Megan Senger
Megan Senger
Article Archive
Growing up, I learned to view restaurant cuisine as a rare treat. Rare enough that I developed a restraint-free menu mentality: restaurant meals were about as frequent as blue moons, so I could pretty much order whatever I wanted off any menu with little consequence to my long-term well-being. I suspect many of us grew up thinking the same way.
When you decided to become an independent exercise entrepreneur, you had a core focus and a vision of how you would help your clients. But overnight you also became the accountant, janitor, customer service department, blog writer, fitness manager and CEO—all rolled into one.
Customer testimonials can be fantastic tools for driving new business to your door. But boring, photo-free client comments buried deep inside your website are unlikely to do the trick. To quickly capture the imagination (and training dollars) of the masses, it is critical to breathe life into client success stories.
So what makes some testimonials tedious and others terrific? Follow these four steps to avoid the mistakes of time-wasting customer snooze stories. Bring your facility’s testimonials back from the brink—and attract new-member dollars to your door.
As a fitness entrepreneur, you work hard to provide your customers with great workout experiences. But do your staff members effectively deliver on your goals? Or is there a gap between your expectations and the service your clients receive?
To find out, you might want to arrange a “secret shopping” evaluation of your fitness business. Discover the pros and cons of secretly shopping your company by hiring a professional evaluator—or by doing it yourself. It’s a unique way to determine what your customers really think.
As an ambitious exercise entrepreneur, you know you need great staff for your fitness business. However, finding top talent can be a real trial. Moreover, in today’s troubled economy, many would-be employees send off stacks of resumes without strategic focus, potentially wasting your valuable time.
But the unique challenges of hiring in an employer’s market can be overcome. Discover tactical and time-efficient job interview strategies, and learn to easily separate the diamonds from the duds.
Part 1: Determining the Candidate’s Motivation
One of the best sales lessons I ever learned came from watching an amateur 10K race from the finish line. The winning runners made excellent times, easily cruising across the finish line while barely breaking a sweat. The next group had obviously undertrained and overpushed, stumbling to the race’s end flushed and sometimes physically ill. Last were those who clearly embraced the joys of strolling and socializing, but who seemed unconcerned about how well they finished.
Like an awkward first date, the initial consultation between trainer and potential client often begins with nervous anticipation. Both parties may cling to hopes of a long-term partnership while harboring fears of being rejected or unheard. Winning over the new customer’s heart (and training budget!) will demand genuine listening skills and a keen attentiveness to his or her needs.
Google the words personal trainer and your city. The results will reveal the good, bad and ugly of the Internet, from the stunning to the unreadable. But creating a website that lures customers and conveys the right info is achievable with some structural know-how. Discover the best ways to portray your prices, personality, and perspective online and watch your website work for you.
The Bare Bones
One of the best sales lessons I ever learned came from watching an amateur 10K race from the finish line. The winning runners made excellent times, easily cruising across the finish line while barely breaking a sweat. The next group had obviously undertrained and overpushed, stumbling to the race’s end flushed and sometimes physically ill. Last were those who clearly embraced the joys of strolling and socializing, but who seemed unconcerned about how well they finished.
You’re sold on the importance of an exercise education. But do you equally value the study of sales? Whether you own an exercise enterprise or work as an independent instructor, having the technical skills to increase your customer base and cash flow is key to strengthening your bottom line. Yet while you can earn a…
Whether you sell facility memberships or your own training services, at some point you’ll be asking a potential customer for money. Yet you may find yourself racked with stress about conducting such consultations, the thought of closing the deal bringing more sweat to your brow than your last blast on the cardio machines.
“Close” is a worrisome word in sales, often evoking cringe-worthy images of high-pressure boiler-room selling tactics, used-car lots and plaid suits. Canned one-liners aside, the “close” is simply the final part of a conversation when you ask the big question, “Yes or no?” As this involves securing both a decision and money, it can be the most stressful part of selling for both fitness pro and customer.
You stock your training tool kit with uber-adaptable equipment for every fitness level: a TRX, a stability ball, maybe some tubing or a yoga mat. Since you can never be completely certain what your fitness client will need on any given day, your go-to gear adapts to any training trial. But what about the tools you use to gain new training customers–do you have a stash of stand-by sales phrases that adapt to diverse personalities equally well?
“They said they were interested, so why didn’t they sign up with me?” “They keep saying no.” “I just want to help people. What am I doing wrong?”
As a sales trainer, I have spoken with many struggling sales rookies. Having just completed their umpteenth unsuccessful consultation of the day, they often voice their frustrations with more than a hint of dejection.
How does a small business evolve into a franchise? Here are two examples of real-world success: From license to franchise: Healthy Inspirations. Healthy Inspirations is a successful weight-loss program that Casey Conrad founded as a small business. “I opened a stand-alone location and, because of my exposure in the industry, people started asking if they could license the concept,” she says.
Have you ever dreamed of taking your clients on a fitness retreat to Mexico? Or a weekend of hiking in your local mountains? Maybe you’ve imagined leading an introspective Pilates retreat, a five-star motivational weekend or an energizing boot-camp getaway?
Think about the customer service provided by top companies like the Ritz-Carlton and Disney. Now think about your personal training business. Does your brand evoke the same image of exceptional assistance? Or is it time for you to borrow proven customer service systems from these top-notch names?
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