NINE WAYS TO GET THE CLIENT

By: Dani Cohen

As a newly certified personal trainer, you will likely want to start training clients instantly, but first, you'll need to find the clients! Below are my ten “golden rules” you can easily implement to maximize your business and grow your clientele.

1. Work For Less.

While you should never “work for free,” because your products and services are of value, you do need to come up with a fair rate as a new trainer. Your initial rate should be in line with market value and as you continue to expand your business and knowledge you can gradually increase your rate. Another simple technique to get a wide variety of customers is to allow them to purchase your services at a discounted rate for a limited time ( I.e 15% off private training sessions for the week of October 1st!!). Everyone loves a deal and after your first session you'll be able to use their satisfaction to sign them on to be a long term client or help bring in new potential customers via a referral.

2. Set Revenue Goals.

While budgets aren't the most fun topics, they are crucial to a successful business. When first starting out on your business journey you need to set and attainable budget that factors in the amount you need to pay yourself, re-invest into your business, and save for future projects. When you have that revenue goal and respective budget, you’ll find you are more proactive about pursuing new clients and opportunities. It is helpful to have a financial advisor or friend double check your numbers in case you forgot anything, a second set of eyes never hurts.

3.Believe You Can.

As the owner of your own business you need to believe that you'll succeed. This means you'll also need to be able to answer the question “why?”Why should a consumer, purchase your services over the company down the street or the company with a larger social media?

By understanding your unique value and being able to articulate that efficiently to potential customers you'll be able to secure more business. Look at your competition as a positive thing. They’ll force you to level up and be unique so you can always answer “why me?”

4. Don’t Let It Drag.

When I say “don't let it drag” I am talking about the time in between the initial contact and the finalization of the deal. Ultimately you have two options with a highly indecisive potential customer – prove your value and close, or let them go

By setting a deadline or timeline for your potential customer will help them feel motivated to make a decision either way.

5. Lead With Enthusiasm, Not Desperation.

Everyone has external factors that sometimes can lead to an overwhelming sense that you must get the next sale or client. As the owner of your own business and therefore brand, you never want to come off as desperate. The biggest turnoff for the majority of clients is a feeling of desperation from a salesperson. So in order to not give off the scent of desperation, be aware of how your tone and actions come across during every potential client interaction. You should always aim to lead from a place of excitement and enthusiasm as others will respond and react to the vibes you are giving out.

6. Pitch Differently!

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If your pitch to potential customers is the same every single time, and you only have a 20% closing rate. So you need to find a new way to get your message across that is still intriguing to potential business. A simple way to do this is to challenge yourself to change one part of your pitch every single time, and then identify what tactic brings you the most success. You'll then have the information you need to continuously pitch successfully.

7. Leave Your Four Walls!

It may seem simple, but in order to get new clients or business you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. This means, leaving your home or office and meeting new people. In a day and age where social media and texting are the norm, people are surprised by in-person social interaction. Each week you should aim to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger- you never know, they could be your next client!

8. On The Flip Side… Slide Into Those DMs.

The more you reach out to people on social media, share your brand, and get online exposure, the more easily you’ll be able to garner interest. By building a large social media presence you will gain validity and much-needed exposure. Not crazy about Instagram? Pay people who have already accrued a large social following to advertise for you.

9. Hire A Business Coach!

If all else fails and you feel like the stress of securing customers and growing your business is overwhelming – hire a business coach! No one said you have to do this alone, so don't!

If you are looking for some help in scaling your business and growing your revenue streams, plan to attend our next “Show Up Management Business Seminar” to learn how to build your business and online presence. The next event will be on September 29th in West Hollywood, head on over to www.shopupfitness.com to learn more!

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