Summer has nearly come to an end, people are returning from their vacations, the big rush to get into shape for the beach has justabout drizzled out. So, we need to shake things up a bit. We want to make surewe don't lose any of the momentum our clients may have gained over the summeror make up for the "other" kind of gains they may have found do to travel andinability to make it to the gym regularly.
It is my experience in the past that just like changing up aworkout to shock the muscles into growing, we have to sometimes shock theclient into a rejuvenated reason for training and training hard for results. Findinga way to re-motivate, alter-motivate or create a sense of urgency has to becreative, fund and rewarding.
One of the things I have done with all of my clients in thepast is contacted all of them via email and told them that we were going tohave a "Biggest Loser" contest. The contest was strictly limited to activelytraining clients. I spelled out the rules, the system of measurement and thestart to finish dates of the contest. I always set this up as a friendlycompetition but with a promise of great results and obviously a prize to thewinner.
I encouraged each person to contact me. If they wanted toadd a session or two a week to gain an edge of their competition, I wouldencourage them to do so before the time slot filled up. If they needed me totweak their diet or place them on a nutrition plan, I made myself available. Ultimately,I provided all of the tools (upon availability) to succeed. At the end Ioffered prizes to first-, second- and third-place finishers, such as a month offree training, a spa package, massage, etc.
The idea of the contest was to accommodate several things:
1. Create a sense of competition. I believe competition is healthy if done theright way. This can become the source of motivation for clients to push a littleharder or reestablish a goal.
2. Createa sense of urgency. By setting a start and finish date, we established a timelinein which to operate and have an end in site.
3. Keepclients accountable. I have always said, where there is accountability, thereis responsibility. If all of the results are sent via email, it holds theclients accountable to each other for pushing forward.
4. Addnew business to my week. I always found that clients would add one to twosessions a week to try to win the competition. And the schedule booked up fast.I made more money!
5. TO HAVE FUN! My emails would always praise and encourage my clients to press ahead. While this is a business, we do what we do because we love it. Our clients don’t necessarily feel the same way we feel about exercise, so we have to make it fun for them so they will continue.
You can come up with your own contest, recipe or event that will spark a change in "why" your clients are training and "why" they are training with you! I would love to hear your creative ideas on how to motivate your clients, create a sense of urgency. We want to be successful, so share your successful ideas!
Mike McDaniel is an authority of leadership, goal-setting disciplines, sales strategies and corporate physical fitness. He has been a professional trainer for over 18 years and owned two health clubs, employing over 75 personal trainers. Mike can be booked for speaking engagements, sales training or consultant at www.askthewhyguy.com.
