Take a look at the picture below. What do you see? Probably a bunch of people but there’s nothing overly amazing about the picture, no one really stands out. What if I told you that this was a picture of a group of personal trainers and asked you to pick one of them to train with, which one would you choose?  How would you decide?

My bet is you would choose based on appearance. Why? because you don’t have any other information to support your decision so you have to make a decision based on something. You would probably look at their age or gender or decide based on looks if there’s someone you would want to train with.

So how do you as a personal trainer stand out amongst the thousands of other trainers in an industry that’s quickly become saturated? How do you set yourself apart from the crowd and get noticed? If you have a website, flyer, brochure what’s going to give a potential client the impulse to want to email you or pick up the phone to call you?

Not sure? Well that’s part of the problem isn’t it. And the answer isn’t because you’re a nice person who designs safe and effective programs that gets results. Sorry I just yawned while writing this very boring, bland and benign sentence. But sadly this is what I read on a lot of personal training websites.

Do you remember Macaulay Culkin from the movie home alone? What emotion is he demonstrating right now? Do you recognize this as shock or surprise? Then you would be right. Take a moment right now to think back to an experience you’ve had where you were surprised or shocked. Do you remember it? Can you see the event clearly in your mind? Is it something you will never forget? Does it bring up any other emotions? Do you remember a certain smell? More importantly did you share the experience with others?

Surprise and shock are very strong emotions that form strong engrams in your brain. You remember the experience forever because of the impression it makes. You also share this experience with other people allowing you to relive the surprise over and over again. With each telling of the experiences your body releases the same chemicals as when you first experienced the event.

One method you can use as a trainer to stand out in the sea of trainers is to use the element of surprise or shock. Remember you are still waiting to find out if I kissed a girl and liked it. You may have been surprised by the title and even a little shocked that I would write it. But I bet your were curious and still are and waiting to discover the truth. You’ll just have to wait a little longer to find out. Keep reading.

So what can you do to shock people to get their attention and have them start talking about you? You’ll probably have to think of something unexpected like handing out your business cards with a gift certificate to McDonalds or running a 10KM race in a sumo suit with your company logo on the back. These ideas might sound a little crazy but trust me at least you will get noticed.

Just recently I changed my signature line from

To;

Which one do you find more fun and memorable? Plus you get to learn a bit of personal information about me which I think makes it more interesting. I hope by now you are getting my point which is if you want to stand out you need to be different in a way that’s memorable. Think about how you can use surprise, shock or any other strong emotion to create an experience people won’t soon forget.

Now as for me kissing a girl and liking it, sorry I never kiss and tell.

Annually over 100,000 people tackle the Grind and the average time is about 1.5 hours. The trail is very well maintained. Steps have been built almost all the way up to the top of the mountain where there is a chalet and gondola waiting to take weary hikers down to the base. There are many reasons why people like to hike the Grind. Some do it because of its reputation for being a gruelling climb and they seek the personal satisfaction of just completing it. Others take on the Grind to prove they can beat their time and for bragging rights.

Serious grinders are in their own little world when hiking the trail. At the start of the hike they set their watches to keep track of their time. They hike with focus, intention and purpose. They keep their heads down, looking no further then a few feet in front of them. They don’t stop to take in the scenery or talk to other people but rather huff, puff, and grunt their way to the top of the mountain. Some get annoyed if people don’t move aside and give them the right of way. After all, doesn’t everyone know they are on a mission to get to the top as fast as they can?

If you look down the steep embankment of the trail what you see is appalling. Because the trail is so well travelled, many people think it’s acceptable to litter and cast their plastic water bottles down the side of the mountain. I’ve even seen people using hollowed out trees as a garbage can.  There seems to be no regard for people or the environment on this trail.

In stark contrast to the Grind there is another trail called the BCMC, short for British Columbia Mountain Club. It parallels the Grind and ends in about the same place. It’s a longer trail that meanders quite a bit and is not as steep. There are no fixed steps and the trail for the most part has been kept in its natural state. There are fewer people who travel this trail and those that do have a different mindset then the Grinders. You won’t find people doing the BCMC grunting and groaning their way to the top. No one is concerned about their time and the pace seems to be a lot more casual. You often see dogs on the trail happily running along side their owners. I rarely see any garbage strewn on this trail.

Then there is a secret trail that very few people know about. It’s called the Bluffs and it sits nestled between the Grind and the BCMC. It’s rugged, steep and mostly unmarked. It’s rare to see anyone on this trail making it a peaceful hike. I’ve seen deer the odd bear and various birds all adding to my outdoor experience.

What fascinates me about the three trails is the difference in the mentality of the people who travel them. Grinders put their head down, don’t look around and literally grind their way up the side of the mountain. People climbing the BCMC enjoy the longer hike and slower pace while people who do the Bluffs trail revel in the steep climb and peaceful tranquility of the trail. Three different trails, three different states of mind all leading to the same destination at the top of the mountain.

I believe the three trails leading up to the top is a kind of metaphor for the goals we set for ourselves. Sometimes you are focussed on a goal and grind your way towards it. You may not stop to look around or particularly enjoy the journey. You pass people along the way without giving them a second glance. You become impatient in your quest towards your goal and time seems to pass slowly. If you allow yourself to get pulled into this frame of mind where you never look around to enjoy the process towards your goal you may achieve it but will have missed so much along the way.

But if you allow yourself to meander for too long or are too relaxed about reaching your goal you may you get pulled off course. It may take you longer to reach your destination and along the way you may experience distractions, temptations or succumb to fears or doubts. This will block your path making it more difficult for you to attain your goal. And if you decide to take the more challenging route towards what you want you may have a steeper learning curve to contend with.

The next time you find yourself working towards a goal notice the path you are choosing and why. Are you taking your time to look around and enjoy the process or are you grinding away and missing life as it passes you by? As much as you will enjoy your final destination, realize that there are many paths you can follow to reach the same point.

So there I stood at the base of the three trails on this cold, Saturday morning in June. Not sure which trail to take, I started up the path where they all converge. I stood at the juncture and had to make my final decision. I chose to do the Bluffs. I didn’t want to deal with the crowds on the grind and I didn’t want to meander up the mountain. Instead I felt like enjoying the climb and the quietness of the trail.

I’m fascinated by the fact that there are life lessons to be learned in everything we do if we take the time to notice. On this day I learned that which path you take towards a goal is just as important as the goal itself.

For most small businesses even a small five percent drop in customers can mean the difference between paying your bills or not. Without your clients your business simply could not survive. Perhaps now you understand why I believe it’s so important you make every effort to go above and beyond customer expectations and to hug them as often as possible.

What does it mean to hug your customers? When you physically hug someone you show them how much you care about them. It’s a way for you to show your appreciation. In business, every time you do something unexpected for a client it’s like giving them a hug.

When I start my day I think, “Who am I going to hug today”. It’s the thought I place in my head at the beginning of the day and if an opportunity arises that I can say or do something for a customer that would make their day a little better then I do it. Or I create the opportunity by going out of my way to do something special for a client.

It’s not about spending a lot of money or d grandiose gestures. It can be something simple like buying their favourite bottle of wine, sending a birthday card to them, their spouse and kids. If the client travels a lot call around and find the gyms in the area where they are staying and pay for their drop in or give them a travel program without them having to ask. You would be surprised at what a kind word or some recognition does to boost someone’s day.

Make it easy, fun and stress free to do business with you. This is another way to hug your client. Review your policies and ensure they don’t annoy or inconvenience your clients.  If a problem arises resolve the issue quickly and do whatever it takes to mend the relationship.

At the end of the day people do business with people they trust and respect. If you can add little hug to seal the deal then you will create tremendous customer loyalty. The added benefit is that by hugging your clients your business will thrive, your clients will be happy and you’ll feel good because you’re doing something nice for people everyday. Now it’s your turn to go hug a client.

1)     Do you work ten to twelve hour days?

2)     Do you have a hard time getting your brain to slow down at night?

3)     Do you find your passion for your business waning?

4)     Are you starting to think it would be easier to work for some else instead?

5)     Are you dreaming of taking a holiday and getting away from it all?

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? If they do, then you could be headed for business burn-out.

Business burn-out is like overtraining your body except it’s overtraining your mind. When we over train our body our performance suffers, we feel tired and worn out. We lose our appetite and may even fall into a bit of a depression. Sleep patterns are disrupted and where you were once passionate about working out you just don’t have the same enthusiasm.

When you work too much you could actually be experiencing some of the same symptoms as if you were overtraining your body. The remedy for both is the same.

• Take time off to recharge your batteries. Maybe it would be a good idea to go on holiday or take four to five days off.
• Restrict the number of hours you work in a day and take lots of breaks.
• Set aside time for yourself. Do something you enjoy doing.
• Make time for friends and family. Get out and be social.
• Get some help. Hire a virtual assistant to ease the burden of tasks you probably don’t need to be doing.
• Get more help. Hire a business coach to help you with difficult projects. There’s no need for you to do everything on your own.
• Set realistic goals about what you can accomplish in a day.
• Focus on tasks that give you the best return for your time and drop any projects that drain your energy.

Running a business is not easy. There’s always work to be done, processes to tweak and things to worry about. But that doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself to make your business successful. If the business is you and you are the business then you have to take very good care of both. You can start by first recognizing the symptoms of business burn-out and preventing a full blown attack from happening.

So I sat and stared at my computer screen. The cursor was blinking madly in front of me. It was taunting me, daring me to write something but it knew my mind was blank and that I had no words. It seemed as though every time I sat down to write the copy for my book I got stuck. I pushed away from my desk in frustration because I couldn’t find the right words. I looked at my drawer where I kept my secret stash of mini eggs. Maybe they’ll give me more brain power. I managed to control the urge to rip through the bag.

I paced my office with a million ideas bouncing around in my head. I’d read dozens of books and talked to so many different experts on the subject of web copy. It all felt like a big jumble in my head and I couldn’t seem to make any sense out of any of it. I tried three times to write the copy and each time it came out like a cheesy sales letter. That wasn’t me.

Last year I proudly gave birth to the How to Guide to Starting a Personal Training Business. The exact birthday is April 1^st. By the way the date was no accident. I figured if I published a book on April Fools Day I would never forget the date and I was right. In just a few days my book baby will celebrate its first birthday.  I feel like I’ve been trying to write the birth announcement for the last year.

On this particular Monday morning I was adamant that before I did anything else for the day I would get the copy written. Then Tuesday came, and then Wednesday and by Thursday I’d given up. I was convinced that this was one task I couldn’t do. I rationalized that I was too close to my own work so I couldn’t write objectively. I resolved to hire a professional. But then I remembered what a colleague of mine, Chris Fernandez, said, “The only person who can write your copy is you because you live it and are the best person to talk about it.”  These words kept haunting me. I knew he was right. I was a writer after all. So why was this so difficult?

I woke up early on Saturday morning after a tough week of trying to squeeze out the web copy. I usually get up about 5:00am even on the weekends. Crazy I know but my body is used to it from all the early morning personal training clients. I ate a handful of strawberries, half a grapefruit and poured myself a healthy cup of coffee. Yeah I know I wasn’t supposed to but I tossed in the towel on the cleanse. I flipped on my laptop and did my usual morning routine of checking email. Then I went to my Word Press site and without any thought clicked on to my book page.

I stared at the screen for only a moment and then my fingers took over. To my surprise words just starting flowing and I could hardly type fast enough to keep up. It was like a fog had been lifted and suddenly my brain knew what to say. It had miraculously sorted through all clutter and started to put it all together.

After an hour of writing I had a rough draft of the web copy and stared at it in disbelief. I wiped the tears from my eyes. I was crying out of a sense of relief and because I was finally able to get words to communicate not only the message but my passion for my book baby. I spent the next four hours massaging the words, adding pictures and changing things around.

So why was I having so much trouble getting the words to flow in the first place? What had been the issue? I was giving my brain another problem to solve. But then I realized, it was so simple and I could see it clearly now. If you aren’t true to yourself, if you try and be something you’re not or communicate in a style that isn’t you then you have little hope of succeeding. Even the simplest tasks become mountains to climb and you’ll never see the summit.

When I went to write my web copy my head was full of, “I got to sell this book”. I was writing sales copy and trying to use sales techniques to get people to buy it. While that may work for some, this type of approach has never worked for me. I’ve always been more of a people person and consider myself to be a coach and mentor. When I switched my thinking from trying to write sale copy to writing from the heart and telling a story, my mountain became an insignificant bump in the road.

I’ve heard the words, “Just be yourself” countless times in my life. I know what the words mean and I understand the meaning behind the words. But sometimes it’s still possible to get caught up in not being yourself and trying to be something you’re not. Maybe its peer pressure that throws us off track. Perhaps it’s the desire to be successful and thinking we have to act in a certain way to get it. Whatever it is that causes you to veer away from just being yourself ask yourself, is it worth it?

It’s only a few days until my book baby celebrates its birthday. I’ve learned a valuable lesson about just being yourself. So I guess kids can teach their parents a few things.

Take a moment and go to http://edgefit.ca/fitness-educators/products-and-services/start-your-own-personal-training-business/ and see where this story came from.

On my way home I was thinking about how great my day had been. I pulled into the driveway and just as I was about to reach to open the door I realized, “Darn I forgot to pick-up Bailey”. It was already 6:00pm and the daycare was closed. In a panic, I phoned them and apologized profusely at my blunder. Within ten minutes I was at the daycare but all the way there I thought about the irony of me continuing to think I was going to forgot to pick up Bailey and then actually forgetting to do it. Let’s just say I felt like a parent that just forgot to pick up their kids from school.

This got me thinking about the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy? It’s a statement that alters actions and therefore comes true. Like me forgetting to pick up Bailey. Here’s a little background on the origins of this concept. Robert Merton, a 20^th century sociologist, actually coined the term of self-fulfilling prophecy. In his definition, in the book Social Theory and Social Structure published in 1949, the prophecy or prediction is false but is made true by a person’s actions. In the modern sense the prophecy has neither false nor true value, but is merely a possibility that is made into probability by a person’s unconscious or conscious actions.

So if you think you’re going to have a “bad day” or a “good day” events will likely happen to reinforce these thoughts. While one’s attitude cannot necessarily influence the larger things, such as a hurricane or winning the lottery, (too bad on that one) one’s attitude can influence the smaller things, like the way we relate to other people and their responses to us.

If self-fulfilling prophecies do exist then we must be careful about the things we think and say to ourselves. If your personal training business isn’t attracting any new clients and you focus on that by saying, “I’m not getting any new business” then you may be unconsciously stopping yourself from getting clients.

Here’s an interesting research study that was conducted by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson. In 1968, they gave all the children in an elementary class a test and told teachers that some of children were unusually clever (though they were actually average). They came back at the end of the school year and tested the same class again. Guess what? The children singled out had improved their scores far more than other children.  The teachers believed they were instructing clever kids and they treated them differently from the other children in the class.  They challenged them more and gave them tougher material to work on. They had higher expectations of those particular children based on what they were told about them being unusually clever.

This research is interesting because it relates to how we think about ourselves and what we think of others. If you think you aren’t very good at something, you’re likely not going to try very hard. For example, if you struggle to market your personal training business you’re going to think you’re not good at it and probably produce poor results for your efforts. If you don’t feel confident in your ability to run your business you’re going to make poor decisions because you don’t think you know what you’re doing.

A self-fulfilling prophecy is very powerful in the sense that what you believe and perceive is likely going to become your reality. If this is the case then my suggestion is you start to think positively about events in your life. If you want to attract more clients to your personal training business then you must think you can. If you want to feel more confident in running your business then you must think it’s possible. As soon as you say to yourself, “I can’t, I don’t know how or It’s hard” then you’re right.

Imagine a client coming to you and saying, “I can’t lose any weight” or “I’m no good at exercise”. If your clients think this way then from experience you know it will be harder for them to lose weight and feel skilled at exercise. As a trainer you need to turn your clients’ negative thoughts into positive actions otherwise the journey to reaching their goal will be longer or even non-existent.

Do the same for yourself with your business. Whatever negative thoughts you have about running your personal training business, turn them around into the positive. Remind yourself that negativity won’t get you anywhere and will likely attract more negativity into your reality.

Bailey got extra cuddles that day because I felt bad about forgetting about him. Fortunately he’s not scarred by the event and loves me anyway. But it was a good lesson for me to remember that I must be careful about what I say and how I think because it will become my reality.

This got me thinking about our personal training businesses and how we can use our slow period in the same way as athletes use their off-season and build our business performance. Typically August and December are slower months for personal trainers. Instead of panicking about the loss of business during these months, use these months as your off-season.

Here are some things you can do during your off-season.

1)       Re-charge your batteries. You work hard all year so why not take some time off and re-charge your batteries. Go some place inspiring where you can be creative. You may just think up the next greatest program idea or add some needed spark to your existing programs.

2)      Assess ho w you are doing. Take a full inventory of how your business is doing. Go back to the basics and see if there is anything you could be doing better. For example, review your customer service. Is it working the way you want it to? How about your finances? Are you making enough money? Pick everything apart and then put it back together again.

3)      Go back to the drawing board. Look at the programs you provide and see if you can add more variety. Come up with better titles and descriptions to market your programs. When you go back to the drawing board you keep things fresh, new and exciting. People are drawn to novelty so use your off-season to create it.

4)      Set your intent. I like to use the word intent instead of goal but the premise is the same. If you take August as your off-season then set your intent for the fall and what you would like to manifest in your business during that time period. You can do this again in December for the New Year. By setting and reviewing your intention every six months you will be sure to stay on course.

These are just a few ideas that you can use for your off-season. I really like the idea of incorporating an off-season into my business because it gives me an opportunity to work hard during the in-season months and know that I’ve got a break coming where I can re-focus. Right now I’m in El Salvador for a month. While January is actually one of the busiest months of the year I’m taking this opportunity to re-design my workshop content, work on my website and write to my valued readers. So what will you do during your off-season? I would love to know.

You now have the time to reflect on the year that has passed. To enjoy all the successes you’ve had and take note of all the challenges you faced. Begin to think about what you want for your business in the upcoming year and set your intention. While you have more time on your hands, work on refining systems in your business. I’m sure there’s something you wanted to get done or a project you wanted to start but never had the time. Well now you do so take advantage of it.

For those of you that have been working steadily over the last year why not call some friends and get together for lunch or drinks. Connect with people who you’ve been meaning to get in touch with but were too busy. Or get outside and enjoy some winter activities.

Time a precious commodity and it seems in short supply these days.  Time goes quickly and there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in a day to get everything done. So embrace the fact that you have some more free time this month. Luxuriate in its embrace and seize this opportunity because January is around the corner and before you know it you will be off and running at full speed again.

In my book, The How To Guide To Starting Your Own Personal Training Business I talk about the importance of creating a vision of your future five years from now. It’s an exercise that allows you to think about what you want for your business and life and what you hope to achieve. It’s a powerful exercise because it allows you to dream. One of the criteria of the exercise is not to edit your ideas. Sometimes we imagine how things could be but then erect barriers or use excuses as to why it won’t work. This exercise is about allowing your imagination to wander. The interesting thing about it is that when you dream things tend to happen. I guess I could call it the law of attraction but someone has already done that.

Try it for yourself. Take a few minutes and imagine what your life and business would be like five years from now. Write as if you are reporting your day in a journal and think about the car you are driving, the house you live in, do you own a studio or are you on holidays somewhere spectacular. Really see the future you are creating and then write it down. I advise you to put this somewhere where you will see it everyday and read it often. You will start working to create this future the moment you feel that it is real for you.

If you truly desire the future you just envisioned. Whether you want your business to be profitable, have a bountiful supply of clients knocking on your door or even just more time to spend with family and friends then you have to create it. Nothing is just going to happen. It takes a plan. So if you want something you are just going to have to roll up your sleeves and get it. The loftier your future vision is the more work, time, effort and dedication is going to be required of you. Unfortunately, there are no free rides in life. I can also guarantee that there will be a few hard knocks along the way. As any successful person will tell you. They wouldn’t have gotten to where they are today without them. The difference between people who are successful and those that struggle to find success is that when successful people get knocked down they brush themselves off, find the lesson and move forward.

My dog Bailey and I walk almost every day and each walk is a little different. There are days when Bailey decides he needs to smell everything and stops and starts the whole way. Other times he power walks with me and is focused and determined to keep up. Sometimes Bailey enjoys doing agility training where on command he jumps logs, hops up onto stumps or walks along fallen trees. He does this with a sense of adventure and exploration. He’ll jump onto tree stumps that are really high and does it effortlessly. Other times he struggles but makes it after a few attempts.

It was on such a walk that I began to think about how walking Bailey was similar to running a small business. There are certainly times when you have a project or task to complete but you procrastinate. Starting and stopping without really ever achieving anything. This can be extremely frustrating and even paralyzing when you are trying to get something done. These are your stop and sniff walks.

In order to create business momentum you must achieve clarity and focus in your business. This is when you can effectively work on your goals and start to make things happen. You move at a quickened pace, put in a lot of effort, time and sweat and start to see results. This is the power walk.

There are times when ideas flow naturally and even quickly to you. You feel energized and invigorated which allows your creativity to surge. You come up with new ways to do business or see things from a different prospective which allows you to be innovative and cutting-edge in your business. This is your adventure and exploration walk.

In reality we need all these elements in our business. Some in larger quantities then others but it’s good to recognize that running a small business means being very flexible, diversified and adaptable to the ebbs and flows of business, especially when owning a fitness business as it sometimes can feel like feast or famine.

What I’ve learned from my walks with Bailey is that you just have to go with the flow and take on life challenges as they come. Sometimes we need to stop and sniff and other times we need to power through and be adventurous. But there is one thing that is certain, you must take the lead and guide the walk otherwise your business may not be as successful as you hope.