How To Grow A Great Fitness Business... Even In A Recession!

Despite what you may be experiencing, thinking or feeling about the current recession, there are still huge profits to made working in personal training and fitness. In fact, you could say that there has never been a better time for the industry than right now, after all, whilst many other 'luxuries' like buying cars, taking vacations and even dining out may be on pause right now, people don't simply quit their fitness, nutrition and rehab programs solely because of money.


How people feel about their bodies will never change, recession or not.


They will ALWAYS want to look, feel and perform better than they currently do and, whilst they may temporarily 'downgrade' a personal training package to a bootcamp or bootcamp to a gym membership to allow it to fit into their new budget, it's very rare that a person will quit their health and fitness goals entirely because money is tight.


(They'll quit for a thousand other reasons if they're not committed to their goals, but that's a different article!).


Most personal trainers and bootcamp instructors don't get this at all. The typical reaction amongst the vast majority of them is to batten down the hatches, reduce their outgoings by saving money on their marketing and hope that they can weather the economic storm well enough to start attracting clients 'once things settle down'.


The trouble is, this is 180 degrees in opposition to what they really should be doing... Marketing harder than ever!


You see, rather than the recession being a bad thing, you need to realise that it is, in fact, a brilliant opportunity for you and your business.

Think about it; because most of the business competitors in your market are reducing their marketing budggets, putting their client attraction strategies on the go-slow and waiting for the recession to burn itself out, they are decreasing rather than increasing their own visibility. In effect, they're creating a vaccum in the fitness market.


Where the public used to have 50 trainers, studios and gyms to choose from, they now have only 10 or so. Where there used to be bundles of ads, flyers and direct mail pieces vying for their attention, now there are far, far fewer messages reaching them, meaning that each one can be heard more clearly and have much greater impact.


Most fitness professionals don't get this, though those who have ventured byond the 'personal trainer' label and have developed a more entrepreneurial mindset certainly do... and they take advantage of it, enjoying the less competitive playing field while it lasts.

The trouble is, most of those who work in fitness and health lack the entrepreneurial drive necessary to succeed when times get tough. They can't see past the fact that their role is more than just writing exercise programs, spotting on exercise routines or writing nutritional programs. It's about leadership.


Leadership is about using your passion and purpose in a focused, clear and results-oriented way that inspires others to follow and take positive action themselves. Rolling over and playing dead during times of struggle or adversity is not leadership in any way, shape or form. It doesn't teach your clients to stick with their goals when things get tough for them does it? In fact, it sets an example that when things get tough with their programs, their diets, their lifestyles that they too should quit and try again 'when the time is right'.

Is that what you want to teach your clients?

Thought not!


So instead of getting caught up in the 'woe is me' recession-based conversations that are going around at the moment, take a 180 and focus on the opportunities that currently lie before you because there really are many, many of them... if you'll only open your eyes to them.

Forget reducing your marketing commitments right now, instead, ramp them up. Do more. Become more visible now than you ever have before. Get creative and most of all, have fun with it.


The truth is, no matter what you've been told about becoming successful, no matter how many self-help books you've read, no matter how many motivational seminars you've attended and tapes you've listened to, there really is only one way to become unstoppable in your quest for fitness business success.


Refuse to stop.


Now is the time to hit the gas, not the brakes.


Floor it!

Dax Moy

For more help in writing ads that will attract a screaming horde of new clients to your business, get yourself a copy of Scientific Advertising For The Fitness Professional and use the 21 Strategies to create magnetic ads that will get your phones ringing off the hook!

Here's How To Recession Proof Your Personal Training Business

I must admit, it's beginning to get on my nerves a bit.

I mean all this talk of recession.

It seems everyday I'm getting emails from personal trainers who're panicking because of impending recession and worried thattheir bootcamps, their studios and their gyms are going to go underor see such a big drop in business that they'll be struggling toget by and pay their bills.

The sad thing is, most of 'em are right!

Not because there's not enough business to go around and not because people are spending less but because they're choosing to accept that recession exists.

It doesn't.

Not for everyone, anyway.

Sure, it's easy to think that when something like a recession comes along that we all have to 'tighten our belts', curb our non-essential spending and ride out the storm until the next upswing but that's because we've been trained to think that way.

And we've trained ourselves to think that way too.

But the truth is, the only reason that so many people get hit so hard during times of recession is that choose to play the recession game.

Especially personal trainers.

They see their client list get smaller and their appointments drop off and so they start to discount their prices to attract more business. But the clients still don't come so they discount them even more.

If they're lucky they may see a little rise in business only now, because they're charging less, they're working longer hours, earning less money and in danger of losing even these clients as the recession kicks in.

Sad to say but this is what most personal trainers will do. In fact, from the emails I'm receiving, many are already doing it!

So that's the bad news, but like I said, it doesn't have to be this way.

There's something you can do TODAY to not only avoid the recession but thrive during it.

You can stop being a 'luxury item' to your clients and start becoming an asset.

What do I mean?

Well, what's the first thing that goes out the window when people are struggling financially?

Luxuries, right?

Or in marketing speak 'non-essential spending', meaning everything that's not essential to that person's ability to get through life.

Food, mortgage, utilities etc are all essentials that people MUST have. New cars, personal training, opera tickets on the other hand are, for most people, luxurious, non-essentials that are cut as soon as the R-word begins to be taken seriously.

And here's the problem; the way most personal trainers market themselves is based upon the 'luxury items' model.

They sell their services to people with disposable incomes that, most of the time, allow for the 'luxury' of personal training. These people are 'treating' themselves to PT, they enjoy it (mostly!), they want it and they may even need it but it will always be something that they're happy to keep in their lives for as long as it doesn't interfere with their necessities.

Trouble is, for most trainers this group makes up the largest proportion (if not all) of their client base meaning that they ALL purchased their sessions with you based on price and will all quit when the price seems too high.

Yet consider this; there are groups of people out there who don't consider ANY price (or at least, any price that a personal trainer could ask) as expensive or luxurious. They simply decide what they want and are determined to get it because they see it as an asset or investment that will benefit them.

For example, my clients pay me £130 and hour (that's around $250). The kind of people that can pay that kind of money aren't worried about inflation, depression or recession. They simply know what they want and are willing to pay the price to get it.

I've routinely been paid £2500 ($5000) plus for a day's work.

I've been paid £30,000 ($60,000) for a single month's PT plus $1000 a day expenses whilst travelling.

Right now I'm putting together a PT program that will cost £10-12,000 a week. Yes, you read that right, per person per week.

And all of this (and more) is going on during a so-called downturn.

How?

By removing myself from the luxury market of people who have to scrimp and scrape to work with me and instead focusing my efforts on those with greater affluence. Those who know what they want and are happy to pay for it regardless of the percentage rate the banks are charging.

To them, it simply doesn't matter. Not one little bit.

If you're thinking "That's all great for you Dax, but how does this benefit me?" then here's your answer.

Put your prices... UP!

Seriously, put your prices up. Move away from those who consider your services to be a luxury and instead start marketing to the affluent, the wealthy and the downright rich.

Sound too mercenary?

It's not.

Working with the affluent is no easy ride You'll earn every single penny you earn from them.

They expect better service, better results and, well, better everything. And they're right, after all, they're paying for it aren't they? They're paying for exclusivity, for that little bit more, that 'something extra' that isn't delivered by the $40 and $50 an hour PT's.

So you've got to be better and, more importantly, you've got to be seen to be better.

And better is more expensive, no if's, no but's.

Look, I know this runs contra to everything you've ever been told about recession but nevertheless it's true. Putting your prices up, taking your business 'upmarket' and deliberately attracting the affluent is the best way to recession-proof your business.

Still not sure?

Try this; add a high end service to your current marketing materials. Call it 'platinum coaching', call it what you want but make it clear that this is for those looking for that something special rather than simply personal training. Proudly state that you're the most expensive coach around (I do it all the time because I am) and then wait.

It may take a little while but sure enough you'll come to know that what I'm telling you is correct; they're out there. Money in hand. Ready, willing and most able to pay you every single penny you're worth. They always have been; you just never asked before.

So ask!

To your success

Dax Moy

http://www.personaltrainersuccessacademy.com/

P.S - People who own yachts and aeroplanes and collectors edition sports cars won't even look at a £40-50 trainer... and they won't panic just 'cos someone say's recession either!