Fitness, Business, Fitness Business, & Achieving Life Goals

As I put together a presentation on Creating a Successful Personal Training Team, I think about the necessity of creating what Rich Dad’s Advisors® calls a Code of Honor, or a set of rules and ways of doing things that all of the Personal Trainers agree to uphold. A cohesive team needs to have these guidelines and, if the Trainers themselves have a hand in creating the code, the buy-in/adherence will be much greater than if they were just handed rules from the powers that be. We’re also looking for a collaborative work because, in spite of thinking we do sometimes, we don’t know it all and can’t possibly document it all without the help of others.

The question then becomes how can we gather everyone’s thoughts on the subject in a manageable way, maintaining some organizational control? I think it was also in Rich Dad’s Advisors® that wikis were discussed as one way of crowdsourcing this type of project.

A wiki is a website that allows creation and editing of information by a number of people. In researching wiki creation I found a wiki hosting Comparison Guide and picked one I had heard of to look at in more depth, Wikispaces. While I haven’t spent a great deal of time on it yet, I did start a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) wiki and have invited all fitness professionals to come add to and edit it. 

I believe wikis can be a valuable resource for many of us in creating our own Code of Honor, emergency procedures, how to deliver a new program (i.e. weight loss), etc.

Give it a try at your facility. I think you’ll be surprised at the results. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comment section below.

FYI: A nice TED talk with Jimmy Wales, the creator of Wikipedia, on how it all works. Enjoy, Mark 

One of the biggest failures of the Personal Training Industry is the lack of business education. Exercise science and the ability to create effective programs is not all that’s needed to help create your ideal business.

I probably read 20 business books each year and while some aren’t remarkable, some can truly change how you look at your business. These are, to date, my top 10 favorites. (My standard is that I listen to everything in audio book form and if I find myself having to go back and make notes, I know I need the hard copy.) While they aren’t for Personal Trainers specifically, they absolutely apply to building and running our business.

Currently, I’m reading The Referral Engine and I’m loving it. I’m halfway through this and know I need the hard copy. Referrals are the lifeline to service businesses.

The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself

Another great book on getting your existing customers to do your marketing for you is:

Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force

I think that Seth Godin led the way into a new era, away from interruption marketing into, as he called it, permission marketing. With it followed books that showed the way to engage, connect, and create trust such as The New Rules of Marketing andPR, Inbound Marketing, and Problogger.

Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, 2nd Edition

Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (New Rules Social Media Series)

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income

Two powerful books on what it takes to help create change (or help create an environment to facilitate change) in ourselves, others, even society are:

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

My bible for anyone that wants to start their own business is E-Myth Revisited. It helps you map out your business game plan. Don’t leave home without it.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It

And still, after a number of years and lots of sales books later, I think that Selling the Invisible is the most accessible book on sales for those in the service industry.

Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing

I hope you get a chance to read some of these books. They are, or at least can be, real game changers for your professional life.

Best wishes, Mark

“I can’t die, it would ruin my image.” – Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne, died on January 23, 2011 of respiratory failure due to pneumonia at his home in Morro Bay, California.  

It has NOT ruined his image. His legacy is his life and how he led it. According to his website bio, in his childhood days ”was addicted to sugar and junk foods. At age 15, young Jack heard Paul Bragg speak on health and nutrition which had such a powerful influence, it motivated Jack to focus on his diet and exercise habits.”

Jack saw the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle, creating a physique to be admired, and he sought to share that gospel with the world. 

Think of these “firsts” that Jack accomplished in his lifetime:

• Opened the first modern health spa
• The first to have a nationally syndicated exercise show on television
• The first to have athletes working out with weights
• The first to have women working out with weights
• The first to have the elderly working out with weights
• The first to have a combination Health Food Bar and Gym
• The first to have a weight loss Instant Breakfast meal replacement drink
• The first to have a Coed health club
• The first to combine weight training with nutrition
• The first to have an edible snack nutrition bar
• The first to sell vitamins and exercise equipment on television
• The first to teach scientific body building by changing the program every 2 to 3 weeks
• The first to encourage the physically challenged to exercise… to work around their disabilities
• The first to do feats of strength and endurance to emphasize what exercise and nutrition can do for you
• Developed the first:
  • Leg Extension Machine
  • Weight selector machine
  • Cable/Pulley machines
  • Calf machines
  • Wrist roll machines

His life was shared by his wife of 53 years, Elaine. Jack had none of the scandals that have become synonymous with being a “celebrity” and he truly practiced what he preached.

I remember watching the Jack LaLanne Show as a kid and, while I’m not going to say that it was what inspired me to my fitness career, he was and still is an example of how dedication to an ideal can change your life.

Here are some favorite Jack LaLanne quotes: “Better to wear out than rust out.” “First we inspire them, then we perspire them.” “Do, don’t stew.” “People don’t die of old age, they die of inactivity.” “Your health account is like your bank account: The more you put in, the more you can take out.”

We may not be the pioneers in the industry that Jack LaLanne was, but we can continue to carry his torch and have a lasting impact on the lives of those we touch. How will you forge your life and what will the legacy you leave be?

#10 Successful Personal Trainers Are Mentors

A mentor, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a trusted counselor, tutor, or coach.” I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that all successful Personal Trainers have had at least one mentor in their lives. I’ve had many. And I would not be the professional or the person that I am today had I not. (some are named in my earlier post Mentors BOGO: Be One, Get One) My mentors were and are people I trust, like and admire who have been open, honest and willing to share their expertise with me.

I would also like to believe that I have, in turn, been a mentor to others whenever I have been able. It is enormously fulfilling to help others reach their potential.

If it is as rewarding as I say, why don’t more people mentor others? Maybe they don’t think they have enough experience. I understand that, although I think everybody has something to share. I’ve also heard (and this is the one that floors me) Trainers say, “I’m not telling other Trainers how I do things because then they’ll be taking clients that I should be getting.” So, they’re not willing to mentor others for fear that there’s not enough business to go around and that somehow helping other Personal Trainers become better limits their own earning potential. That simply shows their insecurity and, frankly, ignorance.

If you truly believe you are a great Personal Trainer then you know you can get the clients and aren’t threatened by others. And to think there aren’t enough clients to go around is ridicoulous. How many people need post-rehab training, want to be in better condition for their sport, want to function better in their day to day activities, and of the nearly 70% of the population that’s overweight or obese, how many would like to lose weight?

Successful Personal Trainers are mentors because helping others succeed is a way of giving back and a way to share in the joy of others reaching their goals.

 “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Check out the full Successful Personal Trainers series.

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers (Series)

#8 Successful Personal Trainers Get Referrals

One of the best ways to gain new clients is to get referrals. An advertisement that you may see in the paper, on the news, or hear on the radio, will never carry the weight of a friend or someone you trust making a recommendation to you.

Some people will refer others to you on their own (we love those people), but often times you will need to ask for referrals.  Many Personal Trainers hesitate to ask for referrals for the same reasons they don’t like to sell. They feel it is seedy to ask, that they shouldn’t have to ask, or that they don’t view it as a way to help more people.

There are times that are more appropriate to ask than others. In spite of some “systems” preaching to get referrals at the point of sale, I believe it is not a time you should ask. At POS, you haven’t yet had the opportunity to create enough value for the client to send their friends and family to you. The perfect time to ask is when your client is feeling successful and happy about their workouts. (you can prompt this as well by simply asking them how they are feeling about their progress and the workouts in general) When they express their happiness in how it’s going, then is the time to ask, “Is there anyone else you know that you think would benefit from training with me?” “I’d love the opportunity to sit down with them and see how I might be able to help them reach their goals.”
You can also get them to help promote new programs, classes, and/or small group training. “I’m starting a new _______. Do you know anyone that might be interested in that?”
People that are happy with their progress, the program, and like and trust you, will be thrilled to refer their friends and family to you, but sometimes they may need a little nudge to remember to do that.

You should also look to getting referrals from other health/fitness/beauty (yes, beauty) professionals, such as doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists, hair stylists, etc. And, like with your clients, you need to build value and trust with these professionals before you can ask for referrals. We’ll discuss those in more detail in a later post.

Successful Personal Trainers get referrals. Are you getting yours?

Check out the full Successful Personal Trainers series.

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers (Series)

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #1

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #2

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #3

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #4

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #5

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers: #6

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers: #7

P.S. Also, follow my Business of Personal Trainingpage on Facebook.

#7 Successful Personal Trainers Know How to Market Themselves

According to Wikipedia, marketing “is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and creates value for their customers and for themselves.” My own definition is more like “seeking out, connecting with, sharing who we are and how we can help your target audience.”

First, of course, you must know your target audience. Who is your niche market? Where do they hang out? Are they meeting at conferences, senior groups, clubs, churches, schools, community or other organizations? Or are they connecting with others using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Youtube, etc.?

Note: I’m not going to ignore the use of Direct Mail or more “traditional” marketing techniques. Well, actually, I am going to ignore them in this article (for some, they do still work). But they don’t directly connect you with your audience and successful Personal Trainers know that the best way to build rapport and trust is through interaction.

So now, you’ve done your homework and found your market, what do you do from here? You need to find a way to join in their conversations. Connect with the group leaders and see if you can… join the group, volunteer with the group, or present to the group a topic that would be helpful to them. Like selling, your first priority is to be of service to them. You must create value, trust, confidence in you as a resource before you ask for anything in return.

Social media works the same way. Find which ones are used by your target audience. Create a presence by offering helpful information to others. They will then share your information with their friends. Their friends share with their friends, etc, and before you know it, you have a large audience of potential clients.  

Obviously there are a lot more specifics, but the essence of marketing in this day and age is connection and conversation. Successful Personal Trainers know how to market themselves by actively getting involved with their target market, whether it’s face to face or using social media.

How are you establishing your presence? 

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers (Series)

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #1

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #2

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #3

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #4

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #5

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers: #6

P.S. Also, follow my Business of Personal Training page on Facebook.

#6 Successful Personal Trainers Over-Deliver

Successful Personal Trainers understand that a big part of the perceived value of their training comes from what is expected of them and what it is they actually deliver.

An example of perceived value is when I took the family to see the movie Avatar in IMAX 3D, thinking, all the while, how expensive it was. I mean, it’s just a movie, right? However, once the movie started it far exceeded my expectations and I immediately wanted that experience again. And yes, I was happily willing to pay for it again.

What are the expectations of potential clients? The service industry is woefully lacking in people that actually understand good service. Grumpy cashiers, store employees that don’t seem to know you’re waiting for help, and those that literally roll their eyes or groan when you do ask for assistance are par for the course. So even the basics are a step up.

The basics include: Knowing how to create individualized programs, being punctual, having professional attire, warm and friendly greetings, leaving your personal problems at home, asking about them and really listening to their answers, making sure they know all policies from the start, guiding through and educating them about their workouts, talking with them not at them, ignoring other conversations in the room and keeping your full focus on your client, and asking the client how they feel about the workout.

How can we exceed the basics and create experiences that enrich your relationship with your client? The listed are some possibilities if they fit you and your scenario: be entertaining (a good sense of humor goes a long way), keep adapting/changing their program as they are capable, offer praise often, make sure they leave feeling good about what they just accomplished at the end of each workout, reach out to them at other times by email, phone, cards, social networking, to check in with them, wish them happy birthday/anniversary, other important events in their life, etc. Do something unexpected and nice for them.

Those are just some thoughts on what might make your clients really feel taken care of, over and above expectations. What do you do to over-deliver or create that experience for your clients? I’d love to hear your ideas.

Check out the full Successful Personal Trainers series.

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers (Series)

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #1

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #2

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #3

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #4

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #5

P.S. Also, follow my Business of Personal Training page on Facebook.

#5 Successful Personal Trainers are Specialists

Successful Personal Trainers realize that you will draw more attention when you own a niche, a specific, narrowly defined market.

 Whether you are a weight loss specialist or a youth fitness specialist, you need to narrow your market in order to get more business. This stumps the average Trainer. “By narrowing my market, I decrease my chances of picking up new clients.” is the thought process.

Think about this, in a sea of Personal Trainers that “do everything” how exactly do you stand out? Being a generalist says that you specialize in nothing. What if I’m looking for someone to help me continue getting my newly replaced knee back in shape (after I’m through with physical therapy), and none of the Trainers at my club list post-rehab as their area of expertise, I might as well roll the dice to find someone to work with, IF I don’t decide to go elsewhere. But, when one Trainer states that they are post-rehab conditioning specialists, they will stand out dramatically to me and will be the one I hire.

The fact is, the more specific that niche, the more likely you are to be found. If you are a senior weight loss specialist, even among senior fitness specialists, you stand out for those older individuals where weight loss is their primary concern. Now, I will throw this caveat in, your niche has to have enough of a market in your area to be viable. In New York City a Bridal weight loss expert has vast potential for clients, where, in Saco, ME, with a handful of weddings per year, wouldn’t work as well.

While many Personal Trainers think that it deminishes their market, having a niche actually increases your chance of being found, building your business. It also doesn’t have to be all that you do, but it is what you market yourself as. I am a post-rehab conditioning specialist and that accounts for about 60% of my training. The other 40% is weight loss, general fitness, sports conditioning, etc.

For more on the need to niche, see Jack Trout’s book Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition for more.

Check out the full Successful Personal Trainers series.

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers (Series)

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #1

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #2

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #3

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #4

P.S. Also, follow my Business of Personal Training page on Facebook.

#4 Successful Personal Trainers Have a Business Vision

“As you climb the ladder of success, make sure it’s leaning against the right building.” – ? I can’t remember who said that, but it is the truth. In order to know if you’re doing the right things for your future, you need to define what you want that future to be.

What’s your business vision of where you want to be 5 years down the road? 10 years? 20 years? What’s your end game? We all have a balance of things that we want. Financial security, family, influence, enjoyment, fulfillment, recognition, etc. are all possible ingredients of our ideal life. What’s important to you?

Exercise: take 30 seconds (no more) and list the top five things that are important to achieve in your life. Ready… START. With a timed test, we don’t have time to debate in our head what and why things are important. It’s a gut reaction, and a lot can be learned from that. What did you come up with? Did any of those surprise you? In example, let’s say financial freedom is one of those. What does that mean to you? Do you want to build a business, sell it for huge money, and never have to work again? Or, do you want to make “X” amount of dollars per year as long as you chose to work? By when do you want to achieve this goal? How does it fit in with your other goals? Where’s the overlap and the balance?

It’s sort of like periodizing your life. Define when and what you want the results to be. Then you can back track and label the timeline with the steps that will take you to your goal.

Successful Personal Trainers have a clear vision of where they are going, when they want to be there, and what steps are necessary to get them there.

Check out the full series.

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers (Series)

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #1

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #2

Top 10 Traits of Successful Personal Trainers #3

P.S. Also, follow my Business of Personal Training page on Facebook.