It’s time you earn your Olympic Gold Medal and put your business on the podium where it belongs.
Vancouver is buzzing with excitement over the Olympics and it’s hard not to catch Olympic fever. I’m mesmerized watching the athletes perform and feel so inspired. They’ve all worked so hard to get to the Olympics and some with very little financial support from their countries or their sport. It takes years of training, hard work and dedication to develop as an athlete and they don’t do it alone. They have a team of coaches, therapists, psychologist and plenty of family support to get them to their Olympic dream.
Alex Bilodeau, winner of the Olympic Gold in men’s mogul freestyle, is a perfect example. In an interview with Randy Starkman of the Toronto Star, Bilodeau spoke of all the people who helped him realize his Olympic dream but it’s his brother, Frederic that’s had the greatest impact in his life. Bilodeau believes his brother’s attitude has rubbed off on him.
“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have the same perseverance if I didn’t grow up with him,” said the 22-year-old from Montreal. “I’m someone who never quits, even in training. I’m going to fight until the last moment, until I crash really bad.
“In training, it’s just like competition and I’m fighting until I can’t go any more and until I’m on one ski or something. Even then, I try to pull it back. I grew up with the mentality, `If my brother would have that chance, would he take it? Would he try more?’ I always – I always – come to that same answer and it’s, `Yes, he would try more.’ That’s why I can do it.”
While not all athletes win Olympic gold they all strive to earn a spot on the podium and realize their Olympic dream. As a personal trainer you can appreciate the dedication it takes to make that happen. It’s that same dedication and work that will get your business to earn gold.
A few concerns I’ve heard over the years as a fitness educator and business coach is that independent personal trainers often feel isolated. They find it difficult to juggle training clients, run their business and still find time for a personal life. If you step back from the situation and analyze why these businesses are not performing as top athletes you would likely find the following reasons;
1) Lack of clear focus and direction – Businesses that lack focus and direction wander all over the place and often times down the wrong path. Imagine an athlete taking a wrong turn on a cross-country skiing course. It’s hard to find the finish line when you aren’t even on the right trail. This often happens when trainers try too many different approaches to marketing, zig-zagging from one strategy to the next before achieving any results. The secret to winning a gold medal in business is to “pick your course” and focus on one task at a time.
For example, if you want to improve traffic to your website and turn clicks into clients, then this becomes your focus and project for the year. All your business decisions will centre on optimizing your website and you won’t wander off course.
2) High expectations and unrealistic goals – Does this one sound familiar? Clients have this issue all the time when it comes to exercise and believe it or not, so do personal trainers. It’s like an athlete expecting to win gold but not understanding how to train properly for the event. These high expectations and unrealistic goals relate to marketing and attracting clients.
For example, trainers post a website and expect people will instantly flock to their site and sign up. However, they may not have taken the time to learn how to best optimize their website to increase traffic, how to write web-copy that converts clients and has a call to action. Without understanding all the intricacies of how prospects surf the internet, trainers are often disappointed with their results.
3) Spend too much time “working in” the business rather then “working on” the business. Trainers like to train and that’s why they go into the industry. However, it takes as much time and dedication to build a business as it does to train clients. Neglecting this side of the business will cause it to lose momentum which means less clients and less revenue. If all an athlete did was train their bodies and not work on their mental game, nutrition or injury management how likely would they be to earn a top spot at the Olympics? It’s a fine balancing act between doing the work you love and having to do the work to keep it going.
To help keep you balanced between training and business here are a few tips.
- For every hour of training book 30 minutes of office time.
- Block-off office hours in your non-training hours and stick to it.
- At the start of your office hours pick only one or two tasks you will accomplish for that day. Let your to-do list of a hundred items go. You’ll never get them all done and it just feels overwhelming.
- Make time in your schedule for yourself and your workouts.
4) Trying to do things on your own. Earlier in this article I stressed that no athlete makes it to the podium on their own. They have a team of people helping them in every aspect you can think of. When it comes to running a successful personal training business there are plenty of resources available today that didn’t exist five, ten and even fifteen years ago. There are books, magazines, periodicals, courses, workshops, CD’s, DVD’s and business coaches to help ease the stress of running a personal training business and teach you how to make it successful.
A trainer who tries to go it alone is like an athlete learning to train themselves. While some may make it many more will quit before the race has even begun. It’s been my experience as a fitness educator and business coach that only 10% of people who start a personal training business achieve enough financial success that they stay in the industry. That means that approximately 90% of trainers leave the industry because they can’t earn enough money to support themselves. I find that statistic to be quite alarming especially because all it would take for many of these trainers to succeed is some help.
I’ve given you the four obstacles most personal trainers and their businesses face now all you have to do is navigate your course in the right direction and turn sharply in the direction of success. There’s no doubt that to get your business on the podium and earning a gold medal will take a lot of hard work, a clear focus and dedication. But it’s worth it when you hear the anthem being played and you know it’s because you’ve earned it. Go Canada Go!
How to Create a Demand for Your Personal Training Services
When asked what delegates learned from the session, here’s what they said;
- “I learned that I needed to “pick a lane”, be specific and specialize in a market niche.”
- “How personal trainers need to identify what motivates them and why they do what they do.”
- “The importance of personal trainers finding their essence and specializing.”
- “Different types of package options and how to bundle personal training.”
- “How to understand and connect with clients and find the culture.”
- “Learn the essence of who you are to have a profitable business.”
- “Stop discounting…focus on value/exclusivity of services and get away from fee focused marketing.”
- “Having trainers specialize in one area.”
- “Re-think focus of training department.”
- “The essence of your business. Dig deep to find it. Now sell it.”
COMMENTS FROM THE SESSION
“Donna has a great attitude and can empower others.”
“One of the “BEST” speakers I’ve experienced.”
“Great presenter. Engaging and practical. Bring her back.”
“Handouts were very good. Very energetic. Exudes confidence. Good interaction with the group.”
“Excellent. You would be crazy not to bring Donna back. Very good.”
“Donna was AWESOME? One of the best presenters I’ve encountered since I’ve attended Athletic Business Conference. (since 2001).
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The WOW Factor For Service Excellence - RATED NUMBER 1
Here are just a few of the comments from the session.
“Great speaker! Should have more Donna’s at the conference”.
“Wow!!! Great speaker. I’ve been attending Athletic Business Conference for 8 years, best speaker as of yet. Would love to hear from her again.”
“Very enthusiastic and creative speaker.”
“This presentation was the best of the conference.”
“She was great – lots of information with excellent delivery.”
“Great speaker, made me laugh a lot!”
Get your copy of The “Wow” Factor for Service Excellence
“So what I hear you saying is…..”
If you’ve used this sentence or one like it to paraphrase a statement, concern, objection, comment or suggestion then you could be sending a message to your client that you are not listening. You were probably told the best way to understand and connect with a prospect is to listen actively and paraphrase what you’ve heard. I’m sure you never gave it a second thought. But there’s a better way to communicate AND ensure your client knows you really understand their issue.
Have you ever paraphrased something a prospect said and didn’t get it right? Imagine how frustrating that is for the prospect who took their time to communicate their issue to you. Instead of feeling like they’ve been heard they now have to spend more time explaining it again. How embarrassing is that for you to have to be re-told something you should have paid more attention to in the first place? This can significantly impact your ability to establish a connection and gain that prospect as a client.
It’s not that paraphrasing is a terrible thing to do. And your prospects won’t run out of the room screaming but there’s a better way to communicate that you’ve heard what they said. Plus you’ll create more feelings of empathy and understanding from your prospect allowing you to make a greater connection. And most importantly there’s no chance of you “getting it wrong”. Are you dying to know what it is? Drum role please………
“Repeat their words back to them”
Here’s an example;
Prospect: I really want to lose ten pounds I’ve gained over the summer. I know I eat all the wrong foods plus I don’t exercise. My schedule is so hectic I don’t even know when I’m going to find the time to fit it in.
Paraphrasing: So what you are saying is you’re unhappy with your weight, need some help with nutrition and time management skills.
Repeating their words: You want to lose ten pounds, avoid eating the wrong foods and find the time to fit it in, is that right?
From this example can you pick out the difference between paraphrasing and repeating their words? In the paraphrasing sentence the personal trainer presumes the person is unhappy although they never state it. The trainer is actually projecting their own emotion onto the prospect. The prospect may not be feeling unhappy but experiencing other emotions like frustration, anger or even resentment. The personal trainer may have gotten the emotion all wrong. Subconsciously the prospect may be thinking, “that’s not it at all, this trainer doesn’t understand me”.
While it’s true that the prospect does need help with nutrition and time management the trainer doesn’t state what the exact issue is for them. Their paraphrasing was too general and the prospect will be thinking, “ I hope this trainer understands what I need.”
In the repeating their words example, three specific issues were brought to the attention of the trainer and then the trainer reiterated them back to the prospect. This was followed by the question, is that right? Since you are using their exact words to express their issue, the prospect will feel like you really understood them and say, “yes that’s right.” Repeating their words back is a much better way to communicate that you were listening and understand their problem.
One caveat I must mention. Don’t become a parrot and keep repeating back everything they say. Remember when you were a kid and you used to repeat every word someone said? How annoying was that?
Try using this technique of repeating their words when appropriate and take note of the response you get. Don’t forget to ask the question, “Is that right?” or a version of it to demonstrate to the prospect that you are really listening and understand their issues.
“When working with Donna, two things become clear immediately. One is her deep knowledge and experience in the field of fitness and personal training. The other is her passion for this business and for helping others succeed in it. Donna is well organized, a great teacher (who makes sure that you understand what your are learning) and fun to be around too. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to learn about, get certified and succeed in the fitness and personal training business.”
Chris Obst – Core Dynamics Group
