Summer Season Marketing for Personal Trainers
By Jim Labadie
Most personal trainers see a drop off in revenues during the summer.
And while some see it as a reason to panic, astute fitness professionals
know it is the perfect time to spend working on marketing. There are
many activities trainers can partake in to grow their business during
the lazy days of summer.
The following personal trainer marketing strategies are a must for
anyone serious about their business:
- The list of 100: Everyone knows at least one hundred
people. Create a list of everyone you know. And then list the people
they know. Your job is to contact every one of these people by phone
over the course of the summer and explain to them what your business
is all about. It’s pretty amazing that most times family members and
friends don’t even know what a personal training business is never
mind how to refer people to it. So educate everyone you can think of
on what it is you do and who you do it for. Paint a picture to them
of your perfect client, and don’t be afraid to ask for referrals.
- Sphere of influence: Your list of 100 should include
leaders in your community and successful business owners. Take each
one of them out to lunch. Pick their brain. What made them so
successful? How can you help their business or cause? How can they
help you? Be sure to pick up the check and send them a thank you
card. The more influential people who know you and your business the
better.
- Explore new networking groups: Many networking
organizations are a great source of referrals. And most allow you to
attend two meeting before having to pay to join. Explore all the
options in your community. Make sure your target market attends the
meetings. Even if you already belong to a group be sure to use the
downtime you have in the summer to get your name out even more. You
could even make a special summer offer on your services to members
of these groups for an injection of cash into your business.
- Join Toastmasters: Personal trainers—at least those who
want to be successful—need to be good public speakers. Toastmasters
International is a great place to hone your speaking skills. And you
might even find some clients there. Additionally, set aside time to
line up speaking engagements some for the fall. Public speaking is a
terrific way to market your business. It’s much easier to sell to a
large audience than one person at a time.
- Create a blog: Standard websites are almost becoming
obsolete. Blogs are the here and now. They get terrific search
engine rankings and will do a great job of driving prospects to you.
In fact, take the entire summer to learn the new landscape of the
Internet—Web 2.0. Technology is always changing, and it’s your job
to keep up with how it will help your personal trainer marketing
efforts.
Jim Labadie is a fitness entrepreneur, sales expert and speaker.
You can download a FREE copy of his new e-book “63 Must-Have Sales Tips
for Personal Trainers” at
http://www.ptsalestips.com.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the
strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength
training products and services while providing the highest level of
customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment,
information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com. |