Like the muscles in a body builder's arms, a business that is not growing is in trouble. A growing business is a healthy business for all involved. It starts by identifying the kind of growth and the income you want to earn.
A typical PT works in the business delivering sessions (heads down - immediate work) as well as having to run the business in terms of looking after marketing and finance (heads up future goals work). If we simplify the process, to create a growing business there are only 3 steps to follow:
1. Get clients in front of you (generate leads)
2. Convert these leads into sales (have a sales process)
3. Retain these clients (keep them coming back)
If you analyse what your business needs the most - it's usually lead generation. This is not unique to personal training. I recently presented at a corporate function for RE/MAX Real Estate and Nick Thiele (RE/Max Australia Director) identified lead generation as most important area for growing a business. As a director of one of the world's fastest growing real estate businesses I took note.
Generating leads is getting more difficult for all businesses. Our potential customers are in hiding from being bombarded by the world of advertising. Low value advertising will not be noticed in a world that is bursting at the seams with ads in every direction that you look.
The key is become a valuable source of information and get to know your customers.
Consumers crave valuable information. To ensure that you have a community of customers that can help to build your business stay in touch by using these 3 tips:
1. Having a database - an obvious one that starts the momentum rolling. A database is your best business asset
2. Educate the database. Send regular articles/newsletters that contain valuable information. Understanding it is the information age people require more information than ever before so provide 80% content and 20% advertising. Build respect from your database by providing excellent information and advice
3. Get to know your clients by regularly keeping in contact with personal calls/emails. Business is about relationships. Look to turn your database list into a relationship list by getting to know your potential customers. Take the 'cold' out of cold calling by warming people up to who you are and what you do. Being consistent is king
Getting clients in front of you is an important step in growing your business. Backing this up with good systems, sales processes, and keeping existing clients is a great platform to launch your fitness career. The business builder course in Christchurch (June 12) or Auckland (June 19) is an event you'll want to be at to learn how to build your fitness career. This course only has 20 places available. Enrol now to secure your place by emailing newzealand@ptplus.com.au
Dave Liow
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Are you in the top 200?
Are you in the top 200?
Are you one of New Zealand's top 200 trainers?
Here are the 10 top attributes of the trainers we're looking for?
Our 200 top trainers:
If these attributes resonate with you, here is your opportunity to join other New Zealand top trainers in an exclusive group as part of our business support program. 70 places have already been filled by members in our existing programs. Our New Zealand membership will be strictly capped at 200 members. These members will be offered a range of workshops, audios, books, forums and so much more as part of our business support program to boost their business and cement their standing as one of New Zealand's top 200 trainers. To start the ball rolling, memberships in May will receive complimentary entry to the next PT Plus workshop in Wellington (25th June), Christchurch (12th June), or Auckland (19th June) and ALL quarterly workshops in these centres over the next year. As an added bonus you will receive 24 interviews from the leaders in health and fitness sent via CD or podcast (worth $500) for sign ups in May.
Contact us now for more information and an application form to join our top 200.
Dave Liow
Are you one of New Zealand's top 200 trainers?
Here are the 10 top attributes of the trainers we're looking for?
Our 200 top trainers:
1. are passionate about the business of personal training
2. consistently strive to provide an exceptional experience for their clients
3. are clear about their future in the industry (have a vision)
4. have a personal mission
5. understand the need for self development
6. are committed to ongoing development of their business and technical skills
7. understand the concept of return on investment (ROI) to grow their business
8. are health and fitness role models
9. balance their work and lifestyle
10. are REPs registered
2. consistently strive to provide an exceptional experience for their clients
3. are clear about their future in the industry (have a vision)
4. have a personal mission
5. understand the need for self development
6. are committed to ongoing development of their business and technical skills
7. understand the concept of return on investment (ROI) to grow their business
8. are health and fitness role models
9. balance their work and lifestyle
10. are REPs registered
If these attributes resonate with you, here is your opportunity to join other New Zealand top trainers in an exclusive group as part of our business support program. 70 places have already been filled by members in our existing programs. Our New Zealand membership will be strictly capped at 200 members. These members will be offered a range of workshops, audios, books, forums and so much more as part of our business support program to boost their business and cement their standing as one of New Zealand's top 200 trainers. To start the ball rolling, memberships in May will receive complimentary entry to the next PT Plus workshop in Wellington (25th June), Christchurch (12th June), or Auckland (19th June) and ALL quarterly workshops in these centres over the next year. As an added bonus you will receive 24 interviews from the leaders in health and fitness sent via CD or podcast (worth $500) for sign ups in May.
Contact us now for more information and an application form to join our top 200.
Dave Liow
Build it for them and they will come
Having just returned from Australia's biggest fitness convention FILEX I had time on the flight home to gather my thoughts and reflect on a great experience. My first thought was the huge benefits and lessons associated with investing time, money and effort into spending time with industry leaders that ooze passion and are constantly seeking to inspire others.
The most prominent aspect I picked up from being in the same space of leaders in the health and fitness industry like Joe Cirulli, Grant Gamble, Andrew Simmons, Paul Taylor and Paul Brown was how much self development and work has gone into improving themselves. A common theme was that everyone of these leaders has struggled and failed more than once in their business life.
The underlying message from all of these very influential people is so simple yet so very under rated in the fitness industry. Create great relationships with your clients and your staff. When these relationships are created then go about inspiring your members and staff daily. At the end of the day memberships and personal training are wonderful tools to use in keeping people healthy and well but they are worthless unless you are building trust and rapport that retains them and allows the life changing benefits of physical activity.
Unfortunately the state of our health as a nation is telling us that collectively we still have a way to go before we, the health and fitness industry, can say we are inspiring Australians to better health and wellness. By building a solid business foundation you give yourself the freedom of focusing on the job of informing and empowering your target market as well as delivering on the technical side of your business. The three tips below are very effective and easily automated processes that allow you to deliver great information to your audience.
1. Create a newsletter that goes out to your database regularly on the problems of your target market. Inform and educate them, they need your knowledge.
2. Phone any contact that expresses any interest in improving their health and ask them what information or assistance they need to help and then deliver the solutions and some more.
3. Over deliver by giving more value. Don't prostitute your services by cutting prices; give so much more than you promised. We are about to get bombarded by cheap gym memberships, do you really want to compete with them?
If you do nothing else this year but work on building a rock solid business foundation and then incorporating these three tips into your fitness business you will be providing an extremely valuable service to the needy. Australians are looking for help to lose weight, fight diabetes and battle depression. So start getting your valuable message out there today, building trust and become an inspiration to your circle of influence.
For more information on building a solid business foundation click here.
David Virgo
The most prominent aspect I picked up from being in the same space of leaders in the health and fitness industry like Joe Cirulli, Grant Gamble, Andrew Simmons, Paul Taylor and Paul Brown was how much self development and work has gone into improving themselves. A common theme was that everyone of these leaders has struggled and failed more than once in their business life.
The underlying message from all of these very influential people is so simple yet so very under rated in the fitness industry. Create great relationships with your clients and your staff. When these relationships are created then go about inspiring your members and staff daily. At the end of the day memberships and personal training are wonderful tools to use in keeping people healthy and well but they are worthless unless you are building trust and rapport that retains them and allows the life changing benefits of physical activity.
Unfortunately the state of our health as a nation is telling us that collectively we still have a way to go before we, the health and fitness industry, can say we are inspiring Australians to better health and wellness. By building a solid business foundation you give yourself the freedom of focusing on the job of informing and empowering your target market as well as delivering on the technical side of your business. The three tips below are very effective and easily automated processes that allow you to deliver great information to your audience.
1. Create a newsletter that goes out to your database regularly on the problems of your target market. Inform and educate them, they need your knowledge.
2. Phone any contact that expresses any interest in improving their health and ask them what information or assistance they need to help and then deliver the solutions and some more.
3. Over deliver by giving more value. Don't prostitute your services by cutting prices; give so much more than you promised. We are about to get bombarded by cheap gym memberships, do you really want to compete with them?
If you do nothing else this year but work on building a rock solid business foundation and then incorporating these three tips into your fitness business you will be providing an extremely valuable service to the needy. Australians are looking for help to lose weight, fight diabetes and battle depression. So start getting your valuable message out there today, building trust and become an inspiration to your circle of influence.
For more information on building a solid business foundation click here.
David Virgo
Monday, May 10, 2010
the most effective way to utilize business cards
"Here's my business card why don't you give me a call and set up a time to come in and we can sit down and chat about your situation and get you losing weight the healthy way. It sounds like you are editing and losing muscle tissue which can be detrimental for your metabolism and your long term body weight stabilization"
This is a typical conversation that occurs in most gyms, BBQ's and social setting throughout Western Australia. This is how I started in my business and the use of business cards only to find that I went through stacks of them without getting a client. Then I changed my tactics and my results sky-rocketed! Let me share with you the most effective way to utilize your business card.
The first shift is in changing the traditional focus of handing out lots and lots of business cards. This process depends on the person you handed your business card, to get back to you. Secondly in a busy fast paced world people are having dozens of conversation everyday and the chance of them remembering you after 24 hours is minimal. In fact I don't have a business card anymore, I find picking up everyone else's and making a note on the card about our conversation a far more effective way of building business. Instead of giving out my card I always take the other persons and with permission email them some great information, like an article, interview or anything else relevant to their situation as well as add them to my database and put them on my newsletter list.
Now my approach to the initial scenario has changed a few degrees. Here's what I do now. So the typical conversation occurring throughout most social settings should now go more like this.
"It sounds like you may have gone about losing the weight in a way that might not have been quite as effective as it could have been. Give me your details and how about I send you some great tips on losing weight and keeping it off forever".
This process allows me to send information in return for their details. I also add to my best business asset, my database. Furthermore, the prospect and I feel comfortable in the follow up phone call because it is all about them and their weight loss as opposed to me trying to sell to them. I can then market to this person regularly via my email newsletter, ring him personally every month to see how his efforts are going and when he is ready he will utilize my services because I have kept in touch.
So next time you can see an opportunity why not offer to help out first before asking for the sale. This process is more effective than giving free sessions and consumes a lot less of your time, assuming follow up.
David Virgo
This is a typical conversation that occurs in most gyms, BBQ's and social setting throughout Western Australia. This is how I started in my business and the use of business cards only to find that I went through stacks of them without getting a client. Then I changed my tactics and my results sky-rocketed! Let me share with you the most effective way to utilize your business card.
The first shift is in changing the traditional focus of handing out lots and lots of business cards. This process depends on the person you handed your business card, to get back to you. Secondly in a busy fast paced world people are having dozens of conversation everyday and the chance of them remembering you after 24 hours is minimal. In fact I don't have a business card anymore, I find picking up everyone else's and making a note on the card about our conversation a far more effective way of building business. Instead of giving out my card I always take the other persons and with permission email them some great information, like an article, interview or anything else relevant to their situation as well as add them to my database and put them on my newsletter list.
Now my approach to the initial scenario has changed a few degrees. Here's what I do now. So the typical conversation occurring throughout most social settings should now go more like this.
"It sounds like you may have gone about losing the weight in a way that might not have been quite as effective as it could have been. Give me your details and how about I send you some great tips on losing weight and keeping it off forever".
This process allows me to send information in return for their details. I also add to my best business asset, my database. Furthermore, the prospect and I feel comfortable in the follow up phone call because it is all about them and their weight loss as opposed to me trying to sell to them. I can then market to this person regularly via my email newsletter, ring him personally every month to see how his efforts are going and when he is ready he will utilize my services because I have kept in touch.
So next time you can see an opportunity why not offer to help out first before asking for the sale. This process is more effective than giving free sessions and consumes a lot less of your time, assuming follow up.
David Virgo
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