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Today I want to discuss a key element in my businesses that has allowed
me to manage 6 boot camps in Chicago, 5 boot camp in California,
my personal training studio as well as various other businesses and income streams.

Frankly, I am surprised as to why so many business owners including
fitness pros fail to do this.

Unless you’ve been hiding under rock somewhere then you should know that
it’s 7-10 times easier and cheaper to keep an existing client than it is to
get a new one.

But surprisingly almost everyone neglects this fact.

It’s just my personal opinion that it’s human nature to take for granted
what we already have. (That’s another topic for another day)

So business owners are constantly looking for the latest way to acquire
new customers all while ignoring the goldmine (existing customers) right
in front of them.
I am SHOCKED by how many business owners, fitness pros included
fail to survey their customers/clients.

It only takes a friggin minute……..

And the feedback you receive is PRICELESS to your business.

Trust me when I tell you that it will prevent future headaches and
save THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars.

It’s a known fact that MOST customers rather leave and not come back
than complain.

What’s worse is that they leave unsatisfied with your services
but they never approach you and give you a chance to fix it.

Even worse is that they go and bad mouth your business to
others without giving you a chance.

How can you fix something if you don’t know it’s broken.

Most of us don’t have psychic powers like Dionne Warwick
and certainly are not mind readers.

So the only way we can get real feedback is by sending our clients
an anonymous survey.

I call anonymous surveys my “psychic friend”.

So next time you get excuses like…

My schedule is changing and I can’t come in anymore
I can’t afford it anymore
I need to cancel my agreement
I (fill in the blank)

It’s most likely a smoke screen because they don’t want
to confront you and tell you the real reason they are leaving.

Your boy Sam,

PS – And YES (see I got psychic powers ;) my soon to
be released game changing Super Trainer Formula
also has a build in survey feature to help you understand therefore
retain your clients longer.

PPS – Stay tuned as tomorrow I will show you a video about
my 5 key components to a winning survey retention campaign.

Sometimes I write in verse.

But it’s not because I’m one of those hazy, enigmatic artists who can’t seem to ever author anything other than inspirational pieces laced with big words, but no substance…

It’s because during my 17 years in the Fitness and Sport Training industry, I learned some incredibly valuable lessons about the human brain and how it works.

While our left brain functions entirely on lists, logistics and common sense, our right brain thrives on creativity, intrigue and imagination.

Simply put; we sometimes remember the facts, but we always remember the stories.

I’m taking Sam’s gracious offer to be part of his team very seriously – and will be providing the kind of insights that are unique, hard-hitting and slightly off-center (not unlike myself).

Sales, advertising and marketing are great; needed in fact.

But for 17 years, I was you; in every way.

And I know it’s a tough journey to make it big in this industry… Even tougher when we take our eye of the ball of what really matters.

So in the spirit of that truth, I will begin here.

With a conversation that just may get your fires burning today in a way they haven’t been lit before…..

The crackle of Death’s voice split the eerie night with malice.

“It is time” he whispered with finality

The old man tilted his head.  His pleading eyes were immediately blurred by the stench of decay and ruin.

He looked longingly into Death’s eyes; hoping to find a shred of mercy or hint of compassion.

An icy, soulless stare met his aching appeal.

Frozen in terror, but convicted in his ability to bargain, the old man cleared his throat and spoke in charming protest.

“It cannot be my time” he offered with a gentle firmness

“Not yet”

Death’s eyes grew amused and mocking.

“And why is that?” was the steely, cold response

The old man’s cunning mind began to race.  Perhaps this was negotiable.

“Because I have love for humanity” he said with a dishonest and yet convincing humility

“You do?” taunted Death

“Yes” said the old man with raising optimism

“I have much left to do for people…”

“And yet you never expressed this love in life” interrupted Death

A callous chill engulfed the old man.  Although objecting was his immediate emotional response, he knew that Death was right.

“I tried…” offered the old man weakly

“Yes” interrupted Death again “you tried but you did not do”

“You allowed yourself to become conditioned by fear.  Fear of race; of nationality and political ideology.  Fear of not having if you gave too much away”

“You did not love humanity, you feared scarcity and competition”

“You did not seek to serve; you opted to accumulate”

“But is it a sin to want for myself?” asked the man in begging denial

“It is not” scorned Death

“It is neither a sin nor a mistake.  But the true, rare and succulent riches only ever come to those whose purpose is to elevate others; not only themselves”

Defeated, the old man felt his breathing become labored.

Frantic, he searched his mind.

A persuasive argument that could convince Death to look elsewhere on this night.

A smile curved on the old man’s mouth.

A faint gleam in his eye boasted hopefulness.

“Because I love life” spoke the old man modestly and simply

The air turned wicked as Death roared in laughter.

A thunderous chill skipped through the old man’s spine as Death rose from his seated position.  The room blackened with spite and evil.

“Love life?” Death chuckled with distain

“You did not love life; you feared me”

 “You could have smiled in gratitude, but opted to sulk in pity”

“You could have stood out, but chose to huddle with the lemmings”

“You could have given, but decided to take”

“You could have sacrificed good to become great”

“You could have sown a legacy, but elected to live in self-servitude”

“You could have used your gifts, but kept them hidden instead”

Death paused, a sense of empathy poured out from his hooded presence.

“Your story is the same as so many before you” he said calmly

“You awoke every morning and went about your day without emotion or thought.  You complained about what you didn’t have.  You whined about the perceived injustices that kept you trolling through a mundane existence.  You stayed within your bubble of comfort, never venturing into the majesty of the unknown”

“You say you love life” Death offered softly

“But you never lived……”

Brian Grasso was considered a renegade during his time in the Fitness and Sport Training industry.

But that mentality is precisely what allowed him to create the kind of success that very few ever have.

His new journey is as Founder of “FTR Nation”… A family of Freethinking Renegades worldwide who put life purpose and service to others above all else.

www.FreethinkingRenegades.com

Brian Grasso
“Rockstar Poet”
FreeThinkingRenegades.com

When these clients first came to me, I had not idea that they would be some of my more enthusiastic clients. I tried to wow and amazing them just as much as any other client. Eventually, they became so exited  about my services and the results they have received, that they began telling everyone they knew. It is not uncommon for them to bring 2-4 friends with them to check out my boot camp. Some clients will even ask for fliers to pass out at various events. When my clients see a new face at my facility they greet them and encourage them to continue. As you can see my clients are my secret sales team.

I do not have a system for finding or creating clients like this, but I have some ideas how you can make it easy for people to get excited about your services. Here are 3 tips for creating your own secret sales team.

• Before a client can get excited about your services they must feel like they are getting a great deal. No one brags about the average deal they just got. But everyone likes to brag about what a great deal they got. Make them feel special and offer a wide array of complementary services that they don’t get at other fitness centers.

• Treat your clients like family. Talk to them about their family, work and tell them about yourself. Your clients want to be able to tell their friends about you personally and not just about the services you offer.

• Ask your clients for help promoting your business. Always have plenty of fliers available and inform your clients about upcoming communities events. When your clients show an interest in a particular event. Ask them if they could hand out some fliers for you. Most clients are more than willing to help.

Having you clients market and sell your services has numerous benefits.

• Clients are not working for you and so they do not collect a pay check. You can always offer referral incentives to reward clients for their efforts or you can just make an effort to show them your appreciation.

• When a prospect calls you, they expect to be sold. When a prospect meets a current client, they expect to an honest opinion on you and your services. It is for this reason that a prospect is much more likely to listen to a client over you.

• Many of your current clients and prospects can relate to each other. They have similar goals and struggles. These personal connections makes it easier for them to feel comfortable around each other.

If you want your sales to sore without pumping money into marketing, invest a little more time and effort into your clients. You will be pleasantly surprised with how many of your clients are willing to help you. Give them a reason to be excited and they will sell you to their friends, family and any new face that steps into your facility.

Erick “The ab pro” Salgado
www.TheAbPro.com

I wanted to follow up my Power of Appreciation post (thanks for all the comment love) with a post on how to help you create RABID FANS!

I was watching the Justin Bieber Movie “Never Say Never” Friday night with my lady friend….. Don’t judge! That movie was AWESOME, if you don’t believe me just watch it! First off this kid is talented, he plays like seven instruments, can dance and sing. Don’t hate, congratulate!

Now that we are past your fit of hysterical  laughter at my expense, let me tell you some major take aways from this movie.

#1) His success is not an accident- He was discovered on YOUTUBE, after posting hundreds of videos of Justin singing, his mother (a single mom) was contacted by a radio executive. This kid traveled the U.S. for a year and a half visiting radio stations, playing live, and working his ass off before anyone ever heard of him.

#2) His fans are RABID- This kid and his team have created an amazing following by doing a few things VERY well.

A) They make the fans feel like they matter! (are you doing this in your business?)

B) The GIVE! Every show, his managers walk the lines of people waiting and hand out tickets to kids who couldn’t afford tickets. At one point in the movie they bring a family from the “cheap seats” and sit them in the front row. This is some life altering shit for these kids with “bieber fever!”

C) Social Media- Justin Bieber is in CONSTANT CONTACT with his fans through twitter. He is always posting, and makes them all feel like he is talking to them.

#3) Create a Unique Experience- My brother from another Luka Hocevar coined the term “Unique Selling Experience” or creating an experience for your customers that is unparalleled. At every single one of the Bieb’s shows he brings a fan up on stage and sings his hit song “One less lonely girl”, gives them flowers, and serenades the shit out of them. Talk about an amazing experience! These girls are blubbering on stage, and an amazing thing happens when they show the rest of the crowd…… The rest of these little psycho’s are crying too!

The questions are

First off, watch that movie….. no joke, it was awesome!

Second, stop being a MONEY HOARDER. The more money you bring in per month, the more you should allocate towards creating a superior service. This should not be done blindly, there should ALWAYS be a strategy involved when it comes to how you invest your money back into your biz!

Remember, you would not be doing what you are doing without your members!

A little rule to help you keep your eyes on the prize is:

“Treat your clients like family, and treat your prospects like clients”

I get questions all the time from fitness pro’s asking about lead generation, USP, how did I become successful etc. etc. And the answer is simple, I LOVE my clients, I go ABOVE and BEYOND what is expected of me, and I make them feel SPECIAL!

-This is how you will get a steady flow of referrals

-This is how you will create a family within your business

-This is how you create RABID FANS!

WWJBD………….. and that is What Would Justin Bieber Do,  not you Justin Blum ;-)

Steve Krebs

Thepacklifestyle.com

I mean, who wants to spend countless hours of intense thought and effort, pouring yourself into writing an ebook or other info product for countless weeks (or even MONTHS) on end… only to have the whole thing fall flat on its face and NEVER sell your first copy of the damn thing?

Believe me, I GET THAT (not like I’VE ever done that myself or anything – cough, cough).  ;-)

No one wants to go thru all that effort and time to get nothing out of it.  And understandably so.

So in this post, I’m going to help you save a LOT of that wasted time and effort… and I’m going to give you unique insight as to how high-quality fitness information products are actually created.

And in the process, I’m going to actually take you behind the scenes of one of my most popular information products, so you can see not only WHAT I did to create that particular piece of content… but I’m also going to show you HOW I did it.

AND… I’m even going to give you the EXACT PATTERN I followed to create this info product, that way you can use the same pattern yourself as you create your fitness information products, free reports, ebooks, and even videos.

And I really think if you can follow along with what I’m about to show you, it will not only cut the amount of time it takes you to create a high-quality fitness information product in HALF… but it’ll also dramatically increase the quality of your fitness info products… AND it will help your customers and clients get BETTER RESULTS, too.

So let’s get right into it…

I’ve attached a few things to this post for you…

The first thing I’ve attached for you is a Mind Map I use to create my information products and content, and in order to read it, you’re going to either need Mindjet Mindmanager Pro software, or you’re going to need to download the FREE viewer software they make.

You can get the free viewer software for Windows or Mac here…

http://www.mindjet.com/support/tutorials/viewer

Just download whatever version you need for the type of computer you have.

Anyway… you’ll need that to view the attached mind map, and that thing is the whole basis of everything I’m about to show you right now…

It’s how I create my systems, my templates, my copy, my reports/other content, etc.  EVERYTHING.

Seriously cannot overstate that point.

If I could pound my fist on your desk right now and DEMAND that you get mindmapping software, I certainly would do it.  J  Cough, cough, hint, hint.  Cough.  J

So you’ll want to start off by looking at the attached mind map to see how I plan all my content.

Download Link

Fitness Info Product MindMap  <== Right-Click this link and select “Save Target As…” (or “Save Link As… in Firefox)

Here’s the rough layout of the land (so to speak)…

All my content is ACTION oriented.  In other words, I never want you to passively read or watch my content… I ALWAYS want you to take some kind of action after you consume it.  Always.

So, in FREE fitness content… the action I want you to take after you consume it is usually…

1. DO what I’m showing you in the content (so I can PROVE to you that my stuff works, AND so you can get some results in advance, thereby causing you to become more internally motivated)
2. Accept certain beliefs I want you to accept (so you let go of your objections and also adopt MY beliefs and MY view of the situation… so you’ll take the ACTION I want you to take)
3. Take a specific action that brings you one step closer to paying me (click this link, buy this product, fill out this form, whatever)

And in PAID FOR content (like an ebook or video course you plan to SELL)… the action I want you to take after you consume it is…

…to GO DO the stuff I’m telling you to go do.

Otherwise, how are YOU going to get the result you want… and how am I going to get a raving testimonial outta you?  ;-)

(and honestly, if you really want your customers to actually consume your fitness information product and get actual real-world RESULTS… you really end up having to get all 3 steps from above in paid for content too… it’s just the 3^rd step changes a little.  You’re no longer asking them to click links and buy stuff… you’re asking them to go do what you just taught them right now… before your fingernails fall off or the sky falls or something equally bad).  ;-)

Anyway, like I was saying…

The mindmap file I’ve attached will show you my outline, or my overall plan for how I structured this particular piece of content.  This content actually started out as paid for content inside my membership site, but it got such good reviews, I decided to GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE (I’ll tell you why that’s a smart move some other time).

The first thing you’ll notice is that the content TOPIC is in the very center of the map… Lead Generation.

And branching  out from that central topic are 4 other main “bubbles”…

• Why
• What
• How
• What If

Those are the main sections of the content almost every single time.  Doesn’t matter if it’s free or paid for.

This pattern comes from the 4mat system (taught in NLP).  It’s sometimes called the 4 learning styles.

Don’t want to get too heavy into all that NLP woo woo stuff in this particular blog post, but this pattern is SUPER IMPORANT because it covers every learning style on the planet, and it will make the most sense to the highest percentage of people.

If you explain something to a person and you cover all 4 learning styles, they WILL understand it.  They WILL be able to ACT on the information and put it to use.

And THAT is the whole point of you or I putting together an information product to begin with…. if they don’t ACT on it… we don’t get paid… AND we can’t HELP our customer get what they want.  Both are equally bad in my book.

So if you look at the mindmap, you’ll see how I’ve planned the content out so EVERYONE can understand it.  In each of those main “bubbles”, I’m entirely focused on answering that ONE PARTICULAR QUESTION for my prospect/customer.

• Why?
• What?
• How?
• What If?

Why… Here’s what you’re going to learn and WHY you should pay attention to this.  Here’s what paying attention is going to DO FOR YOU… and here’s all the bad stuff that’s going to happen to you if you DON’T pay attention.  Here’s WHY I’m teaching you this…

You’ve got to tell them WHY they should learn this, otherwise, they won’t be able to.

Remember back in high school when they were teaching us Calculus… and we all kept going “When are we EVER going to use this?  Why are we even learning this?”… and everyone thought it was all hard and stuff?

Do you know what was going on there?…

The teacher never answered the question WHY… and because of that, we never understood WHY we should pay attention, or WHY it should be important to us… and we didn’t LEARN (and more importantly, we couldn’t ACT on the new info to cause change in our lives).

So WHY is super important.  Most people will be stuck if they don’t understand WHY they should pay attention.  So that’s exactly why I spend a good chunk of my outline on the WHY section.

Without writing you a book here, the short, condensed way to look at this is, again, as motivation…

Why = motivation to pay attention and LEARN this

What = the basic concept you need to learn before what I’m about to show you will actually work

How = the steps you need to take to make this happen (and possibly, how to DO the steps)

What If = motivation to actually go DO this stuff in the real world

So, just like a sales letter, this “creating content” stuff is really just a giant “motivation sandwich”.  ;-)

You’ve got the actual “WHAT TO DO” and “HOW TO DO IT” there in the middle.  And that’s surrounded by the motivation to pay attention and learn, and the motivation to go off and DO it in real life.

Again, this is a condensed version.   There’s a lot more to each of the 4 main sections than that (and I’ll show you all that stuff as we go along), but I think this is a good place to start.

And I think if you keep this really oversimplified model in mind as you look over the attached mindmap, you’ll really be able to see how I’ve used each section of the map to get all that stuff into the content so that:

1. it makes a lot of sense to anyone who consumes the finished content (video in this case)
2. it MOTIVATES the viewer to take an action that’s in their own best interest (an action that will move them closer to their desired end result/outcome)

I won’t go into all the details of it all in a single blog post (and really, it’s best to absorb this stuff in “layers” anyway), but I’ve also attached a Microsoft Word document that has this mindmap exported out into more of a “report” style (just so it’s easier to read).

Fitness Info Product Word Document  <== Right-Click this link and select “Save Target As…” (or “Save Link As… in Firefox)

I start at the mindmap level…

Wait let me back up…

I start at the prospect level.  I get SUPER CLEAR on what specific, external, tangible, measurable end-result my prospect already WANTS … and from that mindset, I move into the mindmap planning level.

If you want my free system on how to get into your prospect’s head quickly and easily, you should check out my Prospect Mind Probe video here.

I plan content based SPECIFICALLY around the things they TELL ME they already want, but can’t find.

In reality, any given end-result is going to have a set of actions that lead to it.  Sure, there’s probably more than one way to skin a cat, but all in all, there’s a given set of actions… and if you get them right, you’ll get the end result you’re after.

So I plan out what the actions are I want the prospect (or customer) to take in order to get the result they want.

And I even plan out how to motivate them to actually TAKE those actions.

THEN… I export that mindmap into a Word document (like the one above) so I can refine things.

I spend A LOT of time in the mindmap level BEFORE I ever export it to the Word document.  That lets me drag things around easily, and it lets me add new stuff without having to rework a lot of the document.  So because of the time I spend in the mindmap, the word doc is usually pretty cleaned up looking (for the most part).

Just don’t spend too much time going over MY word doc, because it will probably confuse you with too much tree bark, as opposed to a more “bird’s eye” view of the whole forest.

In other words, it’ll be too hard to not get sucked into the content, and then you won’t be looking at the PATTERN for creating content that I’m teaching you right now.

Right now, I’d much rather you get this conceptually, versus us getting all bogged down with the details of how I came up with all the stuff IN the mindmap.

For now, just understand the overall pattern of what I’ve done here (that way you can work on USING THE PATTERN to create YOUR own fitness information products).

Anyway, I’ve also attached the powerpoint slides I used to create the finished video, so you can see how I’ve just taken what’s in the Word document, and converted it over into a presentation.

Fitness Info Product PowerPoint Slides  <==  Right-Click this link and select “Save Target As…” (or “Save Link As… in Firefox)

I just filmed that presentation with screen capture software (I use Camtasia, but for Mac you can use Screen Flow – it’s better and cheaper).

That screen capture ended in the final video you can view here…

http://www.facebook.com/internetfitnessincome

It will play for you after you hit the “Like” button.

Hopefully all this stuff makes sense when you take a look at it.

Talk to you later,

Allen Hill

Are you sitting on the fence thinking about your next business move? Boot camps are booming right now and many fitness entrepreneurs excitedly want a piece of the action. But when it comes to opening a boot camp, how do you decide the best route between opening one through a franchise or going for it on your own?

Entrepreneurship has always been a promising source of income and an exciting challenge especially in the fitness industry. As with any business venture, along with this comes a few important decisions that one should make. This means that prior to venturing into any business one should consider doing a complete business analysis as well as a feasibility study to determine the risks and benefits involved. Experienced entrepreneurs will often do the SWOT method: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis, to weigh the overall performance of any business in the industry. As fitness entrepreneurs we should practice the same method.

If you are considering opening a boot camp then you must look at the pros and cons of every aspect. When it comes to owning a boot camp, this as with any business has its share of risks involved. Again, the question is should you open a boot camp through a franchise or consider the option of owning one independently. There are many things to be considered, which includes everything form the benefits and profitability, to the disadvantages and challenges that one might face in this fitness industry.

The pros and cons of owning a boot camp through a franchise can be evaluated by first looking at the basics: putting up the business, having a support structure, calculating maintenance costs, as well as marketing and branding. The positive aspects of a franchised boot camp include the assistance one will receive with marketing and branding, as well as recognition and business support. When owning a boot camp via a franchise one will not need to start from scratch and have the added challenges that a new business venture usually provide, since new franchise owners are usually given assistance and support by the franchise owners…I said USUALLY:) Things like competitor analysis, location availability, market research, budget planning and business plans are often already covered by franchises to help their new owners have a successful start. This makes the process of opening a boot camp easier when all the essentials are already outlined and prepared.

Franchises often have standing agreements with suppliers, and they can pass their discount rates down to their franchisees, which is always very welcomed, especially if one needs to purchase training equipment. This allows the boot camp owner to have a variety of choices and discounted prices. The marketing process of a newly owned boot camp is essential to the business’ success, and this is already taken into account by most franchises.  Proper marketing of boot camps at the right time and right place to the right people is assured with experienced marketing efforts and targeted advertising. With this, the business owner will have more time to focus on other aspects of the business, such as signing up new members and training the staff members. Another major reason to have a franchised boot camp rather than a solo operation is recognition. Consumers often go with national brands since these established brands inspire confidence and trust regarding the quality of service and products offered. Boot camps that have a recognized name are almost assured to get their businesses going quite fast since the marketing has basically already been laid out for them and potential customers already know what to expect.

On the other hand, having a privately owned boot camp might in many ways be better than opting for the franchised type. For most entrepreneurs who are new to the fitness industry, capital is usually a big issue. With franchise fees taken from the monthly sales of these businesses, it will make a significant difference in the net profit that one will show. Although being part of a franchise has its benefits, they come at a hefty price. Another reason to go for a private boot camp business is because when one’s franchise fees are based on sales, which it usually is, it will increase the tax bracket of the owner as well. It basically means that the boot camp business owner will need to pay a higher franchise fee when he makes more money during the month. These fees may cause negative balances in monthly cash flows; eating away at the business’ profit. Also, the true sense of ownership may be absent in franchised boot camps. This is due to the franchise contract being set up so that the owner has no control over the basic business aspects.

Creativity may too become an issue in franchised businesses especially when creativity plays a major role in marketing and branding. Boot camp business owners who wish to have a say in marketing materials, policies or logo designs might have a problem, since these materials and branding have already been decided on and cannot be changed by a franchisee. Paperwork regarding the procedures and policies of the business can also become a sensitive issue in this aspect. Lastly, keeping up with the standard of a national brand can be frustrating for some business owners, especially when their target market may not be identical to another branch’s market.

There are many rewards involved in opening a successful boot camp. While franchised boot camps have a lot to offer, it does come with a hefty price tag, and not a lot of personal control, which isn’t too appealing to many fitness business owners. Entrepreneurs who want to be in control and have complete flexibility over their business operations are best left with a privately owned operation. This will ensure that no one can take a cut from the profits, and your efforts will be greatly rewarded.

Georgette Pann: owner of NutriFitness Personal Training Studio and Bootcamps. She is author and creator of the best selling “Sure VictoryFitness Bootcamp Kit” http://thefitnessbootcamp.com and
Sure Results:The Ultimate Book of Bootcamp Workouts http://fitnessbootcampworkout.com

Hey guys Armando here and I wanted to share something I shared recently at the sold out “Weekend with Sam” event. If you are not serving and following up with your clients whole-heartedly with true intentions of creating a lasting relationship and value then you will struggle in your business. Maybe not today but eventually you will be found out and when another trainer shows up that truly cares for them you can bet they will jump ship.

More on that in a second but first…

At Sam’s event there were so many great speakers but the underlying theme of many speakers at Sam’s event was said best represented by the character of Polonius prepares his son Laertes for travel abroad with a speech in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

This above all: “To thine own self be true,

And it must follow, 

as the night the day,

Thou cans’t not be false to any man.” 

Are you following Shakespeare’s Advice?

Are you truly being authentic to who you are or are you settling and putting on an act for others?

This is not a rhetorical questions.

Answer it, now!

If you can’t honestly answer a “HELL YEAH!” with every fiber of your body then reassess and find out why not and fix the problem. Don’t beat around the bush. If you don’t like teaching boot camps then stop or find someone who loves and delegate it. I am serious about this. Life is to short and when you don’t enjoy something or are doing something just for the money you sell your clients short and offer little value than what you are capable of.

That is unacceptable.

Tony Robbins talks about giving your clients’ 10x’s the value. Are you giving that much value? If not how can you step up your game, step up the value?

One way is communication. As we said prior the Fortune is In the Follow-up. Be sincere. In our business we focus on using as many resources to leverage our follow-up. We use email, e-zines, newsletters, testing, voice broadcasts, phone calls, social media, postcards, letters (yes a handwritten letter via snail mail), and good ol’ fashion belly to belly talking.

Here is the KEY!

All those resources I mentioned above are only tools. The right tools in the hands of an idiot won’t bring success. You must use them correctly. Let me clarify I think most trainers are physically capable of mailing a letter correctly or sending an email. What I am talking about is your MESSAGE. If when you are using these tools you are not being authentic and actually speaking to your clients and prospects like human beings then they will tune you out.

“Focus on building a relationship and adding value to each person you meet and you will never lose, guaranteed!”  - Armando (Ha, yes I just quoted myself)

To summarize all my ramblings:

1. Get Shakespeare on me (“To thine own self be true.”)

2. Follow up with your clients

3. Always communicate authentically and be true to yourself

4. ABC – Always Be Caring!

Make it an amazing day.

Cheers,

Armando “The Professor” Cruz MSPT, ATC, CSCS

Everyone loves lists of secrets or tips – me included.  They’re bite-size things that you can implement and immediately see benefits from.  So here are 6 of my favorite ‘Secrets’ that have helped the clients we serve and the franchisees who have allowed us to build the two fastest growing training-based franchises in the industry.

To maximize the success of your business you need to have your 5 Pillars in place:

Pillar #1 – Lead Generation – You need to have lead sources in place that are effective enough that they provide you a minimum of twice as many leads per month as you need to need to convert into clients to reach your financial goals.

My recommendations are that you need a minimum of two external lead sources and two internal lead sources going each month as the basis of your fitness marketing plan.

Pillar #2 – Front End Offers - How are you turning your leads into paying clients? Maybe it’s a free trial, a paid trial, an assessment or a Transformation Contest.

Maybe it’s several of those or different front-end offerings like clinics or workshops.

No matter what, you need some way for a person to try out what you do while incurring minimal risk as part of your fitness marketing plan.  My suggestion is to have several ways throughout the year.

Pillar #3 – Core Offerings – Your Core Offerings are the foundation of your business, so everything else centers around them.

The Core Offerings we see have the most success are:

• Semi-Private
• Small Group
• Large Group / Bootcamp

You simply need to determine what is the most effective use of your time as a professional.  Your core offerings should be where you can clearly be better than the competition – what you offer is clearly better than what they offer. Combine that mindset with the identification of how to best maximize your space, schedule and the client base you want to serve.

Pillar #4 – Back End Offers – Most fitness pros drop the ball on the Back End. The Back End is basically comprised of:

• The ‘Problems’ Created By Your Core Offerings – What can you provide that isn’t addressed in your Core Programs but will help them achieve their goals faster? What is addressed in your Core Programs but your clients want more of?
• The Opportunities Your Clients Potentially Create – Can they open doors for you to speak, add new programs, provide referrals, etc.

Pillar #5 – Systems, Staffing & Numbers – This is the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff that separates fitness business owners that basically have jobs versus the ones that have true businesses.  As a business owner you need to:

• You need to have systems or processes that are documented for everything you do in your business.  Don’t make it too tough…just document each step in a task after you do that task.  Then clean it up.  That’s your system.
• Once yo u have systems – then you can add staff.  Not the other way around.  Start with administrative help.  Then training help. Not the other way around.
• You MUST know your numbers.  If you’re employing the first four Pillars – you have to track how they’re working.  Once you know the numbers you can either fix what you’re doing or replace it. None of that is really possible without knowing the numbers first.

You’ll Beat The Competition By Delivering More Value Than The Competition.

The average competitors in your market will try to win by doing as little as they can to get and keep clients.  The real secret to becoming a great business is by continuing to seek out ways to do more for your clients.  Disney does so much more than other amusement parks that they’ve basically become a category of one and everyone else fights for second place.

Be your markets Disney and eliminate the competition.

Have A Minimum of Four Marketing Irons In The Fire.

I mentioned it in Secret #1, you need to have at least 2 External Marketing Strategies and 2 Internal Marketing Strategies running at any given time.  Here are some examples:

External Marketing Strategies:

• Networking
• Public Speaking
• Joint Ventures
• Fundraisers
• Deal of the Day Sites
• Business or School of the Month Programs
• Direct Mail
• Facebook Ads and Focused Social Media Marketing

Internal Marketing Strategies:

• Point of Sale Referral Offers
• Referral Contests
• Bring a Friend Events
• Transformation Contests
• Referral Gift Cards
• Reactivation Campaigns

Should you have more? Probably. But start with a minimum of 2 of each, dial them in and then add others.

Get Help.

Whether it’s a franchise like Fitness Revolution, joining a Mastermind Group, being part of a coaching program or attending live events – getting help will accelerate your progress significantly. It will cut your mistakes significantly.  Being a business owner is hard.  It’s supposed to be hard to weed out the weak.  But it can be a LOT easier if you don’t try to go it alone, don’t try to reinvent the wheel and instead leverage the knowledge, experience and support of others.

Implementation = Success.

It’s not what you know.  It’s not what you think.  It’s not what you dream.  It’s only what you do.  Most people won’t do much.  If you really want to be successful, do the things the competition won’t.  They’ll look for the easy way out.  Don’t fall into that trap.  Think big, take action and finish what you start.

It’s simple but it works.

Don’t Make This Harder Than It Is.

I spent a lot of time early on looking for the Magic Bullet. Some people have built their entire business model around trying to sell it. Guess what – It doesn’t exist.  We teach that to our clients every day, right?  There is no magic pill that will get them the results they want.  It requires work, an adherence to fundamentals and discipline.  It’s the same in business.  Deliver a great service.  Get a lot of qualified prospects to experience that service.  Work hard.  Treat people the way you want to be treated.

If you’re consistently doing those things, you’ll get where you want to go.

Pat “Good Ole’ Boy” Rigsby
Top Fitness Business Coach, CEO,
Athletic Revolution Franchises
www.FitBusinessInsider.com

In any business, a Unique Selling Proposition is the reason that people should choose one’s product or service over a competitor’s similar offerings. In the fitness business, it can be defined by what makes your personal training, your fitness club, or your boot camp better than others.

First of all, you need to know that you’re good enough to justify $100 an hour fees or a six-figure salary. Before I could get anywhere in my career, I needed to invest in my education and develop the confidence in my skills to know that I’m worth it. That’s the first problem many trainers face. You need to sell yourself on your business before you can expect anyone else to buy into it.

Realistically speaking, there are very few true innovators out there. We can’t all be an Apple, PayPal, Groupon, Facebook or Microsoft, after all. Most of us aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel: we’re just doing our best and offering a service to fulfill local market demand. Yet, you need to find some point of differentiation to create really successful, compelling advertisements – otherwise, you’ll look like one of these clowns:

Pinpointing your Unique Selling Proposition requires creativity and soul-searching. What are your core values? For instance, Wal-Mart sells bargains; Neiman Marcus sells luxury; Revlon sells hope, not makeup; Subway sells freshness. Marketers typically look at four pillars to base their USP on:

-          Product

-          Price

-          Placement

-          Promotion

What is it about your product – be it your training packages or your facility – that attracts people? Think about attributes like quality, features, options, services, warranty and brand name. Every business is a combination of aesthetics, function and support that comprises the complete package your customer buys. Knowing your target market – what they want and need – is essential to emphasizing your product features in a Unique Selling Proposition. Are they buying just on results… or is peer pressure, hype, atmosphere, location, and price just as important to them? Conduct surveys among your clients to get at the heart of why they buy your training service, what they value most and what can be improved. You’ll be surprised how brutally honest can be!

Price is another important area to include in your marketing materials. Price yourself too low and you might look low-quality or “cheap” and be unable to sustain a profit. Price yourself too high and you might deter potential clients. You will need to price yourself fairly and think strategically here. Most people try to charge what the competition charges, but that does not create a USP. For this reason, most of us are always running promotions and deals to entice people to take a chance on us. If you’re in a swanky location or you’ve built a prestigious name for yourself, you can get away with charging based on perceived value and exclusivity. If I’m running a small independently-run studio, I know I can’t charge $10 a month and still churn a profit like Bally’s or World Gym, but I also know that price is not everything for my market. People come here because I’m not Bally’s or World Gym. They come here for the atmosphere, the service, and the perceived value. If you can communicate that THEM vs. US mentality in your marketing materials like Thomas Furious did here, then you’ve got a great USP going.

Placement refers to your distribution channels. Are you a big enough animal that you can distribute sales via Groupon? Or will you farm yourself out via several different clubs where you divide your time? Maybe you want to keep your distribution relegated to one club and one demographic. Perhaps you will focus your business on getting business solely through referrals – and that will be what differentiates you from other trainers who run big bucks campaigns across every channel to solicit business.

Promotion also dictates the success of your marketing and your differentiation. Some trainers focus all their resources online, while others boost their credibility by appearing on billboards, in magazines and on television. You can also find prospects by partnering with community events like 5-K runs, doing local speaking seminars, and cross-promoting with another business that goes after the same demographic but is not a direct competitor. Sometimes your location will be a Unique Selling Proposition if, say, you offer the only indoor boot camp in your market.

Other Factors To Consider

Have you looked to see what your competition is doing? If you haven’t, then you’d better set aside a day to browse area gym websites to see what they’re doing that you’re not… and to determine what you’re doing that they’re not. The trick is to not only analyze their products and services, but to analyze what they say they sell. Drop by your competitors’ club and take a free trial to see what they’re all about. Ask a few people who work out there what they do or don’t like about the place.

Have you thought about how your clients view the world? Sure, they come to you to get fit… but is there more to it than that? Are they here to listen to your jokes, to absorb facts from the educational materials you give them, and for you to ask them how their day is going? For instance, at our boot camp, we know that it’s not just about getting a good workout, but about forging friendships and indulging in this new healthy lifestyle. That’s why we host grocery store tours, attend seminars as a group, and go out to check out the local Mexican restaurant’s new “fit fare” menu together. Ultimately, you want to answer the question: What sort of EXPERIENCE does my boot camp / personal training / fitness club create that no one else can top?