Your fitness business can become just like a weight loss plateau. Think about it: there is always that one client who says, “I don’t understand it… I run on the treadmill for an hour, five days a week, and I still just can’t lose weight!” Of course, you know that the problem is not this exerciser’s passion, purpose, goals or commitment – but rather, there is a lack of knowledge about what it takes to get past the plateau. You may find that your own business has started stagnating – that you are doing well (in that you are not hemorrhaging money), but you know you could be doing better. So how do you take it to the next level? Here are a few trade secrets to help you grow.

Looking back at the treadmill runner metaphor, you know that this client would have no hope of losing weight if he or she was inconsistent. You know you can help this person get to the next level because the individual has already made the commitment to work out five days a week. Change isn’t so hard from this point – all your client needs to do is vary the workout a little, adding intervals and strength training to the repertoire. By the same token, if you’ve already delivered consistently good service and you’ve already created a good level of brand awareness in your community, you will have an easier time moving to the next level. You will just need to make a few tactical, strategic changes to alter your course.

Obviously what you have been doing has been working – but not well enough. If you want to reach the next level, you need to try something new… whether it’s a public speaking event, a new blog, writing personal thank-you notes, delegating your social networking, writing a book, starting a radio show, or creating a video post.

There are many avenues to acquire the knowledge you’re seeking – from direct mail, magazines and TV shows to seminars, books and mentorship masterminds. In addition to learning more about the fitness industry, you should also become a pro at all things business – leadership, marketing, communication and budgeting.

Attend a meeting where you are the poorest person there. Surround yourself with giants – fitness business millionaires. It’s amazingly humbling… but once you get past the culture shock, you will find their attitudes and successes will start to rub off on you. The one thing that every fitness business millionaire has in common is that they all have one life-changing person in their past who gave them advice or inspired them to greater heights. You need to find more of these people to add to your life!

Your goal should be to give people more than they could have ever imagined they’d get for the price they paid. You want to go over and beyond the services your competition is doling out. The phrase you need permanently ingrained in your mind is simple: Under-promise; Over-deliver. When you leave clients with more than what they paid for, they’re generally happy to tell their network about you.
More often than not, the main difference between a trainer earning $30 an hour and a trainer earning $100 an hour is their confidence in asking for the price their services are really worth. You need to think of what you do as a service that improves people lives as much as any doctor. What is someone’s health worth? First you must convince yourself that you are really worth it before you can expect anyone else to believe it.