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.
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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

 

Have you ever thought of how powerful it would be to have your very own health club business coach?  You preach every day about how much faster your members will find success if they invest in a personal trainer…but do you follow your own advice for your business?

Do your gym members who invest in personal trainers have faster and more long lasting success than your average members?  Of course they do!

Similarly, if you were to invest in a consulting firm and have a dedicated business coach showing you the fastest ways to success, you would become more successful…much faster…and that successwill last longer.

I’ve never claimed that VMG is the only option out there to help your health club business, but I can say with 100% certainty that no other company in our industry has the unique advantage that we have. 

Talk about having an Insider View!

Sounds about like your personal training program right?  Does this sound familiar?: 

“If you want the best results, you can invest in our Platinum personal training program, but you’ll still get great results if you decide to go with our Gold program.  Which do you prefer?”

You get what you pay for.  But no matter what option you choose, your results are always better when you have a little help.

So here is what I have to offer.  It’s the recession…at least for clubs outside of the VMG circle.  All of our consulting clients are having amazing results right now.  What if I told you that…

That’s right, name it.  What can you afford on your current budget? If it’s only $25/week, tell me.  We’ll find something for you.  If you can’t afford the Total Club Solution, but can afford $100/week (the average cost of a paid in full membership), let me know!  I’ll figure something out for you. 

Whatever your budget is, I will come up with a program to help you.

The economy is way too scary right now to try to do it without some help.  My mission is to help as many health clubs as possible, even if that means letting you name your own price.

The way I see it, if we can help your health club on a consulting program you can afford right now, I guarantee we will increase your revenues and you will eventually want to invest in some of our top level consulting programs. 

So go ahead and name your price.  I will find a way to help you Email your price directly to me at 

“admin[at]curtismock.com” and I will tell you what we can do for you at the amount you tell me you can afford.  No budget will be denied.  Period.

Dedicated to your success…

Curtis Mock

For nearly a year a small group of 10 or so have been working on creating the ultimate resource for health club owners.  While that time has passed quickly, and as surreal as it seems, today is the day we open the doors.  Not to the general public just yet, but to the subscribers of Gym Goldmine.

We won’t do the Grand Opening launch until the second week of February, but it’s still a very exciting day!  

The site isn’t quite complete yet…some articles are missing, some of the aesthetics aren’t in place to make it all pretty just yet, but the functionality is all there.  The discussion forum should be popping soon and there are approximately 80 articles and 120 downloads on the site already.

It should be a fun ride!

To your success…

Curtis Mock

Does it feel like while your health club is struggling, your competitors and other area businesses seem to be doing just fine?  Are there still just as many people at the local coffee shop?  Still just as many cars in the Mall parking lot?  Still just as many people buying new things?  What is their secret?  Aren’t they worried?

The truth is that while several giant businesses are struggling, local businesses continue to be strong.  Smaller businesses have the ability to make quick changes, unlike the corporate giants we read about in the news.  Most small businesses are doing just as well in heading into 2009 as they were heading into 2008.  What is their secret?

Well the secret is that they are working smarter and making the necessary adjustments to make their business adapt to the changing economy.  There are two types of business owners that are emerging as we head into 2009.

The first health club owner is the type that sits on their money, buckles down in hiding, and holds their breath until the recession passes.  They keep their fingers crossed that enough faces come through the door to cover expenses for the month.  They complain all the time and worry all the time.  This business owner is very unhappy right now.

The second health club owner is of course concerned with the economic landscape, but this concern becomes their driving force to make the necessary changes in their business.  Whereas this time last year they were working hard, trading time for money, they are now implementing systems that allow them to focus on evolving their business, all the while knowing they have a secure flow of income coming into their business.

Which health club owner are you? 

Are you waiting for things to get better for your gym, spending your days complaining and worrying?  Or are you the health club owner that recognizes that now is the time to promote your health club and invest in systems, while your competitors wait out the storm?  The business owner who sees that now more than ever hard work alone is not going to cut it…the type that recognizes that slow times call for fast action.

Don’t listen to the media.  The world is not ending, people are still spending money, and we will be just fine.  But not if you just sit there paralyzed in fear.  You must take action, you must do something right now to make the necessary adjustments.  If you stop increasing business and have a negative atmosphere at your gym, your members are going to take notice.

Be positive, be proactive, and be the fitness business in your area that shows no fear.  There are still lots of people spending money.  Will they spend it with you?  Only if you get up and make them take notice!  While others decrease marketing expenditures, increase yours!  Don’t wait until you have more money.  Now is the time. 

If you have not done so yet, go to www.GymSuccess.com.  There is an 8 minute video that will show you an upcoming resource for health clubs and gyms that will help guide you into 2009 and beyond.  Have a productive December!!

To your success…

Curtis Mock

Wow, am I in the spirit of giving or what!  Here’s what I’ve got for you.  If you will send me a link to your website, I will take a look and give you a list of things you should change.  I have developed a keen eye for what attracts members and what turns them off.  I will show you tips to get more prospects to opt in to your list (you do have a list don’t you?) and how to get a website prospect to come to your health club.

You know how important a high quality website is for your fitness business.  Some of you still don’t have a website and some of you who do are not using it to its full potential.  A website is your 24 hour, 7 day a week dedicated marketing team.  And guess what, you don’t even have to put it on payroll

Simply having a health club website is not enough.  It has to be set up in order to drive traffic to your gym.  If you have a really pretty website, but it isn’t actively sending people to your club, then all you have is a really pretty website.  I’d rather have a crappy, circa 1997, website that brings in traffic, than a beautiful high dollar website that doesn’t actively drive traffic to your facility

So all you have to do is send me a private email to admin @ curtismock.com or send from the contact page of the blog (I’m not cool enough to really have an admin department…it goes straight to me )  Within 48 hours I will personally critique your website.  If you do not have a website for your gym, let me know that too and I will help you get one up before New Years!

• Acolytes ipod

That’s it!  no catch.  My gift to you.  Just send me your website address and I’ll get started working on it for you!!

To your success…

Curtis Mock

It goes without saying that member referrals can make up a sizeable percentage of your overall health club membership base.  I’ve seen some health clubs whose membership base is made up almost entirely of friends and friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends.  Back in the day when I was selling health club memberships, I would typically average one referral signup for every new member.  50% of my sales came from referrals.

Think about the power in this!  You don’t have to spend money and you can double your membership.  Pretty cool right?  So how do you do this.  I advocate a 4 step process:  You must inform your new member about your referral program, you must empower the member to bring in friends and family, you must prove to them that you are worth referring, and you must follow up and remind them to refer.  Keep reading…

Inform Them:  Begin informing your new member of the importance of referrals at your facility.  Whatever referral program you have established at your gym, let them know about the program and let them know how they can benefit from referring others. 

Empower Them:  Just telling your members is not enough.  You need some type of tool to get them to take action.  Historically health club salespeople had the new member write down 5 of their friends’ names and numbers and the salesperson would call them.  No one wants to give up info on their friends anymore.  So instead, give them a tool with high perceived value.  One of the best tools to do this is a gift card.  Something that shows a definite dollar value on it will feel like a real gift card similar to what you would receive at the holidays to go shopping at your favorite store.  The gift card should have a magnetic stripe on the reverse to add even more to the perceived value.

Prove to Them:  No matter how valuable a gift card may seem, no member will refer their friends and family if they are not happy with their membership.  If you had a horrible experience at a local retailer and they ask you to refer friends…will you?  Of course not!  You have to walk the walk before you can talk the talk.  Make your members raving fans of your service and they will become an army of word-of-mouth salespeople for your health club.

Follow Up With Them:  You would think that if you tell a member about your gym’s referral program, provide them the tools to spread the word, and give them a high level of service and results, that would be enough to get them to refer people.  Unfortunately, we all lead busy lives and our friends lead busy lives.  It is easy to forget to do the things we have the best intentions to do.  Recognize this and make sure you offer frequent reminders to your members.  Send a letter to all new members to thank them for their membership to your health club and to remind them about the referral program and how it benefits them.  Send an email or series of emails to remind them as well.  Visit with your new members when they come to work out.  If they told you their sister will probably join also, but the sister hasn’t yet come in, ask the member when their sister planned to come in or if you can call on their behalf.  Provide extra incentives for faster referrals also. 

Never underestimate the power of referrals.  How many members do you have right now at your health club?  How valuable would it be to your business if you could convince every member to refer only one friend or family member?  Do the math, recognize the power of the process, and get started spreading the word.

To your success…

Curtis Mock

That could certainly be interpreted a number of ways.  No, Twitter is not slang for an inappropriate act.  Twitter is a new technology that is catching on faster than myspace and facebook did a few years back.  And the good thing about Twitter is that it is geared for professionals as well. 

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and professionals to communicate, network, and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?    

You only get 140 letters to express what you are doing…very similar to the length of a text message.  You can let people know what you’re doing, what you’ve been working on, an update to a project, upcoming events, etc.  The people on your list (your followers) can receive the message on their phone or in their email at the exact moment you send it. 

For a health club owner or manager, I can see Twitter being used for a few different reasons:

No other gym in your town is doing it:  This could be seen as a negative perhaps…unless you pride yourself on being the first to adopt a new service or technology!  Think of the relationship you could build with your members…without ever having to talk to them!  (I advocate talking to your members, but I also know sometimes you just want to work on your own without disruption). 

Many times, your member makes their decision on whether to cancel their membership and go to one of your competitors on how well connected they feel to your club.  If they see messages from you, the owner, on a regular basis, they will feel confident that you are in business to serve them and they will feel loyal to you.

You can keep up with the lives of your members:  Maybe you haven’t seen Jim Member in several weeks, but he has sent tweets (this is what Twitter calls messages) to his list, including you.  You know that Jim has been really busy at work and his daughter had the flu.  So when you do see Mr. Member, wouldn’t it be impressive for him to hear you say, “Jim, how is your daughter feeling?” or “Did work finally ease up enough for you to get a workout?“.  Jim will be impressed, no doubt.  And all you did was take 5 seconds to read his tweet.

Your members can keep up with what’s happening at the club:  This is how I see Twitter benefitting you most.  Members have no idea what happens behind the scenes at your club.  All they know is that they come in, check in at the desk, work out for 30 minutes, then leave.  How can they get to know you and how can they feel a part of your club?  By Twittering, that’s how!

You can post anything you want…

“I’m researching a new piece of equipment for the gym today.  Any suggestions?”

“Getting the group exercise schedule created for November.  If you haven’t tried group X yet, talk to Jenny at the front desk!”

“Training our new front desk employee Erica today.  Please make her feel welcome by introducing yourself to her this week!”

“Won’t be in until late today, my son is home sick from school.  I should be at the club by 5:30 if anyone needs me” 

“Big cleaning day today!  You’ll see me out on the floor most of the day.  Grab a dust rag and join me ”

You get the picture.  Though the majority of your members won’t get involved, those who do will become your loyal members for years.  These are the members who will refer the most new members, get involved in more programs, and spend more on your other products and services.

Right now during the bleak economic stage our country is in, it’s more important than ever to really ramp up your low-cost/no-cost marketing.  You can even tweet from your cell phone just like you would send a text message!  Twitter is free and it takes literally 2 minutes to set up an account.  In fact, go set up an account right now and add me to your list.  I’d love to be your first Twitter friend!  Just go to www.twitter.com.

You can also see how I have incorporated Twitter into this blog.  Just below the header you’ll see what I’m doing today!  Happy Twittering! 

To your success…

Curtis Mock

I ran across this article this afternoon and wanted to share it with you guys.  It is an article that discusses how not to fall prey to a health club salesperson.  You need to know what information the public is arming themselves with before they come to join your health club!

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone over the past few decades would have operated with integrity and not pressured people into joining a fitness center.  What would be nicer is to think that shady practices aren’t still going on today, but they are.  (Remember a blog I posted last year about the gym I shopped who all but drugged me to get me to sign a contract?)

But the reality is that people are nervous about joining, and even simply visiting a health club or gym.  It is very intimidating not only because they often times lack self confidence, but also because of the stereotype of gym salespeople. 

Hard selling is dead.  Become your guest’s friend.  Make them feel good about themselves.  Get them to say Yes 10 times before you present prices.  Offer them a choice.  Incentivize them.  Back them up on whatever decision they make.  Follow up with them.  Simple right??  Use their apprehension to your advantage and build a friendship with them.  It will blow them away when they realize what they had been told was wrong!

So take a peek, it’s worth the read.  Click Here for the article.

To your success…

Curtis Mock

Should a health club utilize the services of a collection company?

I’m torn.  It’s hard to determine if they do more harm than good.  If you assume 12% of your gym membership base over time goes to collections (that’s a national average) and you sign up 500 people this year, that is 60 people’s lives you are affecting.  Can you sleep at night knowing you are hurting the credit scores of 60 people and potentially decreasing their chances to buy a house, to buy a car, or to get a job?  Let’s assess the pros and cons…

The obvious good is that they make you some money from time to time by collecting on non-payers.  And then there’s the matter of principle.  The member signed a contract.  You held up your end of the bargain, they should hold up theirs.  Period. 

The bad, as mentioned above, is that you are affecting the future of many people.  And let’s not forget that there are some really bad collection companies out there.  One of our clients currently has over 100 people who have been submitted to collections over the past year.  The collection company collected on one of them.  One!  Granted they only make money if they collect, so the health club didn’t lose any money, but still!  A 1% collection rate?!  I could make those calls and do a better job!  (I would never, but that’s beside the point).

Another negative is the reputation of your health club.  If one of those people in collections is well connected in the community and they get sent to collections; even though it is their fault, they will spread the word very quickly.  We worked with a health club in Colorado 3 or 4 years ago and we could not fix their reputation in the community.  We tried everything.  They had always done their own delinquent account follow up calls, and one day the owner decided he didn’t want to make the calls anymore, so he sent over 300 accounts to collections!!  Some accounts were over a year old.  Needless to say, there was an uprising in the community.  Do you want to be known as the health club that sends ”everybody” to collections?

After weighing the good and bad, I’d have to say utilizing a collection company is most likely in your best interest.  Based primarily on the fact that if you allow those 60 people to cancel with no penalty, there will be many more who will cancel.  Which in turn will negatively affect your life, hurt your health club, and hurt your credit when you can’t cover expenses.  I don’t know about you, but I will gladly affect the lives of those 60 people who made a promise and didn’t follow through, long before I put my livelihood and the security of my family at stake.

So I say, send the really mean members to collections, try to work something out with the rest of them.

To your success…

Curtis Mock