How To Get More Personal Training Clients
Your marketing should:
Inform the customer about your services
Educate the customer about the benefits of the service
Provide the necessary information so that the customer can contact the business
What are your products/services?
In our humble opinion, personal trainers are in the relationship and weight loss business. Your marketing message needs to be clear, consistent and effective.
You will need a solid marketing plan to get your name out there in your local area.
Personal trainers might understand what services they provide, but does the potential customer?
Remember who your customer is!
Differentiation is a must, especially when competing with the larger health clubs, gyms, private studios and other trainers in your service area. Many of the large gyms provide personal training and are well known because of the large amounts of money that they put into their marketing campaigns.
Create a 12-Month Marketing Plan
As you create your 12-month marketing plan, here are some items to consider:
· Define your marketing goals for each month.
· Decide the timelines for each promotion and marketing campaign. Some will be ongoing and others will be seasonal.
· Look at each calendar month for holidays, local or other special events and try to make your promotions complement what's occurring in your community.
Here are 9 Marketing Musts
1) Signage and Business card holders
Create Magnetic Signs For Your Vehicle
Business Card Holders For Your Vehicle
Business card holders work great and the holders give people an opportunity to take business cards. I often park my car at the local grocery store on the weekends and many of the cards do disappear on a regular basis. I've even had people come up to the car to take a business card while I have been sitting in the car in between clients!
Create Yard Signs
Yard signs work well for high traffic areas or anytime you are out in a public park or a beach. They are also inexpensive and easy to transport. Make sure you attach business cards on both sides of your yard signs.
2) Use Business Cards as A Lead Generator
We see so many personal trainers who only use one side of their business card.
Make sure there is a Call To Action on your business card. You can offer anything you want to offer but you should make it a compelling offer!
Examples of Compelling offers:
Complimentary session
Complimentary subscription to your e newsletter
Free weight loss report
Free e book
Complimentary "test drive" of one of your services
www.vistaprint.com has very reasonable prices for printing and excellent customer service and technical support.
3) E newsletter
Create a weekly, bi monthly or monthly e newsletter that goes out to your entire contact list. Frequent contact with people is essential. Most people DO NOT BUY PERSONAL TRAINING on impulse. Your e newsletter is a way for people to get to know you, like you and to trust you. This is called a low barrier of entry to your services or you can think of it as a way to "soft sell" your services.
Another reason an e newsletter is such a great marketing tactic is because it is FREE. That's right, it costs you $0 dollars to send out as many emails as you want.
Worse case scenario, let's say that someone doesn't feel like reading your e newsletter, they still saw your name and had to take time to hit the delete button.
4) Create a website
Having a website is an essential part of owning a mobile business. Because you don't have an actual physical location, people aren't able to walk into your facility. A website is a way for people to learn about what types of services you provide and it's an opportunity for you to establish yourself as an expert.
5) Be Active in Your Community
Again, because we lack a physical location we need to get out in our communities as much as possible. A few great ways to do this are:
Volunteer at local events,
Donate to auctions, events, fun runs, races etc.
Donate prizes whenever you can. Ex: Offer complimentary fitness sessions
Sponsor youth sports teams
Have you ever heard of the phrase "Out of sight, out of mind?" In today's business world these six words are the kiss of death.
It's so important that countless reams of material have been written on this precise subject over the past few years. In business it is important to create and maintain TOMA, which stands for "Top Of Mind Awareness" with your customers and prospects.
By getting out in your communities you are setting yourself apart from other personal trainers in your area.
6) The Power of Public Speaking
A great way to get in front of as many people as you can is to offer educational presentations and seminars. We know that getting up in front of a group can be extremely intimidating.
By mastering the skill of public speaking, you will become your best salesperson for all of your products and services. Public speaking is an easy way to reach a large group of people in a small amount of time. In our busy world, public speaking is a great way to maximize and leverage your time!
Getting out into your communities and doing public speaking also sets you apart from other personal trainers in your area. The simple act of standing up in front of a group of people automatically sets you up as a local health and fitness expert in your community. The outcome of this is that when these people have future needs, whom do you think they are going to come to? You of course! We've had tons of people approach us around town and thank us for our various talks, including "lunch and learn" seminars or office stretching clinics. We've also had and continue to have clients that first learned about our services while attending one of our talks.
7) Network, Network, Network!
Unfortunately many personal trainers are not good at networking. Think of it this way, personal training happens to be one of those great services that spans across all different walks of life. A good goal is to tell 5 new people what you do each day. On average there are 30 days in each month, so if you multiply that by 5, you have 150 new leads every month! You need to be able to tell people what you do in a brief, concise manner. It really needs to roll off your tongue with ease and with clarity. Nobody is going to do this for you. We suggest creating and practicing a 30 second commercial that you can say when someone asks you what you do. When you are creating your 30 second commercial try to think about what makes your business unique and sets you apart from your competition.
Being a personal trainer is a nice lead in for many different types of conversations. Many people are very curious about what a personal trainer does and of course many of them are looking for FREE ADVICE. This being the case, always keep your business cards handy, tell people that you have a complimentary e- newsletter that they can sign up for if they simply go to your website or if they seem really interested in your services, you can also offer them a complimentary personal training session.
Hint: A great way to encourage other people to refer clients to you is to refer clients to their businesses. When you refer business to another business owner they will want to reciprocate and refer people to you!
8) Use Your Existing Client Database:
If you are doing your job as a fitness professional, getting your clients results and keeping your existing customers happy don't be afraid to ask them for referrals. Your clients will want to return the favor and help you grow your business.
You should always offer your current clients incentives to tell others about you. We always follow up with a hand written thank you note for all referrals. We take things one-step further and we include misc. items such as movie passes, gift certificates for pedicures, manicures and bookstores. You get the idea, it doesn't have to be something expensive, and it is the thought that counts and an inexpensive way to let your clients know how much you appreciate the referrals.
Success stories and testimonials:
Social proof of your program goes a long way. Don't be afraid to ask you current clients for their success stories. Explain to your clients that their story just might be what inspires someone else to be able to experience the same benefits they have and that their story could be part of changing someone's life. Before and after photos work great!
Machelle Lee and Ryan Andrews own and operate The Invisible Gym.
www.the-invisible-gym.com
We are passionate about helping other fitness professionals become successful with Mobile Fitness Training.
To contact us directly you can email us at: getfit@theinvisiblegym.com
Inform the customer about your services
Educate the customer about the benefits of the service
Provide the necessary information so that the customer can contact the business
What are your products/services?
In our humble opinion, personal trainers are in the relationship and weight loss business. Your marketing message needs to be clear, consistent and effective.
You will need a solid marketing plan to get your name out there in your local area.
Personal trainers might understand what services they provide, but does the potential customer?
Remember who your customer is!
Differentiation is a must, especially when competing with the larger health clubs, gyms, private studios and other trainers in your service area. Many of the large gyms provide personal training and are well known because of the large amounts of money that they put into their marketing campaigns.
Create a 12-Month Marketing Plan
As you create your 12-month marketing plan, here are some items to consider:
· Define your marketing goals for each month.
· Decide the timelines for each promotion and marketing campaign. Some will be ongoing and others will be seasonal.
· Look at each calendar month for holidays, local or other special events and try to make your promotions complement what's occurring in your community.
Here are 9 Marketing Musts
1) Signage and Business card holders
Create Magnetic Signs For Your Vehicle
Business Card Holders For Your Vehicle
Business card holders work great and the holders give people an opportunity to take business cards. I often park my car at the local grocery store on the weekends and many of the cards do disappear on a regular basis. I've even had people come up to the car to take a business card while I have been sitting in the car in between clients!
Create Yard Signs
Yard signs work well for high traffic areas or anytime you are out in a public park or a beach. They are also inexpensive and easy to transport. Make sure you attach business cards on both sides of your yard signs.
2) Use Business Cards as A Lead Generator
We see so many personal trainers who only use one side of their business card.
Make sure there is a Call To Action on your business card. You can offer anything you want to offer but you should make it a compelling offer!
Examples of Compelling offers:
Complimentary session
Complimentary subscription to your e newsletter
Free weight loss report
Free e book
Complimentary "test drive" of one of your services
www.vistaprint.com has very reasonable prices for printing and excellent customer service and technical support.
3) E newsletter
Create a weekly, bi monthly or monthly e newsletter that goes out to your entire contact list. Frequent contact with people is essential. Most people DO NOT BUY PERSONAL TRAINING on impulse. Your e newsletter is a way for people to get to know you, like you and to trust you. This is called a low barrier of entry to your services or you can think of it as a way to "soft sell" your services.
Another reason an e newsletter is such a great marketing tactic is because it is FREE. That's right, it costs you $0 dollars to send out as many emails as you want.
Worse case scenario, let's say that someone doesn't feel like reading your e newsletter, they still saw your name and had to take time to hit the delete button.
4) Create a website
Having a website is an essential part of owning a mobile business. Because you don't have an actual physical location, people aren't able to walk into your facility. A website is a way for people to learn about what types of services you provide and it's an opportunity for you to establish yourself as an expert.
5) Be Active in Your Community
Again, because we lack a physical location we need to get out in our communities as much as possible. A few great ways to do this are:
Volunteer at local events,
Donate to auctions, events, fun runs, races etc.
Donate prizes whenever you can. Ex: Offer complimentary fitness sessions
Sponsor youth sports teams
Have you ever heard of the phrase "Out of sight, out of mind?" In today's business world these six words are the kiss of death.
It's so important that countless reams of material have been written on this precise subject over the past few years. In business it is important to create and maintain TOMA, which stands for "Top Of Mind Awareness" with your customers and prospects.
By getting out in your communities you are setting yourself apart from other personal trainers in your area.
6) The Power of Public Speaking
A great way to get in front of as many people as you can is to offer educational presentations and seminars. We know that getting up in front of a group can be extremely intimidating.
By mastering the skill of public speaking, you will become your best salesperson for all of your products and services. Public speaking is an easy way to reach a large group of people in a small amount of time. In our busy world, public speaking is a great way to maximize and leverage your time!
Getting out into your communities and doing public speaking also sets you apart from other personal trainers in your area. The simple act of standing up in front of a group of people automatically sets you up as a local health and fitness expert in your community. The outcome of this is that when these people have future needs, whom do you think they are going to come to? You of course! We've had tons of people approach us around town and thank us for our various talks, including "lunch and learn" seminars or office stretching clinics. We've also had and continue to have clients that first learned about our services while attending one of our talks.
7) Network, Network, Network!
Unfortunately many personal trainers are not good at networking. Think of it this way, personal training happens to be one of those great services that spans across all different walks of life. A good goal is to tell 5 new people what you do each day. On average there are 30 days in each month, so if you multiply that by 5, you have 150 new leads every month! You need to be able to tell people what you do in a brief, concise manner. It really needs to roll off your tongue with ease and with clarity. Nobody is going to do this for you. We suggest creating and practicing a 30 second commercial that you can say when someone asks you what you do. When you are creating your 30 second commercial try to think about what makes your business unique and sets you apart from your competition.
Being a personal trainer is a nice lead in for many different types of conversations. Many people are very curious about what a personal trainer does and of course many of them are looking for FREE ADVICE. This being the case, always keep your business cards handy, tell people that you have a complimentary e- newsletter that they can sign up for if they simply go to your website or if they seem really interested in your services, you can also offer them a complimentary personal training session.
Hint: A great way to encourage other people to refer clients to you is to refer clients to their businesses. When you refer business to another business owner they will want to reciprocate and refer people to you!
8) Use Your Existing Client Database:
If you are doing your job as a fitness professional, getting your clients results and keeping your existing customers happy don't be afraid to ask them for referrals. Your clients will want to return the favor and help you grow your business.
You should always offer your current clients incentives to tell others about you. We always follow up with a hand written thank you note for all referrals. We take things one-step further and we include misc. items such as movie passes, gift certificates for pedicures, manicures and bookstores. You get the idea, it doesn't have to be something expensive, and it is the thought that counts and an inexpensive way to let your clients know how much you appreciate the referrals.
Success stories and testimonials:
Social proof of your program goes a long way. Don't be afraid to ask you current clients for their success stories. Explain to your clients that their story just might be what inspires someone else to be able to experience the same benefits they have and that their story could be part of changing someone's life. Before and after photos work great!
Machelle Lee and Ryan Andrews own and operate The Invisible Gym.
www.the-invisible-gym.com
We are passionate about helping other fitness professionals become successful with Mobile Fitness Training.
To contact us directly you can email us at: getfit@theinvisiblegym.com
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