In Chapter 1, we talked about the tremendous potential market for personal trainers. With that in mind, you might think that just about everyone is a prospective client. While that could be considered technically true, the reality is that if you define your market as “everyone,” you’ll find it impossible to communicate effectively with anyone. You need to know where your particular prospects are, where they go, where they shop, what they read, who they associate with, what they’re interested in, and what will push their buttons.
You also need to recognize that even though people may need what you have to offer, they will not automatically become your clients. At first, clients aren’t going to just approach you to train them—you have to go out and get them. But once you get your business built, you’ll find that as much as 80 percent of your clients will come through referrals.
We heard this over and over again from the entrepreneurs interviewed for this book. You have to really work hard to get those first few clients, then the rest start flowing in—assuming you’re good, of course. So how will you go about getting those first few clients? In this chapter, we’re going to discuss the basics of marketing your business, as well as the advertising approaches that worked for the entrepreneurs we interviewed.
stat fact
A study published by Pub Med conducted by the Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville found that in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients, measurable results building a tolerance to exercise were found with upper-body aerobic exercise training. Normally, CHF patients train for heart health at an aerobic level using their lower bodies, but for patients who cannot use their lower extremities, upper-body workouts were found to create similar benefits, including building exercise tolerance and increased respiratory exchange ratio. You can find the study at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Marketing consultant Debbie LaChusa, of 10stepmarketing, says the basic principles you’ll use in marketing your personal training business are the same as for just about any business. “It’s not that difficult,” she says. “It’s knowing what information you need and where to get it. From my experience, many books and articles make it more complicated than it needs to be.” The most important thing to keep in mind about marketing is to “understand that marketing is not an expense. It’s not an administrative task that you have to do. It’s an investment in your business,” says LaChusa. And outside of training itself, it ought to be a function you enjoy. “Of all the necessary things you have to do in a business, marketing is at least a creative one, and you can have fun with it. You can try new things. And if you track them, which I recommend that everybody do, you can find out what’s working and what isn’t.”
Get in Shape for Women franchise owner Abby Guinard owned her own marketing business before changing careers. Not being able to make the marketing decisions for her franchise business was hard for Guinard at first but she had no choice so “I went with the flow,” she says. “It was hard at first—they have a monthly marketing limit—but it is hard to knock it when it seems to be working. It was very humbling.”
In early chapters, you learned how to identify your market. As you put together your marketing strategy, you need to further define your market, your goals, and your relationship to your clients. To do that, keep these questions in mind as you form your marketing plan:
Who are your potential customers? Are they bodybuilders or middle-aged professionals who need help staying and getting in shape? Are they already fit and healthy, or are they recuperating from an injury or illness?
How many are there? Knowing how many potential customers you have will help you determine if you can build a sustainable business.
Where are they located? Is there a substantial market in your local area?
What are they doing in terms of exercise and fitness-related activities now?
What can you offer that they’re not getting now and how can you persuade them to do business with you? In other words, what would be their motivation to contract with you for training, instead of doing whatever it is they’re currently doing?
Exactly what services are you offering?
How do you compare with your competitors?
What kind of image do you want to project?
The goal of your marketing plan should be to convey to prospective customers your business’s existence and the quality of your service. Ideally, you should use a multifaceted approach to marketing your business.
warning
Before you try any marketing idea, take the time upfront to figure out who you’re trying to reach and what you want to accomplish. Without a solid plan and sufficient research, you’ll just waste your time and money.
You probably already answered most of these questions when you did your market research. Now it’s time to expand on that information and use it to construct a marketing program.
Personal trainers usually don’t spend very much on advertising. In fact, advertising should be a very small part of your overall marketing strategy, but there are times when it’s a worthwhile investment. The advertising media you’ll want to consider include:
Word-of-mouth
Local TV and radio
Notoriety through contests and event sponsorship
Local newspapers
Direct mail (sales letters, newsletters, fliers, brochures, etc.)
Choosing an advertising medium is particularly challenging for a small operation like a homebased personal training service or even a small studio. Typically, big-city TV, radio, and newspapers are too expensive, and magazines are expensive and cover too broad an area to be cost effective. You may find small local newspapers and community publications to be reasonably priced; you’ll only know whether or not they’ll be effective for you if you try them. If you do choose to try these advertising mediums, find a way to track your results, for example, by offering a discount coupon or code.
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When you see an ad or other marketing effort being repeated over time, it’s a good sign that it’s working and you should consider using the same technique for your own company.
By far the most effective form of advertising, for Barbara Crompton, has been word-of-mouth, based on a reputation for offering a quality program. Crompton stresses the importance of developing a loyal following that creates notoriety around oneself as a person of integrity and a consistently excellent trainer devoted to the well-being of one’s students.
When evaluating prospective advertising media, consider these factors:
Cost per contact. How much will it cost to reach each prospective customer? For example, if you are buying an ad in a magazine or newspaper, divide the price by the circulation to figure the cost per contact.
Frequency. How frequent should the contacts be? Is a single powerful advertisement preferable to a series of constant small reminders, or vice versa?
Impact. Does the medium appeal to the appropriate senses, such as sight and hearing, in presenting design, color, or sound?
Selectivity. To what degree can the message be restricted to those people who are known to be your most logical prospects?
Think through your advertising decisions carefully, and don’t feel pressured to do something unless you’re reasonably sure, based on your own assessment (not just the assurances of an ad salesperson), that it will work. Don’t advertise in publications that aren’t directed at your specific market. And don’t buy the expensive four-color brochure when a two-color flier will do.
Because of the ability to target well-defined geographical areas, direct mail can be an effective way to promote your personal training business. It also allows you to send a very personalized sales message. However, due to its costs, it is more appropriate for a larger personal training operation than a small, one-person business.
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Look for noncompeting service providers who are targeting the same market you are and figure out a way to do some cooperative advertising. For example, try doing a joint direct-mail campaign with a massage therapist.
The best methods for direct-mail advertising of a personal training business are personal sales letters and brochures. Use a solo mailer, rather than including your information in a cooperative mailer full of supermarket coupons and the like. People don’t select their personal trainer the way they choose barbecue sauce, so the less expensive co-operative mailer can cost you the professional image that you can effectively create through a solo mailer.
A sales letter will allow you to add an effective personal touch. It should be personal, written in an informal style, and selectively directed. You might also want to include a reply card that allows the prospective customer a chance to ask for more information or for you to contact them to arrange a tour of your studio if you have one.
Young and Old Take the Lead
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates in the 2008 to 2018 decade aging baby boomers, a group that increasingly is becoming concerned with staying healthy and physically fit, will be the main driver of employment growth in fitness workers.
An additional factor is the combination of a reduction in the number of physical education programs in schools with parents’ growing concern about childhood obesity. This factor will increase the need for fitness workers to work with children in non-school settings, such as health clubs.
Increasingly, parents also are hiring personal trainers for their children, and the number of weight-training gyms for children is expected to continue to grow. Health club membership among young adults has grown steadily as well, driven by concern with physical fitness and by rising incomes.
Start your letter with something that will grab the prospect’s attention. It might be a description of a special offer or the benefits of personal training. It may flatter the reader: “I know you appreciate the importance of a regular fitness routine for overall health.” Another option is to tell a story: “Suzie Smith wanted to wear her mother’s wedding gown, but she needed to lose weight and get in shape first.”
The body copy of your letter should let the prospect know the exact reason you are writing and what you have to offer. Headlines in letters can be very effective, but if you use one, it should describe the main benefit you are trying to promote. Expand on that point throughout the letter, reiterating that specific benefit as often as you can, using different descriptions so the reader will remember that benefit.
Any claims you make should be qualified by citing sources or offering endorsements. You should also include what the reader will lose if they don’t respond. For example, indicate that you only have a few openings for new clients available, and they are filling up fast. Then close your letter with a repeat of the main benefit and a “call to action,” which tells the reader what they should do next, whether it’s to return the enclosed reply card, call for an appointment for a tour, come to an open house, or whatever.
You can buy commercial mailing lists (check your local telephone directory under “Mailing Lists” or search online), but you’re probably better off building your own mailing list through people you know and referrals.
A good investment of your marketing dollars is in the right collateral materials—that is, your business cards, stationery, and other printed promotional items. Just because you have a computer doesn’t mean you should create your own marketing pieces. Most business cards designed by amateurs look like amateurs designed them. A poorly written brochure that does not effectively communicate your message is a waste of money. Newsletters can be a powerful marketing tool for personal trainers, but if yours is hard to read and understand, it’s a waste of time and money.
Hire professionals to help you create top-notch collateral materials. Small agencies or freelancers are often willing to work with clients on tight budgets. You may even find a graphic designer or writer willing to work on a trade-out basis. While it’s important that your marketing materials be coordinated and professional, never lose sight of the fact that your prospects will ultimately be sold by you, not by a card, brochure, ad, or flier.
Most of your clients are going to come from referrals or word-of-mouth advertising. When someone is happy with what you’re doing for them, they’re going to tell other people.
LaChusa, the marketing consultant, calls it relationship marketing. “It means creating relationships with your existing customers and using those relationships to either get more business out of them or to get referrals for new clients or new business,” she says. “It’s taking really good care of the customers you have.”
tip
When passing out your business cards, always give two—one for the person to keep, and one they can pass on to someone else.
This just makes sense—when you take care of a client, not only do they physically see results, but they actually feel different. They believe in themselves, they’re more confident, and they talk about you to their spouse, to their neighbors, to their friends. Also, by teaching clients and helping them to ultimately be successful on their own, you’ll have spokespeople saying positive things about your business in the community. “No matter what your advertising budget is, that’s the best form of advertising,” Atlanta-area trainer Bill Sonnemaker says.
Of course, you can expedite this process by taking steps to stimulate referrals. Lynne Wells, the personal trainer in New York City, takes a very candid and simple approach, letting clients know when she has an opening in her schedule. “I also will put postcards out around the neighborhood where I work,” she says. Or you can offer a financial incentive, such as giving clients a discount on their next month’s fee if they send a referral and that person becomes a client.
Another way to encourage referrals is to give a gift certificate for a free evaluation and one or two exercise sessions to your clients for them to give to someone else. Do this around a holiday or tie it to some seasonal event to make it stand out. Give it in December with a note that you’re happy to help your clients with their holiday shopping, or in the spring with a “Get Ready for Summer” theme.
Strictly Confidential
Prospective clients are increasingly likely to ask for references when they are considering hiring you. But your current clients may not want their names and contact information given out to strangers. One way to handle this is by asking current clients to call the individual who is seeking a reference, rather than the other way around. If the prospective client is in the studio, you might consider introducing him to people who are there for their training sessions. You also could obtain testimonial letters from satisfied clients that you can use as a sales and marketing tool.
Marketing your services to the medical community can be a challenge, but it can also be extremely lucrative. You’ll likely find it difficult to get through to physicians because their office staffs typically act as gatekeepers and will try to block you from making contact. Be persistent and creative; the rewards are worth the effort.
Traditionally, the medical community has had a rather negative view of the fitness industry and is somewhat distrustful of the credibility and quality of the various certifying agencies. However, physicians and other health-care providers have begun actively endorsing fitness as a preventive measure in health care. Presenting yourself and what you have to offer in a professional, businesslike manner will go a long way toward dissolving the distrust that has existed in the past. Consider offering a few complimentary sessions to show healthcare providers what you can do.
You might try a personalized direct-mail campaign, sending letters to doctors and therapists outlining what you can do for their patients. However, unless the person receiving the letter will recognize your name or has an immediate need for your services, chances are you won’t get a response. Personal visits will likely be more effective, but you’ll probably find it difficult to get a face-to-face meeting just by dropping in.
Because it may be difficult to reach a doctor in his or her office, look for other ways to make contact. Participate in health fairs, make speeches to community organizations, and do volunteer work with groups where you are likely to make contact with health-care providers. If you meet a doctor at a social event, follow up later to let him know about your services. If you have a studio, consider hosting an open house so health-care providers can see what you have to offer.
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When you have a patient with health problems, be sure to request that they get a written statement from their physician before proceeding with a training program. Speak with their doctor directly if you can, but still get a written statement to include in the client’s file (or an email to include in their electronic folder).
Remember that medical doctors are not the only health-care professionals who are in a position to refer clients to you. LaChusa suggests researching other health-related businesses such as chiropractors, massage therapists, health-food stores, and supplement retailers as potential referral sources. In addition to chiropractors and massage therapists, one trainer we interviewed says he also networks with a sports psychologist and golf and tennis pros. He also does cross-promotions with nutrition stores and offers a discount to customers of a major HMO. “We’re very selective about who we work with,” he says. “You want to feel very confident that they’re in their professions for the right reasons and that they’re qualified, so that the relationship will reflect positively on you.”
When you get a referral from a healthcare provider, be sure to send an immediate thank-you note and follow up with details of the patient’s progress. The more often you put your name in front of a referral source in a positive way, the more referrals you’re likely to get.
Ideas for Promoting Your Business
Teaching people about the importance of fitness and proper exercise programs is part of the service you provide. It’s also a great way to market your company. Speak to local groups (service clubs like Kiwanis and Rotary are always looking for guest speakers); publish your own newsletter; write articles for the local newspaper; let local print, TV, and radio journalists know you are available to speak as an expert whenever they are doing stories on fitness and exercise; participate in fitness-related charity events; or host free seminars on fitness. These types of activities position you as an expert on fitness and exercise, and put your name and company in front of hundreds and even thousands of potential clients at a very nominal cost.
The key to making education a successful marketing tool is to give people information that they aren’t hearing everywhere else. Be creative with your presentation, and make it different and interesting.
LaChusa calls it “packaging your knowledge.” She explains, “There’s so much information out there on fitness, and people have a hard time wading through what’s accurate and good and what isn’t.” She recommends that you take the time to package that information in the form of a newsletter positioned as the one to sift through everything and provide your clients with facts. As we saw in Chapter 5, sending educational emails can be very effective in spreading the name and reputation of your business. The idea is to give clients more value than just the hour of training in exchange for their money.
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If you have a studio located in a building surrounded by taller buildings, remember that people are probably looking down at your roof every day. Paint your company name and logo on the roof, and periodically put out a banner with more information or special offers.
Another angle on using education as a marketing tool is to offer a free booklet on some aspect of fitness in your ads or when you make presentations. The booklet could be something as basic as “How to Choose and Work with a Personal Trainer.” When people call for the information, get their name, address, and phone number. After you’ve sent the report, call and schedule a follow-up consultation.
tip
PR Newswire is an electronic distribution service through which you can distribute press releases that may get picked up by news sources or websites. You also can get added to their database of expert sources who are available to the media. For more information, visit www.prnewswire.com.
You could develop a workshop to present to office employees, demonstrating exercises and stretches designed for desk-bound workers. You may or may not earn a fee from the company, but the employees are potential clients.
When you have news, issue a news release to your local media outlets. If the business section of your local paper includes new business announcements, be sure yours gets in there. When you open a new facility or expand your services, issue a news release.
When something happens on a national level that relates to what you do, write up a media advisory with a local spin. Local reporters would much rather be able to interview someone in their own community. For example, let’s say researchers at a university announce a new benefit to weight training. You can send a note (either fax or email) to the local paper and radio and TV stations repeating the news story and offer to answer additional questions. Your note might read something like: “Researchers at ABC University released the findings of a new study on weight training. I have seen similar results among my clients. If you would like to interview someone local on the benefits and risks of weight training, please call me.”
Exercise and Depression
Studies continue to prove that exercise alleviates depression, but what is the right level and duration to reap benefits? Research in 2013 by the University of Toronto showed that “moderate exercise can actually prevent episodes of depression in the long term. This is the first longitudinal review to focus exclusively on the role that exercise plays in maintaining good mental health and preventing the onset of depression later in life” (www.sciencedaily.com).
Offer free initial consultations to all prospective clients. Do a medical history, talk about the client’s goals, and explain how you will work with them before you ask them to make a financial commitment to you. This is your opportunity to shine, to set yourself apart from your competition, and to prove yourself before you ask for a fee. The free consultation is like an actor’s audition—and you never know what it can lead to, so give each one your very best.
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Create a simple behavior change citywide challenge (eat one huge salad and do 25 sit-ups every day for the next month), and promote it on local radio stations. Some stations read event details for free in their cities. Announce in your press kit that you’ll be giving away prizes (free tutor time with you) and publishing the results on your Facebook page. You may get a magazine or two interested. Make the challenge simple, but interesting, such as asking participants to just change something simple for a month and then write to you about their experience.
Think about how your free consultation can be a bonus for someone else. For example, visit your local exercise equipment retailers and offer them a few certificates that can be redeemed for a free consultation and one exercise session. Suggest that they give the certificates as a bonus to their customers when a particular sales level is met or exceeded. For example, they might give the certificate (with a face value of $150 or $200) to anyone who spends more than $2,000 on exercise equipment. That person is likely an excellent prospect for you.
When a prospective client doesn’t buy your services after the initial consultation, follow up and find out why. Make it clear that you’re not pressuring them to sign up, but rather that you’d genuinely like to know why they didn’t so that you can decide if you need to make some changes in your marketing approach or your service package.
To be successful as the owner of a personal training business, you’re going to have to be able to sell people on your services. But don’t let the word “selling” scare you. Most of the world’s top sales professionals will tell you they hate “selling.” What they mean is, they hate the vision of the slick, fast-talking character on the used car lot, or the door-to-door peddler who wedges a foot in the door and won’t leave until you buy. But that’s not selling in the professional sense of the word.
When you sell as a personal trainer, all you’re doing is convincing prospective clients that you can help them reach their fitness goals, and that you will do it professionally at a price they are willing to pay. You may be familiar with the sales training phrase “handling objections.” That sounds much more frightening than it really is. In most professional sales situations, an “objection” often comes in the form of a question, and whether it’s a question or a statement, it is usually a request for more information. For example, a prospective client might say something like, “I don’t have a lot of time to exercise.” It might sound like an objection or even a rejection, but it’s really your clue to explain how efficient the program you’ll design will be. Prospects rarely will say no without some sort of an explanation—an objection—that you’ll have a chance to overcome.
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Never say “no” to a customer. When they ask for something you don’t provide, offer them an alternative instead.
One of the most difficult parts of a sales call is the close—that is, asking for the commitment and signing the contract—but it shouldn’t be. If you’ve been paying attention, if you identified your prospect’s needs and determined that you can satisfy them, then asking the prospect to make that final commitment should be a natural evolution of the sales call.
Consumers of personal training services are becoming increasingly savvy. They’re likely to have many questions for you before they make a decision to hire you, and you need to be prepared to answer those questions. Here’s a sample of the type of questions you’re likely to encounter:
What are your credentials? What certifications do you hold, and where were they issued?
What is your educational background?
How do you keep yourself current on the latest information and news about fitness?
Do you require clients to purchase any special equipment?
Will you provide referrals from current and previous clients?
Where do you conduct your training?
What are your policies regarding missed sessions?
What are your fees and how do you collect payment?
Do you offer a free initial consultation and perhaps one or two free sessions to determine if there is a good match with the client’s personality and style?
If your marketing program isn’t producing the results you want, figure out why and make appropriate changes. Most of the time, the problem will likely be that you haven’t defined your market clearly enough or that you are targeting people who are not qualified clients. If you are not getting any responses, you need to examine your methods. If you are getting responses but they’re not turning into clients, ask them why. You may need to work on your presentation, or you may find out that these people either don’t need you or can’t afford you. In the latter case, consider targeting a different demographic group.
tip
Take before and after pictures, and keep them in your clients’ files so that they can see the improvements they’re making. With their permission, you can use these photos as a sales tool. Authenticate the timing of the pictures by having your clients hold a copy of that day’s newspaper.
Mark Your Calendar
Perhaps the most valuable tool in your marketing kit is the calendar. Plan your promotions at least three months in advance and stick to the plan. This keeps you ahead of the curve and virtually eliminates the “feast or famine” cycle of many businesses. Most businesses tend to market reactively—that is, they market when business drops off, but don’t bother when it’s good. Referencing your marketing calendar on a daily basis forces you to market proactively and keep your pipeline of new business prospects full.
Take advantage of seasonal promotional opportunities: Christmas, New Year’s resolution, and “Shape Up for Summer” promotions are common. Certainly you can use these, but try being more creative, too. Consider a “back-to-school” deal for moms, who will have more time to work out once the kids are away at school all day. If your city has a professional sports team, offer a free session to season ticket holders, either at the beginning or end of the season. Look for lesser-known holidays honoring specific professions—Nurses’ Day, for example—and target those folks.
Remember this: Just as you expect prospective clients to ask about your qualifications and credentials, you should also be looking for qualified clients—that is, clients who have a need for your services, coupled with the ability to pay you. This doesn’t mean that you need to ask them to complete a credit application during the initial consultation. But you should be able to tell what the chances are that they can afford you when you find out what they do for a living, what their fitness goals are, and what some of their other life issues are. Whatever you do to market your business, make sure every element of your campaign reflects your overall goals and the personality of your operation.