TV Shopping networks: we see them advertising all over TV but how often do you really watch the shows? I personally have always thought they were a crock of, well you know what. But one day a certain show caught my attention and my marketing mind starting spinning. I watched the entire show and actually learned something from it. I thought about the audience these shows reach and how I could use these strategies in my fitness business. The home shopping industry is a multi-billion dollar industry so they must be doing something right.

Here is what I learned:

1. Repetition – we must show our product and service to our current customers and potential prospects over and over again. TV networks know that telling consumers about a product once or twice isn’t enough; we need to be told repeatedly so that’s what they do. Think about when you try to remember the lyrics of a song. How do you do it? You listen to the song over and over again so you can hear the words repeatedly. This is how we train our brains to remember, through repetition. The same goes for sales. If you continuously tell your customers what you want them to hear they will remember your product, your message.
2. List all products and explain each one – provide an overview of each product and/or service you offer and then provide detail about each one. It does not have to be lengthy; it just needs to explain the product and what’s in it for the customer. Structure your information so it is easy for the customer to digest.
3. Benefits – every customer wants to know why your product or service is the best and what will it do for them; how will they benefit from it. In this explanation you are showing the customer how your product is better than the competition. This is the evidence or proof many customers need. Share something good about your service; demonstrate it in action.
4. Demonstration – whatever form of fitness business you run, whether it be training, boot camp or nutritional products, showing the customer exactly what you offer is important. They want to see what they are purchasing. You can do this by providing pictures of clients training or a boot camp class in session. If it’s product you are selling, you can do a video on making a protein shake and explain the benefits of the ingredients. They are many creative ways to demonstrate, the key is to do it.
5. Evidence and Results – In the fitness industry people want to see results, true results, not BS. You can achieve this goal by taking before and after photos or videos of your clients. Set a goal to be achieved with your clients by a certain date and monitor their progress. Record it weekly and share this with current and potential customers. This is where repetition plays an important role again. Supplying weekly progress reports keeps your business in your client’s mind. You want your prospects to see your product or service in action so they want to purchase.
6. Testimonials – TV shopping networks not only demo their products, they show the viewers people who have been using the product for a long period of time and have them explain how the product has made a difference in their lives. You can do this with a testimonial page. The key in this category is keeping it current. Customers want to see continuous progress with current clients. It is great to see clients from the past year or so but if you don’t have current clients making progress your prospects will wonder if you’re still providing the best service.
7. Providing Updates – updates are important. Every time you update or change something in your business, tell your customers about it. If you reach a milestone, share it. Be confident and brag about your success. By sharing these updates you make your customers feel like part of the action.
8. Pricing – people are always looking for a good deal. They want the most bang for their buck. Prospects want to know the value of what they are buying. Offer an incentive. It makes them feel good about purchasing when you add a bonus where they get something for free or at a discount. You can offer 50% off their first month of boot camp, or if they sign up for a year they get the first month free. You decide what works with your business but the bonus needs to be catchy and present a value to them. Make it easy for the customer to see how awesome your pricing is.
9. Referrals – this wasn’t something shown in the TV network show, but it is a strategy I currently use and is an easy and nice way to make sales. It goes along the lines of adding a bonus to your pricing. If you offer your current customers a free month of training or boot camp when they refer a new client who signs up, they will definitely recommend your business. I mean who wouldn’t want a free month of training, right?
10. Urgency – When offering certain deals you want people to respond quickly so adding a sense of urgency to your message is important. You may do this with advertising such as, “limited space available” or “first 20 customers to respond get a special rate” or “offer expires at the end of the month or by a certain date”. You can send updates saying, “Only 10 days left to receive 50% off your first month”. By expressing a sense of urgency, your prospects will feel the need to purchase now. But remember, the message must be catchy and provide value to the customer.

Ok, so maybe TV Shopping network strategies are not exactly your style. I used to think the same thing, but there is a lot to be learned by them if you look deeper into the message which is what I have done and broken down for you. By using these practices and continuously asking yourself, “what more can I do to make this sale easy for my prospects”, you will continue to increase your profits. Who would have ever thought that changing the channel on TV one night would provide me and you with such great strategies to improve our fitness business!