How to Become a Personal Trainer and Get Fitness Clients

How to market yourself to get premium fitness clients and just how important is a website anyway?

Recently, I was asked a bunch of questions by a trainer who is just starting his personal training business.  He basically wanted advice on the fastest way to build a successful personal training business.

I thought this would be helpful for others to hear, so below are his questions and my responses.

QUESTION # 1:

How important is a website in the overall marketing scheme? Is it just a vanity piece that is a requirement in today's business world or does it actually further your business and client list?

ANSWER # 1:

This is a great question, and the answer really depends.   If you are just starting out, it really DOES NOT make sense to spend a significant amount of money on a website.  If you are tech savvy and interested in learning how to create a website, there are several sites that will show you how to do it.

But to really pick up clients, build your list and further your business with a website, you will need to either learn quite a bit or spend several hundred dollars to get started. Then you must spend time updating your website and distributing your content, or paying someone else to do that.

While for some, a website is just a vanity piece for their fitness business, if you are committed to learning internet marketing or willing to pay for it, a website can be a great way to attract opportunities.  However, you will need A LOT of traffic to get clients from the web.

Think about it, if you want to find a great masseuse, are you going to look on the web or are you going to ask some friends you trust?  It’s the same thing with personal training or any other personal service that's intimate.  Most people that come to your website will be looking for free information, not to purchase sessions.

So if you are not ready to build your business through the web, build your business using offline methods, and save some of your money to invest in your website later on.  In the meantime, there are sites like http://wordpress.com and http://www.vistaprint.com/websites.aspx that will allow you to set up a very simple website for very little money.

The purpose of this website is to hold you over until you can invest in a nice one and sending people your prospects so they can learn more about you.  It will be hard to get new leads through this kind of website, but it will help convert potential leads into paying customers. They may not want to pick up the phone and call you right away, but after reading about your mission or your client testimonials, it will be easier for them to do so.

The best way to market your business is word of mouth, through your existing social network.  The key is to get as much traffic into the gym as possible.  Offering a complimentary session is standard, but people will still have reservations about coming in.  So ask yourself, who out there is already a fan of you or your skills?  Who already knows you, likes you, and trusts you?

It can be anyone!  A friend, family member, someone who is friendly and works across the street, a neighbor, etc. Get them in for a session, and offer to train them at a reduced rate in exchange for them bringing in a new friend to workout with you once per week.  Just how much you reduce your rate is up to you, and you can let them know it is only for a period of time.

Have the new friend do a tandem session, just to break the ice, and then set them up for their own session after the first workout.  The more people you get into the gym, the more you will close, so focus on the thing that will have the biggest impact, getting people into the gym. This is just one technique, but it really works because the potential client is not worried about making a commitment because they are working out with their friend and their friend’s trainer.

You will not close everyone who comes in to your business this way, but this is one of the best techniques to build your business fast because you will get a lot of prospective clients in through the door. Even if they don’t want to commit to training with you, you can always ask them for a referral.  Face to face is always the best for moving your business forward!  It may feel uncomfortable, but it really works. So put yourself out there!

 

QUESTION # 2:

Does mass marketing work on this type of client? If I hang flyers/leave business cards around the neighborhood of the facility to which I am trying to attract clients will that actually lead to any new prospects? Am I cheapening my brand by doing this?

ANSWER # 2

This may work, but you will be lucky if you get 1 potential client for every 100 flyers you put out there.  Following direct marketing techniques, like putting a strong call to action and a sense of urgency or scarcity will help increase this percentage, but this is not the best usage of your time and can cheapen your brand if done poorly.

One of the things we talk about in our marketing system is the 7 Key Referral Strategies, and how to use them to explode your client list.  One of the referral strategies is called “Strategic Partnerships”.  You are much better off going around to other business owners or professionals in a related industry and creating a relationship with them while demonstrating your value.  Meet them face to face, offer to help them reach their goals, provide them with a complimentary session, and then offer them a reduced rate in exchange for referrals.  Then you can give them flyers and business cards to hand out and they can talk about you from firsthand experience, which will make all the difference.  You should be able to get 1 potential client for every 20 flyers you put out using this technique.

Use both of these techniques, and you will have at least 1 new client in under 2 weeks flat!  Just don’t be shy and get yourself out there, it is ok to fail and be rejected as long as you brush yourself off and keep moving forward.

Until next time, keep your business fit.

Johnny Fitness