's podcast I interview Stu Schaefer and you're not going to want to miss this. If you want to create a lucrative training business without going digital (once this is all over) Stu did it. It's going to require getting over your money issues. And we talk about that on the show. Stay tuned... it's coming this weekend. Stu Schaefer is the 20-year veteran trainer that other Personal Trainers use when they want to learn how to quickly and easily get clients and build their business so they never have to worry about money again. |
Wed, 15 April 2020
Marketing for personal trainers during COVID19 has changed. So many fitness businesses are simply stalled. Trainer are worrying and waiting to find out what’s going to happen. You may be worried about whether you have a job when this is over.
That’s no way to spend this time. If you’re serious about loving fitness and your fitness career, worrying and waiting will not help you. Fitness businesses and personal trainers who’ve never been online are making mistakes. They have no idea what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. You may feel like I just described you. That’s okay. Right Now Marketing for Personal Trainers Now is the time. You’ve got to do it strategically and realize the value of right now for establishing your future in the business. You can create leverage with this 3-step plan for marketing for personal trainers during COVID19. While it’s true every trainer, fitness instructor, yoga teacher, and strength coach everywhere is doing videos online right now, your customers followed you for a reason. They are loyal to you. They want leadership from you. And if it’s working for them they will share it with others. Ready to Stop the Worrying and Waiting? You’re going to do these 3 things. (Step #2 actually has to come first.) 1) Create a video a day and get it out there Do it live (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or all three simultaneously). In every single video you’ve got to create a call to action (CTA). You ask them to comment, to share, to use your hashtag, to add emojis that describe their day. Always ask or instruct viewers to do something so you create engagement. Download the live and upload host it on Vimeo or Wistia. Embed that video on your website. Email your clients and full email list (separately) to tell them about the video creating an email that is appropriate for each. 2) Before you begin plan. A lack of strategy is the reason your social media or any marketing doesn’t work. If you (or your boss) has ever asked, does it even work? Is it even worth it? The answer is yes. It does. If you have a strategic plan. If you’ve just created a bunch of workout videos… that can be used in no particular order (meaning have no particular progression) they’ll get no particular results. Right? If you believe that any random exercise will get results then you should just advocate your clients go follow random videos on YouTube, right? But you don’t. You believe that there is a start and a next step and a next step and so on. And that proper form matters. And that a person has to understand what and why as well as how. And something about the way you do it is unique. Marketing for Personal Trainers now Distinguishes You Focus not on random exercise videos for strength, or intervals, or core, but solve a SPECIFIC right-now problem for your clients. Consider a variety of things but plan them. Will you include stretching, strength, corrective exercise, mindset, nutrition? Don’t know? Do your first video as a chat. ASK your clients via the video and via email or text. “What do you need right now… What is your biggest challenge?” is a powerful question. Let them tell you what their problem is. Then decide how you’ll solve it. Start. Do one a day for the first week. Look at what’s most popular, commented on, shared and adjust based on that. 3) Start planning a low-ticket offer. You need to give first. Right now you have a skill and you have knowledge people need. Serve and create rapport. But what you have is valuable and needed. Create something small that is easy for someone to do right now. Small is relative to what you usually charge. Are you a trainer who usually charges $60 a session? Create something that solves a problem people have now that is $19 or $27. Maybe it’s a e-book or a 7 day challenge. Do you have $297 programs? Maybe you do a virtual group program for $47 for 8 weeks for right now. People can do something like that once they get to know you. If you’re solving a problem they know they have and they’re looking for an answer to they will. The Time is Right When you’ve given and served the time is right to make a low-ticket offer. You’ll want a funnel that makes it possible for someone to buy something more too. That “upsell” might be a get-started goal setting private session with you, it might be a nutrition plan to go with your low-ticket fitness plan. Your upsell might be weekly private coaching. The goal is to make the upsell feel like the better-results option or the done-for-you option, or be a complimentary part of the program. It should make it easier to do the program and get results. There is a time to sell. Now is not time to avoid selling. It’s time to do it with consciousness. Be appropriate and aware of the problems that exist now that didn’t 5 weeks ago. Your clients shouldn’t be doing the same thing they were then. Show notes: https://www.Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/COVIDmarketing |
Sat, 4 April 2020
Right now the fitness industry is full of trainers and instructors flooding the online space. No one was prepared for COVID19. And yet, becoming an online trainer was a good idea before this pandemic. It wasn’t crowded for any single niche. Note: I’ve been an almost 100% virtual personal trainer & health coach for women in perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause, focused on hormone balancing exercise since January 2013. In March of 2013 I created my first online course. I offered my first online marketing and sales training course for trainers in August 2013. My advice is to jump in. Do not wait. This many years later it is easier, and it will get more crowded if you wait. Be first. Be best. But done is better than perfect. My business model is hybrid – providing live retreats for women, fitness pros, and live workshops and speaking. The beauty of hybrid is that a trainer isn’t defined or limited by circumstance. A hybrid trainer is able to adjust to the needs of a client and provide online, in person, training sessions, programs, nutrition coaching, tele-sessions on an as-needed basis. The content gets delivered on the platform that works best at the moment. You’re not limited as a trainer by geography or technology. In 2019 I launched the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist certificate to provide the training for other trainers and meet the huge demand for 46 million women in menopause, growing by 6000 every day (ACOG, 2019). As a part of that training I offer an online build your brand & business program for trainers and health coaches. Now has never been a better time to 1) already have leverage online 2) create your online strategy 3) leave random or “someday” options and commit to business that is either hybrid or 100% online. For trainers who have an interest in becoming an online trainer this is the time to pivot. For trainers who want to continue doing training in person this is the time to develop online training tools that support customers and leads. It is the time to develop an online presence if even by showing up regularly, not necessarily to contribute to the mass of “exercise” options, but to be there supporting and creating community. This doesn’t mean spending your life on social media. But it means willingness to research what your customer needs right now. What is the biggest problem your customer faces? Now is the time to plan. Create a strategy that is informed from homework about the clients you want to target. If you currently had been serving clients face-to-face in a wide array of ages, conditions, and goals, that won’t equate to an easy target online. You need to focus on:1) Who you want to serve 2) Who you need to be 3) How you help them and 4) What’s unique about you and them Before you try to add “online trainer” into your website or social media bio, spend some time really focusing on the business plan and model. The ProcessBecoming an online trainer will all but guarantee you become a better trainer. You will learn how to market and promote and serve your customers in a way that boosts your value. What are we and aren’t we talking about?I’m not only talking about delivery of your services via teleconferences or Skype or Facetime. That virtual training simply changes where you are and may increase the convenience of delivery for you or your client but is still an hour-for-a-dollar method of training. You hit a limit to the number of hours you have to train. Does it offer a little more freedom than face-to-face sessions? Yes, but it may actually end up being less than the amount of revenue you’d otherwise make. You still have to be in a quiet space with control of your environment. Your kids can’t be coming in and out of the room. Without celebrity status or a bestselling book your clients may not want to pay you as much for this service. So more clients paying less money unless you’re talking a LOT more with say an online bootcamp you’re doing live is not an optimal model. Will virtual sessions now help you recover income otherwise lost? Yes. You can conduct Skype, Zoom, or Facetime sessions with your clients scheduled just like any other sessions. Unless your business model is stuck and you refuse to figure out how to it this way, there is a way. Most of the time the greatest learning and fastest forward progress happens because its needed and necessary: not because you’re ready. Why is Online Training (and Coaching) So Beneficial?There’s no income ceiling if you strategically create programs. It offers you a way to make passive income if you’re sick or on vacation. You can train anyone from anywhere anytime. You can have as much hands-on or DIY as clients prefer and you build. Accountability is Still KeyCustomer service between sessions is still and all-important part of your value. Clients who need accountability (which is about 98% of humans) need your personal touch. You still have to show up. You need to coach them, have check ins, have Q and As and in some way be there for them so they do what is available to them. Online Training Revenue Streams Beyond the Old 1-to-1 Model
What Doesn’t ChangeYou still have to choose a niche. You can’t serve “everybody.” If you’re still marketing mass bootcamps for all ages and men and women without pre-qualifications and specific outcomes, you’ll fail. Going “broad” like this in the future will guarantee your failure. Can you imagine people wanting to be in large groups where they share battle ropes, and TRX, and dumbbells, and mats while they’re sweaty? The overwhelm of prospective clients is real. They can’t distinguish between one program or trainer and another. If you’re a so-so trainer, that’s good. If you’re a highly skilled expert trainer, that’s bad. A 60-something woman may think her daughter who just graduated from college with a degree she paid for can help her because after all she’s a beginner and need the basics. Never mind the osteoporosis, arthritis, hip bursitis and rotator cuff issues she has. Unless you clearly distinguish yourself and create a message that a customer gets at hello, you will be lost in a sea of trainers scrambling right now to get an online presence. Online Fitness Service Options
Examples of Information Products to Add
Membership ModelsOnce you have begun and learn what’s working a membership model with subscription is the way of the future for many. Though we don’t know exactly what will happen post COVID19, we do know that things will change. Health is important. Quality will have more value than ever. Software, Course-Building, or Word Press
You have options. Before you go shopping for the options to build something lay out your plan so you can create a customer experience. Once you do that you’ll best be able to choose the products that will create it. The biggest mistake? Trainers tell me, I know I have to get a website up. If you too are saying this before you even know who your target customer is, that would be a bigger mistake than not having a website. Whether you deliver in-person personal training or online personal training this is the absolute most important and most often skipped part of every struggling fitness business. Especially now. Any fitness business can have a certain level of success due to novelty or newness or the vast offerings. Or at least could at one time. If you want to survive and thrive during and after COVID19 you can. You can't however wait it out. Find a Niche and ServeToday customers who are more overwhelmed by facilities and amenities that they don’t use are less likely to go to a big umbrella gym. The bigger it is and the less time a customer has, the mere walk to the locker room and back to find a classroom is a time inconvenience. An older adult who has to climb the stairs or even use the elevator to reach the track or an exercise bike may decide it’s all too much if that’s all they want to use. So your specialization and your specific message are more appealing than ever. Define your target market. Learn what options already exist for them. Identify a gap and determine if there is great enough demand. Decide the model you want. Then plan the customer journey before you shop for how to put it together. You want to create the ideal program and offer in your head and on paper before you ever start a website, a membership area, or start creating videos. If you want support and step-by-step coaching on creating, reaching, an offer customers love schedule a breakthrough with me. When you’re ready, these are your steps:Identify your ideal customer - Begin attracting the right person who has a problem is actively seeking solutions, and has urgency around it and willing to invest in it. Spend the most time developing this so you can evaluate how many customers fit this niche and the 4 criteria that make this niche a wise one. Learn how to create rapport with anyone - in your emails, on your website, on the phone, and in person so you can put them at ease and learn what they want. There are word you want to avoid and words you want to use, and a right time to use them. Generate leads that grow your business – Learn the marketing tools that work right now. You want to create leads that grow your email list every day automatically. Create Offers – Learn how to create offers that convert customers and that position you as a trainer of value not a trainer of discount. There are 16 parts to making an irresistible offer. Client Care – You’ll learn how in person, online, and hybrid trainers win the loyalty of the clients with the best follow up, accountability, and customer love strategies. A small percent of people today have any brand loyalty and 50% switchdue to poor customer service. The good news is 93% of customers will make a repeat purchase when there is excellent customer service. |
Mon, 30 March 2020
The future of the fitness industry is definitely changed forever. The value of health and fitness has increased. Potential fear of public places, shared spaces and equipment may carryover for a long time after. My Guest Tom Durkin, CEO of Health Fitness Management, Inc. in Central Iowa joined me for a candid talk about what it’s like to have 300 employees and 4 locations at a time like this. In 40 years of experience managing, owning and operating multiple centers he’s been inside every day, he offered his thoughts at this moment. When we recorded live March 25th, 2020 projections were made by Trump that he wanted business back open by April 11th or 15th. If that’s even possible it will still have had a major impact on the fitness industry. The Change That's Coming It will have a major impact on fitness customers. While older adults were more and more freely entering facilities and seeking trainers in studios and rec centers, will they rethink that after this situation? Our discussion doesn’t provide any answers. No one has them right now. It may however let you know you’re not alone. No one knows and everyone is in uncharted territory. They don’t have answers. We may not have seen the worst. We may still be toying with the idea of statewide quarantine or nationwide quarantine. Is it something that will help things resolve sooner and put fewer people at risk? We don’t really know. Wait or Act? This is a time to be proactive however. Fitness centers doing repairs, remodeling, cleaning, upgrades will be ready for reopening. Personal trainers who are improving their skills and knowledge about online business, digital business, improving their email skills and getting live in front of their clients and customers daily will be investing in their future. We're Not Going Back Those who don’t will find that personal training as they knew it is gone. The level of customer service, connection, follow up and follow through is now going to have greater expectations. You are valuable, and you will be compensated for that value. In order to earn it however you’re going to have know exactly who you have to be. Add your comments and questions to the show notes at fitnessmarketingmasterying.com/future-of-fitness Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!
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Sun, 29 March 2020
What is really in the way of you having the personal training career you want? I’m unpacking it right now. I encourage you to stay with me all the way through this episode. Above all, don’t let COVID19 be an excuse to hide behind. Let it be a reason to dig in. Over 35 years ago The late summer sun felt delicious on my skin. It wasn’t warm enough for a bathing suit any more, but I’d rolled up my sleeves and kicked off my shoes to lie on the lounge chair for a few minutes. I wanted these moments to last. These moments when I was a young adult just beginning to take on responsibilities and still at home for a long weekend feeling cared for, safe, secure. It was predictable. And beyond this was anything but. First job, new apartment new city. But my mom dropped a bomb on me. I had assumed from some random segment of a conversation I remembered incorrectly that my mom’s marriage to my step-dad was because of me. It was the right thing to do. I very likely had overheard a conversation or had one with my mom and that was where I apparently had left the room. I carried around guilt or the impression that I had to be good or that my parents had settled to provide security and safety for me. Can you imagine what that would be like and how you might feel pressure to be perfect, never make a mistake, stay within boundaries? Whatever those things looked like to you? Your Personal Training Career Look, we’re in strange times right now. And this may feel like a story for another time. But stay with me here. This is absolutely a story for right now. Because I don’t know about you but I can create stories inside my head and believe them for years- like the example above I believed from the time I was 7 until I was 25 that my parents were married because of me, not love. I made decisions about what I could and couldn’t do, who I could and couldn’t be based on that for a very long time. We all do make choices based sometimes on false assumptions. We can get messages between 3 and 7 years old that if we don’t revisit why we have these limiting beliefs will hold us back. So you may be in paralysis right now. COVID19 is doing that to many. Is it you? You kind of want to hole up with a blanket and suck your thumb? Or dig into chips and watch old movies… whatever it is, it’s okay for a while. But if you’re ready to take some control and feel better because of it, then keep listening to this episode. Self-doubt Now and Before Self-doubt may actually be leftover from your youth. Some message you got, even if it was WRONG could be influencing you still today. Between the ages of 3 and 7 your foundations are laid. Did you know you could be operating on a set of beliefs that are only that, but they’re so powerful they are the basis of how you make decisions, choices, and take action or avoid action.
PS - there's no couch and I'm not a therapist. However, if you want something, and what you have to do to get it is something you're in conflict with, it's absolutely worth exploring this. The Real Questions (1) Are you operating on the wrong belief? Do you really know WHAT it is to do now? Do you know how to really find what people need and want and will buy right now? Or at least in the future when we’re through the worst? Do you believe that people aren’t spending money? Stop. Last week a client I had talked to for 10 minutes sent me a check for $7500. When she said “the check’s in the mail” on Friday, I did what most of us do. I smiled. Monday? There it was. Not all people are not spending money. Not all people are unwilling to train online. If you don’t do it, offer, get sessions booked on Skype and Facetime for them, they’ll find someone else who is doing it. - it’s changed from what you believe – it’s not dieting, it’s not eating less, it’s not that if you “love food” or “love to eat” you can’t be healthy – the two actually are both required and need to co-exist foods you learned to eat as “healthy” no longer are a one-healthy-foods-list-fits-all exercise you learned to do is no longer the best way to attain energy, optimal hormone balance the calorie deficit alone you thought was required is not the answer to any long term success (2) Are you not doing it once you DO know what to do? When no one is looking? Are you doing the right things repeatedly? You would ask your clients this wouldn’t you? When I’m not with you, are you doing the workouts? Are you reaching fatigue? Are you lifting heavy enough? Are you doing it the way I instructed you? I’m going to come back to this in a short while because you really need to know WHAT to be doing right now. If you’ve convinced yourself there isn’t anything? You’re wrong. You can be proactive and those that are ready when this is over, or who in fact are creating something that people want and need right now, may begin to grow their businesses DURING COVID19. What Will Stop You From Getting a Personal Training Career You Want You can’t simply train clients at some low rate you’re comfortable charging and work hard day after day doing that and make a fantastic living. That won’t work. You can raise your rate if you get good and you’re in demand – AND gain the confidence to do it. There’s a problem in that too. The myth making more money will solve your problems At some point your lifestyle will also increase. As your revenue grows you’ll want a better car, house, or you’ll have children and college and your expenditures will increase as fast. So what’s the answer? Some type of scalable business model where you have not only revenue from one-on-one sessions whether in person or online, but information products (courses, programs), or actual products(supplements, clothing, affiliate products) clients also want and need to be more successful that you sell as a compliment to your services. In fitness, this is the way personal training started. Member-Retention Model For some gyms this is the model still: Members join and those who personal train stay longer and get better results so they are more satisfied customers. So the revenue margin is very small on purpose. For some gyms personal training is a revenue stream, for others it is not because of the square footage and equipment, marketing, and expense invested in personal training. It in fact may not be a loss and a marketing expense similar to group fitness programs. The service is an amenity that brings people through the door where they become members in order to have access to those programs. And now? A more contemporary model is that personal training is the service, a membership is secondary. A membership is the continuity factor after a personal training or coaching transaction occurs. If you train with clients in person you then may have an app or an online membership full of videos and streaming workouts that they use between your sessions or after they’ve completed your sessions. You may offer nutrition support or educational resources within. In the Flipping 50 virtual membership I offer all of those. Members are invited to join after completing a program or coaching. Whether you have a hybrid business or a 100% online fitness training business, digital programming is a key to your future success and financial freedom. If you believe that by personal training one-on-one or even in pairs or small groups daily you’ll grow your revenue and relax into a flow of revenue easily, you’re wrong. It's Continuous There will always be a need to launch. A launch is not announcing something for sale. It's giving value again and again before you ask for the sale. At the start of a new program you have to go and get clients again. You will always need to be marketing to customers with education and value so that you stay fresh and current and support them. You won’t be able to continue the same programming without freshening up your offers. Consistence and persistence doing the right actions is what successful profitable businesses do. Have You Heard of McDonald’s? Indulge me in telling this story I watched the Ray Croc story the other night. I didn’t care for him very much and I realize that his persona could very much reinforce the negative impression so many people already have about successful business owners. Yet, rarely do people make judgments truly knowing someone. We make judgments based on knowing ourselves and the beliefs we acquired growing up. At McDonald’s the success was built on systems. The "speedy system" changed everything and initiated “fast food.” The steps were written and clear and documented and repeated for a hamburger that was the same no matter what McDonald’s in the world you went to. To be successful your business has to be built on some kind of similar system. Can you Systematize or Create a Single Method? I know every client is different. You can still have a system for working with them. You build a smoothie the same way. Add greens, fruit, protein, fiber and fats, and a liquid every time. But they’re different every time. You have to consistently, persistently create a method or system that can be repeated again and again. There are common denominators in your clients’ journey no matter if you’re working with athletes, pregnant women, or cancer patients – and anyone in between. If you repeat the same steps your most successful clients go through again and again you’ll find that you already have one. You just may not have stuck to it each time. Maybe you get bored or your client wants to jump in ahead and you cave. You've Put a System to Work When you know what works and you can relay that to customers, you’ll gain their respect and you will be distinctly different from any other trainer who is also certified, also passionate, also serves the same clients you do. The question you need to ask and answer honestly is, knowing this are you willing to do that work? Do the work to discover your system. AND do the work daily to share that system with others. The Daily Work That means:
Even When No One Is Watching Are you doing the right thing when no one else is watching? Like right now, no boss or employer is hovering over your shoulder. No one is going to ask you at that staff meeting on Monday what you did in the last 7 days. Are you still doing what you need to do? That’s the difference between fitness professionals that will succeed and those that are waiting and wishing for this to blow over and go back to the way things were. It is never going to go back to the way it was before my friends. You will decide if you want to be a part of the change in fitness and be there or if you wait for someone else to change it. All of those things – those steps I mentioned above (phone calls, content planning and creating) collectively fill you now and fill you for the future. Not taking action right now because you are scared is the wrong thing to do. Taking action – the right action – will put you in control of your future. If You Don’t Want To No is not a negative answer. In fact, it will save you a lot of heartache and frustration. If you would rather find a job where you can work as a trainer for an hourly rate and only want to serve clients, you know that now. If You Do, Then What? If you answered yes, then the most important thing you can do is determine what the steps really are and research them thoroughly before you go into action. Most personal trainers begin training, and think that just getting clients and “getting through this” is the best way to start. What often happens is they are still in that mode of getting through it a year or three or five later. It always feels unstable or if it doesn’t, it’s a bit of a myth, because someone else is learning more, creating another service or product that clients may get an itch to try something new if you’ve become complacent at all. If you’re not connecting between sessions, or providing additional content and support, if you’re not 100% attentive and if you forget that this session is about the customer from start to end. If you forget that you have rapport with them not friendship with them, and you blur the lines of a professional relationship, you can’t forget that your client always has choices. Your Personal Training Career is Built on Habits Right now, between sessions may be a long time. Anyone who is serving right now, without asking for money and making constant offers, will be serving a community who will remember it later. You aren’t getting paid. What are you though? Are you really passionate and educated with something to share? How can you support your community now? What do they need? Can you cultivate relationships and resources if you don’t feel you have the knowledge or background to provide it yourself? Who is an expert who can speak to supplements? Who is a sleep expert? Who is an exercise and immune-boosting expert? You can either take the lead in interviewing or in providing directly. But sitting quietly and watching will not help your audience, nor will it help your business. Right now make three choices:
IF you are ready to take action in your business and grow it now and or be ready when more people do once again more freely invest in their health, then book a session with me to discuss your options. I want you to fill out the questionnaire you’ll see a link to when you book and return it to me before our session.
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Fri, 27 March 2020
What are experienced fitness professionals doing to help clients and customers and their own coping with COVID19? Alex has been in the human performance industry for over two and a half decades. She is the founder of Vitalé Studio, a holistic lifestyle coaching model where she guides clients how to amplify their healthy, become fully engaged with life and define their practices of happiness. Alex passion is to help people at the work force to sustain high performance while maintaining vibrant health, energy and happiness. Alex has been coaching high performance for almost 25 years. Her clients include entrepreneurs and team/business leaders who want to increase mental, emotional and physical fitness in order to cope with the great challenges that leading a work force can bring. Alex’s philosophy is that by creating habits to restore and recover the body/mind, anyone can perform at their highest levels with a healthy lifestyle. She shares sound and simple psychological and physiological tools that take people from surviving in stress to thriving in stress. How can you connect and get in front of customers and clients? What are hearing is hardest for people right now and what they need. What's working for you to connect with people and support them? Can you connect via Skype, Facetime and or zoom calls (Zoom is waiving fees I believe for new users right now during this to make it easier on businesses that otherwise see clients/patients live). Could you be doing news broadcasts and being helpful solutions for media that share real, and valuable vs inflammatory negative information? Could you be creating YouTube or membership site videos giving access to the public not just members for now? Are you going live on Facebook regularly? Are you choosing times when people might be most likely to be on - and feeling isolated or alone? What other ideas do you have? What are you doing right now to take care of yourself to show up for your clients and customers? How can listeners connect with you and follow you further even watch over your shoulder on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/alexgil https://facebook.com/masteryourenergy
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Wed, 25 March 2020
3 Steps to Productivity for Personal Trainers in Times of Uncertainty I’m tackling the topic of productivity for personal trainers in this episode. The uncertainty can be stifling. You can easily lose a day by not giving yourself every opportunity to take control. One look at the news or social media can rob you of a productive day you feel good about. You may be wondering, productivity for personal trainers? Are you kidding?? I have no clients, no gym to train in, and no income. I get it. We’re all nervous. We’re not all ready for weeks or months without what was our income. What do we do? I’ve got three steps that are a must.
The biggest action you can take is work on your mindset. Do that throughout. Start first thing in the morning and finish last thing before your close your eyes. Mindset Shift If you’ve got limiting beliefs you’ve got to remember that you may be going down road that isn’t there. You’ve just imagined it. If you’re not careful with mindset, none of this productivity for personal trainers tip sheet is going to help you. You will create your reality based on the thoughts that you have. You’ve got to lose these:
That may be your limited thinking. In fact, the value of health, wellness, and fitness are higher at this moment. The value of community and connection are higher. Many people are more acutely aware of their health than ever. This will forever change the way people think about fitness and health. It will forever change the way they value their gyms or that they realize online fitness is convenient and just as valuable. Some people are investing in home exercise equipment. They’ve got a home gym and they need help optimizing it. They know what they’ve always done but they don’t know how to optimize it for immunity. Digitally Thoughtful You’re watching fitness professionals try to take their business online quickly. Maybe that’s you. You’re seeing to many randomly throw workouts up online (literally vomit, in my opinion). There’s no custom-designed, personal, training. It’s a trainer personality-based random exercise. Facebook right now has become a YouTube. There’s no progression, there’s no assessing where a client is, or focus on one “avatar.” (define your customer: it’s not everybody, or all women, or people with special conditions: get specific) There is evidence trainers are panicking and reverting to what they know best. They’ve gone into exercise mode. Let me do a workout with them. Let me show them how good they can look. Yet, trainers are not really there. Those who show up, who are with their clients and customers and help by listening by creating a sense of community will win. The regular and consistent, and right now frequent sense of stability that you bring to people is important right now. Be with them. You’ve been a staple in their lives through divorce, through children’s milestones, through family tragedy and celebrations. Be with them now. Yes, stay in your lane AND add value. Provide resources. If you understand parasympathetic stimulation, talk about it. If you understand gut health and the relationship to immunity, talk about it. If you don’t, talk about the resources you’re using to learn more and that you’ll be sharing and ask them to share. There is always something to say. It is not about what core exercise to do or how to throw a kettle bell around. Not right now. This is the time to tap into your own life. What have you loved and hated about it? What have you wished was different? How did you want it different? You have the opportunity right now to create it. Rather than wish it all back where it was a couple weeks ago, will a new opportunity into reality. You’ll be doing something right now. You’ll be thinking something right now. You’ll experience time passing right now. Will you be smarter, more prepared, have a changed business that you’re excited about when this is passed? Trainers who pivot, collaborate, connect, and communicate well during this will be the trainers who thrive, potentially during this and, after this. You can start that right now. Now is not time to pull back. Now is time to lead. Leaders lead. |
Sun, 22 March 2020
My guest is Erin Carson, co-owner and Operating Manager at RallySport Boulder, and trainer to some of the world’s greatest endurance athletes if not America’s athlete sweethearts. She is also a world class age-group athlete herself. She's a leader in so many ways and I tapped into her knowledge and gut feelings about the future of fitness and the fitness industry in this special episode. 1) What’s the Corona fitness climate in Boulder right now? What are you doing online now to connect with your customers now? How are you serving them differently? 2) You and Melissa your co-owner and partner sent out a special email yesterday about how you’re supporting your salaried staff and your customers right now – share a bit of that You wanted to add to the conversation about taking care of your people? 3) I’ve seen you – very early on – be one of the first and potentially only individual/business owner/fitness professional offer to help get groceries, run errands and just basically serve… those with compromised immune systems. How can others focus on who they are that will impact the future of fitness? 4) You also made a statement and PSA about being careful right now with workouts… With so many choices given all fitness pros are jumping online and offering workouts and plans ….It was a word of caution – let’s talk about that because it was great advice. 5) What about the integrity issue you’re seeing either emerge? 6) How are you personally buffing up your immune system? 7) I’m going to ask you to speculate on the future of fitness which is dangerous and yet I think by doing it we may help any trainers listening… What do you think this period in history will do for the fitness industry? We’ll all be changed from this – how do you think the fitness industry – and let’s bring it down to individual personal trainers… how will trainers be impacted by this? And in the end… how will this effect consumers? Clearly this is the first week of real impact of the Corona virus. Stay tuned for more as we explore how each of our businesses is changing. Connect: Instagram @Ecfitboulder for a discount code for an Oura ring Connect with Erin: ecfitboulder.com https://ecfitstrength.com/ Find the show notes at: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/future-of-fitness
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Tue, 17 March 2020
Fitness Trainers Thriving in Corona Virus Mayhem It’s scary. Clients cancelled. Gyms closed. Universities are going online – some until 2021 at least. So no one knows how long this will last. Yet if we all do our part, stay home, distance now, we can shorten the life of this thing and give hospitals and healthcare a fighting chance. Much better that this be a few weeks than months. I encourage you to do your part. I also empathize with what you’re experiencing right now. So in this moment that feels out of control and unstable without a predictable future, make a plan. You can offer your expertise, tap into your education, and serve your community. When the world needs leaders most, leaders emerge. This is why you’re here. Those trainers and coaches who can pivot and show up for clients and customers may not just survive, but thrive. In fact, if you work for a corporation, or a business that can’t pivot quickly, that has too little foresight or leadership, or too many politics to go through, as a solo trainer you can contribute on a big scale a much-needed positive message. You can turn on your phone right now and reach millions. You may not do it the first time out. But you can do it. You have to start somewhere. Start by giving some small pieces of advice. Give short workouts. Ask your clients or members to share by tagging friend. Ask them to help build community with those who are staying #coronastrong. Let Them Guide You Ask your community what they need right now. Show up. Don’t go quiet. Avoid contributing to junk news that isn’t helpful. Be fresh. Show up for your audience when they don’t otherwise have something positive to share. Right now people are hungry for human connection. You have it, live on social media and you can interact live with them on other channels too. Special webinars or use of platforms like Zoom that let them see others can be helpful for you. Collaborate with other fitness businesses. Host local medical and health authorities to share tips for your older clients or those with compromised immune systems. Do an interview with your local grocers. If you’re online, you can still interview experts in the health field no matter where you are. Avoid the empty projections of how long this will last. Give day-to-day how to make choices and cook a healthy dinner, avoid stress. Show yourself cooking a simple meal. Have your program director show how she’s keeping the kids active and engaged while at home. People want to see you dealing with the same thing they are and feel connected. Even if you don’t have all the answers, go on and connect. Email with video clips. Send people links to the social media platforms where you will do workouts or the link to the workouts you have done. Was It Going to Happen Anyway? What may happen here in a very short amount of time could reflect what was going to happen over time anyway. Just brick-and-mortar shops can’t match the convenience demanded. Online pros are opening physical spaces too. So if you haven’t heeded advice to combine online with your offline business, you may be left behind. What will happen if your members and clients get free access to those serving them online with home exercise options and they like them? Better? Sure some want the experience of the live experience, the environment without distractions, community, and social stimulation. But convenience and solving a time stress problem everyone has today could change the fitness scene forever. Thriving in Corona Virus Mayhem I predict apps will do well. Trainers who can communicate, articulate, and build rapport will win – as they should. While those who simply love to workout themselves, and have never been best at developing relationships will suffer. If you’ve been afraid to bring your personal story, your personality to work, now is the time to change that. It doesn’t matter much what age you cater too. Only the oldest of the old have limited technology skills. Every baby boomer has a cell phone. They can use an app or login to your membership site. They’re now 75. There may be a limited number who are not tech savvy. But if you’re tech is user-friendly it shouldn’t be a problem. Right now, your members and clients need to hear from you. Exercise is one of the uplifting things they’ve got to focus on. It not only helps the immune system but it decreases anxiety and depression and distracts in a much more positive way than Netflix and chips. Feel free to comment on what you’re doing for your clients and customers. Collaboration is the name of the game right now. Givers will win. Selfish, concern about who will win with your great idea will hurt you. Success breeds success. It takes a village. You and I know that if more people observed good health habits all the time we’d be less at risk for this type of pandemic chaos. But it is a wake-up call. It may be a pivotal point not just for your business but for the public awareness of good habits. Reach out if you have a unique perspective and you’d like to do a podcast in the next week or so. If you’ve got solutions or you’ve got concerns, let’s dive into them and communicate with our fitness business community. Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/corona-virus |
Thu, 16 January 2020
How to Stop Being So Busy So You Can Be Productive Are you so busy that you can’t take a day off? Yet you’re number one wish is to make more money from personal training? You’re not alone. If you’re a director, manager, or personal trainer, most likely you are doing a lot of things. You wear a lot of hats and you are so busy you may feel like you’re not even loving this career choice any more Training a Niche? This episode is brought to you by the Flipping 50 Specialist. It is the first and only hormone balancing fitness training for personal trainers and health coaches specifically focused on working with women in perimenopause, menopause and perimenopause. As an advanced specialist you get a listing in the trainer directory. The number one question I’m asked after a media appearance or speaking to a women’s group is how do I find trainers who know this. And the back end of your course is all about how to be productive, position, and package services your customers want so you’re less busy and more productive in that marketing time. I’ve got you covered. It’s flippingfifty.com/specialist First 50 for 50% off in 2020. Use certificate50 Getting things done that make you more money from personal training is very different than just being busy. For instance as a personal training director, I was busy doing personal training AND running the program. Until I let go of all but about 10 hours of training a week I wasn't really productive doing the things that grow 2 dozen people's business. Questions I answer (and ask you) in this episode:
Busyness is a comfort zone.
When you first begin podcasting, doing Facebook lives, offering free seminars, or free consultations… you do have to pay your dues for a while. You have to build up an audience.
For a lot of us, and I was one, being busy prevents us from feeling that the fear that this isn’t working, that we’re not making enough money, and becomes an obstacle for learning what will work. But the danger is that you can convince yourself “I’m working so hard. I’ve tried everything.” But truthfully you’ve tried what’s comfortable and doing more of what’s comfortable – it’s a lot like clients who got to you doing a lot of what isn’t working and ended up injured, exhausted, or at least frustrated. It’s doing the right thing that’s going to get results… not just more of the wrong thing. So you have to really be honest with yourself and look at some concrete evidence that what you’re doing is getting traction. Measure the fans and followers. Measure the email list subscribers. Measure the engagement you’re getting when you discuss certain topics or on specific social media platforms.
That is the key. So if you’re busy writing blogs and your audience isn’t even reading blogs, they prefer to listen to podcasts, you may need to switch gears. Maybe that doesn’t mean you go all in and do a podcast but you do a regular Facebook live show or live stream YouTube (or both simultaneously) if they want to listen (and or watch). And then you have to remember that you do not own those platforms! So download those videos and put them on your website. Connect: Flippingfifty.com/specialist Use certificate50 for 50% off if you're one of the first 50 in 2020! Thanks for leaving a rating in iTunes! 1 visit Voice for Fitness Professionals in iTunes 2 click listen in iTunes 3 leave a star rating and a comment 4 know how much I appreciate it! For support both creating a lucrative niche who is seeking answers and leveraging marketing that works, the Flipping50 Specialist is a perfect match. You'll find it both on Flippingfifty.com and fitnessmarketingmastery.com because some of the absolute best trainers and health coaches are this population of midlife women themselves. Is that you?
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Tue, 14 January 2020
6 Signs Your Menopause Clients may not recognize ...and how to modify training to support natural hormone balance. Millions of women are in menopause, 46 million according to ACOG, right now. Millions more are entering perimenopause and don't recognize the signs. If you don't know it when you see it, you may not realize your usual way to help lose fat and get muscle tone will not only not work, they'll make her worse. What happens when she does know? She's wants the support of a hormone balancing specialist. Do you know the signs? Menopause clients alone could fill your schedule for decades. Questions I answer in this episode:
Right now if you hurry you can get 50% off ... It's available to the first 50 Flipping50 Specialists. Get on our directory. Whether you’re interested in adding female hormone balancing coach to your current list of credentials or interested in changing careers, if you love working with women in midlife and older, now is a great time. Use certificate50 if you're one of the first 50 in 2020! If you're a woman in perimenopause, menopause or post menopause looking for a trainer, reach out, or connect with me about our online programs at Flippingfifty.com. Flipping 50 is the first and only exclusively hormone balancing fitness for women in menopause and beyond. Recognized by AARP as a top podcast for 50+ and presented internationally to fitness professionals at some of the largest fitness associations in the world. Connect: Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/programs Thanks for leaving a rating in iTunes! 1 visit Voice for Fitness Professionals in iTunes 2 click listen in iTunes 3 leave a star rating and a comment 4 know how much I appreciate it!
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