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Personal Training product knowledge, and what to do with it to make sales! Posted on Oct 1, 2008 - 5:40AM Personal Training product knowledge, and what to do with it to make sales! Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola Everyone talks about the importance of product knowledge. No one tells you how to use it to make a sale. REALITY: Most health clubs train 90% product knowledge, 10% sales knowledge. Big mistake. The percentage should be: 20% product or service, 80% sales, personal development, attitude, and presentation skills. REALITY: Personal Trainers spend 80% of their time OR MORE trying to explain their personal training services in a "consultation". Why club's personal training is different than the competition’s personal training. Why their personal training service is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Even doing an assessment to show the member why their is a "need". Personal Trainers and their manager's refer to this process as “educating the customer,” and stress it as an important part of the selling process. What a joke. CLUE ONE: Members don’t want an education – especially yours. Can you picture some of your members over at your their homes or workplace saying, “Boy I sure hope those people over at Acme Gym come over here and educate us. We’re pretty stupid.” Yes, your members come to your gym to fix a problem or continue to prevent a problem. But, they want YOU to fix it. They will continue to do it on THEIR own, until you suggest to help them with a more efficient/effective way and/or YOU build more trust with them that you can do it better! I have posed a series of questions and statements so that you can get the idea about the reality of your personal training service. The key is, and always has been, ask questions about why they joined the gym BEFORE you start talking about how you can help. 1. What it is. A description. Totally boring because the prospect ALREADY KNOWS WHAT IT IS. 2. What it does. Another monolog. Totally boring because the prospect ALREADY KNOWS WHAT IT DOES. 3. How it’s used. Getting warmer, but still boring. 4. What’s the value of it? AHA! Now you’re getting the attention of the prospective personal training buyer. Does it help me accomplish why I workout? Is it effective, efficient, safe and motivating? 5. Why did I buy from You? This is one of the most important nuances in the selling/buying process. People buy from people they like and they buy when they can't do it on their own. Are you likeable? Did you create an workout experience that you are needed in order to get what they want from working out? 6. What’s the expected outcome? BIG. Get them to VISUALIZE what personal training will do for them after they have purchased it. 7. What’s the member's opinion of it? I want to know and understand the member’s point of view as much as I want him to understand mine. 8. How has the member successfully done it on their own? If you know the history, you can more readily predict the future. 9. What’s the member’s perceived value of it? This takes dialog. Create it, and you will have a huge advantage. Value creates a buying atmosphere. Their perception of value is your reality of the sale, over and over and over again. 10. How have other members used it? If you must talk about your product, talk about how others have used it, got results and how that has made their life increase in the positive or "pleasure" and take away the negative or "pain". 11. What do other’s think of it? The best way to sell personal training is to let others sell it for you. Your clients can validate every claim you make, they can corroborate results, and they can tell actual stories of how they have benefited. They provide the proof that you can only brag about. We rarely recap, but this is an imperative for all personal trainers to understand and execute as you seek to differentiate yourself from those who sell the same thing you do, and claim to be better. • Engagement. The first element of the personal training selling/buying process. If you can’t engage, they will disengage. • Differentiation.They must know how you differ from all the others. • Profit. Everyone wants more profit. • Perceived Value. The customer wants real value for their money. • Service offering both reactive and proactive. Everyone needs a personal trainer at least once, the question is: How do you respond? • Ease of doing business. I want it NOW. “Now” is the new prerequisite for doing business. • The members true desire and need of your service today. The more they need it the better your chances for engagement are. • Likeability of personal trainer. The first sale that’s made is you. • Believability of personal trainer. Your compelling presentation (in a workout format) will create believability. • Proof of service, results, client's that have benefit, and client's currently using it. Without members visible on the floor using your personal training services, you are alone in the selling process. With them, you will have one thing the competition won’t have – the sale. It’s not just product knowledge; it’s your insight and understanding of how the member benefits and wins from it. Personal Trainers and Coffee Clients: Learn the Client's Bill of Rights Posted on Sep 15, 2008 - 5:30PM Personal Trainers and Coffee Clients: Learn the Client's Bill of Rights by Evan Chacker Most personal trainers at one time or another have had at least one client who did more talking than working out. They are called "Coffee Clients", because with the amount of work they put into the workout, they might as well be sitting around a table talking with their friends over a cup of coffee. If you have never had one, you certainly have seen them "working" with their personal trainers on the gym floor. Coffee Clients As a personal trainer, if you are looking at the little picture, or the short term, you will think you have it made, an easy hour filled and paid. Failing to realize, that one paid hour is costing you hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars in the big picture. When you look at the big picture, you will realize that coffee clients can cost you a lot of money, if you have a coffee client or coffee clients, you have to take action before it costs you any more money, or even worst your reputation as a good trainer! I pose this question to you, how many people see you training your clients on the gym floor during prime time? The answer is a lot! This is not a paranoid thought; this is the reality of your position. People watch personal trainers train, which makes part of your job to set good examples on the gym floor. In that hour there are many members that come and go, and they are all watching! Some people are looking to get a workout idea or two; others are looking to see whom they want to train with. They are deciding if you are a professional trainer, one who is capable and delivers results. What Example Are Setting On The Gym Floor? So back to you, the personal trainer on the gym floor, chatting away with your client, and all the while, there are lots of people watching, deciding. For every one "Coffee Client" you have, there are 20 people who will never train with you. It doesn't matter if you have 30 other clients you work with that you push to exhaustion, they don't see them, they only see you during that hour, and their perception is their reality. The Client's Bill of Rights If you have a client who is more interested in company than results, and you let them coast through the hour, you are not fulfilling your end of the agreement. Personal trainers owe a number of things to their clients, and clients deserve and expect certain things, results are definitely on the list. I call the list "The Client's Bill of Rights", something we teach to every American Fitness Institute certified personal trainer, and I will expand on that list later on in this article. But for now, let's agree that at the very least, clients deserve and expect results. Eventually, either on their own or with some prodding from a third party, they are going to get VERY upset, when they realize that after X amount of time and X amount of dollars, they look and feel the same or possibly even worse. When they finally realize this, there are only two people to blame, and they will not be blaming themselves. Ultimately, we as personal trainers are paid for, and expected to deliver these results. If you do not deliver them, expect that you will eventually get FIRED!!! It may come sooner, most members are consistent with the times and days they workout, so after watching a few of your "Coffee" sessions while they workout, they may just approach your client in the locker room and suggest that your client try their trainer if they want results. By not pushing your client and getting results you are cheating them out of their money, eventually it will catch up to you. Call it karma, but while you are not delivering results to them, they are chasing away your business! Remember all of those people who watch you train for that hour for months and months? Those are the same people who are at the gym at the same time, consistently working out, consistently watch you take money and not deliver results. Not one of them is going to fill that newly opened hour with you, or any other hour with you. That one client that didn't want to work, preferred to talk, has cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars in future earnings. If you have a "coffee client" you have two options. * Option 1: Get them moving, You can make them fall into line by upping the aerobic exertion in-between sets with active rest, they will have trouble talking during the exercise or movement. * Option 2: Give them to a personal trainer you don't like, and let them ruin their business, not yours. If they do not fall into line, it makes no sense to keep them. It is like stepping over dollars to pick up pennies, and that makes zero cents! I mentioned that clients have the right to expect certain things from their personal trainers; here is a glimpse at the American Fitness Institute's Clients Bill of Rights. Client's Bill of Rights: * An injury free workout. * A personal trainer who is on time. * A creative, dynamic workout. * Sweat, elevated heart rate and to feel it the next day. * To be the only person on the gym floor, (at least in their personal trainers eyes). * Results For Their Hard Work. Conclusion Respect your client's Bill of rights and they will remain your client for years to come. For a more detailed look at the American Fitness Institute Client's Bill of Rights, visit www.afitrainer.com and click on the article link "Client's Bill of Rights". Losing a percentage of clients is part of the business of personal training, which is why you must always be prospecting, to replace the clients who drop off and keep your revenue flow steady. A large part of that process easier is to always be "On" when you are on the gym floor, be attentive to your client and professional, and potential clients will prospect you. The American Fitness institute teaches personal trainers to see the big picture, part of which is the natural process of gaining and losing clients. Clients may stop training with you for many acceptable reasons, including moving away, or changing health clubs. Losing clients because you fail to do your job is an unacceptable reason, and an unprofessional one as well. Creating a Sense of Urgency or "Hurry Up and Buy Personal Training, Now (not later)" Posted on Sep 15, 2008 - 5:11PM Creating a sense of urgency, or "Hurry up and buy personal Training, Now (not later)!" by Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola One of the questions we always get is, “How can I create a greater sense of urgency in the member to buy personal training?” The questions you need to ask yourself are: • Do they have a sense of urgency? • Is there an objection you haven’t uncovered? • Do they really want you? I’m going to address this issue from both sides. Why they will and why they won’t decide. It’s a perspective issue, not an opposite issue. (Half full, half empty, or partly cloudy, partly sunny.) Why do people decide they will buy personal training? They believe it’s safe. The customer feels that buying presents a safer way to go than the way they have right now. And that is: they are trying to attain a look or feeling by working out to satisfy something emotional, and are not accomplishing this on their own. They’re willing to risk. They believe risk is lower than the reward of ownership. Risk is measured by tolerance. And risk is often unspoken. No one is going to say, “I’m afraid to buy.” Rather they’ll say, “your price is too high.” They believe it’s the best deal. They have sold themselves, or justified the emotion of the moment with the logic of afterthought. They want it bad. Emotion drives purchase of products and services, especially personal training. People will line up a day in advance, pre-order months in advance, and pay hundreds of extra dollars to get what they really want. HARD QUESTION: How can you get people to “really want” what you’re selling? The answer lies within the four secret words of selling: “perceived difference” and “perceived value.” They’re passionate for it. Sports, weekend, hobby, ball game, or eBay. Willing to pay fast and maybe pay a premium. Whatever it is, price is not the issue. They need it bad. When hurricane Hugo hit the southeastern coast, in 1989 two-hundred-dollar chainsaws were selling for a grand. Don’t even ask about bottled water. The price of gas doesn’t matter when your tank is empty, neither does the price of cigarettes when you need one and you’re out. Out of stock and production has stopped? Price bows to availability. Impulse. See it. Want it. Justify it. Buy it. Greed. They believe that if they buy, that they will make a significant gain, or keep someone else from getting it. (eBay is a classic example of “gotta have it.”) Vanity. They believe that if they buy, they will look better or gain “one-up” on someone. Fear. They’re afraid that if they don’t buy that they will lose. NOTE: Fear of loss is greater than desire to gain. There are tons of other triggers for urgency. Here’s a list -- pick the ones your members might use, or one you might relate to: Deadline. Lowest price. Convinced by self. Persuaded by others. Must get this done. REALITY of URGENCY: It’s not just what I want, or what I need. It’s what I feel safe buying, and when is the best time to buy. It’s complex. There is no answer for “urgency.” Especially when YOU need the sale and the customer is hesitating for no apparent reason. It’s their motive, emotion, and logical justification balanced with their tolerance for risk, and you can even throw in outside influences. YIKES! Many decisions are made based on the person making the sale. Reflection of who you are – your beliefs and principles – the personal trainer’s passion and self-belief being transferred. The type of person you are determines your motives to buy. Same with your members. We personally don’t settle. If a store or has a “similar product” but not the brand I want, I go to another store. Or I’ll just not make a purchase at all. Others will settle. Which are you? More important, which are the buyers you’re trying to convince? And while there is no one answer -- your understanding of the situation will help you gain awareness of each specific situation. Six Simple Rules for Earning a Healthy Living as a Certified Personal Trainer. Posted on Sep 1, 2008 - 10:01AM Six Simple Rules for Earning a Healthy Living as a Certified Personal Trainer. by Evan Chacker First, ask yourself this question: If two Trainers both earning $50,000.00 a year, one who works forty hours a week, and the other works ten hours a week, at the end of the year which trainer is richer? Since both trainers earn the same amount of money, the question has less to do about money, and more about the freedom mentality of personal trainers. The person working forty hours a week is earning around $20.00 an hour, the one working ten hours a week is earning $100.00 an hour, they both earn the same $50,000.00 at the end of the year. Which Trainer Is Richer? I would argue that the person working only ten hours is much, much richer. An extra 30 hours a week to spend with friends and family or building your business is absolutely priceless. Time is why the ten-hour a week person is richer; they have the luxury of time. So how do we turn each and every one of you into the ten-hour a week $50,000.00 a year trainer, or even the 20 hour a week $100,000.00 a year trainer? It is a lot easier than you think and it is actually quite easy if you follow a few simple rules. These rules apply both to Independent and In-house Trainers in the clubs. Independent Trainers have more freedom in general, including with pricing, and In-house Trainers can earn a healthy living working inside of a health club. There is a lot less risk involved in going to work in one spot, and working for a club as a trainer is still filled with a lot of freedom, especially when you compare it to most other careers out there. In-house trainers can still follow the same simple rules and make the most they possibly can inside the club with the least amount of effort. Giving 110% Of Your Effort Has a manager, a coach or a teacher ever asked you to give 110%? I hear it all the time, and it is ridiculous, you can only ever give 100% of your effort. This brings me to the Pareto principal, which is more commonly known as the 80/20 rule. The Pareto Principle is that 20% of your effort is responsible for 80% of your return. Meaning 20 percent of your work brings you 80 percent of your money. Don't believe it? Well the 80/20 rule is an average that applies to just about everything, e.g. 20% of your floor get 80% of the foot traffic, 20% of the world population holds 80% of the worlds wealth, 20% of the drivers cause 80% of traffic accidents. It goes on and on. You Can Only Give 100% Of Your Effort. So when trying to build your business, that means that that don't try to put 100% of your effort into it, just your best 20%. Why? Because your 100% has a whole lot of unproductiveness mixed in with it. When prospecting, focus the best of your efforts, 20% is an average, so you can begin by focusing 10% of your efforts on building new business. Set up a time to be productive, put it in your schedule as an appointment so you will be sure to get done. Write it in your book and treat it like a paid appointment that cannot be moved or cancelled. 10% of 60 minutes is only 6 minutes. For 6 minutes, hit the gym floor and focus on setting appointments. Six minutes is the minimum, if you can do more effectively, do more. There are 40 hours in a traditional workweek, begin by scheduling 10% for building your business, which is only four hours a week. For those four-hours, you must force yourself to be productive. For an average of only 6 minutes an hour, you need to be focused on the single-minded task of growing your business. 6 minutes of focused effort can equal $100 an hour, twice a week totaling an additional $10,400.00 a year. That means that at least once every hour while in the gym you spend 10% of the time laser focused on setting appointments for first workouts, ignoring all distractions. 10% is the minimum; if you can do 20% stay out there for 12 minutes, but then take a break. Spend 10% Of The Time Making Appointments.. Outside of the gym, force yourself to strike up a conversation with a stranger, break out of your comfort zone and spend ALL of your prospecting time speaking to people you do not know. Follow the 80/20 rule, give your best and then recharge so that you can do it again. Below are a few simple rules to follow while giving your best 20% that will help you build your business in the shortest amount of time possible. They are effective both inside and outside of a health club setting. Six Simple Rules To Prospecting Effectively 1. Be Unavailable When prospecting, you are looking for only the best prospects that are interested in buying what you have to offer right now, even if all you are selling is an appointment for a complimentary first workout. If you prospect the floor with the composure of "I am just here to help" and "I am not looking for new clients", people will want to train with you, they will be drawn to you as a trainer. That eliminates the need for a free first workout, now you can charge for a first workout. The assumption most people will make is that a busy trainer is a good trainer, and people often want what they cannot have. 2. Prospect Like A Manager Would As a trainer, I followed these rules to pick up clients quickly, but when I was managing health clubs, it was always a lot easier to set first workouts for the trainers I managed. Approach prospects and always set an appointment for "one of your trainers." After they agree, let them know that you will train them yourself since you are interested in seeing them reach their goal. 3. Let Them Know You Want To See Them Reach Their Goal. I have found this to be one of the easiest and best ways to set comped workouts. Casually walk up to a prospect, build rapport and then simply offer to set the prospect up with a complimentary one on one personal training session with one of your teammates. If they say no, it is not to you but to your offer. There is absolutely no tension involved on either side of the interaction, no pressure at all. 4. Prospect With Another Motivated Trainer Prospecting in tandem is only effective if both trainers are equally motivated and equally gregarious. Target prospects that you have spoken with, but not pitched, the friendly people you feel awkward pitching. Simply walk up to prospective clients together and then one trainer endorses the trainer who is "up." It is as simple as saying you have to try and work out with this guy/girl he/she is amazing and perfect for you, you will definitely love it. That is called a 3rd party endorsement and if you are endorsing yourself, you just sound like an idiot, so try and find an outgoing trainer who also wants to grow their business and take turns. It is amazing how much harder a trainer will try to get an appointment for another trainer, usually much harder than they would for themselves. The way the "up" system works is a trainer is up until an appointment is made, then alternate. People ask some really silly questions, so let people see your trainer shirt and ask you if you are a trainer. Then follow the golden AFI Rules of what to do when asked that or any other question. 5. Let People See That You Are A Trainer. While you are working out, supermarkets, Starbucks, book stores, you name it, people will constantly ask me about fitness whenever I am wearing a trainer shirt, and I always ask them a question to gauge their interest and goals. Then I offer to set them up with a graduate trainer; it is that simple. So wear the shirt and set appointments. 6. Ask For Referrals You may already know that this is the fastest way to get new clients, but may not be effective at it. The best way to get client referrals is to simply ask your existing clients for referrals. You do not have to offer them anything if they are happy with you, they will be more than happy to help. Do not offer free anything in exchange for referrals from your clients. Offering free sessions for referrals has been known to be effective, but in my experience it is completely unnecessary and devalues your services. A quick way to getting referrals from clients is by giving referrals, so if you ask your clients for a large stack of their business cards and let them know you will be looking out for potential new clients, business and money for them, chances are they will do the same for you with out you having to ask them. Of course if they do not ask for your cards in return, offer them a few. Conclusion The number one rule is being unavailable; "I am not taking on anymore clients," is something you want to let new prospects know when you are discussing training. It sends a message that your time is valuable; let them know you are still interested in setting them up with a trainer to help them reach their goals. Then choose to train them yourself or to grow your business by hiring another trainer to hire them. By focusing your efforts for an average 6-12 minutes per hour and follow these six simple prospecting rules and you can easily become a Personal Trainer who works ten-twenty hours a week, $50-$100,000 a year trainer. It is easier than you think and you can do it by focusing the best 20% of your efforts. LISTENING! BUT, BUT, BUT? Posted on Sep 1, 2008 - 9:39AM LISTENING! BUT, BUT, BUT? Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola I have come across several sales associates (trainers) in my day. One thing always holds true. The better they are at listening the more clients (income) they have. So, what is the mystery behind being a great listener? Why do some do it better than others? Is it nature vs nurture? Is it the age of the sales associate (trainer)? Well, all of those things are factors - but not the answer. You can learn to earn, it just takes practice and a commitment to getting better. Did you ever wonder why we were all blessed with two ears and one mouth? If you lost one of your ears in a freak accident or you are deaf in one ear, it's still ok, you still have a 1-1 ratio. It just means more practice. Yes, I happen to be deaf in 1 ear! The basis for all communication is first seek to understand then to be understood. This means you have to utilize your ears and your brain and take your mouth off of auto pilot. For some this will be harder than others. The most common listening mistakes are as follows: cutting people off mid sentence because you think you know what they are going say, prejudging a prospect, thinking while someone else is talking. These bad habits can cause you to miss important and crucial information. Here are some suggestions: Try utilizing the "string of pearls" method. Simply put, everything that comes out of someone's mouth is a pearl. You listen first, then interpret (use your brain), then respond. Each statement is a pearl linked to the next by your response and question. If that doesn't help, here are the 14 rules to becoming a better listener. 1. Don't interrupt (But, but, but) 2. Ask questions. Then be quiet. Concentrate on really listening 3. Prejudice will distort what you hear. Listen without prejudging 4. Use eye contact and listening noises (um, gee, I see, oh) to show the other person you are listening 5. Don't jump to the answer before you hear the ENTIRE situation. 6. Listen for purpose, details, and conclusions. 7. EMPATHIC LISTENING involves interpreting. Interpret quietly! Feel what they feel, tie into their emotions. 8. Listen to what is not said. Implied is often more important than spoken. 9. Think between sentences 10. Digest what is said (and not said) before engaging your mouth 11. Ask questions to be sure you understood what was said or meant. 12. Ask questions to be sure the speaker said all he/she wanted to say 13. Demonstrate you are listening by taking action 14. If you decide to think during speaking, think solution and don't embellish the problem. I would like to issue a 30-day challenge to all who read this article. Try to go 30 days without cutting someone off mid-sentence. Not just clients, but anyone you come in contact with. If you can make it you will be well on your way to becoming a better listener. How Much Should I Charge for Personal Training? Posted on Aug 18, 2008 - 8:51PM How Much Should I Charge for Personal Training? Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola Have you ever done this: called up one of your competitors, assumed a fake voice and asked, "How much do you charge for personal training sessions?" Go ahead. Admit it. But here's the really silly part. Have you ever adjusted your session price to match or beat other gym prices? If you took Economics 101 in high school or college, you learned that selling prices for goods and services are determined by "what the market will bear." That means that members - the local area - decide what a product is worth, and will give so much money, but no more, for that product. After doing a fake-voice phone survey of a few local gyms, and setting your prices somewhere in their range (even doing the same type of price breaks for committing to more sessions), you might say you are charging, "what the market will bear". This beats going to the trouble of figuring out what your company's break-even point is. "We can't charge more than 'what the market will bear'!" is delivered as a logical reason for maintaining below-cost selling prices for personal training. But here's the rub. The "what the market will bear" rule applies to commodities, not services - like personal training. Commodities are products that don't differ much from vendor to vendor. Gold, for instance, is a commodity. Gold is gold is gold. Gold will follow the Economic rule of 'what the market will bear' pretty nicely. It will be directly affected by the law of 'supply and demand'. Economics 101 works well when you are talking about commodities. But it doesn't count for much as far as your products and services go. Here's the real rule, the 'street' rule, the rule they don't teach you in Economics 101 or Franchise Training: the local area, market or member doesn't set the selling price. The marketers (you) do. Why does Coca Cola sell for three times the price of generic colas? Why does Rolex sells watches for $50,000 when you can get a very nice watch for $100? Why did anyone pay $15,000 to cross the Atlantic on the Concord when a jet plane could have got them there for about $500? The marketers in this world differentiate their products, and make them something more than a commodity. Marketers create and communicate features that benefit consumers. Benefits add VALUE to the product. Coke is the real thing. A Rolex is a symbol of wealth and power. And the Concord went really fast (Speed is always a cool product feature). What does your personal training say to your members (what is the perceived value). Higher value commands a higher price. If value = price, then there is no sale. Cash in pocket will only be exchanged for something that has a higher perceived value. So, if a product is worth exactly what you are charging for it, no one will buy it. What usually happens is that you will drop your price until the value of your product becomes bigger than the price, and then sell. However, the marketer increases the value until the price looks insignificant. Then you have more profitable sales. You see there is a huge problem with basing your prices on what your competition is charging, on 'what the market will bear'. I bet your competition has no clue when it comes to knowing his break-even and the true cost of doing business. Because everyone in the industry, for the most part, is ripping off everyone else when it comes to pricing and price structure. And most don't even know how they got the prices that they have. They got their selling price by calling other gyms, gyms that are now out of business. Don't assume that your competition knows what they are doing! Lots of folks get confused when they set their personal training prices. They look at what everyone else is charging, then they hope and pray that they can make money at those prices. So, don't beat yourself up. Just do it the right way. Decide how much money you want to make - first. Offer a terrific product. Not just a trainer standing there counting reps, holding a clipboard and writing down a workout. Next - Figure out ALL your costs of doing business. Come up with a selling price that makes your dreams come true. Adopt a marketer's mindset. Create so much VALUE for your product that your customers beg to buy it. If you can create an EXPERIENCE that the member cannot duplicate on their own and find out the real, real reason why they workout - then they will love to buy at your price, not theirs. And forget what the 'market will bear'. Are you making the #1 mistake that cost trainers the most money? Posted on Aug 18, 2008 - 7:32PM Are you making the #1 mistake that cost trainers the most money? Evan Chacker, Founder - American Fitness Institute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lets start with the 2nd biggest mistake a trainer make which is accepting the 1st no when asking for the sale. why accept the 1st no when presenting training. Don't accept it, expect it and be prepared to over come it. You should be prepared to ask for the sale at least 5-7 times in 5-7 different ways. If you were at the door of a night club walking in behind 5 of your closest friends and the bouncer said that only you could not come in because you were wearing black sneakers instead of black shoes, would you just walk away? Probably not, you would probably sell him on why he should let you in. Be prepared to determine the true objection, overcome the objection and ask for the sale again. Always remember that after you ask for the sale, you stop speaking. The reason is that if you add anything else, the prospect can object to that. Equally important is that when you present the sale it is a yes based question. Example: You: "Based on what you told me, this is exactly what you want and need to get ready for X,Y,Z, right?" Prospect: "Yes" You: "So lets get started on your goal of X,Y,Z today, fair enough? You" " (say nothing for as long as it takes) Prospect:"Ok, do you accept cash?" You: "I will make an exception in your case" The last few times you ask for the sale, should be a little different, it is when you have nothing to lose, I call it "Getting real", and it is a little more aggressive than some of the other hand holding techniques, but it is for their own good. You are only asking them to buy what they are telling you they need and want. It is also after they have told you they are wasting money on things that pushes them further from their goals. Remember that it is ok to be passionate, it is not ok to be abusive or mean. Example of getting real: You may say,"Look if I was one of your buddies and I called you up and said C'mon, lets go drinking you wouldn't give it a second thought, am I right?... So lets put that money towards your health and guarantee you reach your goal, doesn't that make more sense?" Example of getting real: Look, you said your an accountant right? So do you change the oil in your car and rotate the tires, no. Because that doesn't make much sense either. Trying to do what you want to do here in a gym, you need professional guidance. I'll tell you what, you focus on what you do best and let me focus on what I do best, transforming your body into exactly what you want it to be. Lets get started right now, ok? Example of getting real: Look, you said you have been doing this on your own for 20 years and you still have not gotten the results you want. Doesn't it make sense to stop throwing away money and time? Stop banging your head against the same wall, instead doesn't it make sense to invest in a yourself a guarantee that this time with professional help, you can make a difference? Some people have to object, it is just a part of their buying process. People will object, so be ready to overcome the objections, make the sale and get more clients. The #1 mistake is not asking for the sale after a workout. Most times a trainer does not ask for the sale because the trainer has already sold themselves on the idea that the prospect is not buying. No matter what happens, as a trainer, after every workout you must always ask for the sale. Is It Satisfied Clients You're After? NO! Posted on Aug 4, 2008 - 11:30AM Is it satisfied clients you’re after? NO! Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola I’m sick of client satisfaction. The worst companies in the world tout the fact that they won some satisfaction award. It’s not just a bad joke. It’s a pathetic statement. Every club in the fitness industry, is hoping that their members will renew their membership, renew their personal training package or just buy more of whatever. They’re hoping that their members will spread the word about how great their products are, and about how great their people are. And they’re hoping to proactively encourage others to buy a membership, personal training, supplements or do any other kind business with them. That is NOT client satisfaction. That is client LOYALTY. Every health club must have loyalty as its mission, not satisfaction. Every health club must have loyalty as its imperative, not satisfaction. Health Club Corporate drivel mission statements talk about exceeding member’s expectations, talk about being number one in the industry, talk about shareholder value, and say NOTHING about the one word that makes all of these things happen: LOYALTY. The reason that health clubs, especially big health clubs, don’t stress loyalty is because it’s much more difficult to achieve, and requires both an investment, and a commitment on the part of senior management to instill. Client loyalty is a hollow statement unless it is preceded by a mission. REALITY: Every health club and its executives must be loyal to its employees, loyal to its product quality, and loyal to its service excellence. This means they must both invest in and support a loyalty imperative. HERE’S THE SECRET: Loyalty must be given before it is received. No health club or even studio can ensure client loyalty until they have secured employee loyalty. It amazes me that big clubs will layoff hundreds of people in the name of profit or shareholder value, and think nothing of what it does to internal morale, or the impact that it has on the reduction of service to its personal training clients -- even a reduction in the quality of its product. Loyalty is both an action and a process. Look at the best companies in the world. They have great employees. They have great products. They give great service. And they’re easy to do business with. This makes them attractive. And these are the elements that create loyalty. The one element that is most important is great service. Memorable service. Loyalty-based service. And that flies in the face of satisfaction (the lowest level of acceptable service). In our tele-seminars, we teach the 5,000-year-old ancient Chinese proverb, “To serve is to rule.” Giving great service is an integral part of the loyalty process and it’s a fundamental part of “giving loyalty before loyalty is received.” Going above and beyond the clients expectations is how to gain their confidence to buy again and again. Here are a few ideas to incorporate into your club’s loyalty imperative: 1. List all reasons that clients buy personal training from you. There are probably less than 15 (many underlying buyer motives, but usually fall under some health fact - lose weight, etc). 2. List all barriers that you place in front of a member connecting with you or you connecting with them. There are probably less than 10. (no trial of a personal training session - no reference point of your service, lack of prospecting, members that go straight to a class and immediately leave, your schedule, etc.) 3. Once you have all the opportunities and all the barriers listed, have a weekend retreat with general manager or personal training supervisor (if applicable), personal training manager and personal trainers to determine best practices, generate new ideas for serving and making their "experience" one that is memorable and cannot be duplicated on their own or with a competitor, and making it easier to do business with your club. Document (record) everything. 4. Put the ideas and the best practices into action. Create a training program for best practices, and invest whatever is necessary for making your club “barrier-to-buy” free. 5. Rather than announce all of these changes in the form of a bragging advertisement, or internal hoopla, let your members have an opportunity to react and respond to your new and better way of doing business. Let the referral part of your business begin organically. Let it be earned, not asked for. Let every session be one that goes above and beyond their expectations. Learn what those expectations are and not just satisfy them, but go above them to create LOYALTY. Loyalty that says, "I would rather buy from you, than from anyone else. I would like to buy it again from you." 6. All members of club management must support this process both verbally and visually. If you’re going to evolve from satisfaction to loyalty, it has to be “hands on,” not just “words on.” I wish more clubs would add to their mission statement that they’ll be loyal to their employees -- so that their employees would be loyal to their customers -- so that their customers would be loyal to the company. That is a loyalty chain. And it doesn’t start with satisfied customers. It starts with ownership and management understanding that loyalty is a way of life, not just a word. That loyalty starts at home, not at a customer’s place of business. That loyalty is earned by a process, not by a wave of a wand, or even by product excellence. And loyalty is easily measured. Just look at your repeat business. You should have an average of 50% of all personal training sales as repeat clients, and obviously 50% on average should be new clients. Satisfaction is also easily measured. Just look at the customers you lost. They are in the form of clients who just don't buy personal training again. Whether it is after one month, three months, nine months or even a year later, a loyal client will be a client for life. Try to introduce personal training into their lifestyle rather than changing their lifestyle to accommodate personal training. Build Your Personal Training Business by Setting Personal Goals Posted on Aug 4, 2008 - 10:15AM Build Your Personal Training Business by Setting Personal Goals Evan Chacker CPT, AFI Founder If you do not set a goal, you will never achieve it. When it comes to training more sessions, goal setting is a must. Determine where you are now, and where you want to be and write your goal down. Your chances of achieve your goals increase 50% just by write down and periodically reviewing them (something you may want to share with your clients). Answering the following questions will help you in setting your session goal and reaching it. * How many sessions did you do this week? * How Many Sessions will you next week week? * Are you happy with that number? * How can you increase that number? A fast way to add extra sessions is to call your existing clients and ask them to come in an extra day e.g. if they train twice a week, ask them in for a third time. Another sure fire way is to add more clients to your client list. Just like a weekly sessions goal, you should also have a monthly new client goal. Here are a few short cuts to building up your client list 1. *Ask your most satisfied clients for referrals. 2. Call up all of your old clients who stopped training 3. Prospect using what you learned from AFI *If asking for referrals in not your strength, think about adding "The greatest compliment a client can give me is a referral to one of their friends." I have seen it often enough in many other industries, but never in personal training. Referrals should be a large part of your client growth strategy. Rock Your Workouts Like a Hurricane Posted on Jul 16, 2008 - 9:04AM Rock Your Workout Like a Hurricane Martin Rooney PT, MHS, CSCS, NASM So you want to look like a UFC warrior and don't want to get punched in the face? Here's the great news. There is a method of training that will not only get you ripped with bigger muscles, but is also easy to perform, an exciting change from your regular routine and can take less time to produce more results! Enter the Hurricane A hurricane is a powerful, yet brief storm that leaves destruction in its wake that then calls for renewal and rebuilding. Hurricane Training relies on the same destruction and renewal of a person's body and has been used to produce both the physical results and world titles my warriors have achieved. I now believe this is a perfect form of training for every person regardless of his or her battle aspirations. In nature, the more powerful a hurricane, the more damage is left in its path. As a result of storm intensity, there is more time, energy and resources that have to be spent to rebuild the region bigger and better than before. When you apply this same principle of intensity and destruction in the gym, you can take advantage of numerous metabolic and hormonal responses that will produce unprecedented results. Science has determined as workout intensity increases, metabolically more energy will be required to get your body back to a physiological resting state. So the greater the intensity of the Hurricane, there can be more calories expended over a longer period of time. That increase in metabolism and added muscle building from weights make the hurricane a great tool in weight management, body fat reduction, and strength! So why do these calories need to get burned? Just like the buildings, roads, etc. that need to be rebuilt and restored after a hurricane in nature, the following are a number of physiological variables to restore after the hurricane: Restore Energy Sources Decrease HR Decrease Ventilation Decrease Body Temp Increase Cellular Repair Decrease Blood Lactate Increase Oxygenation of Blood How Does the Hurricane Training System Work? Hurricanes are categorized using a scale from 1-5. Category 1 is the easiest and Category 5 will be the most demanding and potentially productive. Every Hurricane utilizes nine sets of cardiovascular training (treadmill sprints). For Hurricanes 2-5, two different body weight and/or weighted exercises are performed after the first 3 sprints (Hurricane Round 1). Then two new exercises are selected to coincide with the next 3 sprints (Round 2) and again for the last 3 sets (Round 3). So a Hurricane Workout equals 9 total sprints and 18 sets of weight training to be completed in 20-30 minutes. Talk about intense! Whether you are a fighter or just want to look and train like one, Hurricane Training is for you! Using this workout, your old routine will have no choice but to tap out. |
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