Chunking time to be more effective

By Aaron Whear

One of the topics that generated the most discussion at a recent 6 figure trainer workshop in Melbourne was around the concept of chunking time. The reason that this topic was so interesting to so many people is that most trainers make exactly the same mistake when they first get started, i.e. they don’t chunk their time. The root cause of this problem is that trainers often don’t value their service as much as they should, they lack confidence in their ability to attract a client base and this leads to a scarcity mindset. See if you can relate to this scenario, you have just started work as a Personal Trainer and because you lack confidence in your ability to get clients you make yourself available to clients 24/7 and as a result your day ends up looking like this, 6am client, 1pm client, 5pm client and 8pm client! This is no way to live as you have only been paid for 3 hours work (based on 4 x 45 minute sessions) but you have done these 3 hours over the course of a much longer day where you have been mentally “on” for the whole day. This type of situation where trainers get their day totally out of proportion is one of the reasons that the average lifespan of a Personal Trainer is between 2-3 years and they end up burned out, buggered, and busted! However, it does not have to be this way.

Chunking time is not a new term, but for many people it is a new skill. Chunking involves focusing on completing one task at a time, or working on similar tasks together. In the Personal Training context for a trainer who wants to work with both morning and evening clients it may look like this. Monday, Wednesday and Friday being available between 4-8pm, and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday being available between 6am-10am. Throw in a mid morning or lunch time small group classes and this trainer is well on the way to a 6 figure income and beyond working “in” the business for a maximum of 6 hours per day and actually enjoying life outside of training because they have defined “chunked” periods of work time and play time.

Another chunk of time I would recommend is a minimum of 4 hours per week of “heads up” time for Personal Trainers earning up to $60,000 per year and at least 8 hours of “heads up” time for those working towards $100,000 and beyond. The chunking principle for this time would be doing things like writing all your proposals together, blocking out two hours to meet a potential referral partner, or blocking meetings back to back. When these tasks are chunked together and distractions like e-mail alerts and mobile phone interruptions eliminated it is amazing how productive you can be. Many people who implement these practices report that they get more done in a 4 hour block than they used to get done in a week!

The point of this article is that trainers have a lot more control over organising their day and precious time than they think. All that is required is a shift in mind set in terms of showing enough confidence in yourself and your services to let existing and potential clients know that you have set times when you are available to train rather than being available 24/7. Once you make this shift in the way you do business you will be amazed and how many clients will rearrange other commitments to make sure they can continue to train with you and once this occurs you are well on the way to longevity within this great industry. You will be working sustainable hours and really enjoying what you do rather than continually having to pace yourself through the day because you are never “off”. My challenge to you if you are not currently chunking your time is to take out your diary right now and start working on a plan for a more sustainable weekly schedule.

Adelaide Personal Trainer of the Year - James Smith Interview

How did you come to work in the fitness industry?

It was a natural progression from coaching and playing squash semi professionally. I’m a 3^rd generation athlete and a bit of a sport nerd really. I’m fascinated with how the body functions and adapts. It is incredible what the body can do. Have you ever watched a 100m final at track side breaking under 10seconds? Or a bunch sprint in a professional cycling reaching speeds of over 70kph when crossing the line or swimming world class level. It is phenomenal the speed and power the body can generate. I find it exhilarating and have a real respect and appreciation of these athletes. I was lucky to be able to turn my interests into my job. I find it rewarding when working with clients, athletes and trainers to make a real change to their life!

What s been most significant achievement over the last 12 months?

It has been a huge year both personally and in business. This year I have just emigrated to Adelaide from London with my fiancé. We have just bought a house and are getting married next month.

I am the Personal Training coordinator for Genesis Glenelg . Just under a year ago, we set up and opened Genesis Glenelg a 2,000 sqm facility. My job included the recruitment and training of 8 Personal Trainers, the design and implementation of many procedures within the club, organising the distribution of follow up of almost 350 Personal Training packs sold throughout the pre-sale and inducting 1,700 members safely.This was all whilst building and developing my personal PT business, The Smiths Personal Training. My business now has multi revenue streams including PT sessions, seminars, PT mentoring, Boot Camps, Corporate clients.

How have you strived for the best practice within the industry?

To be a successful personal trainer you have to have the complete package. You have to work on both your technical and business skills constantly. “absorb what is useful, reject what’s useless” (Bruce Lee). I have been fortunate enough to be mentored by some great industry leaders. I work hard to implement what I learn to Genesis and to my business with the Smiths PT. Every week I spend a day developing or working on my business. Having extensive industry experience gained from around the world, I have managed to select best practices from different workplaces, coaching and sporting experiences and courses.

Describe some of the ways that have helped you to become the local fitness icon of Adelaide?

1) Setting up a complete professional network; I work with local physiotherapists, a podiatrist, sports massage therapist, nutritionist and psychologist.

2) I deliver seminars at the gym, to corporate client groups and AIF.

3) I am a member of a ‘round table meeting’ with other leading trainers in Adelaide.

4) I am currently mentoring over 20 trainers in Adelaide and internationally!

5) Marketing- website, monthly newsletters, leaflets.

To become a fitness icon, I believe that, first and foremost you must deliver a high quality complete service that achieves client’s results.

What advice would you give trainers to build great businesses?

It is a constant journey, as soon as you start in the industry you need to develop your business and technical skills continuously. Find an industry leader to mentor you, a great way to coach, teach and guide you on this journey. It will accelerate your learning process and business ventures.

How have you found the experience of working with a PT Plus coach?

It has been great achieving high levels of accountability and more accurate focus from someone who has done what you’re are trying to achieve. I have managed to increase my productivity, reduce work hours and increase my income and revenue streams.

What can we expect James from the Smiths PT in Adelaide in the future?

I am looking to establish myself as one of Adelaide leading personal trainers and mentors. I want to work with trainers who are incredibly driven and want to be the best in the industry; I will help accelerate their progress!

3 Quick Business Building Tips by David Virgo

Sometime we make the idea of getting clients too hard and difficult. One thing I have done consistently is

1. Build a data base that is willing and ready for you to impress with your knowledge of how you can help them.

2. Creating new offerings that allow more people to jump on board with you in and put them on show for all to see, print off, download or be directed to by you or anyone marketing your business

3. Send out an e-newsletter to all of you data base regularly so you are top of mind mind when the time comes to discuss health and fitness

PT Business in a box

PT Business in a box
I was put on the spot by my coach the other day when deciding on making a financial investment in some resources. He said
"what's it not worth for you to do"............ wham between the eyes it was going to cost me more by not investing and telling myself I couldn't afford it as opposed to looking at how I was going to do it.

A lot like creating PT wealth, what's it 'not worth to you' to not have the best business tools and resources in your listening and reading library. For the best PT business in a box resources, designed to develop you and your business, by successful PT's, studio owners and business owners let me know what you listen too and read.

Sales School Program

how to take the sell out of selling

Without clients you don’t have a business. Without a steady flow of new leads to your business you will battle long jeopardy. To have success and spread your healthy message to more people, to generate the lifestyle and business you deserve you need to implement a sales system. The ‘yuck’ generally associated with sales does not have to be so painful. Learn to have qualified leads into your business by taking the pain out of sales and putting some pleasure into your business.

Who should attend Sales School:

· If you currently don’t have a process or system for generating leads

· If you have credit card debt and need to increase your income

· If you love what you do and want to positively effect more people

· Find you have energy vampires as clients

· If you aspire to running a successful business

Why this program:

· Learn to sell in a style that suits your personality

· Understand why scripts and cold calling don’t work

· This is specific to personal trainers, studio owners and gyms

· We give you a proven system that you will customize to your business

· No hard selling, offensive techniques or American Hype

You can expect:

· To have a personalised six step process

· Ongoing follow up and support following the workshop to refine your skill

· Learn how to close the sale without feeling like a slippery salesperson

· Understand that discounting is dead and how it will kill your business

· Dealing with objections

You will be shown:

· The top 20 techniques to killing a sale

· How to convert 90% of your sales

· Sell a $20 product and a $20,000 product

· How to attract the right people to your business

· How to take yourself to be a 9/10 in the area of sales without feeling awkward

· Why traditional advertising is dead

For a small investment in time and money you will save yourself hours and dollars on the process of obtaining new clients. Put on hold the small advertisement you intend to run or the brochure you plan to print, and invest in this industry specific program.

This program delivers a day of learning and is then followed by an option 6 weeks of coaching to ensure that the workbook and notes are not left in a pile in your office. We will keep you on track and well supported so that you completely get a full return on investment and on your way to boosting your business. Email us at info@ptplus.com.au for more information about our sales school program.

Advertising is dead - Dave Liow

Yep – traditional advertising is still dead...

Just a reminder (yet again) that traditional advertising is well and truly dead!

I’m writing this article from a hotel room looking over Tokyo city after a day of exploring the streets of the world’s biggest city. There are 28 million people buzzing around below in what I’d describe as very organised Japanese chaos. This morning I spent time walking around Shibuya, a very hip and crazy busy part of town. I have never been so absolutely bombarded by the world of advertising. There are giant screens on the side of buildings, blaring advertisements, people handing you flyers and calling you into shops. There are signs on the footpath, buildings, and on the front of people being walking billboards. Every sense is overrun with advertising. The locals walk around oblivious to the world of advertising around them. I was jumping out of my skin from the assault to my senses. When I sat and watched what advertising was effective, I noticed that the only advertising material that was being kept and read by the locals were paper/plastic fans (with ads on them of course) that could be used to generate some breeze in the humidity and pollution of a 36°C summer’s day.

Let’s put this in the context of how we advertise as PTs. How do you advertise? Is your advertising valuable or are you a blaring video screen saying look at me?

If you are producing useful, valuable resources that help and inform your community, just like our Japanese fans, your message will be noticed. People are interested and thirsting for knowledge about health. In fact a recent Harris Interactive poll reported that 60% of Microsoft searches are health related (second only to travel searches at 61%).

Bottom line is that if you want to get noticed, give value. Do this in your talks, newsletters and with the clients that you work with everyday. Leave your glossy brochures at home, go get out there and be noticed.

Success Story from a little town of Waipu in New Zealand

1. Sharon – You’ve experienced being a personal trainer in the big city. Can you describe the experience of starting all over again in a small town?
Daunting and exciting. There is no gym here, so I was truly starting from scratch. Also, people had tried personal training and group fitness classes here before and for whatever reason it hadn’t worked for them, so it was a real leap of faith.

2. How has your business developed over the last year?
Wow, it has been an amazing year. I have gone from a couple of personal training clients and some group fitness classes to being almost full as a trainer and running 8 x group fitness classes a week. I have also organised 2 x major fundraisers, implemented a kids active programme in the local primary school and started a walking/ running group and cycling groups.

3. Can you describe some of the ways that have helped you to become the local fitness icon of Waipu?
I guess it has to be all of question 2. Just getting involved in the community. Offering a good variety of options for people and sharing what I love to do.

4. What advice would you give trainers in the smaller towns in New Zealand to help them build great businesses?
Believe in yourself. Small towns are all about community, so get involved. Create opportunities, keep up to date with what is happening in the fitness industry (Get Active, FILEX, PT Plus etc) and get a good mentor.

5. You are a mother of 2 young lively kids, a wife and a business owner. How do you fit it all in?
Systems, systems and more systems. You have to plan your day, week, month etc. Making time or the big things and the little things. This helps to ensure you have a great balance. Have clear objectives and don’t be afraid to think big!

6. How have you found the experience of working with a PT Plus coach?
Life changing. Having a coach has given me and my business clear focus and direction. It has made me look at what is working in my business and what needs working on. But more importantly it has given me clear objectives that are achievable, challenging but achievable.

7. What can we expect from Smart Fitness and Sharon Carroll in the future?
To be a $100,000+ trainer. To keep making a difference in my community. To keep working on and not in my business, so that I have a great work/ life balance. To keep challenging myself and others to dream big, have fun and achieve the impossible!