Hey there, Bedros Keuilian here 🙂
You’re about to read a funny guest post from my good friend and mastermind client Josh Carter. When he told me the story you’re about to read I knew it was a blog post waiting to happen…
So without any further ado… here’s Josh!
We have all seen it happen. A prospective client walks up to the hot trainer with the 6 pack abs and instantly wants to train with them. Writes them a check on the spot.
I hate those guys.
For most of us it is not that easy (if it is that easy for you, stop reading now, jerk.)
You see, trainers come in all shapes, sizes and intelligence levels.
I have seen hot trainers (both male & female) who are moron trainers yet seem to have a full roster of clients.
I have seen brilliant trainers who are less than fit (some fat) and have next to no clients.
And then there is most of the rest of us, lying somewhere in the “hot to homely” / “genius to dumb ass” spectrum with varying levels of clients.
The trick is to be able to be a fat trainer and have a full roster. Ah yes, the holy grail of trainerdom. (Well, maybe not)
But that is where our story begins….
There was one fat trainer I once knew who always seemed to have clients-, I’ll call him Joe. Joe was a minimum 50 pounds over weight, yet most of the time he had no trouble getting clients (retaining them was another issue and that’s another story.)
A few years back I owned a gym in North Hollywood, and Joe was a trainer that worked there. Joe was also a fearless salesmen. I mean NO fear. This guy could sell ice to Eskimos. He always seemed to have no problems filling up his schedule, mostly with hot young women, even though he was fat and 20 years older than most of them.
Joe was not afraid to approach anyone on the gym floor, or even walking by, and talk to them about training. Although I never asked, I assume he never read anything on sales or marketing (I don’t even know if he could read), but the guy just seemed to have a gift.
One day Joe and I and a few others were hanging out at the front desk when a hot young thing started to pass by outside. Like someone had just stabbed him with a cattle prod Joe sprang into action as he sprinted for the door.
I just sat back and watched the show, which I had seen before but it was always entertaining. I heard Joe say something flattering to the young lady like “Hey you look great, would you like me to tell you how I can help you look better?”
She turned and shot him a look, and quite emphatically told him “ F&^K YOU, MOTHERF^$CKER!!!”
Joe simply shrugged, apologized for disturbing her and turned back and headed into the gym- completely unphased.
A few moments later, after I recovered from my cramp inducing laughing fit I asked him how he could do it. How could he go out there and talk to a woman he didn’t know when THAT was a potential outcome?
He simply stated “You can’t get a hit if you don’t take a swing.”
Ah, profound words from an otherwise un-profound man.
Whether he knew it or not, those words were the secret to his client attraction success. I took those words to heart, and repeat them to myself when I am feeling unsure about my current marketing course. Successful marketing requires you to be fearless, relentless and at times ruthless.
Like the great Babe Ruth once said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
There is one other guy I know who is even better than Joe at marketing and sales (plus the other shiz that comes after that.)Â His name is Bedros Keuilian.
His marketing and sales strategies follow the “You can’t get a hit if you don’t take a swing” methodology.
Bedros has said to me on several occasions “Throw it against the wall and see what sticks.” Sometimes something will work, sometimes it won’t. But you will never know until you try.
If you need successful sales & marketing strategies with a low potential for hot women telling you to “F off”, this is your guy.
Now, I’m not saying you should be a fat trainer. I think we have a responsibility to inspire our clients on multiple levels, including but not limited to practicing what we preach.
What I am saying is that YOU CAN be a fat successful trainer if you adopt the “You can’t get a hit if you don’t take a swing” mentality in your marketing and sales.
Now go out there and fearlessly kill it. And if you need some guidance, check out CloseClients.com and get the skills to close 9 out of 10 clients. And if you want some killer done-for-you marketing material and proven client getting ads, postcards, letters then check out TheArtOfSellingFitness.com.
A-N-D if you have a funny story about a trainer you once worked with be sure to leave it in the comment box below so we can all get a good laugh 🙂
Until Next Time,
Joshua Carter
Calabasas Personal Trainer & Rock Star