If you're familiar with the training industry, you know some trainers start their own businesses, take off, build stacked client rosters and rapidly grow their business from there. Others don't do quite as well; that's just how the world works.
I make it a habit to study success, and from speaking to hundreds of successful trainers over the past few years (as well as looking back at what allowed me to succeed at training while failing at so many things previously), it dawned on me that there are several characteristics of the fitness business that make it special. They make it a perfect opportunity to create a rapidly growing business and achieve an outstanding income for someone that's passionate about fitness and willing to model what works.
In particular, there are three of these characteristics that we'll get into right now. Any seasoned trainer will be able to identify and relate to all of them. But it's emphasizing and capitalizing on each one of them for all their worth is what will help you create a business that sustainable and poised for rapid expansion:
- Continuity -- personal fitness is a continuity-based service, which means that once someone starts, they keep coming back. Every trainer who's doing a good job knows this. What many fail to utilize is an automated billing system that bills clients automatically monthly for their training sessions. This makes things more convenient for both parties, in most cases greatly increases a trainer's income, and holds the client more accountable to their fitness program; it's a win for everyone involved. All it takes to make it happen are few lines of text on your contract, and letting every new client know that this is how you do business.
- Personality based -- it's only the rookie trainers that are strictly focused on sets and reps; the successful veterans know that it's the relationship that keeps clients coming back. This is the next factor that makes training services so viable service; because the product (which is the client experience) is completely under your control.
- Universal -- we've finally reached an age where every man and woman is consuming some sort of fitness service of some kind. This makes fitness information and services among the hottest industries to be in, and one that gives you room for unlimited growth and progression. It also allows you to decide which type of business model suits you best, whether it's private training, business ownership, group training or starting an online business where you never meet a single client face to face at all.
Again, none of this is rocket science. I think every experienced trainer is well aware of everything I just mentioned. But aggressively capitalizing on each of these three benefits can rapidly grow and expand a training business.
For example, embracing the universality of it and expanding your advertising budget and public relations efforts, emphasizing the service and relationship aspect of it, and putting every new client on a continuity program makes use of each one of the three factors mentioned above, and has the potential to double a training business in a very short time. Don't believe me? Put them into effect in your business, and let me know about the results!
Kaiser Serajuddin is the writer of the popular personaltraining blog, Super-Trainer.com. He guides personal trainers through thechallenging period of starting their personal training businesses and helpsthem on the road to six figures. For more information, you can download hisspecial report, The Six-Figure Formula, at www.super-trainer.com.
