Hey guys, Luka Hocevar from the Pack Fitness Business and Lifestyle here.
With so much information in the fitness marketing and business world, it’s hard to tell which information is accurate and which is made up (and I’ve been doing this for a long time, believe me, there is a lot made up!).
My cursor always guides me to associate myself and learn from the people leading from the front day in and day out and practicing what they preach.
How often have we told or preached to others that it’s essential to live the life we ask others to lead?
Martin Rooney puts it well: “Don’t ask your clients to do anything you haven’t done or are willing to do yourself.”
You probably wouldn’t hire a trainer for yourself if they looked out of shape, didn’t see them train, and always noticed they were drinking Coke, eating pizza, and doughnuts.
To be honest, you wouldn’t.
Between Steve and I, we’ve been running our facilities for over 12 years combined. Even though our businesses are systemized to allow us to travel the world and cross items off our bucket lists, we are still in the trenches daily because we love our job and understand that if you want your business to thrive and be successful long-term, you must keep your finger on the pulse of your company.
The theory is different than actual world practice and what works.
So here are some natural tips that will make your fitness business have a solid foundation, success in the long term, and help you live the life you want and deserve (if you’re looking for shortcuts and magical advice, it doesn’t lie here):
#1 – Be Great At What You Do
There is no escaping it! The foundation is being great at your skill and ensuring you stay humble enough to keep learning. Because we wear many hats, we must educate ourselves on training, nutrition, mindset, and self-help, as well as on the business side since we run fitness businesses (whether you have a facility or not). Suppose you are starting in the industry, then the process of working to be great counts as well. Your attitude towards becoming the best in your area matters when you first start!
If you are planning to remove yourself from the business and don’t want to be at the forefront in the future, that is OK. Make sure that your core values of constantly improving carry over to your trainers and team.
Do you have educational staff meetings? Or do you bring in top coaches to train your staff? Do you support continuing education and take your team to seminars?
Showing everyone that you are constantly improving so you can better serve your clients is what you should be doing. It is an excellent marketing and retention strategy at the end of the day (come back from seminars and educate your clients, show them you appreciate them so much that you want to better yourself for them all the time).
Nick Tumminello in-staff training at Vigor Ground
With consistent improvement and learning, make your programs better.
If you run more considerable group training such as boot camps, then your goal should be to have your boot camps be better quality than surrounding gyms’ movement (that is what I shoot for).
Have an orientation where you can teach people what you do and how they need soft tissue work, stretching, and effective dynamic warm-ups, as well as screen them through the basic exercises to ensure they are ready for the program. This in itself will differentiate you from the other boot camps.
What do your programs look like? Do they make sense?
As we move into the future of group training, unless you deliver outstanding results, show expertise, and help people move and feel better as well (not hurt them), it will be challenging to stay in business as people are becoming more and more cautious and do their due diligence before picking a place to train.
#2 – Retention and Referrals are Keys to Growing Your Business in the Short AND Long Term
Many people neglect to treat their existing customers as the most critical component of their business when they are eager to attract new clients. Getting the results, keeping them happy, showing them you appreciate them, and showing them there is no place like your business needs to be a top priority.
When you do those things, you will not only retain your clients but also get the best referrals — and lots of them!
Below is just a tiny piece from our client retention checklist in our Fitness Business Mix Tape that can help you get on the right track for differentiating your business, making your clients happy, and staying longer while referring more.
CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video
END OF PART 1, watch for part 2.
Recommended Resource:
Introducing the Limited Edition Fitness Business Mix Tape Volume I. The mix tape is a culmination of over 20 years combined in the industry, broken into 10 “tracks.” All of the tracks are prepared to be plugged into YOUR business.