Okay, maybe Curtis isn’t, but www.CurtisMock.com is.  Since launching Fitness Business Television at www.FitBiz.tv, all of my information I share will be at that resource (and of course www.GymSuccess.com)

CurtisMock.com is going to end up being a portal site to let people know who I am and what I’m involved in.  Between writing for Club Solutions Magazine (www.clubsolutionsmagazine.com), adding new content to www.GymSuccess.com, submitting articles across the Internet to get Google to pay attention, guest blogging at www.FitBusinessInsider.com, my weekly newsletter GymGoldmine (www.healthclubsuccess.com), and now the TV show (www.FitBiz.tv…you’re getting enough of Curtis.  Probably too much

So if you notice that my last post on here was November and you think I’m slacking, you’re wrong.  In fact, I’m putting out more information now than ever.  Visit the sites mentioned above to get involved in all of the resources I provide fitness businesses.

Thank you so much to those who are in my world.  I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know…

I continue to be 100% dedicated to your success…

Curtis Mock

A friend of mine whom I haven’t spoken to in a few years sent me an email a few days ago.  Her name is Beth, and as it turns out, she has been a personal trainer now for the last 3 years.  She works within a facility as a staff trainer.

It is obvious that she is passionate about what she does and she wants to be the very best she can be…and more importantly, make the most she can make for herself and for the studio.

Her concerns were typical.  She knows she is limited with one-on-one personal training, she doesn’t know how effective her marketing is, and she wants to create ancillary streams of revenue…specifically in her area of interest: Nutrition.

Here is a summary of my comments to her…hopefully you too can find something here that helps you too increase PT revenue.
–

As for maximizing dollar per hour worked, I agree…there is a definite ceiling on your earning potential which is directly attributable to the fact that there are only so many hours you can physically work.  One of the biggest complaints of PT’s is that to maintain their current income level, they have to continue working 4am-8pm every day.

That’s no fun.  So there are really only two solutions:

1) Train more people at once.  This is why group training and bootcamps are so popular.  You can make exponentially more money training more people at once.  It’s cheaper per client, but more profitable for you since you’re training more people at once.  I’m not sure what the layout of your gym or your parking lot, etc is like, but bootcamps are ridiculously hot right now.

Many experts agree that one on one training is a dying business model.  Yes, there will be people who prefer the one on one attention, but there are far more who appreciate the discount and even the ability to share the experience with others.

And 2) Sell more ancillary products/services to your clients.  This can include selling nutritional products, online personal training, nutritional counseling, life coaching, grocery shopping services, meal plans, etc.

As for marketing, how much are you doing? A flyer here or there isn’t going to cut it.  You need to have multiple marketing poles in the water at all times.  Go to chamber meetings, visit with local business owners, set up events for charity, speaking events, write for the paper/newsletters, door hangers, referrals from existing clients, etc.  You must always have marketing working for you every minute of every day.

Consider niching your service.  If you start a group training class, don’t do one for whoever signs up.  Do one for expectant mothers, new mothers, lunchtime warriors, teenagers, older adults, employees of a particular business, gastric bypass patients, arthritic people, back problems, children, toning class, core class, abs class, etc.

Focus on a specific group of people and be a big fish in a very small pond rather than a small fish in a very big pond.

Aim small, miss small

Network with other successful personal trainers.  I am in two mastermind groups, because the information I take away is more valuable than the amount I pay.  Join a website like www.personaltrainerU.com.  It’s run by very good friends of mine in the industry.

Go to events in the industry.  You just missed a great one for personal trainers called Fasttrack to Fitness Millions. I’ll let you know when another good one is coming up.  There are definitely some that are not worth the money.

Communicate with clients and prospects often.  Send out an email newsletter to your list.  GET A BLOG!  Promote yourself as THE expert in your area.  Dominate Google for Personal Trainers in your city.

You said you don’t know how effective your flyers were for your open house/group training.  This is important to do.  You must always know what marketing is successful and what marketing is not.  Otherwise you’re just going to be throwing shit against the wall and hoping that something sticks.  Never a good strategy.

Always ask what marketing brought them to you.  Then make a note of it…simple as that!
Feel free to call me to catch up or if you have other questions.

My cell is 573…
(Okay,did you think I’d really give out my cell phone on a blog post?)

Anyway, hopefully you can find something helpful in this.

Dedicated to Your Success…

Curtis Mock

I had one of my monthly coaching calls with a long-term health club owner client of mine this morning. With his permission, I am using a part of that call for today’s topic.

This client, all in the past year has gone through an ugly divorce, had his club flooded (only to find his insurance policy didn’t cover floods), had a Planet Fitness move two blocks from his location, had knee replacement surgery when all ligaments were snapped in a pick up basketball game, had to fire two personal trainers for stealing (one had been with him for 7 years), and had seen a decrease in monthly EFT by nearly 30% due largely to the economy and the increased competition.

That’s a tough year no matter how you look at it.

But here is the amazing thing. This client never seems unhappy. He is always positive and only focuses on the good. So today I bluntly asked him…What is your secret to staying happy no matter the circumstances?

His answer was simple and piercing…

What other choice do I have?

Then silence…

I really didn’t know what to say. I know tons of people that deal with issues much less difficult than any this guy has encountered. I personally try to maintain a very steady mindset, but even I falter, sometimes when it is only a simple problem. But not this guy…

To hear those words come from him were very powerful. Hell, I want to refund his consulting fees for the month because the lesson he just taught me was that valuable. I’m not refunding him, but for a fleeting moment I felt I should J

So I guess the moral of this story is that we all have a choice, every day of our lives. Life throws curve balls, sometimes it seems every day. How we handle these situations is entirely up to us. We can either let them bring us down, or we can shrug our shoulders, recognize the situation for what it is, and make up our minds to learn from the mistake and push forward.

And for the record, this client (I’m certain because of his positive attitude and not because of my consulting), has improved every aspect of his business. His EFT was back above breakeven last month for the first time in 10 months, his personal training revenue has doubled since letting the personal trainers go, he’s playing basketball again, has recovered completely from the flood, he has a great girlfriend in his life, and he still has that positive attitude. I can almost picture that confident grin on his face every time we talk on the phone.

I hope that those of you who are currently struggling can see how powerful it is to have a positive outlook on everything. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade; When one door closes, another opens;

All of these sayings may be very cliché, but they are so very true. As for my client…My hat is off to you sir. I am proud and humbled to be a part of your life.

Dedicated to your Success…

Curtis Mock

Well, “prey” might be a fairly harsh way to put it, so perhaps “Take advantage of” would be better?  In any case, your health club members are about to feel very guilty for eating way too much food and desserts during Thanksgiving.  And what do we as opportunistic gym owners do at times like these?  That’s right, we capitalize on the opportunity and do what we can to a) make money, and b) help our members remain in tip top shape during the holidays.  Here are a few strategies you can use to “take advantage” of the Thanksgiving opportunity:

1. Send out an email to your member list on Thanksgiving day announcing a “Post-Thanksgiving” Guilt Free PT package.  Maybe do 4 sessions, two a week for two weeks, to burn off all of the food they ate.  Charge a nominal fee of say, $99. 
2. Offer a pre-Thanksgiving group workout on Thanksgiving morning.  This is a favorite strategy used by one of our clients, EveryBODY Fitness.  This can be a no-cost “Thanks for being a member” group exercise session.
3. Post signage the week following Thanksgiving.  “Avoid the holiday bulge!  Stay fit and trim this holiday season with Personal Training” Or “Eat too much last weekend?  It happens!  Be sure to take advantage of our Holiday personal training packages to make sure your pants still fit in January!”…or something along those lines. 
4. Special 2 week referral special/contest.  Weight will be a popular topic at many Thanksgiving dinner tables.  Your health club members likely have a friend or family member that also feels guilty about gaining weight and now is the perfect time to get your members to refer people.  Send Gift Cards to all of your current members as an incentive to refer a friend.
5. Call or send a letter to all expired and past gym members.  Though they decided fitness wasn’t a priority, a huge Thanksgiving dinner can be a sobering reminder that they need to begin focusing on becoming healthier again. 

Your members, I would say nearly all of your members, will be out of their regular eating routine over the holidays.  With all the great food, desserts, and social influences all around them, it will be very easy for them to gain weight and feel sluggish.  Be the solution to their guilt!  But don’t wait!  The window of opportunity is small for a Thanksgiving campaign.  Deliver the message when they are most likely to take action!

To your success…

Curtis Mock