Visual tools should be an integral part of marketing your business. The saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” could never be truer in this day and age. Facebook understands this and has even gone so far as to make words seem more like pictures, and feel more important, with the newer color background posting feature. (I do get a little annoyed by it because it does grab your attention even though the post may be completely trivial.) 

A better choice for making an impact on your target market is an online tool (and app) that I have been using for years now. It is called Canva, and it allows me to create perfectly sized graphics for all of my social media sites, print ads, flyers, business cards, and pretty much anything else I can think of.

What’s the cost? If I use my own photos, it’s free. But, if I want to use any of their thousands of photos (like the cover photo for this blog site), it is only $1 per photo.

Just some of the pre-sized options at Canva

I don’t own stock in the company and I’m not even an affiliate. I just wanted to pass on this to help you save time and marketing dollars.

Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Most personal trainers love working with athletes and exercise enthusiasts. They’re excited to be there, willing to do almost anything, and they work hard. What’s not to love? Oh, except the fact that they are often self sufficient and are less likely to hire a personal trainer. And, while progressing someone from fit to more fit is fun, it’s not nearly as rewarding (at least for me) as the change you can make in someone’s life by taking them from unable to able. From a potential market point of view, the unfit, unable, far out number the fit. Here’s a few statistics.

According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition,

• Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day
• only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week.
• Only 35 – 44% of adults 75 years or older are physically active, and 28-34% of adults ages 65-74 are physically active.
• More than 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.

So, consider this. If you want to build a thriving business and significantly change people’s lives for the better, focus on the unfit market. Create programs that will make them feel safe to start. Market how you can ease them into a new lifestyle. Teach these fitness newcomers that movement can be fun and that fitness doesn’t need to be intimidating.

I know one personal trainer that charges $300/hour. I know others that charge $15/hr. Fifteen years ago in NYC I charged $125/hr, now, in my new home in Easton, PA, I charge $65/hr. Pricing is not simply making up a number in your head that you want to charge (or at least shouldn’t be). There are some important variables that should be considered when you are determining your price(s).

1. Who is your target market? If my target market are the rich and famous, my prices will be higher than if I am seeking to address the needs of a low-income community.
2. What weekly income do you need achieve and how many hours do you intend on working? Obviously, you need to price yourself so that you can make a living and still have time for a life.
3. What value do you place on your time? Actually, let’s not think about time, based on all of your training and experience, what do you believe the value of your service is?
4. What does the competition charge? While you can charge more than the competition (assuming you are worth it), it does play into how the public perceives the value.
5. What is the perceived value by your target market? If their perception is that you are expensive and you still want to charge the premium price, you may have to educate your market why it’s worth what it is (and that will be more effective if you can show them vs tell them).

How you make your decision is very individual. This is the “art” of pricing. Some of the considerations will weigh more heavily than others based on your situation. The important thing is to consider each of the factors that play into deciding on a price. Determine your price, implement it, and, based on the response, re-evaluate it in six months.

In most personal trainer educational circles and texts, it is often stated that personal trainers should keep their personal information out of any discussions with clients. Meeting a client socially outside of the gym environment would be frowned upon. I would like to say that I think that philosophy is dead wrong. Case in point, I had a client for 12 years who ultimately was my best man at my wedding.

Here’s the thing, and I’ve said this in the past, people hire those that they know, like and trust. If you don’t share some personal information, people won’t get a sense of who you are as a person. Sure, you can come off as a skilled professional, but without the personal relate-ability, why would they choose you above another skilled professional? “Oh, your kids are Boy Scouts, my kids are Boy Scouts!”
I connect with all of my clients and potential clients on social media. That said, you can’t be mindless about your posts. While the posts can share personal information, they should never show things that are not in line with your brand, or what you want to consciously convey to others.

What about going to a social event with clients? Again, with the opportunity to get to know you better, clients will potentially like  and trust you more. These events could be activity related, like going for a hike together, or they could be a dinner party. It can bond them to you and your business that much more… as long as you act mindfully. In example, a number of my clients, that I really like as people, have opposing political views from me. I know that and I just avoid talking politics.

Now, not only do social interactions increase the bond between you, your business and your clients, but getting clients to socialize together is another way of increasing those ties. We just held a social/dance for clients and their friends. Along with getting to know each other better, you can hear them talk about what classes they like, what exercises they think are really hard, when they are coming next, etc.

At this point you may think that this sounds really manipulative. Really, it’s no more so than anytime we’re trying to show others the best side of ourselves, and… when it comes down to it, I just really like my clients and enjoy spending more time with them.

When one of people’s greatest fears is the fear of public speaking, why would you want to? Well, the answer is simple. It is one of the best ways for people to get to know you, what you’re about, your expertise, and your personality. Here are some tips that will help make your speaking engagement as successful (and painless) as possible.

Make some friends before your talk. In the moments before your presentation, introduce yourself to some of your audience. Welcome them. Ask their names and what brings them to your session. This will give you a few friends to connect with later during your talk.

They are not there to judge you. Attendees are there to hear what you have to say and find out how that can help them.

Choose a topic that you are passionate about. If you don’t really care about the topic, neither will your audience. Your passion will make up for any lack of polish.

Make sure you know your topic inside and out. It’s one thing to be passionate, but if you are spouting unsubstantiated “hearsay”, people will see through you and tune you out.

Be authentic. That’s a bit of a jargon way of saying, be yourself. Don’t try to be some slick pitchman when that’s not you. Your honesty and sincerity will make people root for you, even if you struggle.

Know that you don’t need to fill every second. It’s not only ok to pause and say nothing while gathering your thoughts, it’s sometimes desirable to let an idea sink in to the audience’s mind. Give them a moment to think about what you just said.

If you’re using Powerpoint, don’t read your slides. First you should try not to have a great deal of text on your slides. Pictures are always better. If you do have text, it should serve only as a highlight to your talking points and the audience can read them for themselves.

Leave them with a takeaway. Always make sure you give your audience something that they can take with them that they can use right away. “So, with this information in mind, go out and…”

Plan on finishing early. Respect their time. If you have a few moments left over you can answer a question or two, but running long can leave people checking their watches and not listening to you. As they say, “Always leave them wanting more.”

Public speaking is one of the best ways to get your ideas across, demonstrate your expertise, and get known by you target audience. With practice and by following a few simple tips, you can make your presentations a success for both you and your audience.

One of my favorite presenters, Ken Robinson. (See him on TED)

We are in an age where technology is an integral part of our lives. Everyone is attached to a smart phone or other device that can monitor our every move, our steps, our heart rate, even our sleep patterns. There are apps that will map our ride (or run), take us from the couch to 5k, and act as a personal trainer making recommendations for an exercise program that includes showing us how to perform the exercises. Many in the fitness industry are concerned that these devices, apps, as well as online training, streaming and on-demand classes, are taking business away from the clubs, studios and personal trainers. No real surprise here… of course they are.

The world has changed, as it always does, and we need to be able to adapt to the changes. Let’s look at who the people are that we could lose to technology? In my opinion, it’s very likely to be the same people you would lose if a low-cost club moved in next door. You lose the people that are self-sufficient and exercise savvy because they don’t believe they need your help. You also lose the people that will choose the cheapest option possible, whether it is the best choice for them or not. If that describes your client base, then you may want to reconsider who you are trying to attract.

The people who need our help, the non-exercisers, the unsure, the afraid, (which is the majority of the population), not to mention the broken and diseased, are not going to start a random program online that doesn’t provide the answers to all of their questions and walk them through an individualized program and exercise progressions. If you focus on attracting them, by getting to know them and letting them get to know, like, and trust you, you can offer them an introductory program that promises a safe start to a healthier life. There’s no technology (at least to date) that can offer that kind of caring attentive service that you can personally. I believe that if you choose to help those just starting out, you will always have plenty of clients to keep you busy.

Having said that, we can introduce our clients to the technology that will enhance their ability to succeed. Teach them how to use apps that help track their nutrition and activity that you can review together. Create personal exercise videos that they can take on vacation. Use a video conferencing app to train them if they move away. Show your clients how tech can add a new layer to your relationship and they won’t leave you for it.

“To understand music, you must listen to it. But so long as you are thinking, “I am listening to this music,” you are not listening.” – Alan Watts

I took a wellness coaching certification from Wellcoaches about 12 or 13 years ago. I had already been in the fitness industry for 25 years and, while I was curious about this newly emerging field, I didn’t actually expect to learn a great deal. To my surprise, one of the first things I learned was to “listen until you don’t exist.”

In the process of sitting down with a client, going over their medical health history, their goals, their challenges, etc, I would catch myself finishing their sentences. Sometimes this was when they hesitated, seeming to be stuck, and sometimes (more often than not) in my head because I “knew” where they were going with it. I would also find myself planning their program in my mind while they were still talking. Obviously, I was not fully listening. I had my own agenda and, no matter how well-intentioned, I was not giving the client my complete attention.

What’s the harm in “helping” them along with their thought process or getting a jump on planning, you might ask. If they hesitate, they could be looking for the right words or how (or if) to state something very sensitive. They could be telling you things with their eyes, body language, the strength (or lack thereof) of their voice, and if you jump in blurting out your assumption of what they are going to say, you could lose all of that information.

To truly understand a client’s story (or anyone’s story), you need to shut down your own mind, open your ears and eyes, and truly hear what they are saying. You will be amazed at how much you may have missed and how much stronger your connection with them will be.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R. Covey