There’s Always a Fitness Marketing Opportunity
Hey, Bedros Keuilian here,
Inspiration comes at the weirdest times and places. For me, I’ve had a lot of ah-ha moments about my businesses and life in general while on vacation, away on a business trip, and even at a ball game.
By good friend and body transformation expert Josh Carter had an ah-ha moment yesterday at the carwash. It was one of those ones that really drive the point home so I asked him to share it here on my blog.
Enjoy…
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Today was a big day for me. Why? I got my car washed. Why is that a big deal? Simple really. I have several personality traits that make getting my car washed a rare event.
First, I am exceptionally lazy.
Second, I am extremely impatient.
Third, I am a cheap bastard.
Being impatient means I hate taking the time to drive it in when there are so many more important things I could be doing (napping comes to mind). Being lazy means that I sure as shit am not going to wash it myself. So yeah, my car stays dirty most of the year.
Being a rough and tumble personal trainer, I can get away with having a dirty SUV most of the time. I say it shows that I have “character”. But there comes a point when enough is enough. The number of empty water bottles alone meant I could not fit any passengers and the amount of dead bugs on my car significantly increased my wind drag. Plus my wife says it smelled like protein farts,( but then again she says that about wherever I have been.)
It was time. I could deny it no longer. So off I went to the local car wash.
While I cannot deny that I am a cheap SOB, the truth is I do not mind spending money on certain things. But a car wash is generally not one of those things. And so when I pulled into the car wash I haggled the guy into giving me the $49.95 carwash for $40. The dude handed me a big red plastic card that read “$49.95 Hand Wash” (which was my claim check) and so I paid the $40 and I headed over to the waiting area.
As I sat there for almost an hour, returning calls and playing with my cell phone something caught my attention. Out of the 14 people sitting there waiting for their cars I could see 9 of them had the big red $49.95 claim check - just like mine. Those were just the ones I could see.
Now this place offered a basic $17.95 car wash too, but all these people opted for the $50 “ultra” service. $50 freakin’ bucks to get their damn car washed. By the way, these were not all Mercedes and BMWs, these were normal people cars - Fords, Hondas and Toyotas etc.
Good news for me is it looks like I am not the only lazy one - but that’s not my point.
My point is, like me, these people are not averse to spending money on a quality service. They could have gone with the basic cheap-o service - but they didn’t. Even in this shit economy nine people were spending $50 on a Wednesday at noon to get their car nice and shiny. (and that’s just while I was there)
Let me bring this home for you - if they are willing to spend $50 to make their car look all pretty, how much might they be willing to spend to make their bodies look all nice and pretty?
The economy is what it is but here is the truth of the matter: People have money. People have money to spend on training. If they can spend $50 to wash their car, you damn well better believe they can spend at least that much to get trained. I am not saying you should advertise in a carwash (hmmm….) but people can afford you *IF* you are offering a quality service.
The trick is to find people who want what you offer and are willing to pay what you charge. If you’re marketing to the wrong market - stop. If you’re niche is broke… find a new niche.
People still have money and they’re willing to part with it *IF* you give them a compelling reason to.
I have talked to too many trainers who whine that they are not doing well because of the crap economy. That is bullshit. They are doing shitty because their marketing sucks- plain and simple.
Even I have had to step up my game - but my numbers have never been as good as they are right now.
If you buy into the defeatist mentality that the economy (or anything for that matter) is what is holding you down then you are doomed to fail. The only limits are the ones you set for yourself. People can afford you.
Your services are worth it.
Believe it.
Attack your marketing. Be ruthless and relentless.
No matter how well you are doing tell yourself you can do more- because you can.
Hold yourself to higher standards.
The clients are out there for the taking - my hour at the car wash proves it.
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Hey, this is Bedros again…
I agree with Josh 100%. Don’t you? Tell me what you think below.
Comments on There’s Always a Fitness Marketing Opportunity »
Yup,
I’m doing better this year than I have since moving to Orange county from L.A. (4 years ago).
I know I can do better though… a lot better.
So, I’m going to do whatever it takes to grow my business.
Stepping up my game, getting out of my comfort zone, etc.
See you this weekend!
Josh,
Great words to live by. As a 25 year old, I am proud to say that business has not been better! This month I had my first 15K of profit month! For some that might not seem like much, but only 2 years out of college I am pumped.
I live in Madison, but am writing this at a friends in LA ready to go to the FBS09 and am SO pumped.
I have an extra spot or two in the hotel room, so if there are some last minute people looking for a place to split the cost, let me know at 608 772 6651.
Thanks,
Dustin
http://www.madisonbootcamps.com
http://www.fatlosstipsforwomen.com
Donovan "DFitnessguy" Owens @ 8:23 am
I agree with this message Josh. The hell with the economy. People still want what they freakin want and they are going to get it.
The point is to make sure they know you have it.
I’ve really stepped up my face to face networking and have landed some major deals. I love to build relationships with decision-makers and watch as they open the door for me. I make it all about helping them and in that they discover what they want.
Then I deliver.
Get out there and get people to know who you are and what you do. You can only do so much behind the damn computer. Be real-get out and shake hands (don’t let the SWINE flu scare you).
Good shit Josh!
Donovan “DFitnessguy” Owens
Gday Josh
Great post mate really nips the economy excuses in the ass.
Its really a mindset that so many trainers I see fall into. At my gym now the word among some is… how the hell can we expect to sell 60 grand in training this month? Don’t they know we’re in a Recession. People are not buying…
Which is horse shit… funny thing is those people also have crap marketing and do bugger all about it. If they took Whining and made it a marketing tactic (and it actually worked) theyd sell 100k per month.
Awesome stuff and thanks Josh
FBS here we come…
Woooooo!
Adam Toohey
KAREN GENINATTI @ 10:39 am
I AGREE WITH JOSH ALSO! I HAVE A WAITING LIST WITH OVER 60 PEOPLE ON IT. I ALSO THINK IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO WALK THE WALK AND TALK THE TALK! PAYING FOR QUALITY TRAINING IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR HEALTH, NOT JUST A LUXURY. BOTTOM LINE IS YOU SAVE MONEY ON DR BILLS…MENTAL AND PHYSICAL!!! MAYBE THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO TAKE AS MANY VACATIONS ETC…BUT WE CAN SHOW THEM HOW TO BE HAPPY IN A SOMEWHAT NOT-SO-HAPPY TIME
GOOD JOB JOSH AND BEDROS!
Bedros I have your course and your close clients dvd - wow! thanks
i would like to ask a few questions that have not gotten answered on another post - i know u r busy but this a big one
1. most importantly - i got on eft now. I realize that that in your book you assume that if someone trains 3 times per week to keep it simple - thats 12 sessions a month but…
we know there are 52 weeks in a year so we turn to steve hocmans method of 52 weeks in a year and divide by 12 to get the right number so trainers dont end up short a months pay but…
in a recent post of yours where you show josh carter holding up his contract he does i assume a third method. his client signed up for 4 sessions per week at 55 bucks and he arrived at 935 per month.
he obviously doesnt do 4 sessions per week x 4 method because that equals 880
he obviously doesnt do hochmans method of # of sessions in a week x price per session x 52 / 12 because that is 953 (unless he accidently messed up)… his total figure was 935
eventhough this method has never been discussed on this blog, what i think he did to arrive at 935 is do this so please correct me if i am wrong
# of sessions per week(4)x # of weeks in a year(52) = 208 sessions in a year.
i think he then took 208(number of sessions in a year) and divided by 12, which got him 17.33 sessions per month. I assume he dropped the decimals and charged based on 17 sessions per month average which would get him the 935 total per month total he came up with(as you can see in the picture). I think you lose a little money with this formula so please give me your thoughts
@Mitchell truth be told there are several methods to sell training. The thing is you want to make sure that you don’t shoot yourself in the foot by charging for 4 x a week when some months have 5 weeks.
In that example above Steve Hochman’s method makes total sense and that’s why I like it.
In my PT Business Course (http://www.TheArtOfSellingFitness.com) I tell you to look at a year as 48 weeks because you’re NOT selling “times per week”
instead I teach you to sell a total number of sessions; for example: 48 sessions = 1 x week, 96 sessions for twice a week, 144 for 3 times a week, and 192 for 4 times a week.
Essentially you’re selling the client a block of session that they will use up over a period of 12 month at a predetermined number of sessions per week.
And because some months have five weeks in them - that is why I teach you to take first and last month down upon making the sale so that YOU are always ahead.
Josh Carter uses a hybrid version of what Hochman and I do. That’s the cool thing about it… once you “GET IT” you can tweak and change the system to fit your specific business needs.
Bedros
Michael Duivis @ 1:26 pm
Man, If this right now is a BAD economy….I don’t even want to know what a GOOD economy looks like.
And it’s all obvious too - the malls are still packed, the clubs are still selling bottle service, my girl just bought a $16oo Chanel bracelet….all things that are not ‘necessary’.
Btw Josh - protein farts are horrible. They stay embedded in your carseat FOREVER it seems.
ok so I was right that Josh uses a slight variation and just cancels out the decimal figure to keep it simple for clients and have the number divisble by their per session rate?
correct?
Also, are you a fan of changing the monthly payments should someone not hit 17 sessions per month lets say, or do you just inform them of the “rollover” rule but urge them to be committed and use up those sessions WITHIN THE SAME MONTH even if the per week sessions vary slightly? when you start rolling over from month to month I feel that would get tricky.
What I mean is you really cant change the payments to lower if they dont use their “pre-paid for” sessions within the month because they are getting a discount based on committing to a certain number of sessions per month - agree?
thanks for being accessible and buying your stuff was the smartest thing i have done for my business in 10 years. really great info
Raj Thompson @ 5:32 pm
I agree 100%
I been saying the same thing for awhile. People can afford training, they’re just so lazy and comfortable being the way they are but wanna spend $300 on a purse or $100 on some Jordans. It’s all about how you present yourself and your product
Craig @ 11:33 pm
I agree too!
It’s all about the marketing! I have finally learnt this from Bedros.
If people don’t want your service it’s not about the money it’s just that what you presented was not worth while to them.
http://www.reclaimyourbody.com.au
wayne large exercise nutrition coach (UK) @ 11:48 am
Dude since coming back from FBS09 a week ago i have sold just over 6000 GBP (about 9000 USD i think) worth of personal training. thats the power of these events and if your serious about this business you owe it to your self to make sure your there at FBS10. I have made some changes very small changes, and the difference is amazing. Awsome Bedros see you for sure again at FBS10