With the NEW YEAR under way it is easy to become so busy with all of our clients and the stress that comes from how busy we are that we forget to put the "personal" in our services and we don't always go the extra mile during each training session.
Remember to always FOCUS on your clients overall experience each time you interact with them.
Most of your clients are struggling for balance, health and happiness in his/her life. Personal Trainers are the motivators for change for many people.
Your clients like to feel noticed and they often need to feel valued. Let your clients know that you care about them. Your clients are looking for connections. Be sure to connect with each individual client. You can do this a number of different ways.
Always go the extra mile during your sessions
A little bit goes a long, long way.
Follow through and keep your word
I can't tell you how many clients we've obtained and retained by simply following through and keeping our word. We are usually the first to respond and we always follow up. Its sad that many people today simply don't keep their promises and don't follow through. But it is also an opportunity for you to set yourself apart from other personal trainers.
Develop excellent communication and excellent listening skills
We could spend a lifetime working on communication and listening skills. It is so important to establish a rapport with people.
Be on time!
Its amazing how many personal trainers are not on time. We take this a step further and make sure that we are actually early for all of our appointments. We feel so much more relaxed having a few extra minutes versus racing from appointment to appointment.
Here are a few very easy ways to stay in touch with your clients while you are not physically with them.
Send emails and to pick up the phone and call your clients every once in awhile to check in with how they are doing.
Give or send them birthday cards on their birthdays. A great FREE service we use is called, www.birthdayalarm.com Immediately, after someone fills out our health history paperwork we enter his/her birthday in birthdayalarm.com. Birthday alarm sends us an email a few days before this person's birthday and we make sure that we send each one of our clients a birthday card on his or her special day. It is a small gesture, but small gestures like this one really sets you apart from other personal trainers.
Always handwrite thank you notes for referrals. In today's busy world, many people don't take the time to write handwritten notes.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Friday, December 26, 2008
Happy Holidays:-)
I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday season. Remember to HAVE FUN and use this down time to get ready for a busy 1st part of the year!
The beginning of the year is an exciting time in our industry. Many people finally feel ready to "get off the couch" and make changes in their lives. We get the privilege to be part of that amazing transformation.
I also know that being inspirational and motivating is hard work and that it takes constant dedication and focus! I also know that with nothing but bad news filling our airwaves and TV screens, it makes it even more challenging. Despite all this, I want 2009 to be your best year yet for you and all of your clients. If you need a little "fill-up" in your "inspiration-tank" check out this short video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MslbhDZoniY
NEWS TO SHARE:
I have some amazing news to share with you! Ryan and I have been chosen to teach a special 4 hour intensive workshop at the IDEA World Convention
this coming August! We hope to see you there!
http://www.ideafit.com/conference/idea-world-fitness-convention-2008
Save the date for August 12-16 in Anaheim CA!
The future of mobile fitness training continues to be bright! Thank you for all the inspiration you have provided to us to keep our industry growing!
The beginning of the year is an exciting time in our industry. Many people finally feel ready to "get off the couch" and make changes in their lives. We get the privilege to be part of that amazing transformation.
I also know that being inspirational and motivating is hard work and that it takes constant dedication and focus! I also know that with nothing but bad news filling our airwaves and TV screens, it makes it even more challenging. Despite all this, I want 2009 to be your best year yet for you and all of your clients. If you need a little "fill-up" in your "inspiration-tank" check out this short video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MslbhDZoniY
NEWS TO SHARE:
I have some amazing news to share with you! Ryan and I have been chosen to teach a special 4 hour intensive workshop at the IDEA World Convention
this coming August! We hope to see you there!
http://www.ideafit.com/conference/idea-world-fitness-convention-2008
Save the date for August 12-16 in Anaheim CA!
The future of mobile fitness training continues to be bright! Thank you for all the inspiration you have provided to us to keep our industry growing!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Be A Healthy Role Model At All Times
I know this is sort of a "no brainer" but its important to remember that people are watching you all of the time and that as a fitness professional you are constantly making an impact on others. I was at the grocery store the other day. I put all of my items on the conveyer belt and I was waiting for my turn to pay for my items. This really nice middle aged woman was in front of me. She glanced at my items and said, "Wow, you sure look like a healthy person." I glanced over at her items in front of me and saw that her items mainly consisted of canned goods, frozen weight watchers meals and other various convenience processed foods.
I looked down at my items and noticed that my items did consist of all fresh vegetables and fruits. Of course these types of encounters are always a nice lead in about what you do for a living. After we struck up a conversation I told her that I was a personal trainer and handed her my business card. I told her about my Complimentary Get Fit newsletter and answered a few of her other questions regarding exercise and food. Then I went on to say that I know that cooking and shopping is time consuming but in the end it is worthwhile because we only have one body and I believe that my body is worth "real food etc."
These types of encounters happen to me on a regular basis. So, always be prepared, always have business cards with you and remember that by simply being a healthy role model many people will automatically gravitate towards you and want to ask you health and fitness questions.
I looked down at my items and noticed that my items did consist of all fresh vegetables and fruits. Of course these types of encounters are always a nice lead in about what you do for a living. After we struck up a conversation I told her that I was a personal trainer and handed her my business card. I told her about my Complimentary Get Fit newsletter and answered a few of her other questions regarding exercise and food. Then I went on to say that I know that cooking and shopping is time consuming but in the end it is worthwhile because we only have one body and I believe that my body is worth "real food etc."
These types of encounters happen to me on a regular basis. So, always be prepared, always have business cards with you and remember that by simply being a healthy role model many people will automatically gravitate towards you and want to ask you health and fitness questions.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
How to Weather an Economic Downturn
I've received quite a few e-mails recently with questions related to this, so there is no time like the present to talk about it. Let's face it, when times get tough, people are forced to make difficult decisions. For some of our clients, hiring a personal trainer may seem like a luxury. The reality is that for most of your clients, it is a necessity! Without your instruction and motivation, most of your clients will not stay adherent to their program. It's understandable that when push comes to shove, a client may need to cut back, but there are other options than just quitting their exercise program. If you are facing this situation with some of your clients at present, try to do the following:
Don't panic
It is normal to go through busy cycles and slow cycles. Know that the slow times will eventually pass and the good times will return.
Be creative with your business
Ask yourself, "what can I offer to make my services more affordable yet keep the value and the revenue going strong?"
Offer more small group training classes and online training. This will cut the cost to your clients, yet still allow them to receive your motivation and services. Work on collaborations with other health and fitness professionals when possible (yes, more networking). Alliances with other health professionals is a good way to strengthen your customer base. With the right collaborations you are reaching a broader spectrum of possible customers and you have more to offer each potential customer.
Continue to educate your customers
Personal training is not a luxury item. Make sure all of your marketing promotes personal training as a necessity. Remind consumers that personal training isn't a luxury, it's an opportunity to GET FIT and STAY FIT! Put it in your newsletters, website, flyers, and anywhere else the consumer learns about you and your business.
Stop unnecessary spending
There are many places to cut back in your business. Just make sure that anything you spend money on is an absolute essential to surviving or operating your business.
Re-organize Yourself
Take advantage of this slow time to organize yourself both professionally and personally. Evaluate all of your business ideas, rewrite your business plan, re-define your goals. Your business plan should be the working base for your company. Have you strayed from it in any way? Does it need revision in light of new information? Should you be considering new directions that are not included in it? Sit down and read it from the perspective of someone about to invest in your business - and make any revisions that seem appropriate. You may even identify additional information you need to gather in order to make decisions about the future of the company.
Make Customer Service Your #1 Priority
Your clients are your lifeblood in any economic climate. In a downturn they are what keep you in business. Treat them well, always over-deliver and exceed their expectations. Spend time listening to your clients to hear what they like and do not like about the services you offer. Change those that you can. Take time to be innovative in meeting your customer needs. Do whatever you need to do to keep your current customers loyal and to position yourself to win new clients and referrals.
Stay optimistic
The slow times will eventually pass and the good times will return:-)
Don't panic
It is normal to go through busy cycles and slow cycles. Know that the slow times will eventually pass and the good times will return.
Be creative with your business
Ask yourself, "what can I offer to make my services more affordable yet keep the value and the revenue going strong?"
Offer more small group training classes and online training. This will cut the cost to your clients, yet still allow them to receive your motivation and services. Work on collaborations with other health and fitness professionals when possible (yes, more networking). Alliances with other health professionals is a good way to strengthen your customer base. With the right collaborations you are reaching a broader spectrum of possible customers and you have more to offer each potential customer.
Continue to educate your customers
Personal training is not a luxury item. Make sure all of your marketing promotes personal training as a necessity. Remind consumers that personal training isn't a luxury, it's an opportunity to GET FIT and STAY FIT! Put it in your newsletters, website, flyers, and anywhere else the consumer learns about you and your business.
Stop unnecessary spending
There are many places to cut back in your business. Just make sure that anything you spend money on is an absolute essential to surviving or operating your business.
Re-organize Yourself
Take advantage of this slow time to organize yourself both professionally and personally. Evaluate all of your business ideas, rewrite your business plan, re-define your goals. Your business plan should be the working base for your company. Have you strayed from it in any way? Does it need revision in light of new information? Should you be considering new directions that are not included in it? Sit down and read it from the perspective of someone about to invest in your business - and make any revisions that seem appropriate. You may even identify additional information you need to gather in order to make decisions about the future of the company.
Make Customer Service Your #1 Priority
Your clients are your lifeblood in any economic climate. In a downturn they are what keep you in business. Treat them well, always over-deliver and exceed their expectations. Spend time listening to your clients to hear what they like and do not like about the services you offer. Change those that you can. Take time to be innovative in meeting your customer needs. Do whatever you need to do to keep your current customers loyal and to position yourself to win new clients and referrals.
Stay optimistic
The slow times will eventually pass and the good times will return:-)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Find a niche
Sorry I haven't been blogging very much lately. I have been working really hard on finishing the Own Your Own Mobile Fitness Business manuel and as many of you can probably relate, being on the computer too much can suck the life out of you. But, I have successfully completed the rough draft and the manuel is in the editing stage and I hope to have it out by 2009!
It is really important to find a niche or to specialize in a specific area that you feel passionate about. By doing this, you can target all of your marketing towards this group of people. An example of a great niche in the fitness industry is Curves. Curves caters to 40+ women. Curves took the health and fitness industry by storm when they opened up their fitness centers and have become one of the most successful franchises in our industry.
Here are some questions to help you define your Specialty of Niche
What makes you different and unique?
What specific segment of the population do you want to serve?
What needs are you going to fill?
Why do you want to work with this target market?
Who is your competition?
If you have competition, what are your competitors strengths?
What are your competitors weaknesses?
What sets you apart from your competition?
What makes your services unique?
Why should Sally work with you instead of someone else?
Why should Mrs. Smith refer clients to you?
It is really important to find a niche or to specialize in a specific area that you feel passionate about. By doing this, you can target all of your marketing towards this group of people. An example of a great niche in the fitness industry is Curves. Curves caters to 40+ women. Curves took the health and fitness industry by storm when they opened up their fitness centers and have become one of the most successful franchises in our industry.
Here are some questions to help you define your Specialty of Niche
What makes you different and unique?
What specific segment of the population do you want to serve?
What needs are you going to fill?
Why do you want to work with this target market?
Who is your competition?
If you have competition, what are your competitors strengths?
What are your competitors weaknesses?
What sets you apart from your competition?
What makes your services unique?
Why should Sally work with you instead of someone else?
Why should Mrs. Smith refer clients to you?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
An Eye Opening Experience
Hi Everyone,
I had an interesting experience this past weekend. As many of you know I have been doing some collaborative projects with nutritionists, healthy chefs and life coaches. In the process of promoting some of my new programs I have come into contact with many different people and as a result many of these people have expressed an interest in doing some collaborative projects with me.
One person happened to be a weight loss counselor at Weight Watchers. After we spoke on the phone she invited me to attend one of her many meetings at Weight Watchers so that I could get an idea of her coaching and teaching style. I figured, it would also be a nice way for the 2 of us to meet in person.
What an eye opening Experience. I realized as I was sitting in the Weight Watchers room how important it was for these people to have a forum to celebrate their successes and talk about struggles they are having with losing weight with a group of people that are going through similar experiences. I also felt sad that so many of these people are prisoners to food and how desperately many of them want to lose weight. It was completely packed by the way. There were easily 75 people in this room. It made me realize that they are a lot of unhappy people out there that truly need our help and want to find a way to live more balanced healthy lifestyles.
For those of you out there that have never attended a weight loss support group that work with people who's primary goal is to lose weight, and many of us do. it is definitely something you should do at some point. It may help you understand just a bit more about your current clients that are trying to lose weight.
Of course if you have signs and business cards on your vehicle, it is also an easy way to do a bit of marketing. I would suggest getting to know one or a few of the counselors for the weight loss support group. These people could potentially refer you to tons of new prospective clients.
Have a great week:-)
I had an interesting experience this past weekend. As many of you know I have been doing some collaborative projects with nutritionists, healthy chefs and life coaches. In the process of promoting some of my new programs I have come into contact with many different people and as a result many of these people have expressed an interest in doing some collaborative projects with me.
One person happened to be a weight loss counselor at Weight Watchers. After we spoke on the phone she invited me to attend one of her many meetings at Weight Watchers so that I could get an idea of her coaching and teaching style. I figured, it would also be a nice way for the 2 of us to meet in person.
What an eye opening Experience. I realized as I was sitting in the Weight Watchers room how important it was for these people to have a forum to celebrate their successes and talk about struggles they are having with losing weight with a group of people that are going through similar experiences. I also felt sad that so many of these people are prisoners to food and how desperately many of them want to lose weight. It was completely packed by the way. There were easily 75 people in this room. It made me realize that they are a lot of unhappy people out there that truly need our help and want to find a way to live more balanced healthy lifestyles.
For those of you out there that have never attended a weight loss support group that work with people who's primary goal is to lose weight, and many of us do. it is definitely something you should do at some point. It may help you understand just a bit more about your current clients that are trying to lose weight.
Of course if you have signs and business cards on your vehicle, it is also an easy way to do a bit of marketing. I would suggest getting to know one or a few of the counselors for the weight loss support group. These people could potentially refer you to tons of new prospective clients.
Have a great week:-)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Hiking with Clients
Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. My husband and I just got back from a trip up to Lake Tahoe. For those of you that don't live in California or Nevada. Tahoe is an amazing wonder that should be on everyone's list to visit at some point in your life.
We camped a few days, did some stand up paddleboarding, kayaked, swam and did some great hiking. As many of you probably have experienced, hiking is one of those amazing activities that can transform a person. As we were hiking along the rocks, mountains and visiting different lakes I realized how perfect hiking is as a workout. I do quite a bit of hiking with current clients of mine as a way to get them outdoors, away from their current worries and surroundings.
In everyday life we do so many things in the frontal plane. Most people also spend most of their day hunched over in a seated position. When you are hiking you are forced to use lateral movement and of these different movements are great for coordination and balance. Hiking includes the following types of activities. Stepping over rocks, avoiding tree limbs, hill climbing, descending down hills and rocks, climbing on top of rocks, crossing streams, etc. All of these activities require a person to use their whole body many times throughout the hike.
Even if you have a de-conditioned client you can still have them doing all of these cross training activities. I usually carry a medium size backpack, I put a tubing band in the backpack and carry my clients water. Once you become comfortable with creating a workout in all different surroundings I think you'll find that hiking is a great way to spend a session(s) with clients.
Thats all for now! Keep enjoying the long, sunny, warm days:-)
I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. My husband and I just got back from a trip up to Lake Tahoe. For those of you that don't live in California or Nevada. Tahoe is an amazing wonder that should be on everyone's list to visit at some point in your life.
We camped a few days, did some stand up paddleboarding, kayaked, swam and did some great hiking. As many of you probably have experienced, hiking is one of those amazing activities that can transform a person. As we were hiking along the rocks, mountains and visiting different lakes I realized how perfect hiking is as a workout. I do quite a bit of hiking with current clients of mine as a way to get them outdoors, away from their current worries and surroundings.
In everyday life we do so many things in the frontal plane. Most people also spend most of their day hunched over in a seated position. When you are hiking you are forced to use lateral movement and of these different movements are great for coordination and balance. Hiking includes the following types of activities. Stepping over rocks, avoiding tree limbs, hill climbing, descending down hills and rocks, climbing on top of rocks, crossing streams, etc. All of these activities require a person to use their whole body many times throughout the hike.
Even if you have a de-conditioned client you can still have them doing all of these cross training activities. I usually carry a medium size backpack, I put a tubing band in the backpack and carry my clients water. Once you become comfortable with creating a workout in all different surroundings I think you'll find that hiking is a great way to spend a session(s) with clients.
Thats all for now! Keep enjoying the long, sunny, warm days:-)
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