How to Start a Personal Training Business and Find Fitness Customers

Part 3: How to market oneself to attract high-end clientele for fitness, and how crucial is a website?

Recently, a trainer just starting his personal training business asked me many questions. He sought guidance on the quickest method to establish a lucrative private training firm.

The questions he asked and my answers are included because I believed that hearing this would be helpful for other people.

FIRST QUESTION:

What role does a website play in a larger marketing strategy? Is it merely a vanity item necessary for today’s business environment, or does it help you grow your clientele and business?

RESPONSES #1:

It depends, but that’s a beautiful question. Spending a lot of money on a website when you start out actually DOES NOT make sense. Several websites will teach you how to make a website if you are tech proficient and interested.

But you’ll need to learn a lot or invest several hundred dollars to get started to use a website to attract customers, grow your list, and advance your business. After that, you’ll need to spend time updating your website and spreading your content—or pay someone else to do it for you.

A website can be a terrific tool to attract chances, even though, for some people, it’s just a vanity piece for their fitness business if you’re serious about studying internet marketing or are willing to pay for it. To obtain customers from the internet, you will need A LOT of traffic, though.

Consider this: If you wanted to find a fantastic massage, would you search online or ask some reliable friends? The same holds for intimate personal services like personal training. Most visitors to your website will seek out free information rather than pay for sessions.

Hence, if you are not yet ready to start a business online, start one offline instead and save part of your money from going toward a website later. In the interim, you may create an entire website for very little money using sites like WordPress and Vistaprint.

This website serves as a stopgap measure until you can invest in a decent one and is used to inform potential customers about you. This type of website will make it challenging to generate new leads, but it will aid in turning those leads into paying clients. Although they might not want to call you immediately after reading about your purpose or customer reviews, they will be more inclined to do so.

Using your current social network is the most effective strategy to sell your company. The idea is to drive as much traffic as possible into the gym. Providing a free consultation is customary, yet some people may still be hesitant to visit. So, ask yourself: Is anyone already admire you or your abilities? Who already has a good impression of you and believes in you?

Anyone can do it! A neighbor, a family member, a friendly coworker who works across the street, etc. Ask them to come in for a session, and in exchange for bringing in a new friend to work out with you once a week, offer to coach them for less money. You can choose how much to lower your pricing and inform them that it is only temporary.

Set up the new acquaintance for their session after the initial workout, but first, have them participate in a tandem session to help break the ice. Focus on attracting people to the gym since the more people you attract, the more you’ll lose clients and have to close. This is just one tactic, but it’s practical since the potential client doesn’t feel pressured to sign up because they’re already working out with a friend and their friend’s trainer.

This is one of the finest strategies for building your business quickly since it will bring in many potential customers. You won’t close every customer who enters your business this way, but you will get many of them through the door. Even if they are unwilling to train with you directly, you may always ask them for a recommendation. The most effective technique to advance your business is always face-to-face! Although it might be painful, it works. So go ahead and make an effort!

Second Question:

Does this kind of client respond to mass marketing? Will leaving flyers or business cards throughout the area of the establishment I’m trying to draw clients result in any new prospects? Is this a cheapening of my brand?

RESPONSES #2

This might work, but you’ll be lucky if you attract only one potential customer for every 100 flyers you distribute. This percentage can be raised using direct marketing strategies, such as creating a compelling call to action and an air of urgency or scarcity. However, doing so is not the best use of your time and, if executed incorrectly, could devalue your brand.

The 7 Essential Referral Techniques and how to leverage them to grow your clientele are among the topics we cover in our marketing system. The term “Strategic Relationships” refers to one of the referral tactics. Going around to other business owners or professionals in a related field and developing relationships with them while showcasing your worth is preferable. Meet them in person, offer to assist them in achieving their objectives, offer them a complimentary session, and then offer them a discounted rate in exchange for recommendations. When people talk about you firsthand, it will make all the difference. You may then provide them with brochures and business cards to distribute. Using this method, you should be able to obtain one possible customer for every 20 fliers you distribute.

Employ both strategies, and you’ll have at least one new client in less than two weeks! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there; it’s okay to fail and be turned down as long as you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep going.

Maintain your company’s health until next time.

Jack Fitness

Jonathan Angelilli, also known as Johnny Fitness, has been a full-time personal trainer for over eight years. He has earned eight certifications, works with several celebrities, and is currently the director of training at Dynamic Results, a prestigious fitness and lifestyle business in New York City. He has directly coached, managed, and mentored over 100 personal trainers in the last five years alone. He also runs a very successful consulting business for personal trainers. His coaching customers attained excellent outcomes, including increased earnings, more charitable giving, and expanded options for their fitness businesses.

Read also: Major Benefits of Fitness Training Along with a Personal Trainer