Smart Studio Blueprint

6 Ways to Turn Curious Prospects into Committed Clients

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 03:11:51 GMT

Now that you have more leads, how do you convert them to loyal satisfied members and training clients? Here are the most effective ways, and I even put it in list form for you to keep it simple..

Your prospects will engage with you based on the following criteria. If you fail in one, it could be the end of the relationship before it even begins..

1. Their experiences with you

Your studio prospects will judge your worthiness based on how you make them feel. This includes how well you communicate. Your prospects will also be more likely to engage in “conversations” with you when you allow them to interact in ways they prefer (i.e some may resonate with a blog post while others are more engaged by an event or program held at the gym). Ensure you are offering multiple variations of communication to secure a wider audience.

2. The benefits you can provide

There are two basic reasons why people purchase anything – to increase pleasure (e.g. glowing health, freedom, longevity) or decrease pain (e.g. stress, lack of time with family, poor health). Therefore, focus on your most compelling benefits as you communicate with your target audience – then, make sure you deliver on your promises. Be specific.

3. Your trustworthiness and reputation

Protect your good name and do everything in your power to ensure that your customers, prospects, friends, employees, and colleagues view you as a person of value. Keep in mind that your credibility, plausibility, and truthfulness will also win you far more customers than exaggerated claims and over-the-top promises. Think of things like Google & Facebook reviews as well as testimonials to boost your credibility and reputation, leaving them with no choice but to engage woth you!

4. The value they receive.

Although it may seem with all the low cost gyms out there most consumers are price-conscious, studies still show the vast majority do not consider price alone when making their buying decisions. Rather, they consider value: the difference between what memberships costs and its worth to them. So, again, show them enough VALUE along with your SOLUTION to their pain and frustrations, and you'll have them for years to come.

5. Make transactions easy, safe, and secure.

People are more likely to hand over their money when they perceive the risk as minimal. It's best to reassure potential customers with robust guarantees, a solid privacy policy, and secure payment procedures if selling online. Also assure the prospect you are not a 'fly by night' trainer, and will around to see out their contract. They may have been burnt before by shady trainers and could be reluctant to commit on the back of this. Show them your current clients (by introduction or testimonials, and hammer home how long you've been in the location for) Prospects will be more willing to hand over their hard earned money if they feel it is protected and safe.

6. How well you articulate their most pressing concerns.

To market effectively you must get into your prospects' heads and be relatable to their situation. Listen to your target audiences' expressed opinions and feelings – particularly as they relate to health and fitness – and be sure to address them directly. Research the marketplace to discover new trends and golden opportunities that you can leverage to benefit your fitness business.

At our studio, we know all enquiries are qualified. Meaning, the prospect has a very clear idea of how we can assist them and they are ready to begin. It starts with our niche marketing, and flows into our online forms they fill out. So,by the time they're in front of us, we have collected enough information (in the way of a questionnaire) to asses their direct needs. In this coversation, we ask lots of leading questions to understand their motivation and to direct them towards the BEST possible solution we have.

What do people REALLY pay for?

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 03:25:25 GMT

They are NOT paying for you, or your time.

Ok, so if clients are not paying for you or your time… what do you think they’re really paying for?

Your qualifications?

Your location?

Your equipment?

Your brand?

Your brilliant marketing mastery?

Nope. They are paying for VALUE.

They care about the RESULTS you can deliver and the VALUE you are consistently giving them

But how can you quantify and define VALUE in a service business?

We use this equation to break it down:

VALUE = CE + R + R

In this equation VALUE is defined by the Client Experience, Relationship, and Results you deliver.

When you are delivering MORE value than people expect for the money you are asking them to invest in working with you, well, you then have a great VALUE PROPOSITION.

And THAT is everything in sales.

I teach my staff to “focus on delivering value and price becomes irrelevant.”

You should ALWAYS be focusing on improving each one of these variables in order to consistently be delivering great value to your clients.

When you do this… you will leave any competitor out there in the dust because you are consistently serving people and delivering so much value that they LOVE doing business with you and couldn’t possibly imagine going anywhere else!

Last tip!

Pop the 'VALUE' of each service/program you're offering into your sales process when you're presenting it to a client. This way they will see the Total value they are receiving (in $$) vs the price you are charging them. Obviously the value is set at your 'one off' price, not the membership price so you're not actually discounting your services.

THEN...

Consistently deliver week after week, and then OVER-Deliver!

We make sure we are constantly recognising and rewarding our clients with EXTRA'S throughout their experience with us..

Examples include movie tickets, merchandise giveaways, discounts on other in-house services like Massage or Group Training, PLUS shout outs on social media, or check-ins via text or phone calls to properly ensure they are getting the full service with us.

Whatever you promise to your clients, just make sure you deliver.. CONSISTENTLY!

5 Questions to Ask During a Client Exit Interview

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 21:59:00 GMT

Exit interviews are a MUST at our Studio. When someone leaves your studio for whatever reason, you want to know why. You need to know what made that person doubt their health and fitness journey with your brand, and what attracted them to go to a competitor?

Not enough fitness businesses take this approach when a client jumps ship. Generally, they hand in their letter of resignation (or send a text!), you stop their direct debits, and hope that one day the client will return. The truth is, the client could be leaving for any number of reasons: - they don't have a need for your services (unlikely), - they don't feel valued anymore (the honeymoon is over) - they can no longer 'afford' it - they have been injured - they are moving out of the area - A friend has enticed them over to their fitness facility
Whatever the reason, your departing clients are sources of valuable information about the performance of your Studio, your communication practices, the value you provide, and overall, why a client would leave your facility.
This is knowledge you can use to improve your Studio and prevent future clients from leaving you.

Conducting the Client Exit Interview

You know your clients better than anyone, so consider how the person would best provide you with the information you need. Don’t make this step an annoyance in the final days of the relationship. Should you send a digital survey? Would the client appreciate an in-person interview? Do you just send an email with a few open-ended questions? Whatever the format may be, choose the communication method that’s worked best during the course of your relationship with the client. However, if you can, try to conduct the interview in-person. This will give you a better chance of picking up on non-verbal cues that could be useful when trying to get a complete view of the relationship.

Questions To Ask During Client Exit Interview

1) How was it being a client of ours?

This is a very generic question and may illicit all sorts of responses.. so get ready! This will give you the chance to potentially update your sales tactics, improve your service offerings, and adjust your business practices to be in line with your clients’ needs. Remember: Your way might not be the right way. Keep an open mind, and you’ll discover new ways to keep your clients happy.

2) What did you like about our services?

This will give you a glimpse of what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. And some of the issues that pop up could be about the services you don’t offer. This can help you get a better idea of demand for a specific service you have been considering, so take this time to learn more about why the client thinks this service is important to them. Asking this question also increases the window of opportunity to turn the meeting around and discuss how you might continue to work together. It is possible that the client was not aware of all of your Studio's services and how they could be 'tweaked' to suit them.

3) Is there anything we could have done differently?

Perhaps there’s something that is a part of your process that annoys your clients. It could be a weekly update email or a lack of consistent support from their trainer. It could be that they aren't motivated anymore, they feel unloved, or they aren't getting the results they came for.. This question will allow you to isolate the issues of concern for them, and allowing you to potentially 'fix' anything that may be able to be fixed. ie do they need another trainer to suit their goals, perhaps more attention with their outside program, or more communication from their trainer with what they should be expecting in regards to their results and timeframes.

4) Did the team communicate with you effectively?

Unfortunately, your clients will be the first to know if your employees aren’t doing their jobs. Some will let you know, others will sit in silence, letting their concerns go unnoticed and leaving you in the dark when it comes to your employees’ productivity and communication practices. Use this constructive feedback to improve internal training and provide more support to specific team members. If they're telling you all this now, it's probably too late to keep them, but again, it's great for future staff training.

5) Did we meet your expectations?

This is the final question, and it might be the one that you really don’t like the answer to. If the client believes you didn’t meet their expectations, you need to consider if and how you failed or if you did a poor job of setting expectations in the first place. If you failed, you need to review communication between the client and your trainers/Studio, what exactly was missed, and what deliverables fell short. Knowing that you failed only matters if you work to prevent future similar failures. Run a client exit interview to gain perspective on your company and how well it lives up to its promises. It’s only when a client is leaving that she may actually provide you with the truth. Value this feedback, record it, make adjustments, and always strive to be better for your next client.

Don't save the client!

On a finishing note, it's important to remember that this interview is a two way street. Yes, you are gathering feedback to improve your Studio for the future, however you're NOT obligated to try and SAVE the client by offering silly discounts and offering apologies for no reason.

Chances are, the client simply didn't see enough value in your services for the reasons they will give you.. they may not have felt enough love and started to look elsewhere.. they may not even have an alternative for their training just yet, and really just need some time out.

When responding to the clients comments, it's important to make sure you use language like "I'm sorry you feel that way" and "That's not our expectation either" if they think they have been misled or not received the value they expected. Use sympathy but never say "I'm Sorry" or "I agree, that's not on' Remember, you are simply collecting data. Don't throw your own trainers or services under the bus to preserve your own individual image and look like the good guy. It's your business, so stand tall.

Don't apologise for the way they feel, just take note to plug the holes in your Business Bucket so that the next client shouldn't feel the same.

Finally, it's OK to let a client go. If they're not the right fit for your business and are damaging the culture, simply let them walk out the door.

Do your due diligence of following protocol with this exit interview, but don't strive to save them or get them back in future. You probably just side stepped a landmine!

Studio Build Out Costs and Projections

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 02:46:00 GMT

Whenever you’re looking at your first studio location or you’re looking to open a new location it’s important to have a solid projection of what everything is going to cost going into it. The reason is that you’ll want to know what your budget should be set at and if the breakeven is going to be worth it. Sometimes, 2 different spaces can vary widely and it’s best to take into account all your one-time and fixed costs before committing to a space. In this post I have laid out for you the top soft and hard costs to calculate before you make the jump...

Choosing a first-time or new location can be both exciting and a little daunting… Especially since you’re about to lay down a huge investment in time, money, and energy. That’s why it’s crucial you do your homework before committing to a new space that will require you to complete a build-out, fitout the space, and sign a lease that you’re locked into (see my previous post on lease negotiations). Today, I’d like to share with you some of my experiences with the hard and soft costs associated with opening a studio and what you can expect. Plus, I’ll hopefully be able to provide you with some real world tips that may just save you 10’s of thousands of dollars… like it has for dozens of my coaching clients who were opening new and multiple location studios/gyms. Okay, so here we go! (Keep in mind that all costs are estimate values and they are based on my current 80 sqm fitness floor and about 6m2 changing room, bathroom, , and my 12m2 consultation/trainer office .)

Now, it has to be said that I had a 3 month RENT FREE period that I negotiated into my lease. I signed a 5 year lease, with a 5 year option. So, this meant I had time to build this Studio how I wanted..

However, to attract new clients fast, I needed to show them something bright and shiny (but not expensive!) Something professional and inviting that they could connect with and be attracted to when they walked in those doors. I also had $30,000 cash up my sleeve from my investor to spend on the Fitout (minus the 3 months rent to get my through the first little period). So, $26,100 to use on the fitout plus equipment. It was going to be tight but I knew I could at least start something. It ended up being $30K I spent, but I had that extra money from sessions I was doing outside.

The Hard Costs

Hard costs involve anything that are actual construction costs (e.g. plumbing, framing, trim). They are also typically upfront, one time only charges. Of course you can finance the costs with a bank loan, through a finance broker or on credit cards (if accepted) if you don’t want to pay out the cash up front. I paid for all of my build out costs upfront from independent contractors. I needed to know ahead of time what all my hard costs would be to make sure I had the money to build out my space.

Keep in mind that some spaces are delivered as a “shell” (no walls, etc.) and you have the ability to easily construct a space. With my location, however, it was an old female change room of a bowling club, it had walls everywhere... I had to have the whole place demolished… and since I was on a budget (and love smashing stuff!) I did a lot of the demo myself. I had some buddies help me too which helped :) Also, after I got quotes from the electrician, construction contractors, painters, and plumber, I asked them if they could give me a discount if I paid in cash. Every single one of them knocked off 10-20% of the original quote (I didn’t have time to shop prices around). That’s a huge saving! Plus, it doesn’t cost you anything to go to the bank and take out the money in cash instead of transferring it…

Okay, so here’s what I had to have done in my studio (hard costs) and what you may have to deal with as well jut to get it up and running:

1. Took down 3 walls
2. Built out trainer’s office/consultation/massage room (built a new wall and door access)
3. Removed old vanity units and patched walls
4. Removed carpet and polished the floorboards
5. Had 16 downlights added in (there were fluros before and they were old and tacky)
6. 2 x new TV's
7. Installed mirrors on one side on Fitness Wall
8. Had 6 electrical outlets put in
9. Had cable wire outlets put in for phone and internet
10. Painted walls, ceiling, doors, trim… everything
11. Had shelves built in to hold small equipment pieces and another set for our client’s bags (cubby holes)
12. Gym flooring (15mm x 40m2)

Actual Hard Costs

· The construction basically added up to $5,000 · The electrical cost was about $1,500 · The plumbing was $500 · The painting (done by friends and family) cost about $500 · The flooring was $1,800 · I would say the total hard costs were around $10,000 Your costs would vary greatly depending on the amount of construction (or demo) you would need to do . I know some PTs who don’t have to do a thing except put in flooring since they are given an empty space in a warehouse to move right into. This would, of course, save you about $8,000 unless you had a larger space and need more flooring… On the flip side, your build out costs may be more if you have a larger area to work on or more involved electrical or plumbing (like a shower, sinks, etc.). I built my showers in later, when I had more money!

Soft Costs

Soft costs are everything else besides the contractor work (furniture, equipment, overheads, etc.) These are what the majority of my soft costs involved :

1. 2 x Treadmills, 1 x X-Trainer, 1 x Upright Bike
2. 1 x 1-10kg Dumbell's with rack, 12.5-25kg Dumbells with rack
3. Gym mats & other small equipment items
4. 1 x Desk
5. 2 filing cabinets
6. Posters, plants, art, books, etc
7. Compact refrigerator
8. Water cooler
9. Mini table to hold magazines and radio
10. iPod, AM/FM Radio
11. 1 Laptop for reception area
12. Printer
13. Office supplies (paper, pens, other stationary)
14. Phone
15. Bookshelves
16. 2 x Whiteboards, A-frame (I will be providing a full equipment list detailing EVERY piece of equipment I have in my studio, and what I use for outdoor training too.

All of the equipment combined was about 20K, but to be honest about 12K was just from 2 treadmills. There are some things you just have to have and will spend the money and the Treadmills were my big purchase..I still have them today, 15 years later! (I did wait on some additional kettlebells and some smaller pieces of functional equipment until about 12 months after opening…)

Since I don’t like carrying debt and I had sold out of sessions at my studio in 12 months and was now profitable I just paid back my investor his $30k (keeping some money always in reserve so that I could live) and then developing the studio further and further. So, as I said earlier although there are hundreds of ways to fit-out a studio and many different ways to train clients there are certain costs that are unavoidable – which is fine as long as you account for them ahead of time and plan them into your budget. Another thing to keep in mind when doing your build out is the timing of your ordering:

1. I ordered all the equipment that would take 2-3 weeks to ship right when I signed the lease.

2. I waited until 1-2 weeks out to order the smaller furniture since it gets there fast

3. The construction should be done first (demo + build out)

4. The plumbing should be done next in most cases…

5. The electrical can go in once the finished walls and ceilings are going up – usually at the same time since they need to work around the studs and framework

6. After the floors are in and the walls are up and the build out is complete you can have them put the rubber flooring down

7. After everything is complete, then you can paint (However, I like to paint right before the rubber flooring goes down since I don’t have to lay down drop cloths or care about spilling paint – if you’re doing the painting yourself.)

8. Now it’s time to move in all your furniture and equipment

9. Add some decorative touches and stock the office and bathroom/shower supplies

10. For finishing touches I would letter your windows and main door with your company name, hours, contact website, phone number, and logo.

11. Put the A Frame outside and start bringing in business! Alright, so hopefully all of the actual timelines, costs, and projections I listed above will serve as a helpful checklist for when you go to open your first or new studio. It will also be useful if you are thinking about making any changes or even expanding your current location.

Fitness Equipment: Leasing Vs Buying Upfront

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:28:02 GMT

Choosing the right finance option can help you fit out your new Studio with the equipment you want, and open the doors, sooner. The below article was sourced from the Fitness Australia website, in conjunction with Stratton Finance, who I use regularly through my own companies.

With around 3,000 facilities across Australia, the fitness industry is a competitive one to enter. Starting your own club or fitness studio can be costly, especially in the early stages. Like any new business, large outlays of cash are initially required to cover operating costs (wages, rent, suppliers), which can put pressure on your cash flow.

And then there’s your biggest and, arguably, most important initial investment: fitness equipment. Whether you’re offering a fleet of cardio machines, free weights or a Pilate’s setup, your costs can quickly skyrocket as you furnish your space. Having modern, high-quality equipment is key when competitors are touting 24-hour gyms, cut-price rates and even no contracts. Quality equipment can help you build clientele and play a role in retaining them.

So, if you’re considering starting up your own facility, how can you afford to turn the studio you dream of into a reality? It’s useful to know that there are various financing options available to take the stress out of acquiring new gym and fitness equipment, including finance lease, chattel mortgage and equipment rental. What, what and what? We’ll look more closely at these in a moment.

It’s also handy to be aware of the wide ranging nature of equipment that can be financed, including:

· cardio equipment such as indoor cycles, cross trainers, elliptical trainers and treadmills

· strength conditioning and free weights

· aquatic fitness equipment

· boxing and martial arts equipment

· floor mats and Swiss balls

· lockers and storage

· gym and retention management software

· vibration technology

· club cafe fit-outs

· POS and cash registers

· IT and telephony (including VoIP)

· reception desk, tables and chairs.

Loan amounts typically range from $5,000 to $250,000, with terms of between one and five years. So, let’s take a closer look at those financing options.

EQUIPMENT RENTAL

This is an agreement between you and a financier in which the financier buys the equipment on your behalf and rents it back to you over a fixed period.

Benefits

· Flexible contract terms (ranging from 12-60 months)

· Fixed interest rates

· Fixed monthly rentals (so all costs are known in advance)

· More cost-effective than paying cash upfront – making it perfect for gym equipment that has a short but useful life

· You can claim the rental payments as a tax deduction*, making this one of the most tax-effective financing options available.

FINANCE LEASE

The financier purchases the equipment on your behalf, and you then pay them a fixed monthly lease rental for the term of the lease.

At the end of the lease, you have a number of options available:

1. Re-lease the equipment for a further period.

2. Trade the goods in on new equipment.

3. Return the equipment to the lessor, but any loss is indemnified by you.

4. Make an offer to purchase the goods, but any loss is indemnified by you.

Benefits

· Working capital can be preserved.

· Able to write off the net repayment. Business test applies (an ATO tax term).

· Fixed repayments due to fixed interest rate during contract term.

· Flexibility, as structured payment options may be available to coincide with cash flow.

· Equipment may be able to be maintained ‘off balance sheet’*

· Additional security usually not required.

· A residual on the lease can help lower monthly repayments, helping to free up cash flow.

Although GST is charged on the monthly payment and the residual value at the end of the lease, if the customer is registered for GST, they may be able to claim some or all of the GST from the lease rental and residual value as a credit on their next Business Activity Statement (BAS).*

CHATTEL MORTGAGE

Under a chattel mortgage, the financier advances funds to the customer to purchase business equipment, and the customer takes ownership of the equipment (chattel) at the time of purchase. The financier then takes a mortgage over the equipment as security for the loan.

Once the contract is completed, the mortgage is removed, giving the customer a clear title to the equipment.

Benefits

· This product should be considered if you are on cash accounting, as you may be able to claim the GST in your next BAS*.

· A deposit may be used to help reduce the size of the loan.

· GST will be charged on the purchase price of the equipment, but not the monthly rental fee or the final instalment.

· You may be able to claim the depreciation of the equipment as a tax deduction*.

RENT/BUY OPTION

You may also want to consider a rent/buy option, whereby you actually rent the equipment for the first 12 months. If the business is working and continuing to grow, you can then purchase the equipment by refinancing over a longer term, usually attracting better rates when you’re more established.

Benefits

· This gives you the safety net of walking away at the end of the 12 months should the business not work out.

· Rental payments are fully tax deductible.

· Ability to try before you buy.

· Renting is off ‘balance sheet’, meaning it doesn’t affect your capacity to borrow for future expansion.

Although the benefits and implications of each of these financing options vary, the one thing they have in common is that they all offer you the ability to start earning revenues straight away, rather than having to wait until you’ve saved up enough capital.

For more information about all of these financing options visit stratton.com.au/equipment-finance

Starting a Studio for $0 Down..

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:13:43 GMT

When I was looking to finance my Studio 15 years ago, I was lost. I had no idea of my options, and there was no-one I could lean on for advice. I had exhausted all the traditional methods to secure finance until one day, when I least expected it, an opportunity arrived and I grabbed it with both hands!

Back in 2004 I had no huge savings and no constant income. There was $5,000 in my bank account, I had just bought my first property (so ALL my money went into that) and I had around 20 PT clients that allowed me to live from week to week.
When the opportunity came up for me to start my own Studio, I was SUPER keen and knew I could make it work, but I just needed some help getting started.

I worked out I needed $30K to get me started. This would be used on a simple fitout with some basic equipment plus cover Rent and marketing for the next 6 months.

So, I went to my bank and applied for a Business loan, and they didn't lend me the money. So I asked for a credit card. Normally I avoid Credit cards, but I found one that had 0% interest for 6 months.. and I KNEW I could pay any debts off in that time with the cashflow I would generate from my existing clients and news sales. That got rejected too.

I tried to extend my mortgage obligations with the bank, but due to the fact we had JUST borrowed so much, they wern't willing to lend any more.

I went to a finance broker and they didn't lend me the money to even finance fitness equipment due to the fact I had no credit rating (due to a poor cashflow, young business, and no solid assets)

So, I was stuck - no cash to get started, only dead ends.

I actually thought this opportunity was going to pass me by, until one night, after finishing a session with a client, I was telling him of my inability to finance the proposed new studio, he suggested I borrow the money off him and pay him back over 12 months with ZERO interest. The only trade off was he got FREE training for the year.

WHAAAT? (I said in my mind) that's an awesome deal! No brainer for me and the next day we got started on the finer details.

The rest is history.. I borrowed $30,000 off him, paid it back IN FULL within the year and then owned all my equipment outright too.

This was a true example of making the most of opportunities that are around you. It didn't occur to me that I could ask my existing member base for assistance. In fact, back then I thought it would have been rude to ask.

But really, your clients WANT to help you, and assist with your success.. they are your biggest fans.

And of course, it's in their best interest to help you, as it keeps you motivated and provides them with a brand new facility to train out of too!

Remember though, getting the $30K was just the beginning. I was then on a mission to pay that back ASAP and start building the empire.

My story is not an unusual one. I know there are loads of Fitpro's out there struggling to get started with their finance.

To help with the process of acquiring finance, check out my article on Leasing Equipment - this is what I have been doing for bigger upgrades the last few years :)

Franchises vs Independent Studio's - The Lowdown.

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 09:05:19 GMT

Let’s be honest.. opening your own facility is what every trainer aspires to. The pinnacle of the Industry, it’s when you have made your mark and gone to the next level. It was always my ultimate goal to open a facility and have something I could call my own. To change the lives of the local community, create a place of education and inspiration, and to be able to say.. that’s mine, I CREATED that!

In hindsight, it was just the tip of the iceberg really, but I didn’t realise that until later on ��

I opened my facility 15 years ago, when I was only 24 years old. So, in effect my DREAM was achieved early..

Little did I know, it is one thing to open a facility, it was another to build it and keep it running well for 15 years!

So, when I was looking at starting my facility all those years ago, I had a choice.

Start my own independent Studio, owned, operated and developed by ME, or take on a franchise with someone else’s branding, ideas and systems.

For me, it was a no-brainer, but that’s because I like a challenge and backed my ability..

However, I also understand the benefits owning a franchise can bring..

There are pro’s and cons to each option, and below I’ll cover off on them

Starting a studio by yourself can seem to be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start!. It’s a steep learning curve but can end up being much more lucrative in the long run.

Leaning on a franchise for assistance may hinder your independence, but it also makes it a little less stressful due to them providing you with the framework and support you need early on.

So, in my opinion, it comes back to your goals, capabilities, and also your personality!

Some quick facts:

Research on franchising in the US by Timothy Bates, a Wayne State University Economist, showed that after 4 years, only 62% of franchised businesses had survived, while 68% of independent small businesses were still open for business. And independent businesses are far more profitable. Profitability was actually negative, on average, for franchised firms over the four-year period.

Firstly, let’s be clear on what a franchise is:

A franchise fitness studio is basically a business situation or arrangement through which an individual (franchisee) is allowed to operate a fitness studio under the brand name of some other company.

The prospective franchisee buys the franchise from a company, the franchisor. This franchisor then, generally, supplies equipment, signage, marketing materials, business support, software, and operation manuals.

There are number benefits of opening up a franchise when compared to an independent Studio facility. Franchises allow for growth under an already established brand name making it easier to see profits in shorter amount of time. According to some franchise operation agreements, it is also good for the franchisor, as the franchisor doesn’t have to put in its own resources in hiring staff, buying property, and running operation in another branch while simultaneously working hard on its independent brand name noticed.

If you are an aspiring studio owner and are struggling with deciding whether or not to open your own independent fitness studio or to seek out a franchise operation, of course you need to weigh in the pros and cons of both paths.

Here are some things to consider..

Fees

Buying a franchise studio comes with substantial costs. A licensing fee is required to obtain the franchise and may be several hundred thousand dollars. Additional fees include payment on the revenues earned and a fee for cooperative advertising. An independent studio does not have the initial outlay for the license and isn't obligated to pay the monthly or quarterly fees... a HUGE initial saving!

Financial Information

Most franchises require a documented net worth to ensure the franchisee has the capacity to get the studio built, equipped, staffed and running through its first year. A failed franchise negatively affects the franchisor. If you don't meet that net worth benchmark and don't have the required liquidity you won't be approved for the franchise. An independent studio owner doesn't have to document their finances to anyone unless they are going for a bank loan. On the other hand, they have a greater assurance of success with the franchise because the franchising company has required minimum financial standards.

Restrictions

One of the advantages of a franchise is that clients know exactly what to expect. They know that all franchise locations offer the same amenities and have the same classes, equipment and philosophy toward working out and will charge the same membership fees. The bad news for the franchise studio owner is that their business operations, vendor relationships and marketing must comply with the franchisor's direction. An independent studio can offer the classes, equipment and amenities the owner finds most successful. If the smoothie bar doesn't go over with his clients he doesn't have to continue to offer it.

Assistance

Traditionally, an independent studio owner is on their own when it comes to marketing, facilities, training and management.. unless they engage a reputable and successful Business Coach with all the solutions a franchise offers (for a fraction of the price) Cough, Cough ;) This concept has now changed the game for Independents.

A franchisee is assisted by the franchisor in many aspects of the business, including where to locate the business, what equipment to buy, marketing and training. The franchisor sets up the vendors and negotiates discounts. Some studio owners find this supervision annoying while others would rather concentrate on helping their clients improve their fitness and appreciate the assistance.

Marketing

Franchisors provide marketing advice and assistance. Cooperative advertising benefits all the locations in an area, as well as the franchisor. The marketing is developed and tested by the franchisor. An independent studio is responsible for its own marketing but that allows it to choose its own strategies, some of which may be better for the individual business. The downside is that the studio owner may not be an expert in marketing and may not have the ability to implement an effective marketing program. A fantastic solution for the independent Studio or gym is FITBIZDOCS

Experience

It would be difficult for someone with no fitness experience to open and operate a studio successfully. Franchises, however can be owned by absentee owners, as long as the franchisor feels there is competent management in place.

The main benefit of running a studio under an established company is the association which you get with an established and reputed company. As stated above, you will likely receive business plans, procedures, policies, and rules ready made from the franchisor. Therefore, a large part of your installation and initial setup work is already done for you when opting for a franchise fitness studio.

In most cases, the franchisor will choose the location, provide equipment and set up the studio for you. Additionally, you will already have a likely membership base as some of your future customers will choose a studio solely on the basis of its brand name.

Above: The newest solutions offered for Start Up, and existing Independent Studio Owner's, giving you all the stuff Franchises are offering, for a FRACTION of the price!

Another advantage of owning a franchise is that the franchisor will be responsible for various manual or tutorials related to the studio. All the material is already made and you simply need to supply it to the staff. Additionally, you may have a franchise fee that covers the franchise owner’s responsibility for advertisements and marketing.

The cons of a franchise fitness studio are almost the same as any other franchise ownership. With a franchise, you have to work under certain limitations. Franchisors are generally very strict about showcasing their own products and services and you will have to follow their set of guidelines when operating your chain studio. Thus, this control diminishes your own business creativity.

Another downside of a franchise includes the high cost that you have to pay to the franchisor to use the brand name. With everything out there, there are good and bad apples. The same is true within the franchise community. There are some franchisors that are not very reliable and are difficult to connect with once your place has been established.

Additionally, you will have to pay a certain percentage of the income to the franchisor irrespective of the studio’s profit or loss scenario. Usually, you have to pay a large upfront license fee (anywhere from $100K-$500K), as well as the 5-10% of revenue that you give to the franchisor each month. Also, you may need to show some financial proofs or meet financial benchmarks set by the franchisor in some cases.

Another con is that you will not have control over the brand name. It is always good to be associated with established brand, but you run the risk of tying your fortunes with that of the franchisors. As such, any publicity blunder performed by the franchisor, or other uncontrolled franchisees, could hurt your business. The marketing and publicity of your business is closely tied with that of the franchisor and so is your profit or loss according to the overall business performance of the fitness brand.

Conclusion

As with all business decisions, do your homework and due diligence. Don’t just jump to it because seems attractive or you get emotionally attached to a certain idea. Although, due diligence takes time, be true to your future self and make sound judgment.

The good news is that I've evened up the playing field, and in fact moved the goalposts to favour the Independent Studio Owner.

Check out my solutions on this site to see how you can get all the benefits of a franchise for a FRACTION of the cost!

How to make a tonne of money over Xmas..

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 23:27:00 GMT

It's January and you've just arrived back to work for a cracking start to the new year. You have massive plans to make more money, service more clients and kick some BIG goals. But wait, no-one is here, your diary is empty and your bank balance is struggling... what went wrong?!

Let's backtrack a little.. it's November the year before, you're winding down to Xmas, it's been a solid year of work and you've made some decent money so you're feeling good and satisfied. That's cool, but because it's your first year in business you probably haven't experienced the next few months... now if it's not your first year in business and this is happening regularly then you definitely have to keep reading!

Now, this used to be my routine for the first 3 YEARS of having my own Studio!

I made good money through the year, then closed the Studio down for 2 weeks over Xmas, recharged the batteries and went back mid January ASSUMING all the clients would come back with me... seems logical, but this was a hope, not a plan.

I'm a slow learner - but after the third year of this happening where I had a decent year and then suffered for the following 6 weeks between December and January, I had to make a change.

After I implemented the following strategies, December ended up being my BIGGEST month of the year and set me up for the reduced cash flow in the January period when my clients were away.

Here are a few things I do REGULARLY now to ensure I make solid cash over the Xmas and New Year Holiday period..

Strategy 1: Upselling Sessions

This is most powerful after experiencing your first Xmas period, and implementing the following year. The aim of this strategy is to front end a clients PT sessions or group ex sessions before Xmas, based on the fact they're going to be off in January.

So, the idea is to upgrade their membership or session frequency in the Nov/Dec period.

They won't pay more during this time, still the same rate they are currently on, but they will receive more visits/sessions.

Ie If they pay $55 for 1 PT session/week, upgrade them to 2 sessions a week but still for only $55/week.

Do this for 6 weeks leading into XMAS, so they get 6 more sessions for $0. However, this means they now owe you for 6 sessions.

The deal is, their debit won't stop over January (or when they are away on holidays) so you still get an income over the period they are away as you have already completed the sessions in advance.

This strategy works well for the client too as they get more perceived value for the same price while they are there, and don't notice the 'regular' debit coming out while they are away as it's normal for their current budget.

Now, the message to the client can be simply "Remember what happened last year when you came back after Xmas and your holidays and put on an extra 5kg? Well let's get on the front foot this year and lose that weight so when you come back you're ahead of the game!

OR.. 'We're going to increase your class sessions by 1 per week to lose the kg's you're going to put on while you're away. This way, you won't undo all the great work you've accomplished this year already'

Strategy 2: Annual Memberships

Each year we put out an offer for an Annual Upfront Membership Package to 15 of our Group Exercise Clients. See our example here

Why 15 you ask?

Well, firstly for cashflow.. These memberships cost $3,000 each and if we sell 15, that's $45,000 of revenue we will be seeing in one month versus over 12 months. So, we need to be conscious that our budget can support this.

Because it's a group exercise model, then the overheads are lower (the profit margin is higher) and the opportunity is there to make some good money at the end of the year to inject into the New Year.

Secondly, so that it's still EXCLUSIVE. People will be attracted to it if there are limited spots available and there is a limited time period to secure their spot (which there is too ;))

As mentioned, this can add $45,000 in December alone and make the quieter January period that much more bearable.

Simply ensure the 'offer' is only available until Dec 23rd so you get everyone paid up in time before Xmas!

Strategy 3: Selling Online Programs

A really good cash flow injection can be to sell programs online just before the holiday period so that your clients can exercise while they are away in any environment under the guidance of a structured program designed by you!

The beauty of this is that you only design them once, make them generic but detailed, and applicable to many training environments.

Some that we use are:

The hotel workout
The beach workout
Skiing Workout
Foam Roller & mobilisation program
E-book - eating right while eating out

We sell these for $47 on our website and encourage our clients to buy these to keep a routine while they are away.

Again, the message for them is to not lose all the results in 4 weeks that they have worked so hard to gain over the last 12 months.

Strategy 4: Staff!

For the first 2 years of owning my Studio, I didn't have any staff.

Now, while that was OK - it limited me from making money over Xmas through their commissions

So, now 15 years later, I have approx 3-4 staff available to work every Xmas/Jan period.

Sometimes they take their holidays in the quieter times of the year when it's not too expensive or maybe they just want to earn some money over the break (as we all do!)

So, we let our Studio clients know that we have 3-4 staff available over the break for those who would like to keep training.

Note: This is for appt only training so we are guaranteed $ for our time, and I'm not paying a group trainer to be there if no one turns up for a class.

We have probably 40% of our clients that will engage in this while they are around town. Some will leave for a week or two for a family holiday, but they will be replaced with those others returning.

So, we often have all 3-4 trainers relatively busy

Over the Dec/Jan period the trainers will complete approx 80-100 sessions per week (combined) which is around 40% of our usual amount in the busy times during the year

Now, as you all know by now how I pay my trainers, I take between 50-60% of each session. When each session is billed at $60-$80 each, that's around $3,000 I'm conservatively making each week during the quiet weeks.

Not bad!

So as you can see it's all about being prepared for the quieter holiday periods in advance.

Planning approx 2-3 months out what your strategy is going to be, then rolling it out year after year!

Enjoy making a tonne of money over the break now :)

How I make $300/hr from the Studio when I'm not there!

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 01:45:00 GMT

It's easy to say you own a business, but does your Business really own you? Let's be honest.. any fool can obtain an ABN, get their Certification, buy some equipment and start training people in the park.

It's only the 1% that really make it. And when I say 'make it' I mean every year, year after year you're turning a PROFIT from your business after you take a wage and balance your lifestyle to give you the freedom you want to do the things you love!

If you haven't achieved this yet, it's OK - that's why you're here and learning HOW to do it :)

Now, like I said, it's easy to own a 'business' but what most people don't realise is they actually own a JOB.

A JOB (Just Over Broke) is what you got into business to avoid. Long hours, little pay, little reward and no lifestyle.
A business is meant to provide you with opportunity, extra revenue, lifestyle and self satisfaction.

If your business IS NOT providing these things for you, I hate to tell you.. you're in a JOB my friend.

So, now that we've established if you own a job or a business, let's move on so I can show you how my BUSINESS pays me to do the things I love.

Leverage is the key

My mission to become a BUSINESS OWNER was brought about by wanting to be able to lead a team, and be part of something bigger than just myself. I wanted to build a facility that provided a service to the community on a mass scale. To do this I needed help in the form of staff. This was always my goal. To build a team to help me do the things I wanted in business, while providing me with a lifestyle to still enjoy the things I held dear, like my family and friends.

I knew to grow and scale my business I had to be a leader. Leadership in my opinion is a skill within that has to be practised everyday.

Early on, I found it difficult to lead and inspire through words, so I did it through action. I led from the front. I trained clients, I handed out pamphlets, I washed the Studio floor, I did all the sales.. I led by example.

This inspired the RIGHT trainers to come and work for me and then do the same. To have the 'boss' working beside them, encouraging them, and understanding what their challenges were, instead of barking orders and then sitting in a cushy office was the key.

The challenge for me was keeping this routine up day after day and still growing the business to its potential.

So, little by little I pulled back, and gave my responsibilities to the senior staff (who had been with me for over 5 years and knew how everything worked)

They then relished in the opportunity to be in charge and coach the younger trainers as I once did, doing it almost exactly how I did it too - with their own special individual touches.

As a result I had more opportunity to then push the business forward and grow and scale it to new heights.

Most importantly, it allowed me to leverage my time to spend with my family. I took longer holidays, attended important events, was able to give myself opportunities I previously missed out on, and lastly I gave myself the lifestyle I desired when I started my business in the first place.

As we stand here today in 2018, 14 years after opening the doors to the Studio, I have 10 staff, 3 of which are Senior Staff (over 10 years with me) they do 200-250 PT sessions a week and get paid 40% of every session... I don't do any PT anymore.

I don't do any sales, or admin, just accounting and business development.

The Studio turns over $60,000 per month and I personally make on average $138/hr between the hours of 6am-6pm 6 days a week from the Studio regardless of where I am and what I'm doing.

On a busy morning, the team do 50 sessions before MIDDAY, making my revenue $300/hour.

I don't tell you this to brag, but rather to INSPIRE you to what is achievable by owning your own Studio, and RUNNING IT SMARTLY :)

Check out my post on keeping your trainers for life to start building your dream lifestyle!

Peeling back the Curtain of the most profitable Fitness Studio in Sydney

ben@fitnessrevelation.com (Ben Dulhunty) — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 07:14:43 GMT

If you told me 14 years ago that I would be running the most profitable Fitness Studio (per sqm) in Sydney, I would've told you, you were dreamin'

I am still pinching myself as to how amazing the Studio runs.. it's taken a lot of hard work, long hours, painful lessons, a lot of mistakes but the result is a high six figure Studio with a fabulous team of trainers running it on a daily basis.

Above: A timelapse of only 40m2 of fitness floor we use for Personal Training Clients.
This footage was taken on a Thursday between 5:30am and 9:30am

Above: A typical morning in the Fitness Studio.. approx 40 sessions plus classes and a staff meeting at lunchtime to top it off before the afternoon shift begins ;)

The latest Studio Stats out of the US.. how is your Studio performing?

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 01:19:31 GMT

Last month I received an email from my good friends, Chuck and Josh Leve, from the Association of Fitness Studios in the US. They had just finished compiling their annual research report, "Fitness Studio Operating & Financial Benchmarking Report for 2018"

I gotta admit, I was excited. They put a lot of effort into this report and cover all aspects of Independent Fitness Studios from revenue earned per square metre, to years of Studio operation, and everything in between. And I mean EVERYTHING! They leave no stone unturned. They surveyed 565 independent studios across the USA to get as much info on Fitness Studio Businesses as they could. I loved the process and was impressed with the detail they went into.

So, when the report arrived in my inbox, I immediately put an hour aside in my diary for later in the week so I had enough time to carefully read the results.

It was comprehensive as always, covered a lot of topics and spat out many metrics.

I will show you some of the results below.

For the full report you can visit https://member.afsfitness.com/content/2018-fitness-studio-operating-and-financial-benchmarking-repor...
I highly recommend you join up as a member of AFS so you can get these reports, as well as many other greta resources for FREE

Above you will see the average Studio revenue per square foot is $97.01 for AFS members vs $81.17 for Non members. Revenue per client and Total amount of new clients acquired in the year was higher too for AFS members. This obviously shows the benefits of being an AFS member. The amount of education and support they have for Independent Studio owners is magnificent.

The interesting thing I found was when I compared the above stats to MY own studio stats.

1. Studio revenue per square foot:
AFS members: $97.01
Fitness Revelation: $535.71

2. Revenue Per Client:
AFS members: $845.65
Fitness Revelation: $3,250

3. New clients Acquired in 2017:
AFS members: 211
Fitness Revelation: 53

Note : The Studio's in the study ranged from 2,000 sqft to 10,000 sqft, so they have to acquire more members, and generate more revenue to build their stats. As our Studio is MUCH smaller, we are limited by space so we work on maximising revenue per client and retention, rather than acquisition of clients. By doing this, we generate better stats!

Fitness Revelation has been in business for 14 years now, representing the 33% shown in the graph above

Fitness Revelation has 10 Trainers in a space of 1,400 square feet, compared to the average of 5 trainers in the comparable space represented above. We also hold our trainers for an average of 8 years... 100% retention year to year.

The above graph shows us the 'average' studio size in 2017 was 3,624 sqft. This size is used to determine the data on the corresponding graphs. Compare this to our studio at 1,400 sqft and the numbers we are producing..

According to the above graph, the average US studio of 3,624 sqf generates USD$323,441 PA.
Fitness Revelation generates USD$595,000 in 1,400 square feet

So, what does all this tell us?

So, what this tells me is the AFS stats are GREAT and very impressive, the Independent Studio's in the US are getting better year to year across all categories. The AFS members overall are doing BETTER than non AFS members, thus proving the benefits of their professional affiliation.

However, when comparing the report to my Studio here in Sydney, I was quite proud of what we have accomplished.

Our results are NEXT LEVEL OUTSTANDING and you won't see these sort of numbers anywhere in the world.

This is why I created the Smart Studio Blueprint . The secret formula of the most PROFITABLE Fitness Studio in the world under 130m2 (or 1,400 sqft)

✔︎ With 10 staff, the 130 Sqm (1,400 sqft) Studio is open 6 days a week by appt only.

✔︎ It houses both PT and Group Ex members.

✔︎ The Studio does approx 10,000 appointments per year!

✔︎ There is over 100 years of collective experience amongst our 10 trainers

✔︎ We have 3 trainers who have been with us for over 10 years and the last 3 years have had a 100% staff retention rate

✔︎ The Studio has the highest client retention rate in the area, proudly boasting an average of 91% over the last 5 years..

(Compare this to the average International Studio retention rate of 72%)

Make sure you pop on over and check out the blueprint. It's already live in Australia and Studio Owner's are reporting HUGE success .

Don't miss out, apply now !

Why independent studio's are dying, and what I'm doing to fix it..

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 23:54:43 GMT

A few weeks ago I was in Brisbane, working with some clients out of their Studio's. After a solid days work, I walked back to my hotel which was located just down the road and on the way, I was shocked (but not really!) at how many fitness businesses there were.

I mean, I'm not talking 3 or 4, I'm talking 10-15! In the space of a couple of blocks there was Anytime Fitness, Snap, Plus Fitness, Genesys, F-45, Vision, Core 9.. and that's just the franchises.. then there were independents too. All competing within probably two square kilometres of space.

It made me think back to when I first started my Studio in 2004. There was me (as a start-up) and one other independently owned gym about 1km up the road that had been there 5 or 6 years. We were the only two fitness facilities (both independents) within 5 square kilometres of each other. There was no sign of franchises (hell, they didn't even exist back then!) and both me and the other guy were offering completely different services. We were PT based, and he was offering gym memberships only.

So, as you can see, it was a great opportunity for me to really grow my business in those early stages, because I KNEW what was about to happen. As an entrepreneur you have to watch the trends in the industry, not just local, but international too. The Studio space in the US was really taking off, and this is why I started my Studio model here in AUS, because I knew it was a trend the Australian public would soon buy in to.

And guess what? They did!

The evidence is in the enormous amount of franchise studio's now present in the community. We saw the emergence of Vision PT in the early 2000's, the 24 hour gyms like Anytime, Snap and Jetts and then the Crossfit & F-45 phenomenon where the emphasis is on community while still separating themselves from your franchise 'gyms' with a higher weekly cost.

While these smaller, boutique and niche studio's arrived in droves and flooded the Australian Fitness Market, the smaller independent Studio's have been dying off. I've seen many come and go, starting with all the hope to make a difference to their community, and really showcase their individual brilliance only to be crushed by the hype and marketing machines the franchise brands are.

There is something sad about the idea of a franchise though - it doesn't give the owners an opportunity to really show their individual creativity and intelligence when it comes to GROWING their business. It takes away their business acumen and ability to adapt to environments and situations where an individual can really develop.

Of course, the idea of buying a franchise is that it is a business that is 'done for you'. You get the branding, the systems, support with the marketing, the fitout of the Studio/gym and for the privilege you get to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars and a % back to the franchisors each month/year. This is why it is so popular with investors and fit pro's

The franchise model it seems also attracts the very basic human. There is no creativity, no 'get up and go' there is no guessing, no apprehensiveness, no 'what if I did this'.. the 'think work' is totally eliminated and the ability to create and tailor individual programs is removed. I respect they have to put in the work to make their business work but all they really need is the skill to follow through with tasks

That's not starting or growing a business.. it's following instructions.

From what I've seen over the last 20 years of being in the fitness industry, we are going down the path of 'do you want fries with that?'
This is a sad situation.

The industry is losing our individuals and creativeness, we are losing our innovators, we are attracting pretenders who don't really care about the industry but are only here to make a quick buck, flip the business, and move onto the next thing.

Now that I've finished that rant , I want to tell all the Independent Studio Owners THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL!

I am living proof of this.

My Studio has seen the likes of Fitness First, F-45, Vision PT, Curves, Bluefit, and Anytime Fitness all pop up in a 2km radius of our Studio over a 10 year period. We have survived the onslaught of their competitive marketing and pricing warfare.

We have continued to grow, retain clients at higher than industry standards, and keep quality staff for 14 years in the one location.

We have developed, extended and tweaked our services to suit the ever changing demographic, extended our program offerings, and built a solid team of trainers with over 100 years of industry experience.

This is something you won't see from a franchise. Something a franchise owner is not allowed to do. For this reason, you won't see franchise locations owned by the same owner for 14 years straight.

Now, back to the good stuff for independent studio owners..

I have a solution for you.

My systems are available for you. My success formula and blueprint of the most profitable Studio in Australia is almost ready for the public.

And... I'm only making them available for Independent Studio Owners and Personal Trainers.

If the franchises got their hands on this, it would END the game for Independent Studio Owners FOREVER.

So, I'm evening up the playing field and turning the screws on Franchises. I'm helping out the other guys, the visionaries and the innovators. The guys and girls who put EVERYTHING on the line every day they open the doors to their Studio. The ones that need a little help and direction with their business, without taking away their brand and their courage to keeping re-inventing themselves.

Here's to the Independents.. I got your back.

CHECK OUT MY SMART STUDIO BLUEPRINT HERE

How I went to Europe for 5 weeks and still made money in my Studio!

ben@fitnessrevelation.com (Ben Dulhunty) — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 22:47:41 GMT

18 months ago we were sitting around the dinner table when my Father In Law suggested we should all go to Europe for a big family holiday...

WOW! What a suggestion.. I'd never been to Europe and the kids were finally old enough to hopefully appreciate it.

While I was excited as hell, it also scared the crap out of me!

It scared me because I immediately wondered what I would do with my businesses while I was away... if they would survive with me not being there, and if I would come back to more work than it was worth.

I mean, I'd left the Studio for days and weeks at a time before, but never for 5 weeks and never on the other side of the world.

Let me be clear - it was a lifetime ambition of mine to be able to take the family to Europe (just like the Griswolds :) ) and the opportunity was finally here. I'd worked hard for 16 years and never taken a break like this so it was my turn to reward myself for the success I've had.

So, I turned fear into action and below you'll find the 5 step process to how I made money while I went away on the trip of a lifetime.

The beauty of it was, I had time to prepare what needed to be done to save the money, and ensure my staff had the best possible opportunity to succeed while I was away.

In fact, the only time I was involved with the Studio while I was away was when I did all the staff's pays. And to be honest, it wasn't even a chore - especially as I was in a different location each week! It was also a very pleasant feeling to see there was more than enough money in the business account every time I went to pay the staff!

THE EUROPEAN HOLIDAY PROCESS:

1. Get Organized - set a plan of what needs to be done.
Set up daily, weekly, monthly checklists, a strategic marketing plan, daily admin duties, other day to day tasks, set goals with timelines, set expectations for the staff and for the Studio as a whole. Set up your systems (email vacation message, autoresponders, and scheduled social media posts in advance)
You should already have most of these automated in your business but it's good to fine tune them for your successors. If you need these items, check out our FitbizDocs store.

2. Pick Out Your A-Team
You should have a solid team of trainers to look after the day to day processes in your Studio. Further to that, a network of professionals in their respective fields that can handle any hiccups while you're away. I am fortunate enough to have 3 senior staff (10 years with me) who know the Studio inside out. However, it's one thing to be a great trainer but another to be committed to the business you have created. This second part is where most businesses lack. They haven't allowed their team to grow into the business and outsourced responsibility along the way. By giving my team responsibility, rewarding their commitment to the business and developing their leadership skills for years on end made this whole process of going away for 5 weeks much easier.

3. Trust the process
Set things up so that you have taken care of the things that you can control , and believe in the systems and the support crew you have in place to handle the things you cannot control . I knew that I had done all I could to ensure things COULD run smoothly while I was away, but it was now in the hands of my capable staff to follow through and execute the processes.

4. Let it go
Understand the worst case scenario and be OK with it. Play devil's advocate in your head and like I mentioned previously, apply systems to scenarios that 'may happen' but be OK with the scenarios you cannot control. For example, if one of your staff calls in sick one day and the clients are left stranded with no one to train them, is it the end of your business as you know it? What is the WORST thing that could happen? What will it mean, will the clients get over it? Will you have a replacement staff member on call? Take care of all these 'situations that may happen' and let go of the ones you cannot control - like the place burning down!

5. Radio Silence
I made a deal with myself and my family that for the first week of the holiday I would check in everyday and chat to my Studio Manager to make sure things were running smoothly. My wife was completely OK with it, as she saw my angst around leaving the Studio for so long. She knew I wouldn't relax properly unless I knew it was going OK. Then, for the remaining 4 weeks I would only check in weekly.
Little did I know, this plan was about to get flipped on its head..
Before I left, my Studio manager pulled me aside and said 'Go away and have a great trip with the family, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would be honoured if you left me with the entire responsibility of the Studio while you're away. That means no contact. You will only hear from me if it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. I need this opportunity for myself as much as you need to let go."
WOW! I was completely shocked. This was hard for me to accept but he was right, we both needed this and I would be disrespecting him to not acknowledge his request. So, I accepted his suggestion and the only time he contacted me was 3 days before I was due back home in Sydney to inform me they had made 15 new sales while I was away and everything had run smoothly!

What this did was give me the confidence to leave my studio now whenever I needed to, or wanted to.

I travel once a month for 3-4 days at a time for business, and have 2 week holidays with my family every 6 months. I could take longer periods off, and will once again as I know it is entirely possible.

PS I rewarded my Studio Manager with a cash bonus on my return (he was not expecting this and was blown away!) and I rewarded the rest of the team with a social day out. None of them expected this either but were very grateful, as was I to them, for giving me the opportunity to have the experience of a lifetime!

Building Your Business Toolbox

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 04:31:07 GMT

Every job has a specific tool. One that makes the job easier. A tool that helps you carry out a task and speeds up the process. That is essentially the definition of a tool. “Something used in performing an operation or necessary in the practice of a vocation or profession.”

It’s important that we have tools in life to help us be more useful, efficient and effective . But, the reality is that a tool’s effectiveness is only relative to it’s function.

Take a hammer for example. Every house has one. You couldn’t live without one. Whether you are hanging up a new painting or taking out and old nail in the wall, its powers are invaluable.

But, try to sweep the floor or cut an onion with one and the hammer is useless. It doesn’t mean that the hammer isn’t a good tool. It just needs to be applied at the right time, for the right job.

That’s why a toolbox is so important. A toolbox will allow you to bring around your tools to use for just the right circumstance.

Personal training (and life) is no different. Each client is unique and has different needs . Building a “toolbox” of different tools or “skill sets” will help you be prepared for any situation you may encounter.

Here are 5 tools that you will need to be an effective and successful personal trainer:

1. Knowledge

Having the knowledge of applied forces on the body is a bare minimum. I’m talking about having a full understanding and knowledge of whom you are working with, what their needs are and what modifications you may need when designing their workout.

Sometimes workouts may need to be altered during the session. Reviewing each client’s file before his or her session can insure that you stay on top of any variable that may need to be checked on, or discussed during the session.

In the client’s eyes you appear to be well on top of things and extremely valuable.

All too often trainers “free-style” their workouts. This is essentially making a workout up as you go along. Creating a workout can be fun and exciting but can also incredibly devalue you and your service. Using your knowledge to design a personalized and progressive program will help monitor a client’s strength gains, keep you organized and reassure the client that there is a “plan” in place.

2. Communication

As I mentioned earlier, each client is different . Each has different abilities, limitations and workout experiences. Having the ability to communicate is critical to the success of your clients.

In some situations, clients may have trouble interpreting and performing certain exercises.

If a client has certain movement pattern distortions, then tight or overactive muscles may not allow them to carry out the exercise with the proper form. It’s important for you to be able to communicate with him or her why their body is doing what it is doing involuntarily and provide possible modifications.

When a client just doesn’t understand the point you are trying to convey, communicating an alternative explanation to an exercise will help.

Let’s use the Romanian Deadlift for example. This can be a tricky exercise to teach. After I describe the exercise I show them how to do it. While they are trying it themselves I go over the first set of instructions again, ask them what they are feeling and if they are having trouble I find an alternate way describe the exercise.

As a trainer you are a teacher and coach . You never want to put yourself in a position where a client is left feeling incapable of doing an exercise. It’s your job to find an alternative way to teach.

Remember, no matter how long you have been training a client, always follow Tell, Show, Do . Tell them about the exercise & explian WHY they are doing it. Show them how to do it, then have them do it. Never assume that they remember an exercise.

3. Compassion

Sometimes trainers forget that we are in a service industry and that clients come to us because they need our help.

It can be extremely complicated getting a client to change negative behaviours. This can be a major source of frustration for trainers.

Having compassion for each client is so important. Remember that they are looking to you for help and guidance. Your client may not follow your plan as you laid it out the first time around. They may not understand the exercise that you showed them the first 3 times. Do not get frustrated.

Use the word “compassion” as an internal reminder to have patience and to try to find new ways to motivate and teach your more complex clients.

4. Selflessness

This you may not immediately think of as an important tool, but it is. As a personal trainer, I constantly have to check my motives.

Why am I having this client do this exercise? Do they feel comfortable doing this exercise in public? Why am I telling this story? Am I doing all I can outside the session (within reason) to help them achieve their goal?

Anytime I cannot honestly answer these questions without a selfish response then I know that I am not giving my client what they deserve.

You dramatically reduce the risk of losing clients if this is your mindset in all your actions. It is transparent and your clients will value you for this.

5. Personal Accountability

To me, personal accountability is having a set of standards that you hold yourself to. How you behave when no one is watching.

Every trainer needs to have these to make sure that you keep up certain standards. We are human. We have outside events. We have thoughts and feelings. We get tired.

Personal accountability will help you maintain a certain level of quality from client to client . Here are just a few of mine.

“Give the same effort and energy to every client (no matter how early or late).”

“Always maintain a level of professionalism (shirt tucked in, hair combed, phone left in office).”

“Check in with each client once per week outside of session (text, email or phone call).”

“Never talk about myself during my sessions unless I am asked. Some clients actually find it relieving to listen about other people’s lives. Make sure you know who they are and only do that if asked.”

These are just a few of the tools that I use. They come in handy quite frequently and I never know when I’ll need them.

So, let’s start putting your tools together.

Grab a piece of paper and write down experiences that you recently had with all 5 of these tools. Rate yourself and see where you can better develop these tools.

Also, make a list of some personal accountability standards that you want to set for yourself to insure that your clients get the best possible service that you can give.

How to Hold Successful Team Meetings

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 00:22:00 GMT

I often get asked how I am able to keep a good camaraderie among our team and why I don’t do very much “managing.” To be honest if I had to be managing all the time I don’t think I would be well suited for the job since I’m not the management type. I view myself as one of the team members and it’s probably another reason why my studio is a fun place to work… and why I have very little turnover with PT's. However, this “hands-off” approach doesn’t happen by itself. I have a very specific set of systems in place to keep things running tightly. One of those key systems is my monthly meetings and the way I go about them. Here’s the sheet I use and how I organize the team meeting

I hold my monthly meetings every month on the last Thursday of the month at 12pm.

All the PTs who work at my studio know that they must reserve this time for our monthly meeting. That means if they have a client who wants to to train at that time they must reschedule them.

There are no exceptions.

Sure, we all want to be making money and working with clients, but you have to just pick a time and stick to it. There will never be the “perfect time” to meet.

I would just recommend picking an “off-peak” hour where you can stay consistent each month.

I also make the meeting mandatory – even if you don’t have clients that day at the studio. There will be notes taken and the trainers that cannot attend will have access to them, but it will affect their KPI's, their ability to increase their pay grade, and their ability to win 'Trainer of the Year'.

Also, this is a general group meeting. I discuss private topics and particular trainer/client issues with the trainers at a separate time.

Additionally, when I hire a new PT I do weekly check-in meetings every week that take about 10 minutes to see how their marketing, client sessions, etc. is going.

I don’t think I hold many meetings that take more than 10 minutes. (I always hated meetings for the sake of holding meetings so I practice what I preach and get in and get out)

I always supply lunch for my PT's so they have extra incentive to attend.. it's a small thank you for those who have made the effort to be there.

Next, I move directly into my 10 TOPICS I cover every meeting .

Here they are in the order that I go through them with my team:

“Weekly Meeting Topics Agenda”

1. Last months Review

In this part of the meeting I review what transpired last month at the studio (always start with highlights and then bring up anything you’d like to see changed)

2. Last months Leads & Follow Ups

I ask each PT by name if they followed up with “so and so.” I want to know that they followed my formula for following up with leads (email-phone-email-phone-email for 5 days straight).

3. Complimentary Sessions Set Up for this month + Times to Reserve Office

I ask who has comps set up for this week and at what times do we need everyone out of the PTs office so that they can have privacy with their new client.

4. Schedule Openings for New Comps this Week

I ask all the PTs to make sure their diary is updated, so we can schedule new leads when they come in.

5. What’s New this Week at the Studio

I talk about marketing initiatives, event planning, scheduling, etc.

6. Any New Success Stories Coming?

I ask how the PTs clients are progressing and who we can look forward to seeing in our 'client focus' for the upcoming weeks on Facebook. If we are holding a contest I ask for more specific details of results.

7. Upcoming Projects, Contests & Ideas on the Horizon

I get everyone excited about new equipment coming, contests being held, events being planned, etc.

8. Any Issues to be Resolved?

I follow up any any studio issues that we’ve successfully resolved or are figuring out (deliveries not arriving, member complaints etc)

9. PT Corner

I ask each PT to give an example of what they are working on behind the scenes, or outside of Fitrev so we all can learn a little more about each other.

10. Any Questions or Comments?

I ask my team if they have any questions or concerns I can address.

I then end the meeting and thank them for their time.

(you can use this worksheet to take notes on throughout the month and then bring it to your meeting to address you team – that’s what I do and it’s been working great now for many years…)

This simple 10 step process along with the “thanking/praising – critiquing – thanking/praising” method keeps the meeting fun. It also gets us together as a team for an hour each month – even if it is only once a month that we can all come together (this is actually the MAIN reason I hold the meetings… but don’t tell anyone ; )

Just as a side note, since our studio is small (and so are our offices) we have our team meetings right on the fitness floor or outside on the bowling green. We typically all sit on stability balls and benches side by side… we keep it informal, but often times I ask the PTs to bring their notebooks if I will be giving them assignments, leads, etc.

A Personal Letter to My Trainer

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 23:20:33 GMT

Today, I wanted to share with you a personal email I sent to one of my personal training team members who was having a difficult streak when trying to sign up new clients… Since I’ve been teaching and using the same process for years (after having developed a winning formula through years of trial and error) we knew it wasn’t the way we ran the complimentary fitness consultation, but rather the person implementing it…

Now, I’m not here to criticize my team members or chastise them for not living up to our 90% conversion rate, but rather see if I can guide them back on track by reminding them of what got them here in the first place …

If you’re wondering, this story does have a happy ending and as I write this to you the PT I’m referring to just signed up another new client this morning for 2x a week for 12 weeks (and he has 3 new consultations scheduled for next week already – that’s potentially 6 more sessions per week in 1 week’s time!).

I’m a huge believer in keeping your mind open to new ideas and different perspectives about how to get the same job done more productively or with greater ease.

Just as it helped one of my studio team members, I believe that these 10 tips below may help you rethink how you view potential clients and what they’re really looking to you for…

Enjoy!

“Hi XXXXX,

I know you’ve kind of hit a rough patch over the past few weeks with new client sign-ups, but I wanted to share with you a few helpful tips that I’ve discovered over the last 20 years of training. I think these may help you to not get discouraged and also help to convert more comp sessions to full-time clients.

Keep in mind that whenever something isn’t working it isn’t a shot against you, but rather an opportunity to see how things may be able to be tweaked in order to get an even better result.

Here are a few tips I’ve shared with 100's of PTs that I’ve personally worked with and trained:

Tip #1:

Always let the prospective client do the majority of the talking – keep asking them questions to get at the heart of why they came into see you. What is their goal and why do they need to achieve it right now? Remember, we were born with 2 ears and only 1 mouth for a reason!

Tip #2:

Spend the majority of time talking about their previous exercise history and their current goals… and why it hasn’t worked out for them. After not interrupting, present them with reasons why what they were doing wasn’t working and what you’ve used to successfully help clients in their position. Never compare them to another client, but let them know how others like them have been successful

Tip #3:

Greet your client as you begin your session with passion and energy in your voice (even if you have to fake it). Make sure to extend a handshake and a smile when they walk in. First impressions make all the difference in the world. People judge you based on the first 5 seconds of meeting you by your verbal and non-verbal cues.

Tip #4:

Begin to connect with them on a personal level. People want to work with people whom they think really care about them. The only reason I’ve had the same clients for the past 10-14 years is because I genuinely care about them as a person. I want to know how their family is, how their kids are doing, how their job is, etc. Only after that do we focus on their workouts results (Genuinely caring is far more powerful than getting them results)… This is why some trainers who don’t get their clients results can still have a great retention rate.

Tip #5:

During the complimentary session keep going back to their goals. Let them know how their postural and muscular imbalances will affect their daily life activities and joint health if they’re not corrected. Let them know how losing 10 kilos will allow them to lower their BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and improve their health – besides helping them look great for their wedding, etc.

Tip #6:

After the fitness floor assessments sit back down in the office and let them know what you saw. Then in your professional opinion recommend them a program customized for them. Let them know this is what you’ve seen work best for your most successful clients. Start with 2-3 days a week in studio and relay to them that you will also design their off-day workouts and nutrition to help them reach their GOALS faster.

Tip #7:

Let them know that you are fully committed to them. Use energy in your voice and actions to show them that they will have you to keep them accountable through phone calls, text messages, emails, and weekly weigh-ins.

Tip #8:

Tell them your schedule and let them know that you only have a few openings left for dedicated clients and would be happy to reserve them a time for the next 12 weeks so that no one else could take their time slot.

Tip #9:

Don’t stop the customer service after they become a client. Do weekly follow up emails and send them helpful tips. Smile, and be genuinely happy to see them when their session starts and wish them well as they leave. This is all part of being a successful PT and shows great customer service. Plus, with this type of service clients will be far more likely to re-sign and refer their friends.

Tip #10:

Never talk poorly about your job or profession. Clients expect you to always be high energy for them and have a smile on your face. You’re a motivator, as much as a fitness trainer. Also, never complain about how many hours you’re working or how long your day is – it makes it seem that working with that client is a chore or that you’re just a factory churning out client sessions. EVERY CLIENT WANTS TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE YOUR ONLY CLIENT . If you keep that in mind throughout the session and make them feel special, you will be booked solid for life.

I hope these tips help you to look at things in a different perspective on what it means to be in the top 1% of PTs .”

(end letter)

The personal email goes on for a few more lines reinforcing the belief (and truth) that my staff member is an excellent PT and just needs to work on the “human” aspects of helping & relating to other humans rather than on strictly focusing on the impersonal “personal training” side of things… if that makes sense.

Changing the way you interact with people on an emotional level is a difficult task to undertake, but if you dare to open up and care to a greater degree about your clients you’ll never have to worry about having an empty schedule ever again…

Choosing the RIGHT Business Name

ben@fitnessrevelation.com (Ben Dulhunty) — Thu, 24 May 2018 23:06:47 GMT

At the request of a few of our Smart Studio Solutions Clients I’d like to give you the BEST formula for choosing a personal training business name. Remember, you only really get ONE shot at this and there are ONLY 2 ways of going about this. In this post I will explain what those 2 choices are and an easy way to choose the right business name for your company. Here’s how:

There are really only 2 choices you have when deciding on a business name.

1. You can either choose a business name with “your name” in it, or…

2. You can choose a more corporate business name

There are clear benefits to both and the pros and cons that I’ve outlined below should help you decide which way to go when naming your new business.

Personalized Business Name Benefits:

When you choose to use your name in your company you are personalizing your business to let people know who is ultimately running the show. This allows your current and future clients the subconscious peace of mind of knowing that an actual person stands behind the business itself. It lets people know who they can turn to with questions or if anything should ever go wrong with billing , etc.

I think a lot of people like the idea of buying into a personalized philosophy, system, or concept and by placing a name and face with the business it puts their analytical mind at ease.

To me, it just seems like people enjoy doing business with other people.

I think people are also more willing to part with their money when they know it’s going to a small business that is trying to fit in and improve the community… instead of it going to a big corporation

There are some downsides to having a business in your name though.

For one, if your studio business grows and is doing hundreds of sessions a month like ours is, you are not able to personally speak with every client who works with you. Often times after the initial complimentary session time set up with a member on your training team, you may not see them again ( if they are training at times when you are not at the studi o).

Also, when your name is synonymous with the business you may have a slightly more difficult time selling the business if that is your end goal (more on that in a minute).

And, while I don’t think you’ll have any issues with expansion and owning multiple studios under your name, you may find that people will still want some type of access to you since you are the person running the show. The way I combat this is by holding events, seminars, workshops, client appreciation parties, and sending out weekly video/content newsletters where people can still interact with me. It’s not always ideal, but if you want to continue to grow and help more and more people you have to come to realize that you must just keep developing systems and putting them in place so that you can expand.

Here’s another interesting fact : If you do include your name in your business name just be ready to become known as “THE Personal Trainer” in your area. Whether it be good or bad, it's going to happen. When you put your name to your studio or PT Business, you are forever in the spotlight, and pigeon-holed as 'that person'. Of course, it's great for the ego, but can have its flaws. You may find it hard to expand into other areas of business (ie corporate fitness) because you're known as just a 'personal trainer' The other example is if you want to live in the area where you work.. everyone will be constantly watching what you put in your trolley at the supermarket, where you eat out, where you socialize.. it can get pretty full on and hard to live a life cos you're 'that person' who shouldn't be eating/drinking the wrong thing.. EVER!

Some final notes:

Now that my studio has been opened for 13 years and we were able to take right off since we opened I can happily say that I would keep the studio name exactly the way it is if I were to do it all over again.

Alright, so now that you’ve seen the pros and cons to naming a personal training business under your personal name, let’s talk about the “2nd choice.”.. my preferred choice!

Corporate Business Name Benefits:

When consulting with gyms, independant health management companies, or franchises I always recommend to them that they structure their business with the end in mind – and this most definitely includes the name of their business.

I named by business 'Fitness Revelation' instead of 'Ben Dulhunty's Fitness Studio' so I would achieve a few things.

1. It would give off the impression that I am well established and professional (of course, your message and marketing must match that)

2. I am poised for easy expansion and roll out within my area, state, or world wide

3. Corporations like to work with other corporations (they feel like you must have your act together) and you may have an easier time getting into large businesses to do bootcamps, wellness seminars, etc before you become established.

4. It will make it easy to replace yourself with a manager and systems that run the show

5. Once the company has grown to the size you’d like you can sell it

Those are the big benefits to creating more of a corporate name and now let’s talk about a few of the downsides. The cons basically include all the pros of the personalized business name. For example, with a corporate business name you lose the small business appeal and the sense of doing business with another person (instead of with a corporation).

However, if you are still there as much as possible, you can easily soften this perception by giving it your personal touch.

To me, the bottom line is that if you ever plan on walking away from your business by either selling it or not coming in on a weekly basis I would go with the corporate name. However, if you’re like most Fitness Professionals and love to train and see yourself doing it for the foreseeable future then there’s no reason NOT to name it in your own name (you could even just use your last name).

I hope this post shed a little light on how to choose the right name for your personal training company and how important it really is depending on your end goal.

How To Keep Your Trainers for LIFE!

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 06:25:00 GMT

As I said in the last line of the original “How to Pay Your Trainers” it’s all about adapting! If you haven't read it, please read that post first, since the information I’m about to provide you is in ADDITION to what is stated above. It does not replace it.

Over 14 years of operation at the Fitrev Studio, we have had trainers come and go, as any business experiences. However, I'm proud to say any trainer that starts with Fitrev, stays minimum 2 years and if they leave, they go onto MASSIVE things - which is kinda cool.
One guy was with me for 4 years, then got a gig in the US as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. He is currently the S&C coach for an NBA team! Another trainer who was with me 3 years went on to open up his own Crossfit Studio, and now has 3! AWESOME!

So, although it sucks to lose a solid PT, sometimes you have to acknowledge it's best for them & fully support them. 9 times out of 10 this attitude will help you hire a gun PT to replace them, as they will be more inclined to assist in the recruitment of a new PT and the transition of clients.

So, let's move forward - how do I keep my trainers happy and making more money each year?

Reward Your Staff with Pay Increases
We go by the weeks results of sessions completed per trainer. As mentioned in the previous blog, the payscale keeps the trainers incentivised and motivated to earn more each week. As they are paid each week, the reward of a higher payrate is administered weekly also. This keeps things super simple. So, if a trainer does 35 sessions one week, and only 17 the next, they will be paid in the 21-39 pay bracket (40% per session) for that week, and only 1-20 pay bracket for the following week (35% per session) We also make sure we increase our clients training fees by 3% EVERY YEAR. This ensures our prices are going up in conjunction with CPI (the consumer pricing index) so we can cover our own rising business expenses year to year. What this also does is increase the amount the trainers get paid year to year. This is another very attractive incentive for trainers who interview with us. Eg: $69/30 min session (x 1.03) = new client rate of $ 71.07 The NEW trainer rate is then worked out to be $28.43/session (as opposed to the $27.60 they were earning the year before) Note: Calculations based on the trainer taking 40% of each session 2. Holidays and Sick Days Our trainers are all contractors, meaning they have very little sick days & holiday time. If they are sick or do take holidays, they are not paid. The result: they keep themselves VERY healthy so they can work :) This is probably the biggest reason we can do so many sessions all year around. There is very little interruption in clients training sessions. If a trainer is sick, it's their responsibility to advise their clients. My role is to find a replacement trainer and juggle clients around. Like I said though, this doesn't happen too often. The other policy we have in place is a structured holiday planning system. Each year we sit down with all the trainers and we put our holiday times in. Now, this can change at the drop of a hat, however, it's good to try to plan these things so that clients can be covered while a trainer is on break. 3. Guarantee them work For the first 90 days we guarantee our trialling PT's 10 hours a week at $25/hour. This gives them something in return for their time and energy, and gives us a good period of time to assess if they will be a good fit for our business. 4. Always Be Hiring
Many studios wait until they have a need to hire a new trainer, instead of always being on the look out. Just like your marketing for new clients: you need to always have your poles in the water looking for new leads. This is the same for hiring. My responsibility is actively looking for new trainers to facilitate the demands for new leads. . It is work, but using this formula we will be able to grow by about 250 sessions per month. That’s another $177,000 in revenue per year. Not bad… I have no doubt we’ll now always have at least 1-2 PTs “on deck” for when we need to hire more people to accommodate our new leads. 5. Incentives ALWAYS have a team and individual goal! This makes the group work together towards one goal and creates a friendly competition to see who will win that month. All PT's are competitive people by nature – most of us played sports at least through high school and we still want to win! So, I always have a team goal (now 1,000 sessions per month) and an individual goal (Fit Pro of the Month) for whomever completes the greatest number of sessions. (Please see the post on the 800 Club) Keep in mind this will only work when you have a team of 3 people or more. However, I do place my name on this sheet as well. It also works better if you have 2 people that do around the same number of sessions. If you always do the most take yourself out of the running for Fit Pro of the Month… don’t be that guy. Every team member that hits 120+ sessions (your goal may be different) will get a $150 bonus added to the 1st pay period after the previous month ends. The Fit Pro of the Month will receive $250. All of these bonuses are contingent upon the fact that we hit our team goal (currently 1,000 sessions a month). If we as a team reach our goal, I organise a staff social day! (This can also be changed around so that each member has their own individual goal as well as the team goal. If you have one part-time person and one full-time person, set their monthly goals accordingly and then pay them a bonus if they hit them… you can still have a team goal.)
6. Trainer Levels At our studio, I reward ongoing education, commitment to me and to the industry. That's why I developed our 5 Trainer Levels of Professionalism. The charge out rate of each staff member is reflected on their trainer level. Ie: Level 1 trainer is charged out at $50/30 mins while our Level 5 Trainers are charged out at $75/30 mins. Level 1 Trainer: 1st year with Fitrev, minimum 2 years in the Fitness Industry, All first aid and insurance up to date ($50/30 mins) Level 2 Trainer: Minimum 1-3 years with Fitrev, minimum 5 years in the Fitness Industry, All first aid and insurance up to date, 85% retention with Fitrev clients, 80% pass mark in In-house Fitrev exam. ($59/30 mins) Level 3 Trainer: Minimum 3 years with Fitrev, minimum 7 years in the Fitness Industry, All first aid and insurance up to date, 85% retention with Fitrev clients, 80% pass mark in In-house Fitrev exam ($65/30 mins)
Level 4 Trainer: Minimum 5 years with Fitrev, minimum 10 years in the Fitness Industry, All first aid and insurance up to date, 85% retention with Fitrev clients, 80% pass mark in In-house Fitrev exam ($70/30 mins) Level 5 Trainer: Minimum 10 years with Fitrev, minimum 15 years in the Fitness Industry, All first aid and insurance up to date, 85% retention with Fitrev clients, 80% pass mark in In-house Fitrev exam ($75/30 mins)
Studio Manager/Owner: Case by case scenario, but has to have reached at least Level 4 Trainer status.
7. Long-Term Growth and Security NOTHING rocks your business more than losing a full-time PT. Trust me, it takes at least 6 months to find, hire, train, and rebuild those lost sessions. If a PT only gives you 2 weeks notice, how the hell are you supposed to have another PT ready to go when they leave? That’s why you always have to have a queue of 1-2 PTs you can hire. We have our PTs sign a non-compete, but they still may try to take their clients. We also try to transition their clients to another PT we have on staff, but if we don’t have a new PT on board within 4 weeks (we ask for 30 days if a PT leaves), then inevitably we’re going to lose 50% or so of their clients… and then they want a refund, etc. The whole thing is a disaster… A nightmare actually. The good thing is that because I've learnt the hard way, you don't have to. I was burned once - and that's all it took for me to redefine my systems & restructure my business model. The model I now have keeps trainers with me for on average 6 years, and 3 of my current trainers have been with me for 10+ years! Over 14 years I have had 6 trainers leave the Studio, and only 1 has taken clients with them - we have kept 95% of them. The 5% that left, left not to train with the trainer that left too, but to train at another facility because the they had a special connection with the trainer (which we can all understand). Out fo the 6 trainers that left, 4 left the industry to persue careers in other areas, and 2 moved out of the area due to our non-compete clause in their contract.
Okay, so where was I… Ah yes, long-term security. What does everyone want in business? 2 things actually. 1. They want to feel like they’re being acknowledged for their hard work and dedication. 2. They want to make more money. The nice thing is, I’ve found a way to help them with both. It’s now my secret sauce for keeping my A Players. 1. My fitness manager and I send out weekly emails to the team motivating them and calling out small things we’ve seen them do that we appreciate and know their clients appreciate. People like to be RECOGNIZED. We also do a team dinner every 6 months where they can bring a significant other and we can enjoy a good cheat meal and kick back outside of work… 2. We have the tiered payrate incentive for completing more sessions per week & the payrise every year of 3% per session (as mentioned above) This gives the studio more money AND the trainer. Everybody wins!
Check out the next article on "staff incentives done the right way" for more on this topic

How to Set Up a successful pre-sale membership launch

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 04:57:00 GMT

Members will not rush to your new Studio simply because it is open. You need a plan and you need members before you open

Presales are a lot of fun. Not only is it your first opportunity to talk about your new facility to the public, you also get to start making money before the buildout is complete! There are many ways to conduct a presale event. The following outlines how some Studios have found success with their presale prior to opening. Have a plan and stick to it This includes budget as well as the type of marketing you plan to do. If you budget and plan for 40,000 direct mail pieces, Facebook digital paid ads, distribution of 4,000 local employee flyers, and 20 hours a week of actively talking to local business owners & residents, stick to it. The only time to sway at all is if you have an abnormal response from one of the marketing mediums. If it is abnormally high, allocate some of the funds from the lower performing medium. If it is abnormally low, allocate some of those funds to the higher return strategies. But overall, try to stick to your original plan. Where to do your presale event Your offline presale event can be inside a finished area of your facility, in a vacant space the landlord allows you to utilize, on the road/footpath outside your new facility, or in an offsite office. In all cases, you will need detailed blueprints, schematics, pictures, and layout of your facility so the prospect can picture what it will look like. You will have to take them on a "virtual" tour that allows them to imagine themselves working out at your facility. If they show up and you have a pen and a stack of membership agreements, they won't stay long. Have a tour ready for them, even if it is a mental tour or a tour through artist renditions of how the facility will look when complete. Your online presale event will occur over a few weeks and perhaps months.. mainly in the form of promotional videos, a virtual digital tour of your facility, or simply an optin form requesting more information. An offer like “Founding Memberships available for 50% OFF” or “Sign up before we open and receive and extra 3 months FREE membership” These offers will ideally be used on your company website page, Facebook Fan Page, through Youtube, Instagram and LinkedIn. Make your Presale a huge event Don't simply set up a tent or an office and post a sign out front. You need balloons, face painting, streamers, colours, celebrity appearances, multiple direct mail pieces delivered to mailboxes, public awareness through local facebook groups advertising the event. Make it a huge event and you will find people are more excited to join site unseen. Pre-sell memberships over three stages You can specify dates of each of the three stages. For example if you plan for your facility to be open in October, send out your postcards in July stating that all memberships sold prior to opening will come with these 10 bonuses and the lowest price point. Stage two, August, will come with only 5 of the bonuses and a slightly higher price point. Then in September it will be their "last chance" to secure the amazing rates. Make it a limited offer event Let your prospects know that only X amount of founding memberships will be sold prior to opening the doors. If you show the prospects that by becoming a founding member, they will have special privileges that others will not. Not only that, but founding memberships are limited. Perhaps you limit it to 100 "Founding Memberships". Base it on whatever amount of revenue you determine would make you financially comfortable prior to opening. Don't forget, the grand opening celebration will be a huge event as well, allowing you to sell a sizeable number of memberships once the doors open.

How to Cut Your “Studio Tasks” Down to 30 Minutes per Day

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 03:01:00 GMT

Probably the biggest shock about my small studio isn’t that we do about 800 sessions or over $50,000 per month, but that I only spend 30 minutes per day on actual studio tasks.

To be honest, I created this easy to follow system out of necessity since I was working way too many hours when I first opened my studio. As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention” and I’d rather be training clients or taking some time off to myself than doing paper work… Follow my Daily System and cut your non-training time down to 30 minutes:

Take it from me – in the beginning it’s going to be difficult to let go of some of your control issues (I know it wasn’t easy for me), but after about 3 weeks (21 days) of consistent practice you will gain new freedom. Although this is optional I HIGHLY recommend you hire a personal assistant for just 1 day per week for 3 hours. Alternatively, delegate all the admin duties to one of your senior staff at an 'admin rate', not a PT rate! You can pay them $20 an hour they will do all your filing, errand running, etc., etc., etc.

It’s the best $60 you’ll ever spend it frees up your mind to concentrate on more high-worth tasks rather than thinking about the folders you need to file… My studio assistant Manager now works 5-10 hours per week on my admin tasks and you wouldn’t believe the amount of tasks she does… everything from member newsletters, to flyer drops, to picking up printing. Now let’s get to how I was able to cut my paper work and studio “managerial” tasks down to just 30 minutes per day. (By the way, this isn’t an exaggeration – pretty much my entire day is scheduled with Studio development & phone coaching calls, so I literally don’t have any time for more than 30 minutes of paper work.)

The SECRET to my drastic reduction in time spent on studio work is a little something you may have heard of called “BATCHING.” I had played with the idea a little in the past, but after Tim Ferris, wrote the “4 Hour Work Week” I reexamined how and why I was doing certain repetitive tasks.

Here’s how I was able to BATCH EVERYTHING to cut my work down to 30 minutes per day:

FIRSTLY, due to technology, my 'paperwork tasks' have been drastically minimised. We automate most of our admin too, and with our professional systems, everything flows well most of the time. Of course, there needs to be that human side to the business, and that is outlined below.

MONDAY:

Look over the repo rts my Assistant Manager has printed off for me.. New clients, expiring clients, events on this week etc. All of this data is stored in our CRM so I can check it anytime, however my assistant is on top of it daily and brings me up to date once a week. I'll reply to/write emails to enquiries that have come in over the weekend too. Lastly, I'll send invoices to those clients requesting them (we still have some clients that like to be invoiced rather than on direct debit). I like to be overseeing the money in and out of the Studio, and encourage you to do the same.

TUESDAY:

Play the maitre'd at the Studio - be present, pack equipment away and replace stationary etc. The members like to see I'm still around and care about them and the Studio. Pay the trainers. This takes about 45 minutes. Lead calls, update CRM from meetings

WEDNESDAY:

Networking Day - visit affiliates (1 hour) Visit studio, play the maitre'd at the Studio again. Equipment/stationary ordering day - discuss with assistant & she orders what we agree upon.

THURSDAY:

Visit studio, play the maitre'd at the Studio again.

FRIDAY:

Respond to Emails and action important tasks. Plan for the following week with my assistant manager for 60 mins. We set 'to do' items, and non negotiables, we review our goals and ensure we are on track for the month. We also review the current week.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY:

I don’t work on the weekends and just use Saturday and Sunday’s as free days to do as I please. This entire time is spent with my family and is a non-negotiable. Every weekday morning I leave the house at 5:30am and get home at 6:30pm every night, so the weekend is their time with me. You’ll notice all the filing and printing you would typically have to do has been omitted. These tasks would normally consume about 10-15 minutes 1x per week, but since I have my assistant print everything I don’t include that time. My VA and assistant manager also post all our facebook and instagram, so that saves another 5-10 minutes per day.

You may even see a trend forming here… If it doesn’t have to do with something like the “finances” of the studio or anything that is a “ME-ONLY” task I pass it along and pay someone else $8-20/hr so that I can either chill out for a minute or train a client where I get paid $190+/hr.

See the trade off? I don’t even go to the bank anymore… it's all online and automated. Now some of you may be thinking that you can’t only check snail mail 1x a week, but when’s the last time you got something essential in the mail? I’m not talking packages – they get delivered right to our studio by courier. If you don’t feel comfortable with this then try cutting a few tasks down to 2x/week to start…

If you’re currently doing 2 hours of work per day aim to cut it back to 90 minutes and if you’re doing 90 minutes shoot for 60. You don’t need to shoot for 30 minutes right away (especially if you have stronger control issues and anxiety about leaving non-essential tasks undone for a day or two.) Hopefully, this post gave you an inside glimpse into how I run my day-to-day studio activity and you can model some of the batching techniques for greater productivity and time-management!

5 Mistakes You Are Making on Instagram

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 22:26:00 GMT

Instagram drives the highest engagement among the top social networks. Therefore, smaller efforts here will help you reach more people. Several businesses are working hard to build a presence on this network. But while doing this they are making some mistakes. Therefore, today I am going to write about the common mistakes businesses make on Instagram and how you can avoid them…

1. Being too salesy

Posting pictures of your products can help on Instagram. Several businesses regularly make sales this way. But most of your posts shouldn’t comprise of these photos only. Social media is all about building relationships with people. The best way to do this is by sharing useful and/or entertaining content. When you share content that isn’t trying to force a sale you will gain the trust of your followers. Therefore, when you post pictures of products later more people will buy from you. You can also try creating useful and entertaining content that contains your products. An example of a company that understands the importance of sharing useful Instagram content is Morrison’s, a supermarket based in the UK. When you browse through their Instagram feed, you will notice that they share useful content like the below recipe.

Posting recipes like this will build trust and get more people to engage with product posts like the below one.

2. Not posting enough original content

Some people post a lot of useful photos, but they make the mistake of posting content mostly created by others. Posting these photos can help, but they shouldn’t make up most of your posts. As to get maximum engagement from Instagram, you should create original content. Original photos stand out more. They will also better reflect your brand. So, from today onwards begin creating original content. This shouldn’t take up too much of your time as quality content can be prepared in seconds. All you need is some good Instagram background photos and an image editor to help you modify your images. You can take these photos yourself or purchase them online. Some image editors like Stencil provide access to quality photos within their dashboards itself. You can search for images here, quickly add in filters, icons and text and create unique images. I LOOOOOVE Stencil - we use it for ALL our Insta and Facebook stuff. Content that does well on Instagram includes quote images, photos with tips or facts, interesting photos from your life, images promoting a blog post, etc.

3. Not writing better captions

Photos aren’t the only component of your Instagram posts. Another important part is the caption. A lot of people either leave this blank or write some filler text. But if you want your post to get the highest engagement, you should accompany it with a well-written caption. In this caption, you should mainly start off by describing the photo. Write the story behind it. Include things like why you took this photo, why are you sharing it and what it means. After you describe the photo, you should write a call to action. If you are looking for engagement, ask followers to like the post. For questions, you can ask a question. And for traffic replace the link in your bio to the page you want to send traffic to and ask people to click on it and visit your website. After you finish adding all the above details you should end your post with several hashtags. Track Maven found that posts that contain 5 hashtags or more than 11 hashtags got the highest engagement. If you want to find some hashtags quickly, you can use this list of the 100 best Instagram hashtags for likes .
This is a well-researched list. Pick the most relevant ones from here and add them to your post. If you have some extra time you must conduct research and add in extra less popular, but highly relevant hashtags along with these.

4. Not posting regularly

A lot of people aren’t certain about how often to post on Instagram. They don’t want to spam their followers with too many photos. Hence, they post once every few days or once every week. But you shouldn’t be afraid to post every single day as a study from Tailwind found that Instagram accounts that post 7+ posts a week get the most likes. That’s about 1 post a day.

5. Not building a community

As I mentioned earlier, building relationships with your followers is a necessary step on Instagram. Posting less salesy photos and more original content can help. But there are other steps you need to take along with these. These include… Responding to comments: I have seen a lot of accounts post quality content every day. This results in a lot of comments. But they make the mistake of not responding. When you respond to comments, your followers will get closer to you because it shows that you care about their ideas and thoughts. So, set some time every day to respond to Instagram comments. Post user-generated content: Another fun way to build a community is by sharing user-generated content. These photos can be original photos they have taken just for you or they can be photos they have already published. If you post photos that have already been published make sure you get permission to post this photo. Also, when you publish the photo you should tag the owner of the photo and add a message thanking them. Asking your followers to follow their account will also help. Run contests: Contests help increase engagement and followers, therefore, running one every month or 2 can help. These don’t need to take up too much of your time as there are contests such as ‘like and tag contests’ that can be set up quickly.

Now stop making these Instagram mistakes: These are the 5 common mistakes people make on Instagram. Always keep them on your mind before you post an update. They should be easy to remember. Once you stop making these, you will see an increase in engagement and sales.

How To Setup A Health Fair Table

Mon, 05 Mar 2018 06:48:00 GMT

A great way to pick up new clients is to team up with a health-minded partner and set up a table at their location where you offer a benefit to their clients or customers. Here are the steps you should take to set up the perfect health fair table where you give yourself the best chance to pick up new clients:

One way we’re able to get our name (brand) out in the community is by setting up “health fair” tables at events around the area.

This method of client attraction is actually easier than you think and it all starts by “giving to get.” Check out the steps below to find out how you or one of your team members can use this technique to build up a client base from scratch.

Here are the 12 steps you should use to set up a health fair table:

1. Choose a Partner Wisely

I recommend choosing a location where you would like to start getting more business from (think local affiliates). You don’t want to partner with someone who would devalue your brand. We partner with Lane Cove Council at the Lane Cove Rotary fair every year, so we can get ultimate exposure to the entire community we serve. We also do Expo days for potential corporate clients to showcase our services to their employees. Another option is setting up outside the local supermarket where there is a lot of passing traffic.

2. Approach the Store/Organisation or Company Manager in Person

Ask if they’d be interested in you setting up a complimentary “health fair” table at their location.

3. Offer Tremendous Value

Let the manager/organiser know that you will offer BMI, Waist-to-Hip Ratio testing, and complimentary body composition analysis (use my health assessment template to take measurements), as well as answer any exercise and nutrition questions for free.

4. Tell Them Why You’re Doing It

Let the manager know that you are trying to reach people who may be timid about going to the gym or have never been educated about their health by a qualified professional. Let them also know it is non-invasive and that you will supply all the materials. It will cost them NOTHING. Let them know that in return you would also just like to leave out your business cards so that if any of their customers are interested in more information or they would like to follow up they can do so. Reiterate that you will NOT be selling anything…

5. Choose a Date and Time

Since Sunday’s are typically the busiest day of the week for grocery food shopping I'd suggest setting up outside the supermarket on that day. We also choose a 3-hour window from 11am – 2pm. For now just set up 1 date and then you can go back later with all the positive feedback you got from their customers who requested that you could come back and do a follow up to retake their body comp stats.

6. What You Need

Here’s what I do… I bought a 4’x2’ folding table that is easy to transport and set up. Once I set up the table at the entrance of the store (ideal location) I lay out a plan black or white tablecloth to make the table seem more professional. On the table I place a set of body fat scales, a progress report sheet, a tape measure, and a sign that says, “Health Fair – Complimentary Body Composition & Exercise and Nutrition Questions Answered.” The 8.5×11 sign is just printed in Word and placed in a plastic stand up holder in order to be clearly visible. You should also keep a stability ball and maybe a foam roller or something else at your table that SCREAMS fitness when people see it. You need to attract some attention

7. Put Out Your Marketing Materials

On the table I also place my DL Flyers for the Studio in a stand, my business cards, and an 8.5×11 sheet of our company services. I also have my stand up studio banner set to the side of the table. (Another sneaky thing I do is put out 1 of my best articles in my niche that customers can take with them and read later – and you may have already guessed that my contact information along with an offer for a complimentary fitness consultation is attached at the end of the article…)

8. Smile

Seriously, smile, say hello and be open to people approaching you. No folded arms, no holding the tape measure ready to assess anyone… just look approachable and friendly.

9. Make the Offer

When someone asks you what this is all about tell them what you’re offering. If they say they’re in a rush give them your brochure and business card and let them know that you’d be HAPPY to OFFER them a complimentary fitness consultation at your studio at their convenience… and the goal is to get them into your studio anyway so this is actually a much better success formula. How slick is that ; )

10. Ideally You Will Just be Setting up Comps

Your goal isn’t actually to assess everyone’s body fat in the whole store (that would take forever)… it’s to network, answer questions, make connections, and hopefully find 1-2 people who had been thinking about signing up for personal training but never knew who to approach. (Now they met you, like you, and feel comfortable speaking with you so the resistance barrier has already been broken down). BINGO .

11. Set a Date and Time that Week for a Comp

Don’t wait for them to lose your contact information – try to set up a date for the same week to come in for a complimentary consultation. At the very least, get them to write down their name and email so you can contact them for a complimentary week at your Studio. See my form I use here. Lastly, if you're doing an expo at a Corporate event, get the employee to write down what service they are interested in you providing for the company. So, when it's time to make the pitch to the employer for corporate services, you have a solid list, direct from their staff! This is very powerful

12. Do NOT Sell Anything

You are there to give out lots of great content. The location would be pretty upset if you were trying to sell your services to their customers anyway… Plus, the only thing you should EVER be selling is your complimentary fitness consultation.

There you have it – “A 12-Step Plan of Attack” for getting 1-2 new clients with every new Health Fair Table you set up!

Give it a shot and expect that the first time you try it there will be a little bit of a learning curve, but after that you will feel completely comfortable and ready to mingle with new potential clients! P.S. Give these steps to a member of your training team if they will be setting up the table and answering questions in your place. I don’t actually do these events anymore because of time restrictions, but any of my PTs who are looking for new clients do one every month.