No B.S. In The Trenches

Fitness Marketing

Welcome to the Super-Trainer blog where you’ll discover no hype, no BS fitness marketing strategies and information to take you to six (even seven!) figures in your personal trainer marketing or boot camp marketing business.

This blog is a lot different than what you're used to seeing. Super-Trainer is a platform where any fitness professional can submit a blog post as long their information helps other trainers get clients, sell personal trainer marketing, or perform better boot camp marketing.

You’re in the right place if you’re ready to take your boot camp marketing or personal trainer marketing business and fitness marketing to the next level. Where you’re working ON your business and not IN your business … where you’re leveraging your time … creating multiple income streams … and … providing a better life for yourself and your family.

You really can have it all—I’ll be your guide—let’s get it rolling!!

Top 5 Lessons of Things NOT to do if you want your business to be successful – Part 1

Posted on 03. Feb, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

This is Super-Trainer Jana “Coach Jana” Holland, coming at you after an inspiring weekend with “Sam and Friends” in Chino Hills, CA. Many of you who have been in the industry for a while probably know what to do to take your business to the next level. ESPECIALLY if you tune in to Super-Trainer, and go to fitness events and conferences where you leave with pages of notes and tasks on your to-do list. When Sam asked me to share with you some of my Top Lessons of Success, I paused. With Sam and these other Super-Trainers as resources, what on earth could I contribute that hasn’t been covered? One thing is for sure, though. Although I don’t have a checklist of a million awesome things that promise to propel you to greatness, I CERTAINLY have a list of a million things to avoid; mostly lessons I’ve learned by making a lot of mistakes, forging new territory, and not being afraid to try new things – sometimes with less-than-stellar results. When we started SWAT Fitness in 1996, there were no fitness business summits. No boot camps. No trainer-networking opportunities. No business models to copy, and no coaches in the field [...]

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The Best Motivation Video

Posted on 02. Feb, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

Dismissed from drama school with a note that read, “Wasting her time. She’s too shy to put her best foot forward.” Turned down by the Decca Recording Company who said, “We don’t like their sound and guitar music is on the way out.” A failed soldier, farmer and real estate agent. Thirty-eight years old, he went to work for his father as a hand. Cut from the high school basketball team, he went home, locked himself in his room and cried. A teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything. He should go into a field where he might succeed by virtue of his pleasant personality. Fired from a newspaper because he lacked imagination and had no original ideas. His fiancée died. He failed in business twice. He had a nervous breakdown and he was defeated in eight elections. If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived

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Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days

Posted on 01. Feb, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut, so I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock, and try something new for 30 days. The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you’ve always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It turns out, 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit like watching the news from your life. There are a few things that I learned while doing these 30-day challenges. The first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable. This was part of a challenge I did to take a picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. I also noticed that as I started to do more and harder 30-day challenges, my self-confidence grew. I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work for fun. Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I [...]

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The Power of Appreciation

Posted on 31. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

The fitness business industry is beginning to be over saturated with “how to” advice that has no merit, and most likely hasn’t been tested in the real world. It’s not a surprise that our industry mimics the fitness industry itself, especially “as seen on” products. It seems like every week there is a new self proclaimed “guru” spouting off at the mouth about how to gain clients, retain clients, make six figures with a mindset shift, and blah blah blah. The list goes on and on. The questions we need to ask ourselves are, 1) Does this person actually own/run a fitness facility 2) Does this person actually train people 3) Does this person interact with their “clients”. Personally I’m sick and fucking tired of all the bullshit. I’ve had enough, and that is why Luka and I have started on this path. To create a family. Where we pass along information and strategies that we use every day, in real world applications. We work on our businesses, in our businesses, and still find the time to have a lifestyle that most people dream of. This isn’t braggin, it’s the freaking truth…. Did I mention we both bust our asses [...]

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Content Doesn’t Mean Complacent

Posted on 30. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

We all work for that moment in our careers where we can just say “I am finally proud of what I’ve done! I have really succeeded in life!” We’re aware that we’ve surpassed our parents’ expectations, we’ve impressed our friends, we’ve amassed considerable wealth and we’d be more than ready for any class reunion. However, being content doesn’t mean being complacent. Just because you’re happy with business, doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax. In business and life, you are either growing or dying. As business consultant Victor S.L. Tan says, “The greatest threat hovering above an organization today is not the competition. Neither is it the increasing demands placed by customers. Nor is the pace of change brought about by globalization. The greatest threat to the survival of organizations today is complacency of people inside organizations. It is the number one enemy…” The complacent American thinks that he DESERVES a cushy retirement because he worked hard his whole life. When he hits 65, he expects that he can just retire on a pension and enjoy the same standard of living he had before – only, now, with more free time! This complacent American is DEAD WRONG. He will [...]

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Don’t Die With These 5 Regrets!

Posted on 29. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

One time I opened a fortune cookie and it said, “You will die.” What kind of fortune is that? It didn’t say I would “die soon” or “die tomorrow,” it just stated the plain fact that I will die. Any nurse who has worked in a hospice or extended care facility knows the inevitability of death. It’s a dark thought we don’t like to think about, but perhaps we should think about it regularly. Coming to grips with our own mortality is a good thing – and here’s why: you don’t want the last feeling you have on this earth to be waves of regret. According to nurses, there are five common themes of regret that surface in their patients: Boy, don’t I know that one! Not many years ago, I was running myself ragged and flying around by the seat of my pants, without any systems in place. I was working 12 hour days as a personal trainer and small business owner and missing out on the family time I desired. In their dying moments, people often express sorrow that they missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship, as well as new opportunities for growth and happiness. [...]

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How to Make Your Training Center a Third Place

Posted on 27. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

I’m right in the middle of reading “Onward” by Howard Shultz, the founder of Starbucks. I remember hearing about the “third place” a while back before I even read the book but now it’s even more intriguing. I think it was Big Chris McCombs that told me about that idea. In the book they speak about wanting to make Starbucks the third place for their customers. Home. Work. Starbucks. Creating that same idea for your training studio or boot camp is literally one of the easiest ways to improve client retention. Who wants to keep filling a leaky bucket of clients? You work your ass off to get new clients so you better keep them. Think about it, people come from crappy jobs that they hate, busy lifestyles at home, commutes, hectic traffic and other stressors. But they COME. They show up at your studio or park or wherever you train and they want to put in work. Your place is one place that they can blow off steam, boost their own confidence, make friends, laugh, push past their limits (you know everyone lives in a little comfort circle so it feels great to get out of that) and make [...]

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Fitness Marketing Blogging Mistakes

Posted on 26. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

People are always asking me how I get so many views, comments and tweets on my blogs. They feel there must be some magic voodoo I chant over each post to have it do well. Or maybe I kneel down and do a Tebow prayer after each post. Many blogosphere beginners invest their precious time into hacking out a couple posts and then conclude that “blogging is just not worth the effort.” I’d hate for you to miss out on all the juicy leads and buzz you could be generating for your business, so I’m going to share 10 of the biggest SEO mistakes new bloggers make. First and foremost, you are absolutely wasting your time if you have no clue about keywords. These are the literary magnets that draw visitors to your post. Without focusing on keywords, you’re really living on a prayer that someone will find your blog on page 1,000 of the search results. Before you start your post, you need to hit up Google’s Keyword Tool. Look up words you would type into Google to search for your business or blog post. Choose one main keyword per post – ideally something with “low” or “medium” [...]

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Improve Your Fitness Business by Improving Your Facebook Results

Posted on 25. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

But do you really know the amount of revenue you have generated from Facebook? Do you know how much you have already invested in the network? These are two very important questions you must have the answers to if you want successful results from Facebook and for your fitness business. Facebook is the number one social media platform used by marketers today. According to the Marketing Sherpa 2011 Social Marketing Benchmark Report, 84% of social marketers use Facebook in some way. To be a successful part of this 84% you need a way to measure results and analyze data to ensure a positive return on investment. Here are 7 steps to help you do this: Prior to measuring results you must ascertain your goals. Adopt goals that conform to Facebook and are relevant to your target audience. Ask yourself, if you want to gain awareness using Facebook or enhance current relationships with your customers? When you have defined your goals then choose a metric to capture your progress. Ask the question, “How will I measure my goals?” If increasing leads is your goal then track the number of generated leads, along with conversion rates and the total value. Next, be [...]

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Supplement Sales For Trainers

Posted on 24. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

Most trainers think that carrying supplements is a headache and you need to stock hundreds of items etc. This couldn’t be futther from truth. Adding Supplements to your Business can help your Business and your clients. Here is 3 reasons why you should be selling Supplements to your clients. Bottom line we are in a service business and part of our service is delivering results. When your clients use the right supplements they will get better results period. Along with getting better results they will also get healthier. What more can you ask for? Lets take something as simple as quality fish oil (notice I said quality because not all fish oils are created equal). Benefits – Improved Fat Loss – Reduced Inflammation – Decrease in bad cholesterol – Improved Skin – Improved Brain Function Bottom line your clients are either taking fish oils already or they should be. Why not have them buy it from you? Just like a membership most supplements are used on a monthly basis. Supplements are known as Replenishables. You use them you need to replenish. This means instant continuity. Your average client is buying something else from you, this is very important. [...]

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Fitness Marketing Incest

Posted on 24. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

Read the Law of Hype Part 2 Hey, What’s up everybody? what’s up Super-Trainers? This is your boy, Sam from Super-Trainer.com. What’s going on? And, today what I wanna do is I want to talk to you about marketing incest. You know what marketing incest is? – Marketing incest is when everybody is doing the same thing. They’re watching each other, and there’s copying each others ads. So now, check this out. This is the two, right here in the Chino Hills area, there are two magazines. Okay, one of them is called the “Butterfield Stageline”. This is January 2012. Okay, another one is the “Westcoast Magazine”, and again if you look at here, it’s January 2012. Right? Okay, so once you turn the page I want to show you all these trainers’ ads that look exactly the same and say the same darn thing. So, check this out. So first one, we got this person’s ad, looks familiar. If you look at here, it says “Voted #1 Fitness Bootcamp in Chino Valley” Okay, so voted #1 fitness bootcamp in Chino Valley… by who? I’ve been living here for 12-15 years and everybody that has been living here, nobody has [...]

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Leave a Legacy

Posted on 23. Jan, 2012 by 7Figure Sam.

I was honored to be a presenter at Sam Bakhtiar’s “Weekend with Sam” event that included industry leaders / gurus like Dax Moy, Pat Rigsby, John Spencer Ellis, Rocco Castellano, Curtis Mock, Chris McCombs, and rising stars such as Armando Cruz, Erik Rokeach, Carrie Kakuda & Alicia Steger (The Boot Camp Girls) and Brian Devlin. As I travel back from the event I’m reminded of the impact we have on others. Does a person who leaves a legacy of change, social and individual improvement, and self-challenge have to be larger than life? No. The person who leaves a legacy could be you, me, or the trainer down the street. Does each of us have the opportunity to leave a legacy that makes all the difference in the life of at least one individual? Yes, we do. The power we have to change people’s lives is much more real and much more than simply training people to exercise. That power is held in a smile, a nod, a gentle push, a kick in the butt, and a pat on the back, a simple “Let me show you. “And a shared” Well done. That is the power to propel and that power [...]