The Keys to Success in Women’s Only Fitness

The sophisticated woman of today is looking for more than what she suspects is available to her in the muscle beach, stereotyped coed facility she sees on line, on TV and above her on the billboard. In the past, she may have been intimidated by the dark gym filled with heavy barbells and men belted to lift. Today she is selective, and more than aware of what she is looking for as she selects her workout get away. She no longer chooses to join the men, and the kids, and instead plans her day to include a stress free visit to the club, taking a class or a small group training professionally designed with her special needs in mind.

Restart Your Personal Training Business in the Women’s Only Facility

Restart Your Engines and Find New Clients

 

“Revving up the engine that may need an overhaul can be as easy as just turning a key”

AG

 

 

The Top Ten Keys to Gaining Ten New Clients in  a Women’s Only Facility

 

1. Ask the number one question, “What do you hope for this time around?”, when in conversation with all members, new to the club, in your classes and on the workout floor. Women join with an undying sense of  that all the answers to their needs will be found in one of your services. You must be able to pull this thought pattern out of all conversations. You have to be willing to ask……” what are you hoping you will achieve this time around……..”

 

2. Offer a  menu of services that can be addressed, displayed and marketed. Be specific and move away from just offering Personal Training. Be exact about the dates that your Boot Camp will run monthly, be exact about the time when you do assessments, show the entire club your consultation schedule; the front desk, the sales managers and weekend employees. All trainers should be willing to design specific programming for a ten pound loss, a twenty pound loss, how to train for a marathon and how to lose the baby fat, when working in a women’s only facility. Women will buy a specific program, will go for the catchy name and will purchase if there is a purpose, rather than just jumping at what they have always thought was an added expense……Personal Training.

 

3. Put a deadline to sign up on every piece of marketing. Women need a deadline and a sense of urgency. Remember, without a deadline there is always someone else in the family who deserves it or something else that will creep up. DEADLINES are your friends!

 

4. Post monthly testimonials from your aggressive clients Post them  regularly and get the members in the habit of visioning themselves as the next winner. Without posted testimonials no one really know what your service can do  for them. The old “wall of fame’ remains the best way to market your services in the Women’s Only facility.

 

5. Each and everyday wear a name tag with an inspirational message on it. Send the message on line to all clients daily and post on your social networking sites. Some will use a fitness tip in the same way.

Educational Opportunties for Fitness Professionals

Internal Training Programs Help Retain Personal Trainers

By Ann Gilbert

 

Ann Gilbert, director of fitness for Shapes Total Fitness for Women, leads a team of more than 350 fitness professionals. She is a well-known presenter and has received the IHRSA/ACE Trainer of the Year award. For the past 10 years, Gilbert has served as a faculty board member for the Shapes Academy, an internal educational resource for continuing education. She can be reached at annfitt@verizon.net.

Owners and fitness managers agree that people drive the success of the fitness business. Thus, most owners find that the benefits of developing an internal educational resource for personal trainers outweigh the challenges they face in implementing the program. The motives to start a club’s internal training program include more effective recruiting, a balance in staff retention and the increase in expected revenue from an educated and confident training professional.

Here are steps to establishing an internal training program:

1. Recruit More Than Just Students. Establish an accredited faculty by recruiting professionals from your local area to teach regularly throughout the year. The professionals will provide credits for the nationally certified trainer and creditability to the club’s programming. Ask that the faculty members teach a block of fundamental courses throughout the yearly schedule. The fundamental courses will be the required training sessions. Fill in the training program’s schedule with visits from national presenters and educators. The trainers will appreciate knowing what courses are scheduled throughout the year, will plan accordingly and will be empowered to attend more than just the required or fundamental sessions. Most club owners invest in the education of their training staff and waive a fee for the required or fundamental courses while charging a minimal fee for outside presenters.