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307 Stop Booking Sessions

The document presents a session on building a fitness business by transitioning from selling personal services to offering knowledge and expertise through various formats like books, webinars, and speaking engagements. It highlights the importance of understanding client needs and promoting through social media and cross-marketing strategies. The presentation is led by fitness expert Debra Atkinson.

© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

NO Photos or video Please!

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Time

Money
Energy
•Limits:

Creativity

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Individuals to multiples

Privates to Groups

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Move from selling YOU….
to selling your knowledge
and expertise

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Books Presentations Webinars Teleseminars dvds Sponsorships

PRODUCTS and SERVICES

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?
BEGIN
WHERE TO

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

They write this in testimonials and feedback forms…
They refer their friends to you for…
They share these problems or goals…
This is the problem you solve for them…

GIVE them what they want

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

In multiple formats

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

BOOKS
e-books

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CDs

Recorded Seminars

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Recorded Conference Calls

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DVDS
DOWNLOADABLE VIDEO CLIPS

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Speaking Engagements
Hosting and Guesting

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Webinars and Podcasts

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CEC courses: Faculty
Status

Blog
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E-letter
Article Writing
cross market
Tip sheets
Social networkwww.ideafit.com

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BLOG:
wordpress.com
blogspot.com
vs.
imbedded into your site

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m
E-letter
or E-zine

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www.constantcontact.co

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Articles for print – online- Demand Studios, Livestrong, IDEA,
AFAA, ACSM, newspaper, monthly women’s magazine or
metropolitan news

Author

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© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Cross Market:
your books-their books
complimentary services
complimentary products

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Tip Sheets
top 10 lists
fabfive
100 days
30 day
Challenge
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Facebook Pro Page – Twitter – Linked in - Hootsuite

Get Social

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Share it!

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Check out this video! Like this?

© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

A. Four Hours a day, 13 years (24/7) in a
life time, and about 2 million dollars
in revenue
B. The average amount of time lost over
a lifespan watching TV

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Show and Tell: Don’t Sell

© 2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Presented By:
Debra Atkinson, MS, CSCS
www.voiceforfitness.com
Debra Atkinson, ms, CSCS
debra@voiceforfitness.com

www.ideafit.com

307 Stop Booking Sessions

11.
© 2012 IDEAHealth & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved. They write this in testimonials and feedback forms… They refer their friends to you for… They share these problems or goals… This is the problem you solve for them… GIVE them what they want www.ideafit.com
23.
© 2012 IDEAHealth & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved. Articles for print – online- Demand Studios, Livestrong, IDEA, AFAA, ACSM, newspaper, monthly women’s magazine or metropolitan news Author www.ideafit.com
29.
© 2012 IDEAHealth & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved. A. Four Hours a day, 13 years (24/7) in a life time, and about 2 million dollars in revenue B. The average amount of time lost over a lifespan watching TV www.ideafit.com

Editor's Notes

#2 8:00am If You’re always chasing sessions you’ll never be able to retire because you’re building the business around YOU. Do you want more business? Do you need to drive more people to you that want one-on-one sessions? Or drive more people into your bootcamps and groups services? Do you really want to find a way to make more money …making a difference…in less time? Less time away from family, your own personal exercise or activities of enjoyment and recharging. If you answered “yes” to any of those, you are in the right place! There is something ironic in the flexibility of our jobs- most people love the flexibility that they have…we love the flexibility of our 80 hour work weeks
#3 8:04 IDEA has asked me to post this…I will stay after for pictures..though seriously no one has ever asked! I don’t think I’m at risk here! 26 years in the fitness industry…doing everything from group fitness, to directing group fitness, to fitness floor assessments and orientations, membership sales, personal training, directing. I taught for 13 years in the department of Kinesiology at ISU and observed students thoughts about what they needed to know as I was managing a staff of trainers knowing what a manager or owner wanted them to know and have written much about the gap…which is where my interest in the business of training evolved. I happen to like sales...I think it’s part of the creative process of solving the client puzzle and making sure they feel good about what and why they bought and the value of that investment. I too have every challenge around time and how to use it and grow this more wisely, I still come up against them myself and with staff members. So the ideas I share with you- I’ve implemented some, I’m implementing more and yet we have a little under two hours- it’s going to fly..and isn’t enough time to go into a step-by-step for each but I can give you resources for getting started. There’s a formula I’ll share.
#4 8:08 If you are always chasing the next session, you’re always going to be on the verge of broke and hungry. What happens now if you go on vacation, or get sick or a child or your aging parents do? For many, you don’t show up that revenue also doesn’t show up. You don’t conduct that session in many cases, not all, someone else doesn’t do it for you…so that session isn’t conducted or collected ….you don’t earn anything if you don’t show up? Or in the case of your staff members if you’re the boss….they don’t work, they do n ’ t get paid. We ’ ve got some very talented in-demand trainers on our staff….with four kids…or aging parents….they want more security about sick days and revenue that ’ s predictable. How do you help them so you can keep them? If you struggle with selling you’re always going to be hungry. This isn’t a session about selling strategies, but it is about how to use your work time wisely for a better type and bigger return on WHAT you sell , and HOW and WHY you sell it. Learning to make a great offer is a secondary part of what happens next once you decide what you want to do in your business.
#5 8:10 The problem with the earliest personal training model…is that you are selling your time . At first with one-to-one clients most often. I randomly asked two of our peers here to testify to their biggest business challenge right now- what they were contemplating about their own growth. 1.) the first, Carolyn, said she wanted to find a way to grow her business without selling her time 2.) the second, said scheduling was the major problem…everyone wants the same hours 9am MWF slot …she’s out of time 3.) the last gentleman I asked shared his greatest challenge really was about compliance with nutrition changes so clients see results…how to get them to change and make it stick All great answers! The first two, and even the last…the reason we’re here today! We’re talking and IDEA is listening!! We’re all saying the same thing. There is plenty of opportunity but we’re out of time and we become a little less enthusiastic in our 75 th hour of a work week… As we expanded…partner, team training, small group and large group bootcamps are growing. Raise your hand it you do private sessions…raise your hand or keep it up if you do group sessions, and last…raise your hand if your group programs are where you’re now spending the greatest amount of your time or your focus to get them to grow to that capacity? Where once you were doing groups 10-20% of the time and now it is 50% or more… So you’ve begun already to find a way to solve this issue of time for yourself. In this room, is there anyone who is in a push-pull with the wonderful flexibility of their job…all 80 hours a week of it? If you’re an entrepenuer can be easily true. Its’ difficult to shut off and the quality of your life outside of work may blur- now that’s not all bad- if you love it that way and you’ve got family and loved ones who feel that way too- no one is trying to fix you…I’m talking to you if you want to reduce the number of hours and still make a greater reach and have more TIME for you. Energy-putting energy into the right or the wrong places all the time- distinguishing where the greatest return on your time will be.. Creativity- if you’re doing the same thing over and over…booking sessions, seeing those clients, repeating the same steps…there is both ease and risk to that- you lose the space for creativity with a ‘busyness’ Money-money is always what you’re worried about or making sure that you don’t…throwing money at advertising not seeing a return on your time..
#6 8:15 What if I said you need to change your business model? The time you personally spend in sessions should be much less than it is now. What are the revenue sources that you currently have? Training hours? 100% Other trainers working for you? 20-50% Products? Writing articles? That you get paid for each time they are seen and read? How much of your time is service = $ and then it’s gone and you have to repeat it to be paid again? If you truly want to reduce the number of contact hours, or not grow them you have two choices – grow groups..and that has a ceiling of sorts. How many of you have products and services that you sell other than your training services alone? If you’re sitting next to them, consider yourself lucky and find out what it is they’re doing and how it’s working. I’m going to challenge your thinking about how you spend your time. Move from 90-100% selling your time to as little as 25-30% of your time spent training and the rest making the most of selling your expertise in a way that frees you up to enjoy the journey a little more. So what other revenue streams can you come up with and deliver?
#7 8:18 We hit the obvious already…necessity is the mother of invention, right? It’s an economical win for the customer, for the trainer, and a better way to LEVERAGE your time…serve more people in fewer hours. e.g. you have a single session at $50 6 hours a day = $300 revenue/commission base/day (6 hours) OR you have 3 bootcamps with 20 people each paying $15 each per hour for $300 revenue/commission base per hour = $900 (3 hours) OR you’re Kara and Chris Mohr and you’re charging $300 a month for 95 people in your bootcamp business and you have one class a day and knock that out of the park with your focus and service …and in between do other things that allow you to be with the little people or doing what else you love to do. LEVERAGE your time! The hour that is most popular for you right now…you’re more likely to fill with a group. 9am should become a group! Be a critical thinker about all of the things you have heard at the conference. Whatever you have heard me or will hear me say…think about the model of business of the person talking and how it works with your model, or if yours needs or you want to change. Everything won’t work but don’t sort through it yet…listen, consider it, share ideas, write down the ones you love. Go back and circle during lunch or tonight...the things to act on- come up with an action list that you’re going to do Monday, Tuesday, etc…. We you in my session yesterday? We talked about operating from systems and repeating tasks done step-by-step to give you freedom. There is no re-inventing the wheel, no remembering what to do next. It’s there. Right there on paper, simple. Now not only do you and the front desk, the accounting department…whoever else is involved know what their role is, but you can easily train anyone to do the same thing and delegate. The evaluation of those things gets simple. The system and steps are there. Did they get done in the order of expectation or not and according to the volume or quota expected or not? A meeting is straightforward and easy. Less emotion, less drama. I had to let a trainer go last week. I had reasons to do it sooner and had three documented incidences where we’d talked about performance and standards she wasn’t meeting. This last meeting she initialed each of three additional situations that came to my attention. Based on the job description and standards she’s agreed to at hire, I asked for her resignation in the meeting. She went into the office, wrote it, submitted it, keys and uniform and I had three hours to get her afternoon sessions covered. Not pain-free but not dramatic…because there was a system. Use a system with your groups . Who here has begun a group with a creative flair based on your unique expertise or talent? Make it a system. You can determine what you have to do because it has to be your personality and what you can teach others to do because they just need the knowledge and steps so then their personality will shine. Consider whether it’s ego or a real need to do it yourself. There will be some pain initially…teaching someone else and managing them can take more time than doing it yourself…raise your hand if you’ve found that out…right- but teaching is a system too! Have them observe you, have them learn the material, have them teach parts of the session, create a file or template, maintain a session folder documenting progression, have the frequency of handing out flyers- providing healthy snacks- samples from nutrition stores…all there, no guesswork. The evaluate them based on all your criteria…from attendance, every person getting two individual comments and use of their name per session, number of interactive activities and number of individual, etc. If they pass they’re ready, if they don’ t they have a second chance .. You provide an hourly or a commission base to them and take an override from that. First step toward you growing your business. YOUR BOOTCAMP or BUSINESS NAME: Miss Katelyn’s School of Fitness…name of your personal training business- make sure it’s something that you could sell. Results Fitness, Reality Fitness, something that doesn’t eliminate a market.
#8 8:25 The idea is to sell not YOU and your limited TIME but to sell your KNOWLEDGE and message In unlimited ways. People want what you know and they want it morning, noon and night, when they’re at home and when they travel. Find a way to reach them with your solutions to their problems in such a way it is a win for both of you. Here is perhaps the hardest work. Letting go of ego or having to do it yourself, letting go of the baby and trusting it will walk on it’s own. Sponsorships- companies sponsor you and you travel around promoting them Corporate Programs – managing a corporate program …can be sold Your Email list…grow it so it can be sold, or it can sell you- and you to a book publisher Sell someone else’s product….TRX, become an affiliate Sell a membership….for your services- your newsletter, teleseminars, a bundle of teleseminars Train the trainer programs….CECs or otherwise teach others based on your own experience and expertise EXPAND your REACH and your INFLUENCE
#9 8:38 Stretch your brain today and expand your business so that you repackage and repurpose your message to be delivered even when you’re on vacation, sick, or in the bleachers watching your kids do their thing. Avoid one key error in this process of making better use of your time: What are the ways you can deliver your message? (the way trainers often want to start) Making sure that you know WHAT your Message is is the best way to start. Even if you think you know what it is, do your homework and research and be absolutely sure.
#10 8:30 What is your message ? Not, what is it that you want to say. You’ll have a great book or CD or DVD, all 5000 of them stacked in the garage and eventually your spouse is going to want to park their car in their again. What do your clients want to hear you say? That’s the best place to start. Raise your hand if you are aware that physical inactivity is a much greater risk than obesity? That physical inactivity is a greater predictor or mortality than is overweight or obesity? Raise your hand if you advertise a weight loss or fat loss benefit to your programs? Raise your hand if you advertise “increased physical activity” as a benefit to your programs? Why??? Because intuitively (or because you’re a genius- and either one is good) you know you have to advertise using words that draw the client. You have to use words that the prospects themselves are using about themselves and the problems they have. Weight is the bait, right? We want them to stay for so many more reasons…confidence, esteem, energy, sleeping better, loving better, working better, reaching their goals…as well as losing the fat but you have to start talking about the muffin top…because they are!
#11 8:32 If you want to bridge the gap between now…many sessions, many hours, some income, always looking for the next, a roller coaster of peaks and valleys in income………and a more stable and higher income, fewer hours and having a greater reach …you first need to listen.
#12 8:33 IDENTIFY your unique message. What questions are you the answer to? What do they write in your testimonials about you? What sessions or bootcamps do you offer that fill repeatedly? If people refer to you….doctors, PTs, current clients….why- what have they said about you that they value? Ask your current clients why they keep coming back. You may have to create a special feedback/testimonial form for them. What is your “brand” ? If 50 or 38 other trainers are doing what you’re doing, you need to be able to distinguish what is different about you that a client will value. If you focus on these things…your uniqueness and your brand and it is something your customers value…there ultimately is no competition- spend time promoting your special attraction to your clients and the right clients will find you. We are not the lowest price in town. In fact depending how you buy, we’re among the highest rate in town. We won’t sacrifice that to compete with rates because our standards for who we hire and how they’re educated and and then how they deliver service is above and beyond. We instead focus on an integrated package. Yes we’re a full service facility. We want to educate our members to use the facility and all it’s programs and services according to their needs so they have a huge playground and not a stop for an 8 week bootcamp that will be “over”…..we want them to understand lifestyle change, changing their diet, not going on one, learning to eat out with better choices rather than avoiding eating out during the 8 weeks they’re involved in training, etc. We’re not about the quick fix at all. We cater to those who need modifications and individual knowledge before they go into a group training or class. What question are YOU the answer to? Why YOU? What question is your business the answer to? Why YOUR BUSINESS? Why NOW? Will be the last question eventually….Why should your prospect get involved NOW? Take three minutes to respond to each of these….no stopping no judging no evaluating right now
#13 8:39 Give them what they want…in multiple formats. You can’t be with more than one, two, 60 people at once…who else and how else can you serve them? What formats can you come up with to deliver your message??? What things have you already packaged that you can re-package or re-purpose?
#14 8:40 Publish or self-publish? A publisher is a steep hill. Not that it can’t be done. Here’s the route though if you haven’t done it. Come up with your concept. Make sure that you can point out who the market is and how big it is; research the other books on the market under the same umbrella and talk about them by name and author and publisher- how is yours different, better, unique? QUERY LETTER, PROPOSAL Where will you sell the book? How will you promote it (yes you personally) you have to have a platform- stand on a stage regularly, have a huge list of names via your database and email list…that help show how connected you are to potential buyers, have a radio show a television spot, a regular column…. Then WHY you…what’s your background, what makes you the unique author that should do this better than anyone else? You’d propose the table of contents, chapters and describe the content of each, plus give them a sample chapter so they can read how you write. Then you mail it, email it – to several publishers…using their first names spelled correctly…and pray. When I did this for Healthy Learning… and for Benjamin Cummings before that for a supplement to a text book, my list was less important for the text for instance- because they already had universities and names to sell to- but it did appeal to them that at our university we had 6 courses each semester with 30-50 students per section so they could see a potential for 500 books every year to our university. To Healthy Learning, I was able to show that through my continuing education courses, university courses, regular personal training business bootcamps, and their own presence as a fitness resource supplier present at IDEA, IRHSA, Club Industry, NSCA, etc they would have a big market as well. Talking to a Wiley editor however, I pitched another book last August and the missing piece in the proposal was the strength of the platform. They want you to show how you’ll sell 15000 books in about 6 months- the biggest impact time for a book. They weren’t convinced I could do that. So I’m working on it….growing my lists, expanding my platform, hosting more business training for trainers in 2012, etc. and I’ll try again- but meanwhile working on other venues for the content. WHY a book? Credibility. Self published vs. big house? Money from the sale vs. credibility. In the case of my book…I want it on a shelf…on Amazon…for the many trainers who aren’t involved in IDEA YET to gain a realization of resources out there so they can get better connected and grow their own credibility. For the most profit off a book? Self- publish. You may have $2 to $5 invested in the book, selling for $20 …you do the math. A publisher is going to send you a residual check …every quarter for 5% of the book sales at worst. You can buy at 50-75% off depending and resale for a greater profit. IDEAL….Credibility first, then the self-published route for the profitability. Repurpose the materials- e-books- often a publisher will set that up for you. For instance, I have a link to send to a client- once they purchase online, I get notice of the sale and then I provide them with the link to download. You can make this even more simple and do an e-book yourself (self-publishing at it’s simplest.) Have them purchase it, send to them a pdf file and or a workbook (3-ring set up with or without the binder included) Where will you get the content? Remember your message. What is your message? Do you blog? Those blogs can easily become a book. Have you got 101 blogs? Becomes 101 ways to make a diet change vs go on a diet…101 Duct Tape Diet Changes…They’ll Stick! 101 workout formats – never repeat a workout all year! HOW-TO
#15 8:50 1.) Teleseminars: FreeConferencecall.com – Get Paid for that Brand New content: “making the most of your choices” for on the way to work…Five ways to make today a lower stress, higher productivity, greater satisfaction day. If you have a Mac- you can do this already…..just get a mic- and get help if you don’ t know what you ’ re doing. I am not your technical expert but I am your content entrepenuer…I am doing this though- I have the content/scripted and need a little more rehearsal time. You record it, send it off to Disk.com for instance. 2.) Get Paid for the Recording of it. Audio CDs for playing back in the car vs MP3 version for computer playback. Think about how the product will be used and who your clients are…older cars or stereo equipment – CD is the way to go…computers…MP3 Or Recordings of content you’ve already delivered. You do a speech or presentation- have it recorded or copied live; you do a coaching call with a client…get permission first but record that and have it sent and packaged for them as a part of the service. Or record teleseminars- you presenting on the Value of Vegan ….or the Secrets of the Thin…including the questions that are asked and you answer…. 3.) Sell the transcript of it- just that the script written out- no new content just a different format. Maybe on a call you invite..Len Kravitz, or Todd Durkin, or Peter Twist to guest on your show and you do a panel with them on functional training or aerobic vs anaerobic work and results…
#16 9:05 Use downloadable video of you delivering a live speech (again- it’s a double dipping kind of thing- you already did it, and you’re collecting in the future on it). Or create a special program for your audience- a special on back care or core work, a golf conditioning program, etc. Not avaialable on YouTube- if you’re making them pay for it- you need to have them pay, then send them the link to this special VIP access-only product. If you already are doing it, it doesn’t take a lot to repurpose it. Do it yourself find out if there is a demand…before you invest. People forgive the picture but not the sound- so be sure that’s working for you
#17 9:10 You can do FREE speeches…or you can do them for hire and create a revenue stream for it. The National Speakers Association is full of people doing just that- if you’re not a celebrity or climbed mount Everest you may not be able to pull in $25K a speech, but you can determine a per head $ amount, add value for each participant by offering to provide a workbook/ a (self-published) book or copy of the recorded presentation to them- and charge $10 -20 per head for instance for 30 people….$300-$600 per 30 minute presentation? Plus a room full of names and contacts to grow your list, and share your content with- who will share with their friends and family…Negotiate back of the room sales, or an offer for a discount on a group service Beware of promoting your private services…because if you’re successful…if you sell 20% of the room even…will you have the time to service them all yourself- or if you’re going to offer each of them a complimentary session as a result of the presentation- then make sure you’ ve got staff trained to do what you want them to do! Build it and then they’ll come model……………. INSTEAD…think……Offer it, let them come and THEN BUILD IT!!!! Provide an order form right with their handouts. Put it on a separate sheet of paper. Think about percentages, don’t take it personally if the majority leave them on their chair! Within our club, we conduct market research all the time! We’ll try a new session or type of service. We market it 4-6 weeks out…as people are required to make a reservation by a deadline…we then know if we have demand…and we’ll get busy with the content. All year we do Seminar Series…registration required, not charged unless less than 24 hour cancellation. When there is no one registered we know we’ve laid an egg, but then no one creates the flyer, practices the presentation, and there is no waste of time. The one person who calls and said they can’t make it but can I have the handout? We’ll go one better than that – and let’s set up a complimentary session to talk specifically about your questions. Seminar series- an example of hosting our own. We video those- informal YouTube shots…clips to whet the client’s appetite with appetizing information not the entire session. Make an offer every time. Collect their contact information every time (we’ve done it through registration) if you don’t, do it through evaluation…at the end of the presentation, make sure you have a unique colored evaluation page that asks…could we have a few comments from you about Debra’s presentation? What did you find most valuable about the presentation? What will you act on first? What did you appreciate most about the presentation today? What would you have liked more or less of? Is there anything else that would have added value for you to this presentation? Do you know of another group or individual who would benefit from this information that we should contact? Let us know how we can help you further: Book Debra for another group or organization Please contact me for a consultation about getting started implementing this change. Add me to your mailing list about upcoming specials, seminars, and programs.
#18 9:15 So help me Google…how to. Raise your hand if you have ever registered for a webinar? Raise your hand if you have listened to a podcast? Raise your hand if you have created a webinar or podcast and want to share a resource with the group. Convenience. Once you do it, it will feel better!! Remember the key to success….getting comfortable with getting uncomfortable!!
#19 9:17 Raise your hand if you are currently ACE Faculty? Or offering continuing education credits under another umbrella?? American Council on Exercise and any of the credible certifying bodies will allow you to apply and to provide CECs – write your content, then check them out. If not CECs- many fitness pros will attend a valuable content-rich workshop or lecture without CECs. How many of us attend the workouts- and not only for the workout but for the observation of the delivery style the leadership style, the format and take that home as a great value-added extra? People will pay. That again- a way to get in front of a group – delivered in multiple ways…and sell a product. Even if your product is dedicated to the consumer and not the fitness professional- your modeling of it teaches them how they’ll teach it, or they’ll share it with their clients. You expand your reach.
#20 9:20 Virtual delivery of your products and services barely a stretch from what you are already doing. The other side…..How now to deliver, get the word out, get the books out of your garage…
#21 9:22 Consider which of these you’re doing, which you want to do, and then again consider your TIME!!! You can’t do all you’re doing right now, AND create the product AND be blogging about it AND tweeting that AND filming clips of you promoting it ….or all you’ve done is ADD HOURS to your schedule rather than taken them away. Find a way to remove 1 contact hour a day, and steel one hour of personal time. That’s two hours a day- and at first to get you up to speed and on a schedule where you have a system of using say “ hootsuite ” to organize your facebook and twitter and Linked-In media posts… Your goal here is to GET THE WORD out! BUILD a LIST, Grow your contacts so that you have someone listening when you have a product to market or to sell.
#22 9:24 Becomes a book or the book becomes a blog… How to Blog? In Google we trust. Questions I’ve heard this weekend- how often, how long, what do you blog about…. Once a week, three times a week, every day M-F 200-500 words. Put two or three short easy to read sentences in a paragraph and break up your writing- no run on paragraphs Write actively. If you weren’t strong on your English- the punctuation and grammar is important to an extent- you can have personal style but you have to know your audience…if they are articulate and educated they’ll send you comments that address spelling errors…be prepared! If you have a book, you blog about it; tell stories; give before and after scenarios; let your clients give testimonials by including a YouTube video; give an introduction of yourself; demonstrate a move of the week; choose a client of the week; blog about an employee of the month; post news-worthy information that adds value and keeps someone coming back; What not to blog about??? Unless you have a strong following and can afford to rant: don’t!! Controversy is good. People talking about you is good- hard for us to take sometimes on social media- we’re going to get negative comments but it is part of the two way street of communication. Settings can allow you to approve comments before they are posted. Wordpress- probably more professional looking and more well-respected right now. The goal of a blog is to raise your ranking….have you come up first when someone clicks on your key words. You choose them. For instance for my VoiceforFitness…personal training, selling exercise………..depending on your market- is it tight and local or are you virtual in service delivery? This is where making sure that you have someone helping you with your URL if you’re not sure- so that this is an address associated with you not that helps wordpress numbers increase. I imbed mine now into my website
#23 9:35 I’ve heard mixed feelings about Constant Contact this weekend. It is the one I use. It’s not the only one out there. What you’re looking for is something to help you… create a data base of names. Again- depending on who builds your website…you can have this built in- I can acquire names and capture for fitness professionals, for coaching clients, and for meeting planners who want to hire speakers for their groups.. IF I can do it- anyone can do it!!
#24 9:37 Gain credibility, grow your list; on every byline include your contact info and an invitation…connect with me @ and or “for more information read the book…” Another way to get $ but if it’s a static article- it’s a one time for hours…it can though be better for you than an advertisement
#25 9:38 Other fitness professionals- you sell them they sell you; literally hard copy- just trade books; on your website- you sell theirs they sell yours and you work out the details. The two of you together have a greater reach. Compatible vs competitive services, congruent and consistent message- Your nutrition services with their exercise expertise
#26 9:40 Simple, entry level items to get you started. Offer value to your current clients- try the market for their hunger for additional information from you. Include your connection information. Invite them to sign up and send them this in thank you….
#27 9:42 For Fitness pros- YouTube, Twitter, Facebook(maybe ) and a way to schedule them all at once. I use Hootsuite- there are others. Find one you like and use it. Rule of thumb for those who sell their own services and time- an hour- to two a day on social media. Scheduling Tweets, organizing your YouTube videos into playlists and getting them integrated with your facebook announcements or tweeting about a new post to your blog or YouTube. Make it congruent. Go to each one- you may have begun them at different times….make sure your bio is consistent with your MESSAGE and brand. Have someone else read it as a customer and for grammar. Make sure the avatar or pictures are the same….get the background on your YouTube channel to reflect the same feeling as your website – with photos and colors. Use the meta tags well to optimize your search engine optimization. In Detriot you want to come up as the personal trainer of choice…make sure that you use key words in every page of your website and then place those as meta tags and captions for your photos in your site again consistently. ENGAGE don’t sell on social networks. Inform and create relationships. Why should they friend you, follow you, be a fan? What are you providing? This is not the venue to offer a discount on a session package. This is the place to state an engaging comment-
#29 Be informative
#30 An example
#31 9:45 You don’t have to be a slick, pushy sales person if you are offering value and providing it in enough ways to reach more people more uniquely in ways the can digest it while they work, drive, exercise, not just when they are in front of you face-to-face What is the problem that you solve for your customer? The words that they say are the words you want to use. Show them that you understand them and how you solve their problem. Make them an offer, and make it irrestible for them right NOW! (On my website there will information for attendees at PTI until Midnight Tuesday for a teleseminar on how to create an offer that is effective for selling your client right now, much more effortlessly and less strong-arm sales.)
#32 Connect with me!

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