Personal Fitness Professional Mar/Apr 2016

APPLY FOR THE 2016 PFP TRAINER OF THE MONTH AWARD! MARCH-APRIL 2016 WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

HELPING YOU PROSPER AS A FITNESS PROFESSIONAL

POWER THROUGH THE

SALES BARRIER JOURNEY TO SUCCESS Brandi Binkley: Setting vision into motion

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FITNESS SALES CREATE A PREDICTABLE SALES FUNNEL

The Fitness Professional’s Lifeline: A PFP 2016 six-part special series

Trainer of the

Year 2017

WHO WILL

BE NEXT?

HELP US FIND THE 12TH PFP TRAINER OF THE YEAR!

Jim White

Ashlee Alfred

MARCH

JANUARY - Lisa Dougherty

AUGUST

BEFIT Killeen, TX www.befitkilleen.com @BEFIT_Killeen

FEBRUARY - Stephen Holt

SEPTEMBER

Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios Virginia Beach, VA www.jimwhitefit.com @jimwhitefit

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

APPLY TO BE A 2016 TRAINER OF THE MONTH! The 2017 PFP Trainer of the Year will be selected from the 2016 Trainer of the Month winners. Visit www.fit-pro.com/TOTY to apply and for contest details.

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PFP ONLINE Visit | www.fit-pro.com VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 2

FEATURES

president & publisher

chad griepentrog | chad@rbpub.com audience development manager

rachel spahr | rachel@rbpub.com national sales director

susan malmanger | susan@rbpub.com editor

lindsay vastola | lindsay@rbpub.com managing editor

mike beacom | mike@rbpub.com creative director

5 advantages of in-home training Insight into a still-viable business model.

By Dr. Carmine Grieco

Increase profit without increasing rates Run your fitness business like a hotel and watch your profit soar.

By Ryan Carver

POLL RESULTS What is your preferred way of learning?

9.1%

OUR ONLINE COLUMNISTS

Exercise of the Week

20.2

%

12.0%

31.8% 26.6%

VIDEO

Jump Start

by Brent Gallagher

Visit our website or YouTube channel to view weekly instructional videos from some of the most respected names in the fitness industry.

EXTRA Classroom setting

Editor’s Top 10

Attending workshops/ conferences Online courses Self-guided courses Webinars/teleseminars/ reading

Career Builder

by Josh Bowen

SOCIAL MEDIA

NEXT POLL Visit: www.fit-pro.com to participate

What aspect of sales do you feel is most lacking in your business?

pfpmedia

Functionally Fit

by Brian Schiff

a. Attracting new clients b. Online marketing options c. Closing new sales d. Client retention e. Multiple streams of revenue

4

Books to ramp-up your fitness marketing

By Lindsay Vastola

| WWW.FIT-PRO.COM | MARCH-APRIL 2016

pfpmedia pfpmedia pfpmedia

kelli cooke | kelli.c@rbpub.com contributing writers

sean greeley, ryan ketchum, greg vaughn, melissa wogahn featured columnists

michelle blakely, greg justice, phil kaplan, jason karp, bedros keuilian

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FOLLOW TOTY

Lindsay Vastola | lindsay@rbpub.com

Mark Nutting | www.jivafitness.com

The Law of Compensation One of the first books I was recommended when I started my business was The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. A photocopy of the last page of the book has been taped on the wall next to my desk for almost 10 years. Listed on this now-faded paper are “The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success:” the laws of value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivity.

It was the Law of Compensation that perhaps had the most profound influence on changing my mindset toward selling my fitness services: “Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.”

We can probably agree that fitness is one of the more optimistic professions. Yet I’ve had more than several conversations with both novice and seasoned fitness professionals who have an incredibly pessimistic perspective of selling. It’s usually because they feel sleazy, feel bad asking for money or flat-out just don’t know how to do it.

How to sell is learnable; then it takes practice and perseverance to sell in a manner that is effective yet still authentic. But before one can learn sales, or have strategy or scripts to practice, many need this mindset shift: sales is merely the gateway to helping more people; to giving them a service they find valuable in exchange for money. And if you serve those people well, you will likely sell more, serve better and create a more meaningful, sustainable career.

In this issue, our focus is on breaking through the sales barrier: } Our team of dedicated columnists sheds light on how you can break through the common barriers of sales. } If we want to increase sales, we need to understand the mind of our consumer.

Greg Vaughn explains the psychology of sales, especially getting past objection. } In our 2016 Six-Part Special Series, “The Fitness Professional’s Lifeline: Client Attraction and Retention,” Ryan Ketchum gives us tangible strategies to build a predictable, reliable stream of client leads.

Understand sales. Embrace sales. Practice sales. Seek out those who can help you. A perfect circle of success: serve more, sell more, make more!

Cheers to infinite success,

Sell…without hesitation PFP 2016 Legacy Award Winner Mark Nutting shares his insight on effective fitness sales.

What do you believe is the biggest mistake fitness professionals make when trying to sell their services?

I think one of the biggest mistakes is they don’t take the time to really listen to their potential client’s situation. You need to know their past, present and what they hope for the future in order to know what service to recommend, if any.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” -Theodore Roosevelt. Care enough to really listen to them.

What has been your most valuable lesson learned about how to effectively sell your services?

Early in my career, I had a very bad experience with sales training that made me hate the whole idea of sales for years after. The most valuable lesson that I have learned about how to sell effectively was when I realized that sales is all about intent. Sales got a bad rap because of the salespeople that sold to benefit themselves.

This is in contrast to selling something to benefit those you are selling to. If what we are selling can help people achieve their dreams, all we have to do is explain to the potential client how it will and ask if they would be interested in your recommendation.

What advice would you give to fitness professionals just getting into the industry on how to effectively sell?

While most personal trainers feel good about going through a medical health history and lifestyle questionnaire with someone, when it comes time for “closing” or getting commitment and payment, they typically hesitate.

They feel that asking the potential client to pay is somehow sleazy or they may be afraid of rejection. First, if you sincerely believe you can help someone then it would be a disservice to him or her if you didn’t ask them to commit.

Second, if they say “no” it is to your offer and not to you personally. Embrace the closing of an agreement, as it is your best chance of helping to change someone’s life.

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CONTENTS

MARCH-APRIL 2016

Break through the sales barrier

FEATURES

OTHER Columns 10 Treadmill Talk

Thinking of buying a fur sink?

By Greg Justice

11 Boost Your Business Your business will never grow “too fast”

By Bedros Keuilian

12 Top-Notch Training

Margins, margins, margins!

By Michelle Blakely

12 Education Connection

14

Journey To Success: Brandi Binkley Setting vision into

motion: Raising standards with leadership, integrity and poise

By Lindsay Vastola

Universal truths, variety and spaghetti sauce

By Jason R. Karp

30 Be Better

The elusive treasure of human contact

By Phil Kaplan

Departments 05 Letter from the Editor

18

Knowing how to help isn’t enough

20

Overcome the four biggest hurdles in selling

The Law of Compensation

2016 SPECIAL SERIES: Client Attraction and Retention Your funnel to success Create a predictable sales funnel

By Sean Greeley

By Ryan Ketchum

22

24 Education Trends Align your education investment with your business vision

By Melissa Wogahn

25 The Message Scott Rawcliffe

What an objection really means Understanding the psychology of sales

By Greg Vaughn

26 Exercise Spotlight Merrithew Inflatable Foam Roller

28 New on the Market 29 Events Calendar

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TREADMILL TALK Greg Justice | www.aycfit.com

Thinking of buying a fur sink?

NFPT

Steve Martin said “I love money. I love everything about it. I bought some pretty good stuff.

Got me a $300 pair of socks. Got a fur sink. An electric dog polisher. A gasoline powered turtleneck sweater. And, of course, I bought some dumb stuff, too.”

This is a classic example of how NOT to allocate the revenue you generate in your personal training business.

When I hear fitness business “gurus” promising their clients a “six-figure business,” I just shake my head, because it’s not only how much revenue you generate, but how much you keep.

Revenue is the money you collect for your training services. Profit is how much you keep after subtracting the costs of doing business.

Our industry has been the brunt of many “dumb jock” jokes, sometimes deservedly so. I’ve worked hard to change that perception. I had a client who was the CEO of a large corporation once say to me, “Greg, I knew you were good at the physical stuff, but I had no idea that you were smart, too.”

If you want to be successful, think and act like a CEO and run your business like a real business.

In 1986, I opened AYC Health & Fitness, Kansas City’s original personal training center, and decided to run my business like a real business. I immediately found a mentor, a successful business owner in a field unrelated to mine. But he knew business. All I knew was how to train. He taught me the fundamentals I needed to create and grow my company.

This summer, my real business will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Here are five tips for starting and maintaining a profitable personal training business: } Build a strong foundation – Know your WHY. Define how your service will help your clients better their lives. Know what makes you unique and be able to share that with others. } Surround yourself with the right people – Whether it’s a business partner or team members, make sure everyone involved is there to help the business grow. } Get the cash flowing quickly – The lifeblood of a business is cash flow and without it, your business will fail. } Keep costs low –Don’t buy that fur-lined sink. Ever. Unless something is must have, wait on it. And, if you aren’t prepared to do everything yourself at first, you may not be cut out to be an entrepreneur. } Brand yourself – Make sure your core values and business plan align with what your audience sees. Make your message clear.

Working for yourself, doing what you love, is the best job in the world. I always wake up in the morning anxious to get out of bed and go to “work.” I wish the same for you.

Greg Justice, MA, CPT, is the founder of AYC Health & Fitness (www.aycfit.com) and the Corporate Boot Camp System (www.corporatebootcampsystem.com). He has been actively involved in the fitness industry for more than a quarter of a century as a club manager, owner, personal trainer and corporate wellness supervisor.

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BOOST YOUR BUSINESS Bedros Keuilian | www.PTPower.com

Your business will never grow “too fast” I want to use this column to address a very strange question that a lot of people have been asking me lately: “How do I make sure my business does not grow too fast?”

Frankly, this question is built upon a complete myth: the idea that a business can even grow “too fast.” The truth is that speed is the only way to build a large, successful, lasting business. If you purposefully try to move slowly you just end up handing over your market to the competition.

When a business owner says their business is growing “too fast,” it might sound like they are saying they have too many sales coming in.

But the real problem is that they are afraid they cannot maintain that selling rate, and maybe for good reason.

It might be that their staff is struggling to keep up with the growth, in which case the company has a culture problem and needs to start firing fast. If you are hiring and keeping the right people, those people will recognize the value of rapid growth and do whatever it takes to maintain it.

Of course, the real problem might be the business owner. If you ever find yourself thinking “we are growing too fast” you better stop and do some soul searching. Your own self-doubt is probably what is holding you back.

To be a true entrepreneur, you need to always be selling. You should never see more sales as a problem. More sales and more profits are always the goal.

When you start getting more sales than you are ready for, you need to make sure you and your team do whatever it takes to keep those sales high and drive them higher. If people are missing critical skills, they need to learn them. If your team is divided, you need to be a leader and fix that. You need to open the floor for an honest conversation on what went wrong, then quickly find and fire the problem employees.

If it sounds like I’m oversimplifying this, trust me, I am telling you the very truth that I have learned over and over again in my own business.

As an entrepreneur, you are responsible for the ambition, vision and focus of your business. Trying to slow down your own growth is the opposite of your duty.

So be bold and always be ready to grow.

Bedros Keuilian is the founder of the franchise Fit Body Boot Camp and an online fitness marketing expert. Between his information products and his live coaching programs, he has helped many fitness professionals build 6- and 7-figure businesses. Contact Bedros at 800.261.0208 or visit his website at www.ptpower.com.

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TOP-NOTCH TRAINING

EDUCATION CONNECTION

Michelle Blakely | www.seejanetrain.net

Jason Karp, PhD l www.Run-Fit.com

Margins, margins, margins!

Universal truths, variety and spaghetti sauce

Have you seen A Christmas Story? The main character, an 11-year-old boy named Ralphie, has a dream sequence. His teacher sits, red pen in hand, angrily marking-up disappointing writing assignments while shouting, “Margins, margins, margins!” Arriving at Ralphie’s paper, she halts, transformed. The music changes, the mood lifts and she raves about the content and brilliance of his essay.

Ralphie is hoisted on his classmates’ shoulders and paraded around the room, celebrated for his victorious work.

What does this have to do with your income as a trainer? I want you to be like Ralphie: victorious, different and maintaining incredible margins (although of a different nature). Next time you contemplate your income and ability to make ends meet, consider the following calculation: What are you really earning? What do you earn per hour? I think most would promptly respond with “I charge X dollars per hour.”

But when we think about what you are earning for the day or week or month (which, on tough days, is often one way to forge ahead), simply thinking, “Well, I charge $80 dollars per hour and trained 25 sessions this week, so I’m earning $2,000” is inaccurate.

Let’s examine. The fly in the ointment for me is package pricing, which many of us are still offering. Every time you offer a package price (i.e., discounting sessions that clients buy in bulk) you need to be clear about your true profit per hour and, as a result, your ability to garner a healthy paycheck.

For example, Client A buys your largest package, which you price at a 20% savings to them, 20% discount from you. This is a service industry, and that savings comes from only one place: your earned income. It cannot come from a negotiation with a distributor or from buying your widgets in bulk, as in other industries. This package price now means you are earning 20% less. Similarly, Client B buys your smallest package at a 5% savings to them, 5% discount from you. You are now earning 5% less.

Client C purchases sessions at the full price, no savings, no discount.

If you’re selling packages, the flat calculation above ($80 x 25 = $2,000) misrepresents your profit margins. How much exactly? The results may surprise you. Hypothetically, last week you trained 12 clients over 25 sessions. Four clients receive 20% off, five receive 5% off, and three pay full price every session. As a result, you’re really only earning $1,816 (depending on the breakdown of how often each trains). Let’s multiply this by 50 working weeks in the year, and you have just given away $9,200. Ouch.

I implore you to reconsider the use of the package model and research other pricing options. Give yourself the most profitable profit margins, and clearly communicate your worth to your clients.

In his 2004 TED Talk, Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of Dr. Howard Moskowitz, the market researcher who revolutionized the food industry by proposing that the people at the Pepsi company shouldn’t spend their time researching and trying to develop the perfect Pepsi; they should develop the perfect Pepsis. As Gladwell explained, Moskowitz brought this idea to other food companies, including Prego, the makers of spaghetti sauce. Moskowitz convinced Prego, as he had done with Pepsi, that having multiple flavors and textures of spaghetti sauce would sell more spaghetti sauce than having just one or two “perfect” options.

People like variety more than they like perfection. People have varied tastes and moods and personalities that influence their choices.

Some people prefer smooth marinara spaghetti sauce because they are calm, traditional people. Other people prefer spicy arrabbiata spaghetti sauce because they like to live on the wild side and like the edge they get from the tingling on the inside of their mouths. The specific type of spaghetti sauce you choose when you are standing in the spaghetti sauce aisle in the supermarket doesn’t really matter; what matters is that you have a choice of which spaghetti sauce to buy.

There are dozens of different fitness and weight loss programs for precisely the same reason. People can walk into a gym and choose from acrobatics to Zumba and BOSU to yoga. But it hasn’t always been this way.

The fitness and weight loss industry used to be obsessed with universals, searching for a single set of rules that govern the way all of us eat and behave. But that didn’t work. People got bored. And they gained weight.

When we search for universal truths in fitness and weight loss, we do ourselves a huge disservice because we ignore human variation. So we stopped searching for a universal way to lose weight and started searching for variation. These days, we don’t just want to know how a fitness program works; we want to know how this fitness program is different from that fitness program. The truth is there is no universal truth in fitness and weight loss, just as there is no universal truth in spaghetti sauce. All fitness and weight loss programs can work if your clients stick with them.

What we learn from Howard Moskowitz and his spaghetti sauce options is that variety—not universal truths or perfection—drives sales. That’s why there are more than 100 weight loss books in the bookstore. To buy, people need variety from which to choose. You don’t need to spend time trying to develop the perfect workout for your clients. There is no perfect workout, just like there is no perfect Pepsi. Instead, offer a variety of services and products to drive sales.

Michelle Blakely’s company, See Jane Train, cures the business headaches of independent female personal trainers. Twice named the city’s best trainer by the Chicago Reader, Michelle pens columns, speaks at training groups, and gets tapped as a go-to source by media outlets like EatingWell, Prevention and Oprah.com.

Join Michelle and the See Jane Train community at SeeJaneTrain.net.

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Jason Karp is the creator of the REVO2 LUTION RUNNING™ certification, 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, and recipient of the 2014 President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award. A PhD in exercise physiology, he has more than 200 publications, mentors fitness professionals, and speaks around the world. His sixth book, The Inner Runner, comes out in Spring, 2016. www.Run-Fit.com

Setting a vision in motion

Raising standards with leadership, integrity and poise

B

randi Binkley can boast about the many accomplishments, awards and accolades she’s earned in her life. But boasting isn’t Brandi’s moxie. It’s not how she was raised. And it’s not how she’s earned her success. So we’ll do the boasting for her – because her impact on the industry is worth sharing.

BRANDI BINKLEY… …is one of the handful of women to serve in the U.S. Navy who qualified as an aircrew/ rescue swimmer. …was a successful fitness competitor. …was the recipient of a grant to research body fat analysis and cardiovascular conditioning in adolescent females as related to their physical education programs, and acted as lead fitness trainer for a federally funded summer program aimed towards adolescent sports skills/ fitness, building social skills and self- esteem. …is the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) 2015 Personal Trainer of the Year. …is the founder and owner of

PhysioFit, an 8,600 square foot fitness facility where she leads the only all-exercise physiologist team of trainers in Middle Tennessee. …has trained high-profile clients, including musicians, actors and politicians. …changes her clients’ lives on a daily basis. …is setting a new standard of the public’s perception of the fitness industry. …is in the works of nationally expanding her brand and vision. …should be a professional we look to as a model of the best in fitness.

This list barely skims the surface of what she’s already accomplished but without a doubt foreshadows what she is destined to accomplish in the future.

If you ask Brandi Binkley about her vision for the future, she would tell you that she is on a mission to set a new standard of personal training. This standard, without being trendy or of-the-moment, would place greater value on academically-dense coaches who also have the gift of teaching movement.

Her vision spawned from an early mentor who told her, “When humans have movement, they have an amazing ability; an ability that is a gift. Movement is a catalyst of a personal sense of greatness and self-worth. If you can teach movement, you must give the gift of movement to others.”

It is a powerful message that continues to resonate with Brandi more than 13 years after she started in the fitness industry. She may

Brandi

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BINKL

Journey to Success

By Lindsay Vastola

CURRENT TITLE:

Owner, PhysioFit LLC/ Exercise Physiologist

CERTIFICATIONS:

M.S. Exercise Physiology, NSCA-CPT

EDUCATION:

McNeese State University, LSU

FAVORITE EQUIPMENT: Squat Rack

FAVORITE SAYING: Everything is hard before it’s easy.

CONTACT INFO: Website: www.getphysiofit.com Facebook: PhysioFit Nashville Twitter: @getphysiofit LinkedIn: Brandi Binkley

LEY

not realize it, or may be too humble to admit it, but her “future” vision is already very much in motion.

After serving in the Navy, Brandi went back to school where she intended to pursue a degree in education but ended up changing her major to exercise physiology, in great part due to personal experience with injury and her own significant lifestyle change. In 2006, she began training clients in a space she leased and very quickly built a solid reputation and avid client following. Always looking for the greater opportunity, she offered a partnership deal with the owner of the location who ultimately was uninterested. She believed it was a sign to move forward on her own.

Brandi saved her money, trained clients in her garage and then opened her first 1,800 square foot personal training studio. Not surprisingly, it didn’t take long for her business to take-off and PhysioFit grew to 8,600 square feet and expanded services to offer personal training, small and large group training and corporate wellness programs. What stands out about Brandi and her PhysioFit business model is that she only hires personal trainers who are exercise physiologists and have

a solid academic background. Though this expectation often makes hiring staff more challenging, it certainly demonstrates her unwavering commitment to a level of service to her clients and her value on education.

Since the start of her fitness career, Brandi has and continues to set the standard for excellence in the industry. And it’s paying off in more ways than one. Brandi is creating a growing awareness among the general public of the value of seeking out fitness professionals who have strong academic experience, value education and have the keen ability to teach and connect. By way of her local, regional and national recognition, she also sets an example for fitness professionals of the critical importance of investing more in education and to maintain integrity in everything they do. From a business standpoint, her steadfast commitment to her professional standards has even attracted the attention of a large development company where she will be designing and facilitating all movement-based facilities and programs integrated in six next-generation wellness communities being built in Tennessee, Texas and Florida.

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As with any success, hers has not come without hurdles, challenges, difficult decisions and teachable moments. Brandi embraces, and expects, this as part of the journey to success. Perhaps the earliest lesson she learned was that programming is not everything; successful training is so much about connecting. Being so focused on the importance of evidence-based training, she admits that she initially had a tough time getting over her “I have a degree” mentality and knew she had to change her attitude in order to give clients a blend of what they want as

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well as what they need; a mindset she hopes more fitness professionals adopt.

Brandi has also learned the impact of mentorship in her business and credits much of her success to the support, accountability and empowerment she’s received from her own mentors and peers. She encourages new and even seasoned professionals in the industry to work with a mentor or coach; someone with experience and expertise in areas of business or training where they are weak.

When asked what she believes is her “zone of genius” Brandi claims it is personal

training. She says training people “makes her heart sing” and she would continue to train even in the off-chance anything happened with her business. While most who know her would likely agree, many also see that she has an extraordinary gift that may have far greater impact: Brandi Binkley sets vision into motion. She doesn’t simply talk about or hope for new standards in the way personal training is done; she is setting the new standards; practicing them; and exceeding them.

And by extension she empowers others – our entire industry – to do the same.

EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER Education and certification opportunities for fitness and mind-body professionals

For information on how to get listed in the Education Resource Center, please contact susan@rbpub.com.

Become a Weight Management Specialist As an ACE Weight Management Specialist, you’ll possess the knowledge needed to lead clients to long-term weight management success through a balance of behavior change strategies, exercise and nutrition. You’ll also hold a greater understanding of the psyche of clients impacted by overweight or obesity, the concept of empathy, and how you can work with other health and fitness professionals to craft a sustainable path to healthy change. To learn more about earning an ACE Weight Management Specialty Certification, contact:

American Council on Exercise 888.825.3636 www.ACEfitness.org

AAAI/ISMA-American Aerobic Assoc. International/International Sports Medicine Assoc.

AAAI/ISMA has been certifying & educating fitness professionals for 36 years. AAAI/ISMA is one of the original, largest and most recognized International Fitness Certification Associations, with over 180,000 members worldwide. To ensure quality education our faculty trainers have a Ph. D., M. D. or Master’s Degree. Modeled after a university system, students pre-study and attend a hands-on live workshop. The certification exams are written & practical.

With 26 certification options, we help you build a CAREER! The certification workshop & exam is $99.00.

AAAI/ISMA 609.397.2139 www.aaai-ismafitness.com

National Strength and Conditioning Association The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, supporting and disseminating research-based knowledge and practical application to improve performance and fitness.

Founded in 1978, they set the standard for strength training, conditioning and injury prevention. The NSCA offers four respected credentials of distinction: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Certified Special Populations Specialist (CSPS), NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) and the Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F).

NSCA 800.815.6826 info@nsca.com www.nsca.com

Personal Trainer Certification NFPT has been certifying personal fitness trainers since 1988 and provides an NCCA accredited Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) program. NFPT takes a foundational approach to its program, with an emphasis on knowing how the body functions and how to apply that knowledge to goal-oriented fitness training. The focus is on-the-job trainer skills that produce an understanding and confidence to safely and effectively implement exercise. Whether in clubs or private studios, CPTs are preventative healthcare providers with the ability to effect positive change.

National Federation of Professional Trainers, NFPT 800.729.6378 www.nfpt.com

For information on how to get listed in the Education Resource Center, please contact susan@rbpub.com.

By Sean Greeley

KNOWING HOW TO HELP ISN’T ENOUGH Overcome the four biggest hurdles in selling

I

f you’re like most fitness professionals, you didn’t get into this industry because you love to sell and wanted to get rich quick having a great career that supports your personal financial goals.

Unfortunately, knowing how to help people is not enough. If you want to grow your client base, business and income, you must learn how to effectively communicate who you are and how you can help people.

There are four big hurdles that hold most professionals back from confidently closing sales and asking for money:

1. NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU’RE REALLY SELLING OR THE VALUE YOU CREATE You are not selling memberships, training sessions, contracts or community. You are selling solutions. Your prospects are looking for solutions to their problems and a path to achieve their goals. Your job is to help them get clear on what that means and commit themselves to doing the work that will allow them to get to where they want to be.

And just because you might not pay that much for fitness services does not mean your services aren’t worth that much. You are not your prospect. Everyone has different priorities in terms of what they value and you can’t possibly put a price tag on giving a client their health and life back.

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2. INCORRECTLY THINKING THAT SELLING IS SLIMY Stop thinking that sales is about manipulating people, creating high pressure situations or that you have to act like some slimy used car salesman in order to close a deal.

That’s false thinking. Selling is a discovery and education process. If a prospect knew how to get the results they were looking for, they wouldn’t need your help. The sales process is your opportunity to educate someone on what they need to do in order to accomplish their goals and how you are best positioned to support them in that journey. When you make a sale, and only when you make a sale do you then have the chance to help someone change their life.

You owe it to yourself and your prospects to get over your negative thinking and fears in order to confidently educate someone on how you can help them solve their problems and achieve their goals.

3. POOR MINDSET THAT YOU ARE “TAKING” MONEY You are not taking money (or anything, for that matter) from someone when you make a sale.

Money is a resource and selling is serving. Every human being commits the resources they have to the things that are important to them.

This is a good thing. As a coach you can only help clients that are committed to “doing the

work” and following through with the program you’ve put together to help them. When your clients have “skin in the game” they’re a lot more likely to value the services you provide and stick with their program on the days they don’t feel like following through.

4. LACK OF A REPEATABLE PROCESS AND SALES SYSTEM Winging-it is not a strategy for success. Top athletes (and professionals) follow a repeatable process to perform at their best every time. Selling is no different. You must follow a process and system that will lead your prospect to committing to their goals (and therefore your programs).

Only then do you have the opportunity to truly help them and make an impact on their life.

Here are 7 (and a half) steps to direct you in every professional sales conversation to help you overcome these common hurdles of selling: ½) Pre-qualification: As a service professional, your time is your greatest asset. That’s why it’s critical to not waste it talking to people you can’t help. In order for you to make a sale, every prospect you sit down with must have the ability to (a) afford your services and (b) make a buying decision. That’s why it’s critical you flush out those that aren’t a good match before you invest your time in taking them through a consultation.

1. Rapport building: For someone who is out of shape, walking into a fitness facility can be a very scary, emotional experience.

They don’t feel good about their appearance and have no idea what you’re going to ask of them, including measuring their fat and possibly taking unflattering photos of their physique in a bathing suit. That’s why it’s important you engage light-hearted conversation to put your prospect at ease. Help them relax and get comfortable before getting to the tough questions.

2. Probing and discovery questions: The three most important questions for every sales conversation are (a) what are your goals, (b) why are they important to you, and (c) how committed are you on a scale of 1-10? When you know the motivation of your prospect (and your client), then you can direct them on the path to get to where they want to be.

3. Identifying needs: As a coach, you know what a prospect’s needs are. They aren’t making good nutrition choices, they likely have too much stress and aren’t getting enough sleep, and they aren’t moving their body. But as simple as that may be for you to see and understand, it’s not so simple for your prospect to identify. You’ve got to help them “get it.” Because without needs, there is no solution, and without a solution, it’s virtually impossible to establish a value.

4. Building the problem: Once you’ve established a need, it’s time to diagnose the problem. In most cases, your clients struggle with achieving their goals because (a) they don’t have a complete program (b) they don’t know how to put all the pieces together and/ or (c) they lack the support to do the work and make the lifestyle changes necessary to achieve their goals long term. It’s your job to show them the way.

5. Presenting the solution: Once you’ve established a need and built the problem, it’s now time to present how your program will get the prospect to where they want to be.

Show them how the journey works. Share stories and examples of people you’ve helped just like them. And when possible, offer a conditional guarantee that removes the risk of making a bad decision on their part.

6. Closing the sale: There are lots of different ways to close a sale. Try using an “alternate choice” to close. Show your prospect the way forward and offer them to choose option number one or option number two; with both choices leading to their commitment to their goals and a sale for your program.

7. Objection handling: If you missed a step, then you’ll go to the “bonus round”

of objection handling. There is a process for this, too. Most importantly, you should listen and never interrupt. Sometimes simply allowing your prospect to ‘talk through’ their objection out loud, and when appropriate, asking them to explain what they mean, will resolve the objection by itself!

To be successful in the fitness industry, you must overcome your fears and negative beliefs around money and sales. Only then can you help clients change their lives and then achieve your personal and professional goals. Find the hurdles that are holding you back and then change the way you think and communicate to the prospects in front of you each day. There are so many people out there who need your help!

Sean Greeley, CEO of NPE, has an unrelenting passion for supporting entrepreneurs and growing businesses. Download NPE’s “Fitness Business Sales and Marketing Planning Guide” to grow your business to the next level at www.NetProfitExplosion.com/ PFP-Plan.

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Part 2 of PFP 2016 Special Six-Part Series: The Fitness Professional’s Lifeline

By Ryan Ketchum

YOUR FUNNEL TO SUCCESS CREATE A PREDICTABLE SALES FUNNEL

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onsumers are now making up to 60% of their buying decisions before ever contacting or engaging with a business.

That’s a scary statistic if you don’t have a plan in place to help those consumers find the info they are seeking. If you aren’t considering how leads are finding you or not investing the time to create an experience that increases the chances of a prospect converting to a client, it could be costing you.

Before you learn the simple five-step process to setting up a predictable sales funnel, it’s important that you understand the buyer’s journey. There are three very basic stages a buyer will go through when investigating a solution for their specific problem.

Stage 1 - Awareness: The buyer is made aware of a problem (example: reads an article about workouts for weight loss) Stage 2 – Discovery: The buyer begins to learn more about the problem and possible solutions (example: reviewing blogs, checking Yelp!, or following on social media) Stage 3 – Decision: The buyer engages with a

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business to begin making a decision (example: scheduling a consult) Unfortunately, most fitness professionals are missing out on a big pool of potential buyers by neglecting the first two stages of the journey.

Planning out the proper experience for a potential buyer throughout this journey will result in better leads and more clients for your business; there is an easy way to create that experience.

Here are a few areas of traffic sources to consider: } Your network } Your strategic relationships } Social media traffic } Organic website traffic } Paid marketing channels } Your current non-client email list } Referrals

The five-step sales funnel The steps in this sales funnel will help you acquire new leads and nurture them through the buyer’s journey so that you can control more of the messaging.

2. Create your lead magnet offer A lead magnet is something you use to attract your ideal client to your business and get them started in the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey. It is best to have just a few lead magnets that perform really well. You’ll likely have to test a few of them before discovering what works best. Your lead magnet should connect them to a solution for the problem they are trying to solve. You also want to make it something that they can use right away. Leverage your strengths when creating lead magnets.

You can use print, video or any other medium you’re strongest in, so that it is easy for you to create and has maximum impact.

1. Determine your traffic sources Traffic can be a scary word, especially for fitness professionals who associate it with online or internet marketing. But you can get traffic from a variety of sources and through a variety of methods. To help you define and determine your primary traffic sources start by looking at your current strengths and assets. Pick your top two or three traffic sources and focus your energy and time on the highest return activities.

e: Client Attraction and Retention

Example lead magnet topics could include: } Top 10 fat-burning exercises } 5 workouts that tighten and tone trouble spots } 25 healthy recipes for a tighter tummy } 3 exercises to ease back pain } Healthy kitchen checklist Once you’ve created your lead magnet you’ll want to create a landing page. A landing page is a simple one-page website where a prospect can access your lead magnet in exchange for providing an email address to opt-in for your list. Resources like leadpages. net can help you to create a simple but effective landing page.

3. Deliver your value-building content Now that a lead has opted-in to get your lead magnet, you need to continue to build that relationship. You’ll want to deliver a series of valuable pieces of information so they can learn more about what you do and how you can help them. Make a list of the top 3-5 questions and problems you get asked by clients and start writing blogs or creating videos to answer those questions.

It’s relatively easy to create this content and deliver a lot of value to the new leads on your email list.

Another valuable asset that you should be using in your value-building content is testimonials. Testimonials and case studies of client success stories are powerful marketing tools that you should be creating frequently and sharing with your leads. Sending out 2-3 videos or blogs providing leads with a solution and then following up with 1-2 testimonials or case studies showing a client’s success will help nurture the lead along through the discovery stage of the buyer’s journey.

An often underused method for delivering content is hosting free seminars or workshops. Having 10-20 leads attend a workshop is a powerful way to establish your credibility as an expert and leverage your time.

4. Present the front end offer Your front end offer (FEO) is a low barrier-to-entry, short-term program that offers a very specific result for the client. The FEO should give your leads a taste of your complete experience. Fitness professionals often err by drastically discounting too early, which makes their core offer (or primary service) seem like a bad investment.

The keys to creating a great FEO: } It should be something the buyer can use to see results quickly } It needs to have a low barrier-to-entry, easy to start and a minimal commitment } It should be specific to the problem the buyer wants to solve } It needs to be an incomplete solution During the FEO your job is to wow the client with your experience and prove to them that you are the best solution.

Here’s a quick look at what you can do during the FEO to add value: } Day 1 - Provide the buyer a quick-start guide to getting results } Day 2 - Complete a personal phone call check-in } Day 3 - Send them a resource from your blog that will help them get better results } Day 5 - Personal call or text from their coach or you } Day 7 - Send them an email on what’s next and schedule a personal meeting } Day 10 - Complete a progress check meeting and discuss results During that final meeting you can take the opportunity to sell them into your training program.

5. Close the deal After experiencing your FEO and seeing all the value that you can provide for them, the buyer should be primed to join your program as a client. During the progress check meeting, which will serve a dual purpose as a sales opportunity, you need to present the buyer with an obvious opportunity to join your program. Highlight the benefits of being a client, explain how your services will help them achieve their results faster, and paint them a great picture of what their life will be like once they reach their goals.

There are four steps you can take to increase your conversions without using high-pressured sales tricks.

1. Explain the benefits of the core offer, what they will get when they join and how will it help them reach their goals 2. Add on a special bonus 3. Create urgency with your offer by making it available for that day only 4. Offer a guarantee

Here’s a glimpse into what to expect in our exclusive Six-part series: Part 1 (January-February)

Out of the gate: Strategies to attract and convert your first clients

Part 3 (May-June)

Keep the momentum: continually attract, retain and get referrals

Part 4 (July-August)

Understanding psychographics to attract and retain clients

Part 5 (September-October)

Have them from “hello:” a client experience like no other

Part 6 (November-December) Marketing systems made easy

For sponsorship opportunities of this Six-Part Special Series, contact susan@rbpub.com

Creating your own sales funnel using these five steps will help you predict your future success and determine where you can improve your sales process for better conversions.

Simply knowing how you’re getting leads, the experience they’re having and planning out the steps to turn them into clients will have a huge impact on your business.

Ryan Ketchum is the Executive Director for Fitness Revolution, a company that helps fitness business owners find more freedom, make more money and fulfill their purpose in their business through strategic coaching. You can learn more about Fitness Revolution at www.frnation.com.

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By Greg Vaughn

WHAT AN OBJECTION REALLY MEANS

UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SALES “A sale happens when the prospect associates the action of buying with tremendous pleasure, and the action of not buying with tremendous pain.” - Anthony Robins For years salesmen have worked to find creative ways, to overcome objections, and find productive ways to close as many sales as possible. If you have tried to overcome objections before, or talk people into buying your service, you also know how uncomfortable and ineffective this can be. The idea of going back and forth haggling with a prospect over prices and objections with a goal of getting them to buy can feel pretty extreme. That is also why these ancient sales techniques are becoming obsolete, especially in the world of fitness and personal training. By better understanding certain factors of psychology and behavior, we can begin to take a much more effective approach to sales.

First, it’s important to understand what objections really are, and where they come from. Beginning to understand this concept will then allow you to recognize why they come up and how to “overcome them.”

FAMILIAR OBJECTIONS: “Let me think about it…”

“I need to take a look at my budget…”

“Let me talk it over with my spouse…”

“I think I just want to try it on my own a few weeks to get back into the routine…”

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We know that if it were important enough to them, they would find a way to make it happen; if only building tremendous value, and creating urgency were easy.

SO WHAT ARE THEY REALLY SAYING? All of these objections on a more direct, but simplified level, come down to one of two reasons they are not buying: 1. Reaching their goal, or solving their problem, is not important enough to them to justify what it will cost to achieve it. Costs being physical, emotional and/or monetary.

2. They don’t believe that your service is the best solution to their problem, or a necessity for achieving their goals.

Once you understand these root objections, you can then learn how to overcome them.

OVERCOME ROOT OBJECTION #1: Reaching their goal was not important enough to them to justify the cost This objection is often spoken aloud as “let me think about it.” The prospect in front of you is still weighing in their mind the amount of time, work, effort and money it is going to take to work with you to achieve their goals versus the amount of benefit they are going to get out of that investment.

How you solve this objection/problem: Start by setting a goal that matters. The first step in doing this is to really understand why the prospect is sitting in front of you that day.

They will tell you things like they want to lose 20 pounds, or fit into a size 6, etc. However, these are all superficial goals that will not be worth the amount of effort it will take to achieve. By accepting these types of things as goals, you will continue to hear this objection.

Dig deeper, and don’t be afraid to ask why.

Find the one reason behind the desire of losing 20 pounds that will drive them to success no matter what the cost. You do this by asking questions that will bring awareness to the real problem.

OVERCOME ROOT OBJECTION #2: They don’t believe your service is the best solution to their problem, or a necessity to achieve their goal Fitness professionals ultimately are coaches who use exercise as a tool to teach people how to work toward becoming the best version of themselves. However, conveying this message to clients can be a challenge.

The key is understanding the relationship between association and perception.

Association, a subconscious connection between two things, is better explained as the first thing that comes to mind when hearing a word or topic. Associations have been stored by your subconscious mind based on past personal experience. Associations become powerful when an emotion is connected to a certain word or topic.

This then leads into perception, or the

overall attitude you have toward something.

Perception could also be described as the conscious outlook you have, based on the feedback of your associations.

If you train the general population, you likely realize that most people have negative emotions associated to fitness. They cringe when they hear the words weight loss, exercise, cardio, nutrition, protein and so on. In order to have a breakthrough with a potential client, and effectively relay your value, you will need to change certain associations to then change the perception they may have of you as a fitness professional. If you are using these words during your consultations, the prospect will relate your service to a negative emotion and ultimately will object to your service.

It is fairly simple to change associations and perception. The secret is to educate.

Lead the prospect into the reasons why your service is important by establishing a clear association between training and success.

Simply put, explain why working with you is going to get them to their goals, as well as explaining why not working with you will lead them further away from their goals.

EXAMPLE: You: “What did you have in mind as far as

what to do in order to be able to move better/feel better?”

Marsha: “Well, I was really planning on just starting on the treadmills to get moving again. Then maybe add in some of the arm machines, and do that sit-up machine, I can really feel that one.”

(Marsha obviously has an association of a positive feeling for the sit-up machine, and her perspective is that the treadmill and machines are going to help get her to her goal of moving better/feeling better. This is your opportunity to work toward changing association and perception.)

You: “Alright Marsha, have you done those things in the past? Did they get you where you want to be?”

Marsha: “I did try them last year. They felt pretty good, I saw a little progress.”

You: “Ok. If you’ll allow me to be honest with you. There are going to be other things in the facility that are going to be much more beneficial for you. The things I have in mind will focus more on maximizing your time, and place a much bigger emphasis on your primary goal of moving better.

Would you allow me to explain what these things are, and why they are going to benefit you?”

Marsha: “Of course!”

The key point here is to get the permission to reset their associations/perspectives.

Once you have led them to the point where you become the professional, the information you present will now be received.

The takeaway should be the fact that objections should never be overcome only when you are presenting your prices. Objections are nothing more than problems, or obstacles, that should be discussed from the very beginning of your consultation. The goal is to find the root of these problems your prospect is bringing to your attention, and associate your service as the solution to these problems. When you are able to do that, you will never have to worry about being forced to overcome objections.

Greg Vaughn, CES, is a multiunit manager at Stay Fit 24.

Vaughn made his start in the industry in 2009 with a passion to help change his community’s health. He now leads a team of personal trainers on a mission to bring a positive change to the fitness industry. www.stayfit24.com

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EDUCATION TRENDS Melissa Wogahn | www.JoyOfActiveLiving.com

Align your education investment with your business vision Judging from the 140 personal trainer certification programs listed on the IDEA website, there seems to be a certification for just about every training specialty. Certification agencies are increasing their offerings in response to the market (and often, their own business objectives) and many of these reflect the shift in training specialization; a good thing.

In this escalating race between providers of certifications, it is important for fitness professionals to take a step back to consider what is right for us and our clients. Before you pay for one more certification, here are five questions to ask yourself: 1. What is my business vision? Your business should reflect your personal style. What sets you apart from other personal trainers?

Do you enjoy interacting with the medical community, athletes or with people who never exercise? Branding expert Debbie LaChusa, owner of the Business Stylist, states that when we do what everyone else is doing, “…we stop running things through our own personal filter and start blindly following.” What you enjoy versus what you don’t enjoy about working with clients helps form your vision.

2. Who is my ideal client? What are your client needs and how do your skills help them achieve their desired outcome? Identifying your ideal client helps form your marketing message and gives insight into future certification goals.

3. How do I like working with my clients? Some clients want a trainer to be there for every workout; other clients want guidance so they can work out on their own. Recognizing the difference helps define future certification requirements. For the client who needs a trainer for every workout, consider certifications/seminars focusing on training adaptations. For the client wanting to learn how to workout on their own, a certification on health coaching will be of more value.

4. What is my CEU budget? Each certification requires a financial and time investment which needs to be maintained. A good number of certification agencies allow CEUs from the same providers; others, however, do not. Do potential CEU opportunities reflect how you see your business evolving? Consider your return on this investment and don’t forget to add in the billable hours you invested in acquiring and maintaining it annually.

5. Could business training be a better investment? Consider exploring courses aimed at the business side of your business.

How well do you manage financial and marketing aspects? Courses aimed at defining your platform (what you stand for) as well as those that strengthen your technology skillset are vital for longterm success. Consider offerings from providers such as Udemy. com, Lynda.com or Score.org. These are worthy alternatives that might just have a bigger impact on your business.

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The personal training industry has evolved to the point where we can no longer think of ourselves as “just a trainer.” As our industry continues to advance into specialized services, we should avoid the impulse to layer on additional certifications without asking ourselves the above five questions. Whether working out of a gym, with home clients, corporations or considering opening up your own training center, you are operating a business. Develop an effective business strategy with certifications reflecting that direction.

Melissa Wogahn, MA, develops exercise behavior programming for organizations and individuals. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a Wellcoaches Certified Health and Wellness Coach and is a credentialed provider through ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine program. She is the author of the upcoming book, Off the Couch: How to Find Joy through Physical Activity Even If You Hate to Exercise.” You can learn more about her at www.JoyOfActiveLiving.com.

Certification and continuing education organizations American Aerobic Assoc.

International (AAAI)

www.aaai-ismafitness.com

American Council on Exercise (ACE)

Functional Aging Institute (FAI)

www.functionalaginginstitute.com

National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT)

www.ACEfitness.org

www.nfpt.com

FitnessFest

National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

www.fitnessfest.org

Fitour

www.fitour.com

www.nsca.com

SCW Fitness Education www.scwfitness.com

THE MESSAGE Website: www.ScottRawcliffe.com | Facebook: @ScottRawcliffeFitness | Twitter/Instagram/Periscope: @scottrawcliffe

If you haven’t yet heard Scott Rawcliffe speak at many of the top national and international fitness conferences, chances are good you’ve seen him somewhere on social media. A standout fitness professional who parlays his brilliant social media marketing mind to help fitness professionals create a greater impact, Scott shows us how he shares his message across the industry and across the world…

My ideal client is a fitness business owner who wants to leverage the power of social media not only to generate new clients, but also brand themselves/their business as the experts in their niche.

My message is that the fitness industry as a whole needs to “connect-not-compete” because this is the only way that we will truly make a difference in the world and be looked upon as true professionals. #connectnotcompete If I had only one way to share my message it would be not solely through social media as some might expect me to say, but actually through presenting! Giving people the chance to see and hear exactly who you are and what you believe in is the most powerful way to share your message. Then I use social media to amplify my message.

Successful messaging is about not being a “me too” fitness professional. Figure out what makes you stand out from the crowd and make sure everyone knows this about you.

Then focus on providing great content that provides huge value and helps your prospects move one baby step closer to their goals.

People follow me because they want to be educated, inspired and entertained, just like your followers do. That’s the litmus test that I recommend everyone use for 95% of all their social media posts.

EXERCISE SPOTLIGHT Exercises designed by MERRITHEW™

MERRITHEW Inflatable Body Roller TM

This perfectly portable roller is made of non-toxic materials and comes with a hand pump and easily adjusts to your desired level of firmness. It deflates for travel and storage and its durable, anti-burst design supports up to 600 pounds of pressure and can be easily cleaned. This fitness accessory serves double-duty as a myofascial relief tool and as an exercise prop. Use the Inflatable Body Roller to stretch tight areas, improve circulation, strengthen your core and isolate specific body parts.

Ab prep with extension

Starting position: lying on a mat with Inflatable Body Roller under upper thoracic spine, knees bent with feet hip-distance apart, hands behind head INHALE: extend upper body back over roller EXHALE: nod head and flex upper body forward Complete 10-12 repetitions Modification: repeat exercise with one leg lifted to tabletop

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Swimming prep

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Starting position: lie on stomach on Inflatable Body Roller lengthwise on mat, support upper body on elbows and tuck toes under INHALE: prepare EXHALE: stay stable and reach one arm out to the side and the opposite leg off the mat INHALE: return to starting position Complete 5-8 repetitions on each side, alternating Modification: to simplify the exercise, lift one leg only

For more information, visit www.Merrithew.com

Knee stretches

Starting position: on hands and knees, knees on mat, feet resting on middle of Inflatable Body Roller, spine in a neutral position EXHALE: prepare by lifting knees just off the mat INHALE: stretch legs out to full plank position, pushing Roller away EXHALE: pull knees in toward shoulders Complete 8-10 repetitions Modification: to increase challenge, reach one leg out straight in starting position. Pull that leg in toward chest as the supporting leg stretches out to plank position

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Hip flexor stretch

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Starting position: on hands and knees, one knee under body, other leg resting on Inflatable Body Roller INHALE: stretch out back leg, sitting down on front heel, lifting chest up toward ceiling EXHALE: lower upper body toward front leg Complete 5 repetitions on each side Modification: to increase the stretch, bend the knee of the back leg during the upward movement

Oblique knee raise

Starting position: lying on back on Inflatable Body Roller, lengthwise on mat, one hand resting on mat, other hand behind head, upper body lifted, opposite foot as hand resting on mat, other leg bent in the air INHALE: reach free leg out on a long diagonal EXHALE: bend free leg in and rotate upper torso toward knee Complete 5-8 repetitions on each side Modification: to increase the challenge, keep free leg straight as it lifts toward the body

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NEW ON THE MARKET The latest trends in fitness equipment

GLUTE BRIDGE ROLLER Perform Better’s new Glute Bridge Roller slides easily on every surface.

The unique foot holder keeps your heels stable when using for hamstring curls and bridging. You can also put your toes in and perform knee tucks, pike-ups and more. The raised handles allow you to do upper body rollouts and core work while the center plate can be used for standing lunges and squats. www.performbetter.com

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Lindsay's Review: Mini Stability Ball

The best investments in your equipment repertoire aren’t always the biggest or most expensive. With my clients, I find the pieces of equipment they appreciate most are those that assist with individualizing the exercise experience. Enter the Merrithew foam Mini Stability Ball. Yes, it may just look like a small blue, foam basketball, but the versatility of this 7.5 inch ball can vastly enhance movements, serve as a self-myofascial release tool and assist proper positioning and form. Merrithew provides a guide for sample exercises and usage, and you may just be surprised with your own creativity to integrate this clever tool into your training. www.merrithew.com

REBEL ROLLER

PERSONAL POWER PLATE

ACTIVMOTION BAR APP

This 24” back-to-basics roller is the most firm and durable roller on the market. It provides consistent pressure for muscle-kneading massage and the texture-grip end rings allow for more control during partner rolling. Provides the benefit of deep muscle rolling without the pinpoint pressure of a more aggressive textured surface. Nonporous, smooth PVC material makes this roller easy to clean and ultra-hygienic. www.spri.com

Performance Health Systems launched the new Personal Power Plate, a compact and portable model of the industry leading Power Plate, ideal for at-home and on-the-go workouts. This new model is smaller and weighs less than 40 pounds. Whatever your workout routine – squats, planks, lunges, etc. – doing them on the vibrating Power Plate helps you reach your fitness goals faster and more effectively than traditional exercise alone. www.powerplate.com/personal

The new ActivMotion Bar app is a great resource for fitness professionals to access tons of great exercise content.

ActivMotion, as a company, is about creativity and innovation. You can even connect your smartphone to your ActivMotion Bar via a simple, secure connector clip for an incredible heads-up display experience. Watch educational content as you train conveniently and easily. www.activmotionbar.com

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EVENTS CALENDAR April - July

APRIL 2016 ACSM – Health & Fitness Summit March 29–April 1 l Orlando, FL www.acsmsummit.org

EBFA – 2nd Annual Barefoot Training Summit April 2–3 l San Francisco, CA www.evidencebasedfitnessacademy.com/summit

Functional Aging Institute – Specialist Certification Workshop April 15 l Kansas City, MO www.functionalaginginstitute.com

NSCA – 2016 TSAC Annual Training April 25–28 l San Diego, CA www.nsca.com

FitnessFest – 2016 Conference and Expo April 29–May 1 l Tempe, AZ www.fitnessfest.org

MAY 2016 Functional Aging Institute – Specialist Certification Workshop May 20 l St. Cloud, MN www.functionalaginginstitute.com

SCW Fitness – Florida Mania May 20–22 l Orlando, FL www.scwfit.com/mania

JUNE 2016 AAAI/ISMA – One World Conference June 3–5 l Atlantic City, NJ www.aaai-ismafitness.com

Functional Aging Summit June 10-11 Phoenix , AZ www.functionalaginginstitute.com/fas2016

JULY 2016 IDEA World Convention July 13–17 l Los Angeles, CA www.ideafit.com

For a complete listing, or to submit your event, see our online Events Calendar at www.fit-pro.com/events.

BE BETTER Phil Kaplan | www.philkaplan.com

The elusive treasure of human contact I meet people who pay a fair amount of money to their virtual coaches. I’ll take it a step further: I know virtual coaches. Amazingly, I know virtual coaches from varied fields ranging from dentistry to wealth building.

It’s representative of the world we live in, a world where human contact is replaced by digital imagery, a world where words sent via text or chat to someone else’s phone or monitor disguises itself as human contact.

In a world inhabited by a population living without need for physical challenge, there is need for an expert. Someone has to, at the very least, help folks maintain optimal human function. That’s where we come in.

Personal trainers are taught to prescribe safe and effective exercise.

In 2016, with all of the technology we have at our fingertips - web cams, apps, Skype, clouds, Face-Time - is it feasible that even we can serve as virtual coaches, getting people to restore human excellence without ever stepping into their personal space?

That depends how you define human excellence.

Theoretically, you can “coach” someone virtually, making lifestyle suggestions and initiating dietary shifts. There are limitless options for “teaching exercise” virtually, even using two-way video interactivity to assess movement patterns. If coaching and teaching were enough to restore human excellence in a population moving toward dis-ease, we could all “work” without ever stepping outside of our homes.

Oh, but wait. There’s an issue. You like training people. You really like at least some of your clients and you enjoy the time you spend with them. Still, in speaking with new and veteran personal trainers alike regarding career direction, I find that the want for a virtual business is an overriding desire.

If it’s really all about you, if you can fulfill your financial needs training virtually, and you can take on enough one-on-one or group clients to meet your thirst for being around people, your path should be clear.

Marry the two, but know the difference. It is significant.

We can define physical excellence by referencing markers of performance, biomarkers of systemic function, and body composition, but isn’t there another piece to human excellence? There is the emotional piece, the trait of well-being we promise our clients, the passion for, value in, and love of life. I think in a time where non-sexual human contact is becoming sadly prehistoric, it merits examining how we can fulfill the totality of driving human excellence.

Human touch is the first sense we experience and find comfort in. It underlies every infant-parent communication. The research evidencing the value of touch in fostering social and emotional health is extensive, and this isn’t conjecture. It’s science. It’s biology. It’s hormonal. Touch triggers the bonding hormone oxytocin and small spikes in dopamine, and this has absolutely nothing to do with sexual stimulation.

If you opt to scan the research, you’ll find complete alignment. Librarians who touched book borrowers on the hand received more favorable

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reviews and those touched were far more likely to return the books on time. Waitresses received larger tips when they tactfully touched patrons on the shoulder after serving. If we add in eye contact, combined with touch, we elicit enhanced feelings of trust, of connection and of familiarity.

We become better influencers when we touch, we become better connectors when we touch, and I must say, we become better coaches and trainers when our clients are within reach, when a helping hand, the reassuring squeeze of a client’s arm, or a post-workout hug become tools for betterment.

Conversely, absence of touch or sensory deprivation led to higher levels of violence, depression and dysphoria. I’m not suggesting you’ll depress people who you coach virtually, but I am suggesting you have a far greater power to positively impact their lives if you connect at the most primal human sensory level. Touch transmits emotion. An angry touch feels different than a caring touch, a dismissive touch different than an empathetic one. These emotional transmissions not only affect mood and mindset but evidence suggests it impacts immune function.

Of course, there are boundaries, and although your clients in most cases will let you into their personal space, you have an obligation to respect both societal boundaries and those your clients display either by their actions or their words. Appropriate human contact enhances the trainer-client relationship in far more ways than a single article can attempt to mention.

If you want to be the best you can be, if you have a true passion for bettering the lives of others, if you can see the potential of enhancing human excellence beyond the physical, maybe it’s time to revisit the perceived appeal of the virtual trainer.

Would you like to elicit true happiness in your next client session?

OK, begin with some sort of non-invasive physical assessment, taking a radial pulse during conversation or doing a hands-on stretch to consider joint flexibility. During the session, touch the client in assisting ways, but at least twice, stop, look the client in the eye, and praise them with a warm assuring hand placed somewhere between the shoulder and fingers. A pat, a tap, or a squeeze can transmit your expertise and concern. Toward the end of the workout, during a brief-duration aerobic session, prompt a strategic “burst” kicking up sympathetic stimulation and take a radial pulse during a cool-down until the client is adequately recovered. The endocrine system has now created an environment with ample serotonin, small spikes in dopamine, the flow of oxytocin and those wonderful endorphins we’re intimately familiar with.

After the cool down, a heart-to-heart hug locks in the emotion and the client leaves with the pure emotion of happiness. Is that a bit abstract? Are you “not a hugger?” Is virtual still your realm? All I can do is suggest you consider the sentiments herein. If it prompts change on your part, that happiness factor may very well magnify, not only among your clients, but in the life of their trainer as well.

Phil Kaplan provides resources for consumers and fitness professionals alike.

Visit http://philkaplan.com and http://bebetteracademy.com