If you are anything like most trainers,
you are probably waiting for that perfect
moment to embark on your next career
step. Such a moment doesn’t exist. You
just have to start. The first program was all
about learning: I kept the prices low and
let the participants know that it was a trial
program, hence the reason for the low cost.
‘6 Weeks to Sexy’ is now looking to expand
into Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and a
second location in Sydney.
Over the past two years I’ve worked by a
set of rules to get the business up and running,
and into a strong enough position for me to
be able to easily earn a
great income running
just these sessions first
thing in the morning and
last thing at night. This
has allowed me to free
up my days to work on
my mentoring of other
personal trainers, health
coaching and online
membership programs.
Here are those rules.
Get
started.
Your first program is going to be only
OK (at best) – but you’ll learn. If you’re scared
of ‘losing’ potential clients because you
haven’t got the formula perfect yet, get your
friends in for the first program for a trial run.
1
Take measurements, do tests and
snap photos before and after the
program. Prior to the program starting, each
participant has three stops: first, me for their
measurements and body fat testing; second,
Em (one of our trainers) for their ‘before’ shot;
and third, Trimmer (our running coach) for their
fitness and strength testing. At the end of the
program these processes are repeated.
‘Before and after’ shots with a testimonial are
amazingly effective resources to use in your
marketing material, and testing is awesome for
participants because at the end of the program
they can clearly see that not only has their
body completely changed, but they’ve also
got stronger and fitter. With such tangible
results, a large percentage of participants sign
up for another round of the program.
2
Build a ‘crowd’ through Facebook. I
don’t spend money on marketing. I
post photos of the participants working out
on the Facebook Page, I tag them when
possible, and I frequently talk about them to
create interest amongst their friends.
3
Encourage and reward referrals.
Word of mouth referrals are the best
leads you could ask for, and if the service
you’re delivering is fun and effective then
your participants will tell their friends about
you. Don’t take this for granted though: give
your trainees an incentive to bring people to
the program. As a gesture of our appreciation
we give participants a 25 per cent discount
for recommending people.
4
Create a community. Our participants
have serious FOMO (fear of missing
out) if they miss a session, let alone a whole
program. Once they see the other girls and
guys working out in the
pictures I post on the
Facebook Page, they
want to jump back in to
the next program and
get involved. If you’re
doing the right things
and you’ve created an
awesome culture and
community, 80 per
cent should come back
for at least one more
program.
5
Keep improving your program.
Every time we run the program I look
for new ways to improve it. For example, we
have added new food programs and bonus
workshops as our programs have evolved.
We have also introduced a much funkier
‘welcome pack’ with singlets and bags (which
also works as a branding and marketing tool)
and we revamped our ‘introduction process’
so that I spend half an hour talking each new
participant through the program prior to the
testing and measuring components.
6
Get feedback. If you can’t handle
feedback well you might struggle to
grow your business. I continually invite
feedback, so I’ve created an atmosphere in
which most participants feel comfortable telling
7
The 30-second article
• Small group training opens up a potential
new market and revenue stream for
personal trainers
• There is no ‘perfect moment’ to take the
next step in your career – you need to
take action now
• Your first foray into small group training will
be a valuable experience in trial and error
• Take measurements, do tests and take
‘before’ and ‘after’ photos
• Build a community both online and offline,
reward referrals, seek feedback and
continually improve the program you offer.
me exactly what they think does work, doesn’t
work and would work in the future. If for some
reason they don’t feel comfortable telling me
directly, we have two other team members who
have been involved in the program since day
one that the participants will talk to about the
program and make suggestions.
All seven of these rules have been critical
to the success of my small group training
programs – but without the first rule the
others are worthless. If you want to make
a serious impact and ea ɸ