Succeed at the Business of Fitness

Succeeding in the business of fitness and building a resilient career are not easy tasks. If recent history has taught us anything, it’s that the path to long-term success is paved with ingenuity, the ability to be flexible and a solid understanding of proven business practices.

These topics are at the forefront of 2022 IDEA® Personal Trainer Institute, January 24-27, in Alexandria, Virginia. You’ll learn from passionate personal trainers, studio owners and managers about how they leverage marketing, sales, social media, profit centers and other strategies that helped fortify their careers not only to survive massive challenge, but to thrive because of it.

Here are five reasons you can’t afford to miss this year’s event.

1. Diversification Is a Must

Whether recession, pandemic strife or unforeseen personal challenges, many fitness pros recently have found themselves scrambling without a plan. According to Shannon Fable, author, speaker and thought leader, those who overcame struggle were more likely to have put their eggs in a variety of baskets instead of leaning into one profit center. Her session, “Built to Last: Diversify Your Offerings for Enduring Career Success,” will cover the importance of diversification and offers solutions to make sure that, should one revenue stream take an unexpected hit, you won’t be forced to scramble to make ends meet.

2. The Virtual Reality

One example of diversification is to offer virtual training sessions and classes. While “online studios” may have been perceived as a temporary Band-Aid®, they have become a powerhouse profit center as clients and students grew to favor its convenience over the in-person experience.

The catch is that if you’re to truly impact change and create a loyal customer base, you must elevate how you facilitate online training. Fraser Quelch, director of training and development for Fitness Anywhere® and the creator of the TRX® training program, has you covered. He’ll share key steps to creating engaging and profitable virtual training sessions and classes in his presentation, “10 Steps to Creating the Ultimate Virtual Experience.”

Are you in tune with what your clients experience during various stages of their fitness journey with you? Learn how you can serve them more effectively by making a shift toward more inclusive habits and practices.

3. Inclusivity Matters

Is your training space—whether that’s in a gym, online or in the park—truly inclusive? Katrina Pilkington, senior manager of diversity, inclusion and belonging at Barry’s Bootcamp explains that taking time to ensure students and clients feel welcomed is a must for anyone looking to build a profitable and impactful business. She will break down the importance of inclusivity in the session, “From the Warmup to the Cooldown: Fostering an Inclusive Fitness Environment.” She’ll highlight the client experience during various stages of their fitness journey and how you can serve them more effectively by making a shift toward more inclusive habits and practices during each of those stages.

4. Sell and Thrive

Having a solid understanding of sales and marketing, and the differences between them, is essential for business success. You might have a great understanding of biomechanics, but if you’re unable to express that to the world through marketing and you are uncomfortable closing deals, you risk business failure. Health and fitness consultant Dina Blair is here to help. In her session, “Sales and Marketing Crash Course for Personal Trainers,” she’ll give high-level insight on the differences between marketing and sales, how to position yourself to attract more business and proven tactics for converting prospects into customers. You’ll head home with a plan—and increased confidence—for promoting your services and building your clientele.

5. Social Connections

As the world continues to move online and more fitness professionals vie for attention, standing out in the virtual world and keeping client attention has become increasingly difficult. With a solid social media strategy and an understanding of popular tools and systems that ease the process, you can upgrade your visibility and upgrade your success potential in the business of fitness.

First, Alana Sanders, PhD, will get you up to speed on the platforms you should use and simple strategies to differentiate yourself from others in “Creating a Social Media Marketing Plan.” Then, get hyper-focused on two of the most popular apps as Riley Kinworthy and Leah Rich take you through a TikTok and Reels tutorial in the interactive workshop, “Using TikTok and Reels to Grow Your Audience.” You’ll learn top tips for each platform and get the chance to try your hand at creating your own short-form videos as Kinworthy and Rich stand by with expert feedback.

Finally, learn to simplify your social media processes in the session, “Delegation and Automation for Marketing and Media,” with Jessica Maurer. Developing and executing meaningful campaigns can cost significant time, which takes your attention away from serving your clients. Maurer will help you determine what types of content you should create and the best programs to use to streamline the process.

The Best in Fitness Business Education

The strength and resilience of your fitness business relies on the investments you make to get educated on the systems, programs and best practices that have helped countless others succeed. 2022 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute gives you the opportunity to enhance your acumen and take advantage of real-time guidance from some of the best entrepreneurs in the business. The result? A prolific, satisfying and unbreakable career that can overcome any challenge.

Learn more about this premier event and register to save your place. Connect on Facebook with other PTI attendees.

See also: Training With a Purpose