What I'm about to share with you just may be the most backwards advice you've ever heard, but nonetheless it will help you build your business faster than any other sales or marketing strategy.
Every once in a while I see a fitness professional advertising their business and I always stop to see what their message is. And, it never ceases to amaze me but the advertisements are always trying to sell a personal training package right off the sheet of paper...
Do you know how hard that is?
That type of marketing or message is not going to work unless your list is super-targeted and the offer is so low that they'd be crazy not to take it.
The truth is that 99 out of 100 times your prospective client is going to need to speak with you, meet with you in person, or attend a free trial of some sort. What this does is enable the potential client to feel out your services and then make a judgment call to see if the value you're providing matches up with the price you're charging.
If you're giving away more value than you're charging then it'll be an easy sale and you'll end up with another new client.
Getting Clients in the Door
So how do you get to the point where you're able to actually meet with a prospect in person? Well the trick is that you need to "sell free." What this means is that all your marketing pieces and messages cannot be trying to sell anything but free.
I know it sounds crazy, but crazy it what works.
Unless you get a client in for a free session, trial, seminar, or consultation you're going to be fighting an uphill battle to pick up new clients. I've been using this strategy now for more than a decade and I've tested it against everything else I've ever heard of or seen in order to sell more personal training sessions. Absolutely no other message has ever outperformed selling something free!
So you now may be wondering why if something is free that you actually have to sell it?
The reason is that there is so much noise in the marketplace that unless you're banging your own drum no one is going to listen. And if no one knows you exist then it's going to be awfully hard to get new personal training clients.
Believe it or not, with a little practice you will actually improve your ability to sell free and get more clients in front of you. Then at that point, and only at that point will you be able to wow them with your knowledge and passion for helping clients get results.
I hope this tip helps you to view your marketing message in a whole new light and that it enables you to build your business faster than you thought possible!
Stephen Cabral has consulted for MTV, Men's Health, NutritionData, SELF, Women's Day, as well as dozens of others. He was named the PFP 2011 Trainer of the Year. He is also a fitness writer, author, studio owner, and the founder of Personal Training Business School. His free fitness business video series, proven strategies and tips can be found at http://PersonalTrainingBusinessSchool.com
