15 Practical Ways on How To Get More Clients by FPO

I recently sat down with a trainer that works part-time and was frustrated that she was not as busy as she wanted to be. When I spoke about her schedule and availability, I spoke that her hours of “9-1” Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday from 8-1 weren’t “ideal” but that is not an excuse to not be busy during those times.

So I asked her how she is spending her time from 10-1 (she has a session at 9 am) to be productive. Her response baffled me: “I workout for an hour and then I run errands.”

So I said, “How is this going to help you get sessions?”

To which she replies, “If it’s not going to pay me, I can’t justify spending time working on stuff for FREE anymore.”

Trainers, I just don’t get it. If you are supposed to be “working” and you don’t have sessions, why not do things that are going to help YOU get busy.

I took this as a call for “leadership” to teach my trainer about the on-going effort, energy, and commitment it takes to not only get a full book but to keep a full book of sessions. It is everyone’s responsibility to acquire sessions and to retain sessions. Not just the business. And not just the trainers. But both parties must be “All-in.”

Being “busy just being busy” during non-training hours isn’t going to help the trainer that is staring at a schedule that is more empty than it is full. To me, non-training hours is a serious time to take action working “on” your business so you can get busy “in” your business.

So here are 25 ways … YOU or your trainers can get busy IF you choose to take ACTION, get outside your comfort zone, and do the things you may not be comfortable with. It’s time to “Get Busier” with more sessions:

Set up DMS and offer after a workout for 10 min sessions…great time to connect and promote self.
Write articles for different publications (newspaper, magazines, PT on the Net, etc.). (You choose whatever newsletters you have!).
Saturday workshops for clients (i.e. nutrition, fat loss, flexibility, etc.).
Write thank you notes to clients past and present.
Connect with clients in facility, members, introduce self and offer to work out with them or show them something new.
Flip workouts and post on YouTube.
Canvas your local libraries for speaking opportunities and introduce yourself to the staff – head person first.
Create a TOPIC that you can present to a smaller group of local neighborhood people. Maybe it is resistance training to prevent osteoporosis, or FITNESS -101, or the F.I.T.T. principle… Provide enough for a20-30 minute presentation and then take some Q&A. You should have a professional business card as a minimum, with all the key contact information: Name of Company – LOGO – your name – phone – email and website – or the facility you work at, with their permission. Getting a Point of Contact (POC) at the library is important. Also, check the online listings of your local libraries for the types of seminars/presentations that are offered.
Other places where you can present and GET IN FRONT OF PEOPLE (that is the key) are LOCAL CIVIC GROUPS: Rotary Club, Girl/Boy Scouts, Lions Club, Shriners, H.S. Foundations, H.S. Parents’ Clubs, Local colleges ( the great way is to connect to an ALUMNI Association). In doing so, it must be for FREE – and it needs to be MOTIVATIONAL, EDUCATIONAL, and applicable to the audience.
Pick a strip shopping center within 2 miles of your training facility that you primarily train clients at and enter each small business establishment and introduce yourself, WHO you are and what you do and be able to provide some business cards or single 8″ by 11″ (three-way folded brochures), be ready to provide, people may ask or better yet YOU can ask, that said, you should have a”holder” so they are displayed outwardly and not thrown in a draw.
Look for Local Health Fairs that you can volunteer at or offer a free service: FREE BLOOD PRESSURE SCREEN, FREE BODY COMPOSITION TEST that will be educational, is easily done, and where you can provide FEEDBACK and connect with clients. You should have a basic form for each service or you can easily combine; recommend the front have a description of what you are doing and the back side the data collection portion for that person.
Google Your Town health fairs and a long list of local health fairs will be listed. You can also further refine the search by CATEGORY, CITY, TIME PERIOD, and whether KID FRIENDLY.
Offer to do in-store demos of exercise equipment for Fitness Retailers, you learn about knew the equipment, can get “in front of people” and perhaps get people interested in some training. Again, give away “Free” prizes that use “you” as the reward. Educate, put your best foot forward, over-deliver, and the buyer’s of the equipment will notice; you can become the store’s “go-to” trainer.
Learn a particular piece of equipment and become an expert on it, you can then present to other trainers.Write a short article on a fitness-related topic: the five basic steps: Open with a Problem, Explain the Problem, Introduce the Solution, Describe your solution, provide proof and credibility, and of course, title your article (i.e., the 5 best ways to improve your core strength, the 5 essential exercises to train your legs, etc.) Team with a tennis or golf pro at a tennis or golf facility and offer to introduce some sport specific exercises for their clients.
Get certified as a GROUP INSTRUCTOR in something you currently don’t do that you might be able to offer to your facility (i.e., TRX, Kickboxing, Zumba, yoga, etc.). Then make sure you write up a proposal to your boss as to your ideas, how you would like to execute the class, and what it can do for the studio/health club.

No more excuses—Get it done!

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Daniel Yakupka

Daniel Yakupka is an International Fitness Expert with 20 years of experience.

Daniel has been featured in IDEA Health and Fitness Magazine as Top Fitness Professional in Washington DC and magazine contributor, ToddDurkin.com as Mastermind Member in the Spotlight, Fitnessmagazine.com, Ideafit.com,and SparkPeople.com.

Daniel is a ACE certified trainer,MS,WLS,PES,TRX Coach and Nutrition Coach with Precision Nutrition.

Daniel was named Argentina’s most successful personal trainer and worked in the Washington DC Metro area as a Fitness Specialist until 2008 when he opened Fit for Life Fitness In-Home Personal Training Specialists.

Daniel can be reached via email at daniel@fitforlifefitnessdc.com
www.fitforlifefitnessdc.com