Instructor Newsletter 3 April 2014

 

For all Fitpros who want to reach more people, earn more money & have a happy life in the process – leave your email here

 

Exciting news this week as I have appointed Kelly Reed-Banks in a new position as New Business & Training Manager for Fitness Pilates. FP has been quietly bubbling away for the last 12 years, with training courses bursting at the seams & workshops & DVDs constantly in demand. As C2GO & KSFL are growing every day, enlisting the help of more staff and specialists to push forward our many ideas is the only way I can mange my own time & grow the business.

Kelly & I have worked together for many years & I’m super thrilled to have her on board in this capacity. We will be launching forward with our Positive FP series, FP for Schools, Business, Athletes, Special Pops & in depth focus training, both via live events, online & DVD. We now have a team of FP Tutors and so are offering a full in-house training option.

So, if you work for a gym, leisure centre or local authority & you would like us to come to you and run in-house training in FP, please contact Kelly@Choreographytogo.com for dates & prices. You would need a minimum of 7 staff members.  Email us with the name of your  line manager, co-coordinator or training manager & we will give them a call to arrange.

If you have trained with us in Fitness Pilates you can download all of the artwork and new branding direct from the C2GO website. So come and say Hello on our Facebook page as Facebook.com/FitnesPilates and new Twitter @FitnessPilates_ Here is where you can access the logos and branding

Kick Start Fat Loss Instructors.

We continue to look for great Instructors in Scotland, Manchester, Nottingham, Derby, Croydon, Essex, Cambridge, Banbury, Oxford. Or do you have your own studio facility, work for local authority and want to offer KSFL? I will also be launching the hardcore KS Xtreme Workout & the 9 – 5 Detox, plus more business initiatives  & options coming this spring & summer. Email me Rachel@KickStartFatLoss.net for more information on getting involved in KSFL®

New Downloads

Have you checked out my new downloads? There is a new Active Senior, HIIT Abs & a Step Classico all waiting for you to be inspired for your freestyle classes. Click here for all the info
In this weeks newsletter I asked Paul Mort to give us his on view on the jumping on the latest fitness trends, we also have articles from Jayne, Charlotte Ord & Mr Crawford

Happy Birthday C2GO

It’s Choreographytogo’s Birthday on Monday  (as well as mine). 12 years ago I started a little weekly email newsletter to everyone I knew who had an email address. The newsletter was to keep Instructors updated about workshops, conventions, industry news and gossip. I was teaching all of my classes in the community and presenting every weekend around the country. On my travels I found that Instructors felt isolated, they needed a  support group/system where they could hear what was going on in the fitness industry and get ideas for classes, promotions, music, in a quick 10 minute read. So, the newsletter was born in the June of 2001. The number of newsletter subscribers grew really rapidly and I had a massive email database in my AOL address book. By this time, I had a vision for a website but wasn’t too sure if and how it could work. A web designer friend of mine had some ideas too and so we developed the site with videos and articles. It was a long process to get it off the ground but we did and Choreographytogo went live the first week of April 2002. It’s been an amazing journey running an online fitness business…… Choreographytogo has over 60,000 subscribers now and goes out to Instructors all over the world. I’m so proud of it and I still love updating and making new features for it.

Watch out this weekend for loads of offers, deals and discounts on all kinds of  C2GO products!

The Race You Can Never Win
Paul Mort

Gotta be honest, amigo..

I was a little apprehensive when Aunty Rachel

asked me to put this piece together.

See, from my experience of being ‘forthright’

^^ that’s code for ‘obnoxious’

People get kinda upset when you say something

that they don’t agree with.

But today, I’m not asking you to agree with
me.

Truth be told, my friend.. I don’t really

care if people agree with my opinions or not.

All I want to do is make you THINK.

and think for yourself.

If you choose to be offended then that’s your perogative.

It’s nothing personal but I want to help you.
Lemme frame this very quick:

The UK is fatter and sicker than it EVER has
been.

Yet the people that can do the MOST to help
(fitpros)

get paid less than a burger flipper in the
golden arches.

So something is CLEARLY wrong.

See, we’re in an industry of sheep.

We tend to follow the crowd.

“If everyone else is doing it, it must be
ace”

WRONG.

The number of overweight and sick people

compared to the average income PROVES IT
beyond doubt.

:: So let’s get to the point of the article

:: now, babyakes ::
::
It’s GREAT that so many people are getting
qualified in insanity.

The public will probably love it.

Herein lies the issue, squire:

Wutcha gonna do when EVERYONE else in your
town does it?

You can’t expect to stand out when you end up
doing the same as every one else.

—– Recognise this? ——

Get qualified in latest ‘craze’ —> get busy

classes, make some bacon—> Instructor down

the road does courses—> undercuts you—>

‘steals’ some clients—-> other instructors
catch on—> prices go even lower–> classes
get quieter–>

P00000F! its gone.

Just like Zumba, Bokwa, Metafit.

Might not be the same in your town but WATCH.
It’ll happen.

I’ll put my house on it.

See, there’s NO WAY to stand out.

NO WAY to be unique.

Apart from cutting your prices.

What’s ‘worse’ with insanity is- I can just
buy the DVD’S and do it in my sitting room.

^^ Sure not everyone will do that… but you
see what I mean, right?^^

So PLEASE.

Before you go ‘follow the crowd’ << most of
whom also did the ‘other classes’

Think about it.

Do you really want to end up stressed,
exhausted and back at square one every few
months?

Running in a race you can NEVER win?

Or do you want to build you OWN EMPIRE
Something YOU are in control of.

Something that you can make ‘UN-COPY-ABLE’?
Choice is yours, comrade.

it’s ‘almost’ as simple as this two step process
:: How to become Un-copy-able’::

1- Have the courage to be YOURSELF 100% of the time
instead of trying to ‘fit in’

2- Deliver a SPECIFIC result to a SPECIFIC demographic of people

Or keep on being

‘generic fitpro who makes people sweat

and offers classes that are the latest trend”

I’ll leave it with you.

Dirty Uncle Morty

PS- Remember, my mate..

THE MAJORITY ARE WRONG.

Tweet Morty @PaulMort www.Iampaulmort.com

Your Email Newsletters and Email Promotions by Rachel

As I’ve discussed in previous newsletters, everything you write, your status updates, tweets, Blog posts, your website copy should be a consistent message about you and your business. You also know and understand how important it is to grow your database and market your new classes and courses to your database – this saves you £££££ in advertising costs and time. If you have a strong database it’s easy to start up new courses and classes and promote to your database. These are your raving fans who are super interested in everything you offer and do.

But how do you sell a new course or class to your database or market it on Facebook??? . Maybe you have a brief description and hope the picture or a video clip sells itself. Or maybe you went a little further, listing a few paragraphs, the price, and a few testimonials from previous courses and clients & you just slammed it on an email?

But are you getting the response you want?

If you’re not getting the response you were expecting, it might be time try something new. And a VERY effective tool to sell online is to create a special dedicated  sales page  for that new class or course. On your website create a dedicated page with EVERYTHING your prospect client needs to know then use this copy in your newsletter.

If you are able to add your own pages to your website then here are some golden rules to help sell your new class, course or block.

Here’s a basic outline of the 13 elements you want to include.

1: Limit your navigation.

Your web visitors should not be distracted by links that take her to your bio, other products, etc. The idea is to keep her on this page, reading your copy, focused, and inviting her to order.

2: Give a powerful headline.

Your headline can make or break your sales. If it’s not compelling, your visitor will click away

3: Discuss the problem the prospect has, or incorporate your own story.

Marketers call this “pushing the ‘ouch’ button.” First discuss the problem or pain that the reader has, and then lead in to how your product will solve it. Or share your own failure-to-success story that the reader can empathize with.

4: Tell us who you are.

If I’m going to buy your stuff, I’d like to know why you’re qualified to sell what you’re selling. Give me the feeling that you’ve learned a lot about this topic and want to share it with me.
Add a picture, video, or audio message to help the reader instantly feel like she knows you better, increasing the “trust factor.” And people buy from those they feel they know, like, and trust!

5: Use bullets like mini headlines.

Lay out everything I’ll get from your class or course. Don’t just list your table of contents verbatim! Often we assume too much. That your prospects knows much more about your topic than they do.
6:List plenty of testimonials.

Show your prospects they won’t be the first to buy. It’s more effective to weave-in testimonials throughout your sales letter than to have a separate section for them. Give each person’s full name and Web address, and for extra power, post their photo, and an audio or video testimonial as well.

7: Tell us why your class or course is such a great value.

8: Throw in a few great bonuses.

Offer special bonuses (preferably created by you) that are so good you could sell them alone if you wanted to. It could be a list of resources, a collection of articles, a complimentary product, extra tips on a certain subject, or a free Skype consultation.

9: Give a guarantee.

This puts your prospect at ease, giving her no reason to NOT buy. The amount of sales you GAIN from this strategy dramatically outweighs the risk. What, and how, and how long you guarantee can depend on many factors.

10: Request immediate action by having a limited time offer.

11. Make it ABSURDLY CLEAR what to do next.

Nothing bothers me more than when I’m at a Web site, I have my credit card ready, and I can’t find the order link! Make your order process idiot-proof. Example: “Click below to order now.” Also, you may even sprinkle in order links throughout your page — some people will be ready to buy before they get to the bottom.

12. Make one last plea.

In your P.S., right after your signature, emphasize that I should act now. For example, “Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Remember, you can buy now and change your mind at anytime.”

13. Don’t forget your contact information!

Readers WILL have questions, so provide an e-mail address on your site that you or someone else will check at least daily. Also, don’t you feel better buying from a Web site that lists a real add

The Smallest Ideas Can Reap The greatest Rewards by Jayne Nicholls

The recent no make up ”selfie” campaign for cancer research was pure genius. Latest totals were around 8 million and while tailing off it is still up and running with women eager to share their pictures with close friends in their purest form. In any other situation the trends of ”selfie” and ”nominations” would be at best ignored by adults and at worst criticised in the light of neck nominations and young kids. Cancer research took 2 simple and current trends, twisted them to suit their cause and created an ultra positive message that went viral in minutes. Genius!

Similar campaigns such as the Sunday Times #fitnotthin, simple rubber wrist bands and pin on ribbons create bonds and generate group allegiance. So next time we are looking to boost awareness, interest or motivate participation in our groups we may look to these small ideas outside of health and fitness to promote. Most common incentives are block bookings, free sessions and bring a friend so if we generate new ideas by thinking laterally or ”out of the box”, who knows what the rewards may be?

Create a group within a group – simple!

Jayne Nicholls
Group X Training Ltd
www.groupxtraining.com
0116 239 6802

Why I rarely eat fruit.. by Charlotte Ord

With the exception of my Grandad, pretty much everyone I know has a sweet tooth.
I certainly do.

When I was younger I could quite happily eat sugar straight off the spoon.

But it’s not by accident, or just to make healthy eating hard for us, that sweet is appealing.

Back in our hunter gatherer days, it was key to our survival.

See, when fruit is ripe, it tastes DELICIOUS.  It’s massively appealing to us.  Mother Nature made it that way to help us thrive.  And the natural sugars within it trigger our bodies’ insulin levels and signal the body to start storing fat.

Why?

Because following the ripening of fruit, came winter, when food was sparse, and we needed a little extra stored fuel to get us through the colder months when hunter gathering was not so easy.

Unfortunately, driving to the local Nisa garage or Tesco Express to collect some ready meals does not constitute hunter gathering.

There is no shortage of food for us now.  We don’t need to stock up on fat to survive the winter months any more.

But fruits meant to be great for us anyway, right?

Well, kinda.

Fruit IS nutrient rich IF it’s seasonal and not covered in pesticides and pumped full of even MORE sugar to prolong its shelf life (yup, that happens I’m afraid).

But fruit is still full of natural sugar, and if you’re sugar sensitive like me, it’ll a) encourage your body to store fat and b) spark up your ‘sweet’ cravings.

I’m definitely not advocating that not eating fruit is the right thing for everyone.  But what I would highly advise is that no matter who you are, you eat fruit that is genuinely fresh, organic and seasonal, and that hasn’t been shipped thousands of miles before it reaches your shopping trolley, and that, if you’re trying to drop excess body fat, that you try either omitting fruit for a while and seeing how you get on, or establish a 4:1 ratio of vegetables to fruit.

Personally, I really only eat fruit when I’m on holiday and it’s fresh as fresh can be.  You know it’s the real deal because it tastes completely different to the fruit we get back home that’s been shipped and often modified… frankenfruit, if you like.

Eating both fruit and veg seasonally and from local sources feels good in your body, and it helps put you in balance with your environment.

Mother Nature really didn’t get it wrong.
Char

Hickory Dickory Dock
By Andrew Crawford

Did you give your mother quality time on the weekend?

It was so lovely to see mother and daughters / sons out shopping and dining on Saturday. It made me go all soft and gooey inside. If you are a mum yourself, I hope you were spoilt rotten……and maxed out their plastics….!!

I wish my mum was still around…….

There ain’t no place like home or no one like your mum…!!

Oh……..I stumbled on this today……….2 words…..Missing Plane

Watch for yourself (only 6 mins)  ……….Very frightening & thought provoking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzgQwDeP7eM

Have you heard of the ‘Silver Self-Employed’?

“……..People aged 50 and over account for more than 70 per cent of the increase in the number of self-employed over the past five years…………”

I know why….!!!

Once you hit your 50’s to 60’s no one wants to employ you……………..boo hoo……..

You are Over the hill, past it, haggered, run down, saggy,  slow and miserable. Gosh, I hope I’m not like   that..!!

So Andrew………..

What’s Hickory Dickory Dock and reaching the old codger status of 50 and over got to do with Accountancy & Tax??

Well……….It’s about time….!!

Time for what?  Time for another financial year to finish for all you Self-Employed folk. Time to think ahead for all you old newly self employed.

The 5th April 2014 brings to a close tax year end 2014 in 2 days time.

Timing is crucial where tax is concerned.

If you are thinking of buying expensive equipment or forking out a large sum of money for your business, make the expenditure before Sunday. In this way, you can include the cost within the 2014 tax year.
On the other hand, if you are selling land, property or shares, sell them AFTER Saturday so that they fall into the next financial year, tax year 2015.

In the same breadth, if you have a large income pending, try and also get that to fall into the next financial year. This is because the next financial year is 5th April 2015. You wouldn’t want to increase your income this year would you??? So wait a couple of days so that it falls into that year.

If you have more than one home and you are selling one, you can choose which one is your main residence. It does not have to be the one that you spend most of the time in or where you are registered to vote. As long as you tell the HMRC within 2 years from when you bought it.

You can also use the time you got left this financial to ‘write off’ any old or obsolete stock or equipment.
Why not also write off bad debts which you KNOW will never be collected.

As I have said in a previous article, if you need to buy equipment for your gym, buy it under your ‘Annul Investment Allowance’ and write off 100% of the expenditure.

Thinking of buying a vehicle? If you have time then shop around for vehicles which fall into the lower emissions class. Usually a van. You will get 100% deduction on it.

But you must hurry because time is ticking………Ask Mickey….!!!

Finally

Time is the Master and is something that we cannot control.

But……we can

Make some time, spend some time and save some time
I think it’s time for me to go….the clock is ticking..!!
Andrew James Crawford
www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com
www.facebook.com/fitnessindustryaccountants
www.twitter.com/tax4fitness

Have a wonderful week
Love always Rachel xx

For all Fitpros who want to reach more people, earn more money & have a happy life in the process – leave your email here