Like most of us, I have a thirst for learning. Not just fitness related material but also history, leadership, business etc. Also, like most of us time is of the essence so I take advantage of audiobooks and listen to them on my way to my studio and the way home. This has been a game changer for me, as you do not realize how much time you spend in the car each week until you go through a seven hour audio book each week.
Dr. Seuss wrote, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Our business is so complexed and diverse that it should make our readings the same. We must have the knowledge to attack any situation that our industry could present to us. Therefore we must read and read often. So I selected a few of my favorite books that have helped my career as a trainer and allowed me to grow as a business person and as a person in general.
Start with Why- Simon Sinek
"People don't buy what you do or how you do it, they buy why you do it." This book is awesome for shaping your reason for existence and why you are business in the first place. Sinek shows concrete examples of the best companies in the world and how their marketing message makes them stand out amongst the crowd and how companies like Apple and Costco have reinvented themselves time and time again. A must for trainers who need to market themselves or their business.
Zombie Loyalists- Peter Shankman
The success or failure falls down to how a company’s employees are treated. Retention of good employees with are client centric and focused generates loyal followers to the brand. The author will show you the steps it takes to make your brand the hottest thing in town with client retention at an all time high plus the acquisition of new clientele. From the empowering of your employees to the above and beyond customer service attitude, Zombie Loyalists is the perfect book for personal trainers.
Tipping Point- Malcolm Gladwell
The premise of this book is to look at trends and how trends get started. For instance how certain things catch on and snow ball into the next big thing. Gladwell shows how everything "tips" to the point of brand recognition based on several types of people. This is particularly valuable in our business with referrals and word of mouth being our main lead generators. A great read for trainers looking for ways to generate more clients with spending a ton of advertising dollars.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook- Gary Vaynerchuk
Social media is becoming increasingly more important as time goes along. Everything is instant in our worlds now. The author takes us through all major social media platforms and gives us visual examples of what works and what doesn't. He also breaks down the platforms to show the average demographic that is using the service and how to reach more of those people. This book is greatly valuable to us living in the age of Facebook and Twitter. The concepts will help us show our skills via social media and build our clienteles’s using them.
The amount of books your read is often compared to the amount of income you bring home. The more books, the great the income. In theory I agree. Be a sponge but not just on fitness related material but also material that will make you more well rounded and a better business person.
