{"id":6942,"date":"2017-12-15T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T07:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fitproblog.mysites.io\/how-to-keep-fitness-clients\/"},"modified":"2017-12-15T07:00:34","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T07:00:34","slug":"how-to-keep-fitness-clients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/how-to-keep-fitness-clients\/","title":{"rendered":"How to keep Christmas clients"},"content":{"rendered":"

January is the busiest time of year for group X instructors and personal trainers. Have you carefully considered your strategy in the build-up to Christmas and the New Year? Here, three individuals from the fitness industry share their advice on how\u00a0to capitalise on new fitness clients this winter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matt Gleed,\u00a0personal trainer and education specialist<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"Matt Gleed welcomed our questions targeted towards the festive period. Sometimes, the obvious is ignored: Matt takes it back to basics on how to gain new clients and, most importantly, how to keep them.<\/em><\/p>\n

What does he deliver?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 TRX \u2022 Wattbike \u2022 Matrix \u2022 Power Plate<\/em><\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI would rather see a message about adding value rather than discounting.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Too many personal trainers think first about offers and discounting sessions to get new clients. I would rather see a message about adding value than discounting. Offering free trials or 12 sessions for the price of 10 are devaluing your work and setting a precedent of variable value. Think about offering additional services: home workouts, muscle-recovery techniques, sleep support, and promoting sustained thoughts of well-being, such as partnerships with activity centres or healthy eating venues.<\/em><\/p>\n

Top tips to gain new clients<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Word of mouth. Work with your existing clients to get great referrals. No new PT ever handed out leaflets at a train station before posting something on social media.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Be clear about your identity \u2013 what is your expertise? A video on social media is a great place to start; ask your friends to share it with a personal message on their own networks.<\/em><\/p>\n

Campaigns<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I ran six- to eight-week TRX classes that fitted in with school term times, as I wanted to reach an audience of families and parents. Between terms, I offered a \u2018bring a friend week\u2019 where classes were half price, but this wasn\u2019t just a discount \u2013 it brought energy to the group and made the regulars realise how much better they had become. This then gave me referrals to sign up, plus a reserve list if a space became available for a session.<\/em><\/p>\n

How shall I communicate?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Post recipes or healthy meals on YouTube channels.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Give top tips (e.g., three keys to success) on social media.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Send training plans via email.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Post quick updates for meeting points, such as a running club, where you know people may need a push notification to alert them.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Post a WhatsApp group message at 7:30am and again at 4pm.<\/em><\/p>\n

Final advice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Maximise opportunities for new clients by ensuring you\u2019re available to have a conversation (e.g., leave a 15-minute gap at the end of a session to talk to new members).<\/em>
\n \u2022 I believe the rush really starts on 10 January. Naturally, through February there are always drop-offs. Easter comes around quickly and that\u2019s a great time to push for the countdown to summer fitness.<\/em>
\n \u2022 If you\u2019re working in a gym, offer all the staff a training session so they can help promote your services and can network for you.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Be honest and reliable; don\u2019t promise achievements or edit stories to be something they are not.<\/em><\/p>\n

Katie Bulmer-Cooke,\u00a0fitness trainer, speaker and consultant<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"Katie Bulmer-Cooke is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of business. The Sunderland-born personal trainer has presented at multiple FitPro LIVE conventions and her online fitness programmes for women have reached the far corners of the UK.<\/em><\/p>\n

What does she deliver?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Personal fitness training<\/em>
\n \u2022 Group personal training<\/em>
\n \u2022 Fitness classes<\/em>
\n \u2022 Online fitness programmes for women<\/em><\/p>\n

She says: \u201cI focus on clients who are ready to make a change in November or December.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trainers focus too much on the \u2018new year, new you\u2019 crowd. The reality is that the world and his wife makes a new year\u2019s resolution to lose weight but they don\u2019t make it past 1 February because their \u2018why\u2019 isn\u2019t strong enough. I focus on those who are ready to make a change in November or December because, if they are committed then, they will fly through the rest of the year. Ultimately, it offers greater job satisfaction to the PT and adds a better life-time value to\u00a0<\/em>the business.<\/em><\/p>\n

Campaigns<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 I ran a \u2018guilt-free Christmas\u2019 campaign where clients signed up to a three-month training plan in November and ensured their training stayed consistent over the festive period.<\/em>
\n \u2022 It\u2019s always key to focus on selling a result rather than the nuts and bolts of how you get there, for example, the number of sessions.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Rewarding commitment has always been a winner for me. My group PT members get a discounted price for making a six-month commitment.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Group PT is a great way to maximise your time. Pair current one-to-one clients into two-to-one sessions and put together a group PT programme you can feed existing clients into.<\/em><\/p>\n

Final advice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Plan now for January.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Start making changes now to the current structure of your business.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Treat January marketing plans like dating: don\u2019t look desperate!<\/em>
\n \u2022 Interview clients thoroughly before taking them on; make sure they aren\u2019t on the resolution bandwagon.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Observe your competitors\u2019 plans or actions from last year and do the opposite in order to stand out.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rob Beale,\u00a0health and fitness consultant, trainer and mentor<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"He says: \u201cAt least one hour a day should be set aside for lead generation.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I think the most common mistake I see with PTs during this period is the lack of attention to lead generation. It\u2019s a great time of year to engage with future clients. If someone has a goal of, say, losing 10lb, then a logical next\u00a0<\/em>step is to ask if they would like to chat about how you can help them. At least an hour a day should be set aside for lead generation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Predicted profits<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Any good PT should have a client retention of 75%+. Interestingly, most PTs don\u2019t measure their retention rates. An extra eight to 10 clients through January and February is very achievable with the right actions. When I work one-to-one with PTs to help them grow their business, I focus on the three Cs: connecting, conversations and consultations. A PT should aim to become skilled at all three and then significant client growth can happen.<\/em><\/p>\n

Final advice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022 Measure how many enquiries, conversations and clients you generate weekly.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Become skilled at building rapport with potential clients, rather than just technical skills.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Invest in education, especially soft skills and business skills.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Coach your clients to change habits rather than tell them what to do.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Deliver small group training as well as one-to-one.<\/em>
\n \u2022 Stay away from talking about yourself on social media \u2013 your clients are not interested in pictures of your abs!<\/em><\/p>\n

Being a successful PT is about drive and passion; wake up every morning focused on telling as many people as you can about your business.<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you agree with the above statements? What campaigns have you run that have proven pivotal to capitalising on the Christmas rush? Email us at publish@fitpro.com or tweet us at @fitpro_online or add your comments below and you could be featured in an upcoming <\/em>Fitpro magazine.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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