Everyone needs superheros, you know those people that you look up to and who inspire you on to greater things. When I was a little boy I loved Batman, Spiderman, Superman, and even Peter Pan (my wife thinks this explains a few things about me!). As I grew older I had an incredible passion for cricket and so my superheros became players such as Greg Chappell, Jeff Thompson and Dennis Lillee. As I started to become passionate about the Fitness Industry in the 1990’s I began to see some fantastic presenters who ran inspiring businesses and these people began inspiring me to think that I could one day run a successful business, write a book, present at National and International Fitness Conferences, and guess what - it all happened for me! I do not write these things to brag but rather to illustrate a point that who you will become in the future will most likely be determined by the people that you meet, the books you read, the role models you aspire to be, and the daily actions that you take.

I would like to give public thank you to my 2 biggest superheros within the Fitness Industry. Andrew May who I am proud to say has personally coached me and Kerry McEvoy who started inspiring me when I first saw him present in1994 and inspired me yet again with his fantastic presentation at the Gold Coast last Saturday. Both of these guys have changed hundreds if not thousands of lives for the better over a long period of time and have made themselves financially successful in the process. The message they both give is that you can get to wherever you would like to go in this industry if you dare to dream, have superheros you can model, and importantly take action that move you closer to where it is you want to go.

Aaron Whear is the Melbourne based business coach for PT Plus International which is a company dedicated to helping fitness professionals with the 3 key challenges of making more money, having more time, and living with more freedom. PT Plus is running a workshop in Melbourne on Friday 8^th October on “Tapping the Corporate Market”. For more information on this workshop or PT Plus business programs please contact Aaron directly by e-mail aaron@ptplus.com.au

This entry finds me feeling fit, well and inspired about continuing to make a difference to this great industry of ours. I have just returned from a mini break to the Gold Coast with my wife and children. The reason I mention this is that I truly believe that it is very important for all of us to have regular holidays. No matter how passionate we are about any pursuit, we do need to have short breaks to keep us fresh and to keep the passion high. Put in sporting terms, elite athletes have periodised programs where they have “transition” periods where they have a break from intense training to allow they body to recover and the mind to freshen up. In fact in AFL football it is part of the enterprise bargaining agreement that players have a minimum 6 weeks holiday from their clubs after season’s end.

This leads me to address a common problem in the fitness industry where many trainers are scared to have a holiday for fear that their clients will leave them. My answer to this fear is twofold. Firstly, an analogy - if you are on an aeroplane what do they tell people with babies on board to do in the event of an emergency that requires oxygen? You guessed it, look after yourself first prior to assisting your child. So my opinion is that if we don’t look after ourselves first then it is impossible to give the energy and passion required with our clients. No matter how much you love something you can become jaded if you do not have a break from it. Personally I live my life in 12 week blocks where I get away for a mini break or longer holiday in order to recover and to ensure my passion for this great industry remains strong.

Secondly, if your clients truly value your service then they will still be there when you get back. You can even turn the time spent away from each other into a game, i.e. you can set them up for a “holiday program” that they do on their own and challenge them to maintain or even improve their fitness/health while you are away. Also, remember that in reality the success of your clients is really determined by the exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle choices they make when you are not with them anyway. For example, we often spend 1-2 hours training with clients each week, which means that if they are after a result they had better be making some good decisions when you are not with them over the other 166-167 hours when they are on their own.

The question I will leave you with is - do you need a break? If the answer is yes then take action!

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. Here I talk with Scott Krywulycz on effective sales systems. To listen to the interview click here http://www.careerfitness.com.au/files/Sales%20School%20Interview%20with%20Scott_Krywulycz.mp3

For more information click here

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 growing your income by attracting the right people to you.

Check out this article by Scott Krywulycz on Selling Systems

Without a selling system it is a bit like turning the key in the ignition and waiting or the car to start, without an engine. Whilst you may have a key to a business, without a system for generating sales you are going to find it difficult to keep moving forward at any pace. For long jeopardy in business you need to have a system for generating leads to your business to convert to sales. The problem with most health and fitness businesses is the owner is the technician, administrator, cleaner, accountant, client liaison officer and sales person while still trying to practice what they preach and live a healthy, well balanced life.

If you can place a selling system in your business it will help the all-important part of sales and revenue. So when you turn the key each morning it will go from a concerning clunking sound, with fear of moving forward to something firing like a V8 that can get you to your destination in record time.

The selling system we teach has a six-step process. Use all six and you get a desired outcome. Each one requires the other to work at capacity. Without one or two of these you are only firing on four cylinders as the cliché goes.

So lets get started on the six-step process.

1. psychology
When I say the word sales what words come to mind? ‘Evil’, ‘hard’, ‘yuck’, ‘terrifying’ and ‘difficult’ all have negative connotations. However ‘conversations’, ‘money’, ‘new clients’, ‘freedom’ and ‘holidays’ have a positive spin to the word. Consider your relationship with the word sales and chances are a negative interpretation of sales will land you poor results. Alternatively you may just enjoy the whole process and your business is showing the positive outcomes of a great relationship with sales. Understanding the fate of your business is decided by revenue. Too much revenue rarely creates the intense painful headaches that not enough revenue creates, assuming you are managing your expenses. So awareness around the psychology of selling is the place to start to create change in your business.

But why don’t I like sales?

Any event in life is a neutral event. What determines if an event is good or bad is your previous experience to that event. So, if you have had a bad experience with boyfriends (males) in your life your self-protection mechanism tells you to stay away from ones that look like previous boyfriends. It is the same with sales. You may have been ripped off, bought something you regret, have a perception about sales people that give the whole psychology a negative spin. Sales are not good or bad but purely a neutral event in your business life. Consider the influencing factors in your experience with sales.

You will need to deal with the psychology part of the process if you want a V8 business system. Sales are not good or bad just a neutral and normal event in any business. Decide to make it ‘good’ and it will serve you better.

2. lead generation
How exciting is business when you have a whole heap of fresh leads. New prospects considering your products or services are a revelation. It is very energizing and refreshing meeting new people. So lead generation consists of three key areas.

Traditional
Our industry is strong in the traditional space of generating leads. So traditional marketing models follow brochures, free sessions, meetings, discounted memberships, radio, advertisements and many of the hard copy marketing techniques. These are ideal and the secret is to measure what works for you and your clientele.

Online
Online techniques include a blog, website, social networking and search engine optimization as significant ways to open up opportunities in the www world of business. As an industry we are terrible in this space and miss a lot of opportunity by being slow to catch on to the new age technology and techniques.

Brand
Brand is everything. If you want long jeopardy in your business you need to develop a trustworthy, proven, recognizable and consistent brand. This takes place over time, however start small in your local community, build to a region and then based on your business goals you can take it to bigger places. Brand is everything from answering the phone, to your website, how you dress, the kind of articles you write are all part of the brand and need to be considered.

3. booking a meeting
Having leads is a great thing for business. Converting those leads to a meeting helps to qualify the commitment of the enquiry. I am surprised at the amount of guys who really struggle to get people in front of their great brand and business at this stage of booking a meeting. There are three ways to book in a meeting.

They are email, phone or face-to-face.

You need to be strong in all three. If you follow the selling system in order to get more business and pursue the ideal outcome of conducting a meeting. Chances are if you get you in front of most people you will sell them something. I assume they are qualified and ready to invest in their health and you are passionate about health, fitness and your services. So get good at booking in a meeting so that you can then conduct a meeting and give yourself a chance of getting more people into your business.

4. conducting a meeting
When you get in a face-to-face situation, understanding that the prospect has turned up on time, likes what they have heard so far and have made the time and effort to sit down and talk about their health then you are 90% of the way there. Here is a proven format to help take the sell out of selling when conducting a meeting.

Build a rapport
Get to know the person rather than dive into health conversations. What are their interests, family life, job?

Ask questions
The guy who best sums up this lesson is Alan Pease in his great book ‘Questions are the answers’. Simply buy the book by becoming a member on our book and audio program.

Show value
If you can identify with the person during the build rapport stage and ask open-ended questions chances are you can then show value-based products on what the person has told you they need. Showing value is not just about your service but the bells and whistles, guarantees, terms and conditions and other inclusions that are involved in working with you and your service or product. Rather than discount and cut prices look to show value as a better way to make a sale.

Identify obstacles
So what will stop you? Are there any roadblocks?

These are the key questions to ask in identifying obstacles. So many fitness people never ask clients “is there anything that has stopped you in the past” is a great question when identifying potential barriers. This open conversation early will put you in the hot seat as a guru. If you don’t ask it in the meeting phase chances are the same obstacle that has been holding the person back will appear in week 2, 3 or 4 of your great program.

Confirm the sale
Once you have confirmed the best program, package and price for your client then confirm that verbally. If you have followed the earlier steps then they have told you all of this and all you need to do is repeat the process a second time and confirm the sale. A sale is a sale when you have them signing the dotted line.

Stay in touch
This fits in with point six of our selling system and should the meeting go pear shaped and terrible at least ask permission to stay in touch. Alternatively you may have an energy vampire or someone you don’t think you want to hang around for a few hours per week and then you can show them some other alternatives. It is impossible to get along with everyone so it is fine to come up with a plan B. Maybe send them off to your competitor!

5. sales tools
So many fitness dudes and dudettes rely on showing clients how many courses they have completed or the letters after their name, years in the industry, their gold medal from a body building competition etc. You have just disengaged the client. The sales process is not about you it’s about the prospect. Serve their needs. Here are some sales tools that will help you buy credibility rather than talk about yourself. Articles, blogs, a health model, questionnaires, diagnostics, website, chat rooms, downloads, DVD’s, CD’s.

6. follow up
Whilst a ‘no’ is never a ‘no’ until you get a ‘no’ there is a fine line between being a stalker and letting people walk away to make a decision. Consider the process of follow up with people especially if you have put your valuable time into the system outlined earlier. In having a good sales system you should convert 80-90% of people if you follow the suggested system we discuss here. However for the 10-20% who need more time or are not quite ready, then consider what you do to keep them in your ‘circle of trust’ as highlighted in the great movie ‘Meet the Fockers’. Some simple techniques are to:

a. put them on your database and send them your regular newsletter
b. give them a casual call every month and talk about everything other than selling them your services
c. send them one of our sales tools like an article, download or CD every once in a while with a
personalized hand written note to stay in touch

Finally learn that this should be fun. If you are chasing the good old dollar and want to rip people off than you are doomed. If you honestly believe you can help people and are passionate about what you do than you are on track. Like anything in life this is just a skill. Do your first five and really suck and fail at it. Do a thousand and it will become something that is natural and comfortable. Most importantly is having a system and reviewing your performance. Leave it with you!

PT Plus is running a workshop in Melbourne on Friday 13^th August on this very subject “Sales School”. For more information please contact Aaron directly by e-mail aaron@ptplus.com.au

1. When your client starts with you, give them a Welcome Pack. This may include a letter of introduction, essential information regarding your future sessions, your cancellation policy, brief nutritional information, a professional referral list and some complimentary session vouchers for their friends or family.

2. Always follow up your sessions with a phone call 24 to 48 hours later. This can be used to see how your client recovered from the session and to confirm your next session. It really gives the impression to your client that you care about them.

3. Provide information handouts for your clients on a regular basis. Start a library of articles that cover a wide range of topics.

4. Send cards, text messages, or emails to your clients regularly. How good does it make people feel to receive a card or message with a few words of inspiration, saying well done and to keep the great work going?

5. Produce a newsletter on a monthly basis and Include articles on strength training; an exercise of the month; a Recipe; client testimonials; some jokes; a sample cardiovascular workout; and some motivational quotes. In other Words, whatever you think will help sell your business and provide a service for your clients.

6. Use the last 5-10 minutes of every session for hands on stretching. PNFStretching is a point of difference for your PT session as it is something clients cannot do when training on their own.

7. Always thank your clients for referrals with a gift. Write a short thank you note, and give it to them with a gift such as movie tickets, a massage voucher (negotiate a special rate with a local therapist), a complimentary personal training session, or a book. The list is endless. Your clients will only be too too happy to refer more works to you. Always think win-win.

8. Provide plenty of variety in your sessions. It’s great to stick to the basics and fundamentals during your sessions, but add some variety every 2 to 3 weeks. We all like to learn new skills, so try to introduce a new exercise, an outdoor session, or an aqua workout. Kick the football for a session; play some basketball; the list of what you can do is endless. Variety = motivation = results = retention/referral = $$$.

9. Finally, ask for feedback. It is vital that you know what your clients expect from you as far as service goes. Hand out an evaluation form/questionnaire to your clients every six months. Ask for ways to improve session content: what do they want more information on, what they enjoy most/least about the sessions and what extra activities are they interested in.

All comments can only make you a better personal trainer.

take your health and fitness business to the sporting field

Never before have there been so many opportunities in sport. The list includes working with kids, schools, weekend warriors, amateur athletes or a professional practice. Career and business opportunities within sport have never been this lucrative. Sport is now a business with teams requiring experts to provide them with the edge needed to win.

If you have had a background in sport or any interest to work within the sporting industry then come and hang out with a team of experts who can help you take the next step.

who should attend…

• If you plan a career in sport
• Are currently in the health and fitness industry
• Want to work part-time or full-time or with kids to the elite level
• Not sure on how to get started
• Have played sport and want to cash in on your earlier experiences

what’s included…

• Develop a career path in the business of sport
• A day with a professional international trainer
• Techniques for getting started in sport
• Expert advice
• Workbook and downloads

what do you get…

• A day of being exposed to career opportunities in sport
• An understanding of the technical, personal and business skills required to get to the top
• Have your sports questions answered
• Technical tips and knowledge
• The opportunity to be learning from elite performers in the business of sport

why sport as a career…

• Sport teaches you amazing life skills
• Opportunities for a paid job, work independently or both
• A real need for great people
• More money is invested now in sport than in the history of the game
• Satisfaction of working in a team environment towards a set goal

limited opportunity

Due to demand we have put together a world-class program with international experts. We will not be running this event again until 2013, however our objective is to place the next generation of ‘sportpreneurs’ into their business and careers. If you enjoy sport, working in a team environment and helping and supporting others then consider the many opportunities that exist by being involved in sport. You will be exposed to a world that only a few choose to enter, where the career and the rewards can be whatever you want them to be!

Grab this limited opportunity and who knows the possibilities when you’re associated with influential leaders within the sporting community.

international sports conditioner, consultant and studio owner - Andrew Verdon

Andrew has been working with the Australian Sailing Team and the Australian Institute of Sport Sailing Squad for the last six years. His main role with the team is to educate elite sailors in the areas of sports conditioning, injury prevention and athlete preparation and recovery. He consults to various sporting clubs including his most recent appointment of setting up a High Performance Training Venue on beautiful Lake Como in Italy. Andrew also owns Beyond Exercise Studio a high performance studio based in Neutral Bay.

Andrew will present at our Sydney and Melbourne workshops.

elite sports conditioner and performance consultant - Brad Harrington

Brad will take you through his career path from personal trainer to working with local sporting teams, into working with amateur cricketers and AFL players. From here Brad, took the step overseas to work internationally in Rugby League with Super League club Halifax before heading back to Australia to work within Rugby Union with the NSW Waratah’s. He is now based in the UK working with the Welsh Rugby Union team and well as consulting to various Rugby Union and Rugby League clubs. Brad’s expertise is sort after by many clubs and he enjoys a life of working at the top end of sport, travel as well as helping others getting started in the Business of Sport.

Brad will present at our Perth and Gold Coast workshops.

format of workshop

This is a one-day workshop starting at 9am and finishing at 5pm. The venues are to be confirmed and dates are as follows:

Sydney - June 1

Gold Coast - June 3

Melbourne - June 8

Perth - June 17

To register please click here

“It is very difficult to hit a target you cannot see”. It is with this quote in mind that I suggest that many Fitness Instructors and Personal Trainers do not have written business goals or a marketing plan. I would also guess that many of these Instructors also wonder why they do not earn as much income as they would like. It is a proven fact that those people who take the time to think, set goals and plan are much more likely to succeed than those who don’t. My challenge to you over the next 2 weeks is to set aside some time to think about how much income you would like to make on an ongoing basis and then put in place your own plan on how you are going to attract enough clients, classes, shifts, etc. to allow you to achieve that goal. It is amazing how much easier it is to take positive action towards your goals once you know exactly what they are.

1. Build a Database. My opinion is that the health of your business is directly proportional to the size of your database. In fact Ryan Lee who was one of the pioneers of internet marketing in the fitness industry has been quoted as saying words to the effect that “you could take my millions (of dollars) away from me tomorrow - just leave me my database and I would create financial independence again no time. Your database should include your current clients, past clients, people who you would like to be your clients, potential joint venture partners, family, friends - anyone who has even the slightest interest in health and fitness or seeing you succeed. Once you have established a database then communicate with them regularly via a monthly newsletter, weekly health tip, and/or special offers.

2. Personalise your service. This tip is all about adding value to current or potential clients whenever you can. It involves following up meetings or sessions with a personalised e-mail with an article attached. It could be sending a gift to a client’s place of work. The imagination is the limit with this tip.

3. Lead Boxes. This lead generation tool has been around for a long time, however sometimes some of the old school methods are the best. Approach other businesses who service your ideal client such as Health food stores, hair dresses, beauty therapists, etc. The most effective way of forming a relationship with owners of these businesses is to offer to train them and /or their partner for free as well as to feature their services in your newsletter. If you go in with an attitude of “what can I do for you “rather than the other way around then you give this strategy its best chance of success.

4. Referrals. IHRSA which is the largest Health Club membership body in the world suggest that 46% of new fitness business clients come from word of mouth referral. Now obviously doing a great job with you clients will drive a percentage of referral business, however to put this on steroids you will want to start driving traffic more directly. One idea that I love is giving cash to clients who refer, e.g. you might give clients who refer a client who signs up for one of your packages $100 cash. If you know the lifetime value of your clients then you will know how much you can afford, e.g. if your average client spends $200 per month with you and on average stays with you for 12 months then there lifetime value is $2,400. Now that you are armed with this information it is a no brainer to offer $100 at the point of sale to receive $2,400 in return.

5. Have a social element to your business. Having things such as client appreciation days will increase client loyalty which equates to more dollars for you. In addition social events can be a great lead in for inviting friends of clients to come along which is another obvious lead generation tactic.

6. Join an existing community. This could mean joining your local Business Networking International (BNI) Group, becoming involved with a local sporting club, etc. The more exposure you have within your local community the greater your chances of attracting new clients.

7. Have an online presence. It is the year 2010 and if you don’t have a website than I don’t believe that you are serious about having a business! You really want to have your online presence optimised so that when a potential client searches Personal Trainers in your suburb that you appear on the first page in the search engines. In addition having a blog is a great tool to engage with existing or potential clients.

8. The Power of 5. This is PT Plus speak for having joint partners. Ideally we believe you should have at least 5 other businesses that service your ideal client refer clients to you and vice versa. Typical businesses include allied health professionals such as Physio’s, GP’s, Massage Therapists, as well as other businesses like Health Food stores, Beauty Therapists, Sports Stores, etc.

9. Meetings. A Key Performance Indicator I use for Private Mentoring clients is to have 10 new business meeting per month. These meetings could be a no obligation health chat, through to a meeting with a potential Power of 5 joint venture partner. As mentioned above under the “personalise your service tip” follow up each of these meetings with an e-mail and an article or download. This follow up will add credibility and differentiate you from other Personal Trainers.

10. Talk to 5 People Every Day. This strategy is one of the most powerful things you can do for your business. You can draw these people from your existing database, gym floor, potential power of 5 partner, etc. The more you talk to people about your business the more it will grow. Try this tactic for 3 months and you will be blown away by the results.

11. Public Speaking. This is one of the fastest ways of growing your business. Health and Fitness is very topical and there are many community groups and work places that would love to have someone come and give them good quality information. Once you have completed your presentation make sure you have a special offer for your services as well as the ability to capture the contact details of all attendees who will go onto your database for ongoing communication - see tip 1.

I have sourced a thought provoking article from well know small business operator Peter Crocker. In the article Crocker discusses the merits of solo business operators.  I suggest that you read the article at least twice and absorb the points that Crocker makes as they might have some implications for the way you run your business.

“You stroll into your boss’ office, flick your resignation letter nonchalantly onto the desk and explain precisely what they can do with their stinking job. Then you swan out to the cheers of your workmates. Or so goes the fantasy.
Much of the appeal of working for yourself is escaping the annoying, incompetent and/or bullying bosses that make your life a misery. But when you leave employment to run your own show it’s not just those bosses that you leave behind.

What about the great bosses? The ones that motivate you, guide you, teach you all the tricks of the trade and swoop in if a project hits the fan.

In any large organisation there are plenty of genuine leaders whose role it is to develop talented employees. If you’re a standout company performer, your progress up the career ladder can become a natural progression.

As a soloist, it is great that there’s no one breathing down your neck telling you what to do. But there’s also no one patting you on the back, advising your next move and looking out for your career. No strategic roadmaps. No performance review. No career plans. No fast track programs.

So, what do soloists do when it’s time for a change? For me the end of each year brings a period of reassessment. Whether it’s looking for a clear direction or assessing opportunities, these are the times when I miss being able to book a meeting with the boss to map out a solid plan.

One great solution is to find an experienced business mentor who is willing to sit with you a few times a year and be your sounding board.”

I am such a huge advocate of business mentoring is that it has taken years off the time I originally needed to achieve my financial goals. It has helped me accelerate my business growth at a rapid rate as I have been able to learn from my mentor and not repeat his mistakes. Many business owners find it very difficult to stay up to date with both the changes in their industry and the endless innovations in sales, marketing, retention and management strategies. All this means that having a mentor is no longer a luxury but a necessity for outstanding performance. A mentor is like having a personal trainer for your business. They help you devise a specific Game Plan then keep you accountable to it, ensuring you take action every day towards achieving your aims.

This business tip is all about things you can do to WOW your clients. This WOW concept is about delivering a service that surprises and delights your clients to the extent that they say WOW! It is about over delivering value by being both attentive and responsive to the client’s needs. Some examples of this would include: being exceptionally well prepared for each and every Personal Training session or Group Exercise class session, following clients up between sessions, giving relevant educational handouts, sending thank you cards or gifts for referrals, giving written progress reports, remembering birthdays, rewarding and celebrating with a client when they achieve a stated goal, The bottom line is that the more you give in terms of service the more you will receive in return.