TOP-NOTCH TRAINING
EDUCATION CONNECTION
Michelle Blakely | www.blakelyfit.com
Jason Karp, PhD l www.Run-Fit.com
Uncle Sam has it right
Swerving
Receiving notice of a tax audit by the IRS is a nightmarish notion. As the daughter of an accountant though, I was raised to look at this differently. At the most fundamental level, an audit is a means of confirming that everything is in the right place and properly recorded. And, if it’s not, adjusting it. With this in mind, let’s visit the idea of an audit as a powerful tool. What would it look like if someone came in and audited the marketing efforts for your personal training business? What if they evaluated this aspect of your business just as a tax auditor looks at your financial records and tax return? I suspect some of us are laughing at the thoroughness of this suggestion. It seems like such a serious proposition. Is it, though? Marketing confusion and client acquisition are top concerns with training professionals. Why isn’t checking our effectiveness a top priority as well? Here are my top three recommendations for your one page internal marketing plan and audit:
If you saw a sign with a picture of a horse that said, “The world’s only talking horse! Free viewing and conversation with the horse on Main Street at noon on Sunday!” would you stop and notice? Better yet, what if you saw a talking horse in the street? Would you stop and look? Truth is, there really is a talking horse. Mister Ed. He had a starring role on a national TV sitcom in the 1960s. Mister Ed was popular because he was different. No one expects to hear or see a talking horse. That’s just silly. We all know horses can’t talk. But Mister Ed did. When something catches our eye that’s different, even peculiar, we swerve, turning our head in the direction of what we saw. Circuses in the early 20th Century exploited this by including sideshows featuring human oddities like the Elephant Man or Bearded Lady. We still swerve every time we see a street performer eating fire, because our brains have a hard time comprehending that. Swerving is a powerful marketing tool. In this digital age in which everyone is bombarded with marketing messages every day through email and social media, the first step in getting more business is getting more people to notice your product or service. And that means being different than the competition, whether you’re a big gym or an independent personal trainer. Advertising to prospective clients that your gym’s trainers are nationally certified or that your high-intensity workouts burn more fat is not unique; every gym has nationally-certified trainers and every personal trainer claims his or her workouts burn fat. You have to be different and get people to swerve. Here are three ways:
1. Start with the end in mind. Take the time to write out WHY you are embarking on this marketing endeavor. Be as specific as possible. Do you want to obtain three new clients with an open house presentation? Do you want to increase your twitter following by 100 people? Do you want to acquire two compelling 30-second video testimonials to use on your website? Do you want five current clients to join you on a sponsored 5K run to encourage company loyalty and create great social media material? What do you want and why? Making the time for this step is potent and integral to ensuring success. 2. Decide and detail. Log your planning time commitment, execution time commitment, follow up time commitment, financial investment, tasks that must be completed and final ideal outcome that would qualify the effort as a success. 3. Follow up. Write out what worked, what didn’t, what you spent in terms of time and money, unexpected benefits, unexpected successes and a final grade. Evaluate what you were satisfied with and what you would do differently next time. Detail, follow up and audit everything strictly because of the commitment to the plan. Make it as simple as needed. The importance of knowing what you want, detailing how you are going to get there and thoroughly following up are simple, powerful and integral to respecting your time and efforts. Email me for an example.
Michelle Blakely’s company, See Jake and Jane Train, helps personal trainers and studios with the business side of training with outstanding online products. 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 Good Housekeeping, Prevention and Oprah.com. Enjoy a complimentary gift at SeeJakeandJaneTrain.com.
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| WWW.FIT-PRO.COM | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2016
1. Place a very large-sized Greek sculpture Discobolus, the discus thrower that exemplifies athleticism, power, and strength, right in the middle of your gym’s floor that people can interact with as part of their workouts. What if you offered something to prospective clients that no one else in the industry offers, something that clients would not expect to receive from a personal trainer? 2. Post crazy pictures and videos on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest that are truly extraordinary, something that people don’t typically see. Force people to stop and look. 3. The lack of educational standard in the fitness industry can work in your favor. Leverage it by becoming educated, by turning yourself into the talking horse that everyone wants to see and listen to. Perhaps you can even become a doctor so you can prescribe exercise. Then you may even be asked to write a column in a fitness industry magazine about education. Now that’s a great idea.
Dr. Jason Karp spends most of his time making people swerve. He is also the creator of the REVO2LUTION RUNNING™ certification, 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, and has over 200 publications. His seventh book, Run Your Fat Off, comes out in March. www.Run-Fit.com