Ryan's Q&A Thread - Building Successful PT/Coaching Businesses

[playatrainer]

I love this topic. For me the answer was developing myself as a salesman and marketing expert. Of course you need to know how to train people and to have some education and that part comes easy but at the end of the day what pays my bills and allows me to help people are the sales and renewals I get and the referrals and relationships that I build with clients. At first I struggled as a part time trainer and then the secret to my success as a trainer was working as a timeshare salesman for 6 months years ago.

Well eventually I realized that the timesharers I was selling were not a good value for people and I quit but the amazing sales training i got taught me how to ask for the sale, use trial closes and all kinds of sales psychology that has helped me to confidently and enthusiastically sell something i do believe in. Fitness and myself. I started selling training like crazy.

More recently I have studied marketing and it has helped me move to the next level. So my opinion for anyone who wants to build a successful personal training business like i have is to make the study of SALES and MARKETING the priority and focus on giving people more value and an awesome fitness experience. A personal trainer is a salesman, teacher, coach, psychologist, friend, counseler, entertainer, role model....

[2020Wellness]

I love this topic. For me the answer was developing myself as a salesman and marketing expert. Of course you need to know how to train people and to have some education and that part comes easy but at the end of the day what pays my bills and allows me to help people are the sales and renewals I get and the referrals and relationships that I build with clients. At first I struggled as a part time trainer and then the secret to my success as a trainer was working as a timeshare salesman for 6 months years ago.

Well eventually I realized that the timesharers I was selling were not a good value for people and I quit but the amazing sales training i got taught me how to ask for the sale, use trial closes and all kinds of sales psychology that has helped me to confidently and enthusiastically sell something i do believe in. Fitness and myself. I started selling training like crazy.

More recently I have studied marketing and it has helped me move to the next level. So my opinion for anyone who wants to build a successful personal training business like i have is to make the study of SALES and MARKETING the priority and focus on giving people more value and an awesome fitness experience. A personal trainer is a salesman, teacher, coach, psychologist, friend, counseler, entertainer, role model....

This is such a quality post! And you are 100% correct. You will obtain NO clients if you can't sell a training package and the more job security you want, the larger the packages you need to sell, which require more selling experience and confidence.

I definitely agree with this post and for all up and coming trainers, you NEED to have a good sales game. I'm not talking about being deceptive or pushy, I'm talking about showing people what you'll do for them to help them and then being confident enough in your services, your abilities, and believing that what you're selling is valuable. If you do those things, and incorporate some basic closing techniques, sales will be made!

[martaxfit]

Ryan,
I am starting my own online personal training business, but I am having a really hard time with constructing the packages and the pricing. I have an idea of making something like a "6 week beginner" and a standard 12 week program, one for building muscle and one for burning fat. Can you please give me some ideas on this? Also, what's a good program for designing workout programs?

[2020Wellness]

Ryan,
I am starting my own online personal training business, but I am having a really hard time with constructing the packages and the pricing. I have an idea of making something like a "6 week beginner" and a standard 12 week program, one for building muscle and one for burning fat. Can you please give me some ideas on this? Also, what's a good program for designing workout programs?

I personally don't like the idea of training programs that are short term, as it's impossible to get anything substantial done to the body in such a short period of time. Since you're just starting out, I understand the idea of a shorter term package for selling purposes. However, I don't understand the reasoning behind it from a 'results for the client' standpoint. To me, if you go with what is best for the client and explain to them why it's best, you will succeed quicker. A 20 week testimonial is going to be much more impressive than a 6 week testimonial.

When it comes to making programs, you should be using your own knowledge, research, and experience to design your programs. I've never used someone else's programming on clients and never intend to.

[KyleAaron]

I programme individually, but I start from the basic principles laid out by others. No need to reinvent the wheel.

[2020Wellness]

New Year's is upon us, brace yourselves!

[DeadlyStriker]

New Year's is upon us, brace yourselves!

Here's my question/backstory. I am 24 years old, have a sport related degree, am currently employed outside of the fitness industry, do not have a personal training certification (studying for nasm just to have one), have experience with an internship doing sport performance enhancement (as well as teaching group classes of kids and adults of varying ages), and I am personally going to be competing in both powerlifting and bodybuilding. I have trained many of my friends, as well as helped them with their diet.

I decided to save up and am moving to California within the next 2 months. I want to get into the fitness industry, believe I can be successful, and believe that California will provide many more opportunities than the area I am currently in. I want a change of pace. I am doing this because this is my passion. I love helping people achieve fitness goals and having them see how the results effect their lives like it did mine. I'd rather work my ass off doing something I love than slave away doing something I hate just for a decent pay check.

Here's my question. What are some good tips to get gyms/clubs/etc to notice me and give me a chance? I can't really meet face to face. I am moving there, but would rather have at least some interviews set up for when I arrive. My credentials aren't too impressive, but I believe I have a good working knowledge that is better than a lot of these bogus corporate, average joe trainers. I still have a lot to learn, obviously, but how do I show them that from my position? One thing I had to do for a class was to create a personal website for potential employers. That has since been lost, but would that be a good idea to send them that along with my resume/cover letter? It would have an about me, social media links, testimonials, pictures/videos, etc.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

[2020Wellness]

Here's my question/backstory. I am 24 years old, have a sport related degree, am currently employed outside of the fitness industry, do not have a personal training certification (studying for nasm just to have one), have experience with an internship doing sport performance enhancement (as well as teaching group classes of kids and adults of varying ages), and I am personally going to be competing in both powerlifting and bodybuilding. I have trained many of my friends, as well as helped them with their diet.
What's up DS? Sounds like you have a real nice resume for training, especially after you've obtained your NASM certification.

I decided to save up and am moving to California within the next 2 months. I want to get into the fitness industry, believe I can be successful, and believe that California will provide many more opportunities than the area I am currently in. I want a change of pace. I am doing this because this is my passion. I love helping people achieve fitness goals and having them see how the results effect their lives like it did mine. I'd rather work my ass off doing something I love than slave away doing something I hate just for a decent pay check.
NICE choice on doing something you're passionate about. Obviously, I agree with people who do what it takes to do what they want in life. The only reason I'm successful with my fitness career is because I have refused to do anything else from the first day I started all of this. Other options exist, but I don't take them. With your mindset and confidence in what you do, you will do well. There may be some struggles, especially in a crowded area like California, but you have to remember that so many trainers really aren't very good and they don't know how to go far with their businesses. Be a good trainer, a good salesman, and have a good business mind. If you do those things, you're golden.

Here's my question. What are some good tips to get gyms/clubs/etc to notice me and give me a chance?
You're moving in two months? Why not do something old school, but noticeable and uncommon, like sending them a letter every day or every few days saying that you're moving, have passion, experience, and really want to train in their gym. They'll notice you, it'll become almost a running joke that your letters keep showing up, and you'll have something to laugh about and set you apart when you actually walk in their door. That was just the first thing that came to my mind. Get unconventional!

I can't really meet face to face. I am moving there, but would rather have at least some interviews set up for when I arrive. My credentials aren't too impressive, but I believe I have a good working knowledge that is better than a lot of these bogus corporate, average joe trainers. I still have a lot to learn, obviously, but how do I show them that from my position? One thing I had to do for a class was to create a personal website for potential employers. That has since been lost, but would that be a good idea to send them that along with my resume/cover letter? It would have an about me, social media links, testimonials, pictures/videos, etc.
I think anything you can send about yourself that is impressive is a good idea. There is really nothing to lose here.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

You've got some of my thoughts above! Thanks for posting and I hope you actually make the move, try it out, and remove the possibility of living your life always wondering what would've happened if you tried.

Ryan

[DeadlyStriker]

You've got some of my thoughts above! Thanks for posting and I hope you actually make the move, try it out, and remove the possibility of living your life always wondering what would've happened if you tried.

Ryan

Thank you for the reply, I really appreciate it. Yea I am definitely going to make the move. I am single now, just been working and not really doing anything I want. I need a change of pace. I have gotten too complacent. I will definitely take your advice and implement it. I think the biggest thing I need to work on is the business/selling aspect of it. And I like the unconventional thinking. Will think of some different things to maybe try.

Thanks again (from a fellow Ryan)

[kylegsp]

Hey man, enjoying your thread. I'm a pt at a Snap fitness in New Zealand. I have a few questions. I seem to always go through patches of really good times and then average times. For instance i was earning about $2000 a week for awhile then it slowly declines and goes to about 1000, i cant seem to keep it high for very long. it could be due to less leads, or focusing too much on getting new clients and neglecting the old ones, i don't know. Do you experience this and do you have a way to slow the fluctuations down?

i Also hate cold approaching, i am pretty good at sales and have a high close rate but i don't get enough leads from the manager to keep at $2000 a week, Do you have ideas for ways i can get more leads without floor walking ? i might try out your fishbowl idea

Also i tried online training, using trainerize but found it hard to find enough clients to make it worthy of paying for the software, what would you recommend to make it worth my while ?

[2020Wellness]

Hey man, enjoying your thread. I'm a pt at a Snap fitness in New Zealand.
While I'm about to end my relationship with the current Snap Fitness I train at, I've trained there for the past 8 years!

I have a few questions. I seem to always go through patches of really good times and then average times. For instance i was earning about $2000 a week for awhile then it slowly declines and goes to about 1000, i cant seem to keep it high for very long. it could be due to less leads, or focusing too much on getting new clients and neglecting the old ones, I don't know. Do you experience this and do you have a way to slow the fluctuations down?
I actually did experience this in the early years of my training and it drove me crazy. I would be constantly worried about maintaining my income, clients dropping, etc. But, through experience and learning from others, I changed the way I operate and that fearful feeling faded away. This thread is all about passing knowledge, so here we go! The best thing you can do to eliminate this feeling is to increase the length of your training agreements. We all begin with training agreements that are just a few sessions long or something like that. This provides very little job security, obviously. So what you need to do is sign clients up for longer bundles, having them pay monthly and automatically through the gym's billing system. I sign clients up for 12 month packages now, so I have no major monthly fears of my income changing drastically. Sure, it may change some, but that's just a part of being self employed. Trust me, get some longer agreements going and you'll feel better.

i Also hate cold approaching, i am pretty good at sales and have a high close rate but i don't get enough leads from the manager to keep at $2000 a week, Do you have ideas for ways i can get more leads without floor walking ? i might try out your fishbowl idea.
Just try the fish bowl idea before worrying about anything else. Put some transformations on a flyer by the bowl and tell the members to drop their name for a free consult. When someone drops their name, pull it out and get in touch with them. From there you have the opportunity to close them.

Also i tried online training, using trainerize but found it hard to find enough clients to make it worthy of paying for the software, what would you recommend to make it worth my while?
I see zero point in paying for a service like that as an online trainer. My business thrives on online training right now and I have never even thought about or looked into an outside service. All of my files are selfmade and all of my billing is done by me as well. If I was using software to send out files, etc, I feel like it would seriously diminish the uniqueness of my programming and people would drop me as their coach. Do it all yourself and you'll be better off in the end and also look much more impressive to your clients.

Really good questions Kyle, especially the last one about the online training software. Actually, the first question was awesome too, as it allowed me to go over the importance of agreement length again for others to see too.

Ryan

[nobsfitness1014]

Ryan,

I've spent this week reading over this entire thread and let me just say its a gold mine of information. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to answer all of the questions. I have a few questions of my own if you don't mind.

First off, I'm 24 years old and graduated from university in 2014 with my B.S. in Kinesiology. I have worked in a few different gyms since graduating, but only as Sales/Management. This has been really good for me just in learning some of the ins/outs of the fitness industry as well as working on my selling and closing. However, the 2 gyms i was most recently at both shut down unexpectedly due to poor ownership leaving me jobless and with a very sour taste in my mouth for the corporate fitness industry. Like many in this thread, I ultimately want to have an online coaching business as my primary income source. Do you think it is realistic to want to build an online coaching business without necessarily doing personal training at a local gym first?

[2020Wellness]

Ryan,

I've spent this week reading over this entire thread and let me just say its a gold mine of information. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to answer all of the questions. I have a few questions of my own if you don't mind.
As I was looking at the new posts for the day, I saw my own thread and had to chime in instantly. You're welcome man. I'm telling you I'm passionate about this stuff and I really think that when a person is passionate about something, telling others about their passion just comes naturally. No, I don't mind at all.

First off, I'm 24 years old and graduated from university in 2014 with my B.S. in Kinesiology. I have worked in a few different gyms since graduating, but only as Sales/Management. This has been really good for me just in learning some of the ins/outs of the fitness industry as well as working on my selling and closing. However, the 2 gyms i was most recently at both shut down unexpectedly due to poor ownership leaving me jobless and with a very sour taste in my mouth for the corporate fitness industry.
I know exactly what you mean about the corporate fitness industry. It's incredible how gym franchise corporations tell potential franchisees that they can sit back at home and collect money from their gym while their manager does the work. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Managers don't care much about someone else's business and the turnover rate is insanely high. Also, when paying a manager, that is all cash that the owner doesn't get to put back into their business to better it. It's a cycle that often leads to complete failure or just a really poorly maintained gym/business. In both cases, the members and trainers lose. BTW, that sales bit by corporate about being an absentee owner attracts owners who are actually NOT into fitness. It's a recipe for disaster, but I'm suspicious that the corporations actually like it when a franchise fails and turns over to a new owner. Why? Every new owner is another franchise fee check cashed for corporate, which is often in the $25-50k range. Think about it.

Like many in this thread, I ultimately want to have an online coaching business as my primary income source. Do you think it is realistic to want to build an online coaching business without necessarily doing personal training at a local gym first?
I do think it is possible, yes. I can tell you that it's possible because my online business was built completely separate from my local appointment business. I may have used a couple of local testimonials here and there, but those played a VERY small role in the growth of my current online business. So yes, it's possible; I've done it.

There are many good questions floating around in here lately, I like it.

[nobsfitness1014]

There are many good questions floating around in here lately, I like it.

Thanks for the super fast response man! Completely agree with you on franchises and franchisees. My experience will make me look incredibly hard before getting involved with another gym chain.

Aside from my own training and job searching I have a ton of spare time on my hands right now and am trying to use the opportunity of more time to really make some strides toward getting my business up and running. With you being someone who has done what I want to do, what would you say are the 2 or 3 most important aspects to actually getting things started? I'm ready to put the work in, but not sure exactly where to begin? Thanks for any help!

[DeadlyStriker]

After reading the other responses and questions, I have a few more of my own haha.

1. You say you create your own programs and do your own billing. How do you set that up? What programs do you use? Just curious.

2. What is a typical day in the corporate gym like? How do you maintain your client information? Your own computer and programs, or does the gym have a system in place that you use?

I may be having a lot of questions here and there, so sorry in advance haha. As you can tell, I am pretty unfamiliar with certain aspects of corporate gyms and programming/organization ofmany clients. You have a wealth of knowledge in this industry and I want to pick your brain lol.

[kylegsp]

Thanks for the response Ryan, In New Zealand its not very common to go for large packs of training sessions, I usually put them on a direct debit system, i was thinking about doing a 30 days notice thing like snap does, What do you think ?

Congrats on going solo, im wanting to do that eventually. want to get my masters in counseling and do both the mental and psychical side and have my own studio eventually.

im going to try investigate online training, i was thinking of getting referrals from clients of people that may need help but are not in the area, what else do you recommend, i started a ******** page but couldn't gather enough interest. Also lastly i havn't asked my current clients for referrals yet, how would you approach them ?

[kylegsp]

Thought about what I could do about retention. I was thinking of making a new contract of 30days notice to stop training and have a cancellation fee. I think 12 month's would be harder to sell, our gyms quite small and majority arnt wealthy. What do you think?

[2020Wellness]

Thought about what I could do about retention. I was thinking of making a new contract of 30days notice to stop training and have a cancellation fee. I think 12 month's would be harder to sell, our gyms quite small and majority arnt wealthy. What do you think?

I'm going to get to everyone's posts above, but had to chime in on this one quickly. I've had a couple of deaths in my circle recently, so I'm a little bogged down with time. Forgive me for taking longer to response than normal, but I have good reasoning.

30 days notice and a cancellation fee are fine concepts to add into your agreement details. They are sensible, reasonable, and should not deter anyone from signing up with you. You are right about those things.

Where you are wrong is assuming that wealth matters in someone signing up for a 12 month agreement. If they sign up for a 3 month agreement or a 12 month agreement, their monthly cost is the same. As a result, we can't say that wealth actually matters. If they are able to afford the monthly payment, which will vary on session frequency, that is all that matters for them to sign up.

I know for a fact, from years of personal experience and from watching other trainers sign clients as well, 12 month agreements are NOT only for the wealthy. I've had people sign 12 month agreements who are working basic jobs, living in a modest apartment, etc. I've had a high-schooler actually get a job as the school janitor to pay for his training with me and he turned out to be one of my most memorable clients, and actually like a son to me. The point is this; if people value your services, they don't need to be rich to buy them.

People sign up for 30 year mortgages for 1000s of dollars a month without any certainty of their future, they won't scoff at a 6 year car loan for 100s of dollars a month, and knowing those things, you can certainly understand how a measly 1 year agreement for $100-200 per month is viewed in their minds. Think about it

I'll leave you with this, I built a personal training business of 30 sessions per week, at $40.00 per session, in a 2000 square foot gym with 400 total members in a small town in Minnesota. This is how I know that wealth isn't the determinant of a potential client becoming a long term client!

[kylegsp]

thanks man, no rush. trying the fish bowel idea today. also going to try get people on new contracts. appreciated

[2020Wellness]

Thanks for the super fast response man! Completely agree with you on franchises and franchisees. My experience will make me look incredibly hard before getting involved with another gym chain.

Aside from my own training and job searching I have a ton of spare time on my hands right now and am trying to use the opportunity of more time to really make some strides toward getting my business up and running. With you being someone who has done what I want to do, what would you say are the 2 or 3 most important aspects to actually getting things started? I'm ready to put the work in, but not sure exactly where to begin? Thanks for any help!

You need to focus on actually getting in front of peoples' eyes and providing them with something of value. Message people, help them on a forum, tweet towards them with an answer to a question they're answering, etc. People aren't going to search for you right now, so you need to search for those in need and provide them value for free. As your discussion with them grows, which you started by helping them with their question, make it obvious that you are an online trainer/coach.

Whether they work with you immediately or not, they'll know that you helped them at one point and that you are the person they should reach out to in the future. That's important and you want to build up the number of people who know that as much as possible. People don't want to see an ad for you as a coach, they want to see a real person talking to them and helping them. Just put yourself in their shoes, it helps.

You can accomplish the above through multiple forms of social media and forums, and that is what I would focus on with your spare time.

[2020Wellness]

After reading the other responses and questions, I have a few more of my own haha.

1. You say you create your own programs and do your own billing. How do you set that up? What programs do you use? Just curious.
I use Excel for my programming files and I bill through PayPal. You can set up a PayPal business account on their website and create invoices as needed. For local appointments, I'll get a client's CC information and run their payment monthly through PayPal Here on my phone.

2. What is a typical day in the corporate gym like? How do you maintain your client information? Your own computer and programs, or does the gym have a system in place that you use?
Well, in a nutshell, I show up, do my sessions, and then leave. In the beginning though, I put in many hours at the gym NOT doing sessions. That was when I learned the value of being present when it comes to signing up members and brand new members for free consults. Signing up clients works like this:

1. Be present to shake their hand as they complete their membership sign up process and ask if they'd like to schedule a consult.

2. Sign them up for training through the consult.

3. Train them and as you are training them, other members see you in action and gain interest in your services. Since you have a place for people to drop their name for a free consult, those interested existing members sign up for the free consult.

4. Sign more people up for training through their consults.

5. The cycle continues to repeat itself.

Client information is maintained on my own. I personally provide every new client with a free three ring binder and I put a new training sheet in their binder every time we have a new session. That sheet contains their workouts for the week. We do one together during our session and they do the rest on their own, recording their performance so I can see it and they learn the value of tracking.

I've use this binder/providing sheets method from the start, as it seemed very logical to me. Some tell me I'm giving too much information away to them, but I don't agree with that at all. I'm giving them a tool to keep them doing my plan even when I'm not there. They are paying me their hard earned money and I'm not about to give them less of an experience than I'm able to. I haven't had one client tell me that since they have the binder with workouts in it, they don't need me anymore. It just doesn't work like that and isn't a problem that you need to be afraid of.

I don't use the gym's computer for that stuff either. I print their sheets out at home and bring them into the gym that day. For me, leaving all my programs on the gym's computer would be a mistake. I created them and I don't want other trainers using them, to be honest.

I may be having a lot of questions here and there, so sorry in advance haha. As you can tell, I am pretty unfamiliar with certain aspects of corporate gyms and programming/organization ofmany clients. You have a wealth of knowledge in this industry and I want to pick your brain lol.

Check my answers!

[2020Wellness]

Congrats on going solo, im wanting to do that eventually. want to get my masters in counseling and do both the mental and psychical side and have my own studio eventually.
Here's something funny, my wife has her masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and opened up her own counseling/therapy business two years ago. She now has a space with two offices and a large waiting area, two employees working under her, and is actually very inspiring. She works two full days a week, charging nearly $100.00 per hour (more for couples and initial assessments), is cash only (doesn't mess with insurance), and has a very upscale/civilized clientele as a result. And here's something else you should truly look into, because she is awesome at business; she wrote a book on how to start a private practice.

http://www.amazon.com/Start-Mental-H...ustomerReviews

On the counseling side, this would be of great interest to you. Also, her website is www.southmetrocounseling.com and would also be helpful for you to browse.

im going to try investigate online training, i was thinking of getting referrals from clients of people that may need help but are not in the area, what else do you recommend, i started a ******** page but couldn't gather enough interest.
How long did you work at your FB presence before forgetting about it?

Also lastly i havn't asked my current clients for referrals yet, how would you approach them?
I want you to read post #144 in this thread for a realistic outline of how much importance you should be placing on client referrals.

Answers above!

[makeitbrah]

Thanks for keeping this thread going 2020, and sorry to hear about your loss. My prayers to you and your family.

Checking in to bump this thread and share some progress. I recently had a job offer for a GM position at LA Fitness, but turned it down because it would be too distracting to my overall goals. I find that I lack focus and get quite distracted when it comes to other opportunities, so for me to turn this down was a huge step for me. Still working on my NSCA cert and plan to have it done in the next couple months.

How has business been for you lately? Anything new that you're implementing? Any 2016 initiatives?

[2020Wellness]

Thanks for keeping this thread going 2020, and sorry to hear about your loss. My prayers to you and your family.
Much appreciated, very much appreciated. I can tell you're really taking the time to read things through in here, which I really like.

Checking in to bump this thread and share some progress. I recently had a job offer for a GM position at LA Fitness, but turned it down because it would be too distracting to my overall goals. I find that I lack focus and get quite distracted when it comes to other opportunities, so for me to turn this down was a huge step for me. Still working on my NSCA cert and plan to have it done in the next couple months.
I made a post about your paragraph on my FB wall because it impressed me:

This is what focus on your passion looks like. Here's a check-in from someone following and utilizing my free Business Success thread, which is all about improving your business and following your passion. The thread is here and the person's check-in is below:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1416106183

"Checking in to bump this thread and share some progress. I recently had a job offer for a GM position at LA Fitness, but turned it down because it would be too distracting to my overall goals. I find that I lack focus and get quite distracted when it comes to other opportunities, so for me to turn this down was a huge step for me. Still working on my NSCA cert and plan to have it done in the next couple months."

This person shows great self-awareness, which is a huge skill to have in order to grow a business. You must know what you're good at and also where you're lacking. Nobody is a master of every domain. He knew the management position would take his eye off the prize so he kicked it to the curb and is keeping his focus!

How has business been for you lately? Anything new that you're implementing? Any 2016 initiatives?
I got the biggest bump ever this year without doing any marketing, so it's a great sign. New Year's hit at a time where I just didn't have spare time to get out and market, so I'm excited to get back into the marketing game because I love it ALOT. I took a break from my daily videos, hopped off FB and IG, etc......but I'll be firing things back up this week and already have here and there.

New this year will be a heightened focus on short YT videos, bringing to life apparel for my company, and also aiming to do more detailed client features either in video format or in article format. I want to tell a story about a client, not just provide stats. You know, really bring the potential client into their world and show them that the client is not a super hero, but a real person just like them. And of course, I want to keep providing tons of free value/content to my social media audiences because they love it!

Great check-in 'brah!'

[makeitbrah]

Great check-in 'brah!'

Thank you for the kind words brother, I'm really glad you shared that. Hopefully it can help inspire someone else!

That's great to hear that things are going so well for your business. They say you'll never go broke by giving, and it couldn't be more true in your case. I love the business model, and will implement something similar when the time comes. How are you going to attack the marketing aspect? Have you found success with any "old school" techniques?

I do have another brief question... what do you think about starting online training while I'm working on my cert? I don't want my clients to think I'm cheating them, but at the same time I just have this itch to get it started.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. And again thanks for keeping this thread alive.

[kylegsp]

Thanks man, i tried for a few weeks on ********, only got 150 or so likes, but i didnt do any research on it, just got friends to like. ive been reading into ways to improve my social media and im working on a new site atm, Ive been watching some of Bedros K. stuff on pt business and its helping me get a better idea of things, think i was just focusing on training people instead of looking at it from a business standpoint.

Also heaps of thanks for the fishbowl idea, ive got 22 leads in 3 days, 10 ive booked in for programs and three ive already done.
two of them where hard to get but got for one a week and the other i got for two a week, great idea man. Never would of thought of it

[2020Wellness]

Thanks man, i tried for a few weeks on ********, only got 150 or so likes, but i didnt do any research on it, just got friends to like.
That is exactly what I thought you'd say and it's what I see too commonly. You need to try for a few YEARS and then come back and see how it went You are building a business and trust me, it does take time. It's commonly said that year 5 is when you really start to begin experiencing the fruits of hard labor. You can't give up after a few weeks, you need to be consistent with it even if you're getting NO response. Because just think, after a year or being consistent, someone will visit your page and see a ton of great content and consistency. They will like the page at that point, but they're not going to like it if they see something that was worked on for a few weeks a year ago. Get it? You wouldn't just walk into a store that had a few items on the shelf and be blown away. You'd actually turn around, walk out, never return again, and probably tell your friends how ****ty that store was. But if you walk into a decked out store that impresses you, you buy something and you come back again too.......you also tell your friends how amazing it is. Your ******** page is your store and people visit it. How do you want them to look at it?

ive been reading into ways to improve my social media and im working on a new site atm, Ive been watching some of Bedros K. stuff on pt business and its helping me get a better idea of things, think i was just focusing on training people instead of looking at it from a business standpoint.
I'm not familiar with that person, but good on them if they're helping you too.

Also heaps of thanks for the fishbowl idea, ive got 22 leads in 3 days, 10 ive booked in for programs and three ive already done.
two of them where hard to get but got for one a week and the other i got for two a week, great idea man. Never would of thought of it
I'm telling you, it's so simple that people wouldn't think about it. It's a good feeling to see the walls of that fish bowl filling up with pieces of paper with names and contact information on them!

Thanks for the update. For others reading, as you can see, we're real people doing real things in here.

[kylegsp]

yeah i see what your saying, im going to try link my site with my social media accounts so that they are always being updated, might advertise my website at the gym and put a box on the site where they get a free ebook if they like my page and enter their email.

How do you sell to really young kids and older people, they tend to have low income or none so i usually just give them a good program and not close, i was thinking about asking if their parents support their goals and then make them feel the need to ask for pt sessions

[kylegsp]

Also for your online business, do you just create your own templates for the programs you make and send them to them after they pay?

[2020Wellness]

Thank you for the kind words brother, I'm really glad you shared that. Hopefully it can help inspire someone else!
It is.

That's great to hear that things are going so well for your business. They say you'll never go broke by giving, and it couldn't be more true in your case. I love the business model, and will implement something similar when the time comes. How are you going to attack the marketing aspect? Have you found success with any "old school" techniques?
Considering that I don't use Twitter much at all, don't have a SnapChat account yet, and have a weak IG following (even though I post good content), I'm pretty old school. I'm doing a lot of emailing and actual online talking with people. To me, that's an old school technique. I feel that even though people are so different in how they communicate today than they were a decade ago, we all still like to have a real person who we trust for a topic we're interested in learning about. I'm the guy that people know they can reach out to for anything training or nutrition. I'll give them a real response and take my time to do it, as you can see through this thread. To me, that is also old school because people just don't do that anymore, which is strange to me.

I do have another brief question... what do you think about starting online training while I'm working on my cert? I don't want my clients to think I'm cheating them, but at the same time I just have this itch to get it started.
I think if you're honest with your potential clients, if they ask, it's going to be fine. To be honest though, 99% of them won't even ask. From my very first client after passing my NASM exam, to the most recent client I signed up last week, less than 10 have asked about certification or qualifications. People don't care. If you can get them the results they're after, that is what matters to them.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. And again thanks for keeping this thread alive.

Oh, this thread is going to end up like my first GST thread in the workout programs section, which is closed due to 10,000 posts!

Ryan