Instructor Newsletter 10 November

Hiya

Another week screams past at record pace and again it was fantastic to hold the Fitness Business Builder event in Portsmouth. Yet again I barely came up for air as I lectured on business, brainstorming, passive income and how to leverage all of the knowledge you have. I have to tell you, I am loving lecturing in proper clothes with hair done AND make up and not sweaty kit and shiny face, it’s a real revelation. I actually feel like I’m “Going to work” looking all businessy and glam. This week the show rolls up to Heathrow to the Premier Inn Meeting room and I’m extremely excited to be presenting the material. I have upgraded into a bigger room so if you do want to grab a last minute place then jump in. I promise to inspire, ignite and give you a gazillion ideas to take you and your business forward.

Click here to book Fitness Business Builders

Marv is now coming to the end almost of the legendary Freestyle Function Tour. This week he is in Birmingham on Sunday followed briskly by Edinburgh, Newcastle and Nottingham If you would like to grab a place on one of Marvs final workshops click here

I relaunched the 90 Day mentoring and coaching program this week and a new intake of Instructors have joined up and are ready to rock and roll. The course really looks at your core business, even if ynt have one as yet as we put all of the right systems in place, we then look at how you can leverage your ideas and knowledge and harness the power of the internet, websites and social media. As you know my current and past clients have created franchised and licensed programs, written books, employed other instructors and created products and brands.

If you are still considering getting involved let’s have a chat and see if we have fit. You can see all about the course if you click here

Top Tips for your Fitness Business Website.

I’ve been checking out everyone’s websites this week in my Get Organised Group – And if you would like me to look at yours then please go the Choreographytogo Facebook page and Like it and post it on my wall and I’ll check it out and give you some feedback. I’m hearing is that many Instructors are still struggling with website issues.

http://www.facebook.com/choreographytogo

Here’s my top tips and remember to post your details on the Facebook Choreographytogo wall and I’ll have a look!

1.Data Capture – YOU HAVE to have some kind of email capture on the top third of your site. It’s crucial to capture as many emails as you can to grow a responsive list.

2.Professional Branding – Get good, clean graphics and banners done that tie in to your Facebook, Twitter and You Tube accounts for brand continuity.

3.You need to have a BLOG on your website and update it as often as possible. Static websites are dead, your fitness site needs to be fast moving, eye-catching with lots of updated information.

4.Get your Facebook and Twitter on your websites – So everything marries together and you bounce traffic around.

5.Open a Youtube channel and then film VLOGS to incorporate into your website regularly.

6.Create online products and packages to sell online.

Have you got a youtube channel? Again you are missing a massive oppertunity here if you havent. You can subscribe to me or be friends with mine and see the sort VLOGS I put up most weeks .

http://www.youtube.com/user/RachelLHolmes

New Downloads this week on Choreographytogo

Fitness Pilates Moves click here

Active Seniors click here

Hit Em with the WOW Factor by Rachel Holmes.

If your market’s perception of what you teach – your service, class or product – is no different from others in your area, basically you sell a commodity. And if that’s the perception, you could be in a sticky place because the only way you can compete is on price. And that’s a potential recipe for disaster.

When your product is a commodity or the class you teach you need to concentrate more on your business as it is your business that must become the product. It is your business that is the differentiator. Your business is never a commodity. Your business is absolutely unique. It is, after all, your business and you my friends are you business.

So then, your product is your customers’ experience of your business – an experience that distinguishes and elevates it above and beyond all those other businesses doing or teaching the same thing.

Wow Them From the Beginning

It has been said that first impressions last. This is certainly true of the customer experience.

Everything your business does that has any direct or indirect impact on your customers has to be recognized, evaluated, and managed with the clear intention of creating the most consistent, impactful, and memorable experience possible. That’s what will bring customers to you and keep them with you for the long haul. That’s what will stimulate them to share you with their friends and talk about you and your classes and get referrals.

You have to create those unique, positive impressions from the start, and then ensure the customer experience stays positive and consistent throughout repeated exposures.

The underlying strategy for creating the best possible customer experience and loyalty begins with your lead generation activities. Your customers’ very first impressions come from something they see, hear or read that positively attracts their attention and sets up their expectations.

Exceed their expectations. Surprise and delight them.

Wow Them with Little Unexpected Things

The variety of things a Fitness business owner can do to create and sustain a memorable customer experience is endless. It starts from the very first phone call or email response.

Give Aways – A welcome pack to every new client or class member. Network with local businesses (use Twitter) and cross promote your business with other local businesses who have the same target market.

Socials – Invite your groups to social event, organise a day at the health spa. Remember many people work remotely now. Your class may be the only real human contact they have had for a day, so being invited to a social is a great way to have fun, make friends and the glue that binds a good group together.

Hold a free seminar or event – Practice your public speaking and hold a talk again network with local businesses and get others involved to do demonstrations etc.

Free class passes for friends.

Negotiate money off vouchers for other local businesses services and products.

Simple. Unique. Memorable.

Building a memorable customer experience:

1. Consider what you are promising. What do you want your customers’ expectations to be? What can you learn from studying your competitors about their promises?

2. Identify all the elements, or touch points, in your customers’ experience that either confirm and reinforce, or compromise your promise.

3. Evaluate your potential for consistency and repeatability at these touch points. Does it only work if you’re at the counter or on the phone? What would you have in place (system, process, scripting, check-list?) to guarantee that your customers’ positive expectations are satisfied at every point, no matter who they encounter?

4. Keep your focus, and encourage your staff/Instructors/Admin/PA (if you have any) to maintain the same level of attention to creating, innovating, and maintaining the best possible unique customer experience.

This positioning and differentiating will draw new customers to you and cement the ones already doing business with you. If you aren’t currently the best in your market, you soon will be!

Old Skool Networking by RachelHolmes

Following on from the above article, networking and creating business relationships should be on your highest priority list if you are running a community fitness business.

Why?

There are many diverse businesses locally to you who are all trying to attract the same target market as you. It most definitely is in your best interest to strike up a relationship, say hello and find out if you can network with each other. You can give them free class passes to give away in exchange for some free product or a discount from them to put in your welcome packs etc. It looks extremely professional if you are seen to be working with and networking with other established businesses.

How do you network with them?

At one time I was a networking addict. I googled all of the local business groups in my area (Nottingham and Derby) and went along to as many as I could armed with my business cards and free class passes. I managed to get discounts from florists, free 10 minute taster massages, Discounts of spa treatments, hair cuts etc etc for me and my class members. Now with the Twitter and Facebook I recommend local and national businesses I am networking and working with on my status updates in exchange for products and discounts.

Networking Action Plan

1.Google all of the local business groups and contact them to see if you can go along for free to a meeting. Practice your introductions can you say what you do in 1minute without rambling on? Keep it short, attention grabbing and succinct.

2.Get your act together on Twitter. NOW! Yes I know aren’t on there but local businesses and influential people in your area are and it’s the perfect networking platform to build relationships. So stop procrastinating on Twitter and get organised if you need Twitter help Click here.

My favourite quote has always been Network for your Networth.

What could be more important than weight loss by Jayne Nicholls

It has been a tough year for many of the instructors who feel that they do not keep up with ‘trending’ and or the peer groups that social media encourages. It is easy to feel that you are missing out on something when you stand on the outside, not knowing where to fit in or create your place. So this week I want to spare some time to get back in touch with what you are actually providing. I received an email from one of my regulars yesterday, telling me that she has to have an operation on Friday but thank God she could fit the Wednesday Yoga class in before as she loves it. Today we shared a tearful moment and a hug and she left scheduling her return in January. This is just a local FFY class, where we have fun and work out each week in a church hall, but like you, it provides the people who come with a routine, health, fitness, feeling good, feeling part of a group and feeling loved. So much so that is serves as an antidote to the painful and frightening prospect of surgery, disease and worse. The power that you have in creating this environment is most definitely underrated by most instructors. Even if you just run one class in one venue, once a week.

Moving one step up, I had an old client return from 3 years away today and as she worked out with my small group, we became aware that she was feeling her workout in totally different areas to the rest. Like most of the general public her strong and overused areas dominate her workout and she simply re enforces in balance in a group situation. With the rest of the group, I have cultivated a mindful approach to training where we utilise the weaker areas, namely the back of the body and so have encouraged the weaker muscles to take an active part in each exercise. So beyond the feel good environment here there is a genuine contribution to the overall function of the ‘average’ individual. This takes a lot more knowledge and provides a tangible benefit in terms of health, fitness and injury prevention. It is an advanced skill but it does not undermine the feel good factor mentioned previously.

In these 2 situations, I provide different price scales, different payment rules and different information to suit the needs of the group. In the small group they pay more, they pay regardless of attendance and they get specific and advanced exercise prescription, in the large group it is pay as you go group prescription with a varied emphasis on fun and fitness.

I use my own skills to create a great living. I make no promises that I cannot keep and I change to suit my audience. We can all do this if we tap into what we have and what our clients need rather than trying to conform to trends and patterns.

Have a look at what you have created and give yourself a pat on the back from time to time.

Jayne www.groupxtraining.com

I have added a date in Scotland to the I am Yoga Tour on November 19th for anyone interested in attending www.groupxtraining.com

Marvin Burton – Organisation and Health

Have you ever came in from work after a long day and gone hunting through your cupboards for something to satisfy your hunger needs?
Instead of making a full on meal and cooking a chicken or creating a Jamie Oliver classic, you’ll grab what ever is the quickest fix for you time, depleted energy levels and mental state.
Often this isn’t very healthy.
In my 11 years of losing weight myself and training others I think that planning and organisation is the key to everything:
-Losing weight
-Training for an event
-Recovering from illness

Here are some quick fire tips on making sure you can choose a better option and not cause yourself the inconvenience of becoming ‘master chef’ after a long day out/at work

1. Always cook extra. Store the extra in the fridge or freezer then you will always have something for the next meal, snack or when your In a rush

2. When you leave the house take enough food with you so that you don’t return ‘starving’
Storage tubs are great or Cool bags. I have a cool section in my gym bag. (That’s a fancy bag)

3. Set up a share system at work. My friend works in an office and has a food club with 4 of his colleagues. They all are allocated 1 day of the week and have to provide lunch for the others in the club on that day. This works great if you are all on the same motivational adventure. It also stops the office worker that ruins everybody else’s diet by bringing in the tub of cookies every Friday!

4. Have a portable store cupboard in your car. I have a crate of water and bags of goodies all of the time. There is always a time I am in need of a quick drink. You’ll be surprised how much I save on not stopping at the shops every time I pass.

5. Plan a weekly food planner and get all of the shopping done for the week. This can only work for a maximum of 1 week because of fresh food, however it does make decisions a lot easier.

6. The slow cooker. If you have one you’ll know it’s a winner

7. When you buy your slow cooker buy a steamer as well. Along with my water filter these make up my top 3 kitchen appliances. Steamer and cooker both have a timer on them. So while I’m showering the salmon and veg is steaming away.

8. despite you first thought to this next tip please read it until the end. Shopping online. Now let me finish. It saves time, petrol, gives you chance to do other things, stops you buying all of the other things you know you wouldn’t have if you didn’t float around a supermarket. It prevents you getting angry with other shoppers, trying to push a wonkey trolley and getting wet on your walk to the door. I only shop online for the essentials. Make a list of he things you need every week/month. Set up your online shopping list. You click the same list each week that’s stored in your area and it appears at your front door like magic.

9. Bulk buy. If you won’t follow tip 8 then get to the whole sale store and get everything you need. Stock up like its world war 3 and then you have most things for a while

10. Hire a chef!

Hopefully you can manage these tips. They will save you time and money but still allow you to be healthy. This is a modern day approach and if you are still self motivated, love cooking and don’t have a problem with growing your own produce and preparing it then well done. You are unfortunately the minority. Please book me in for Sunday dinner.

Bon appetite.
Marvin Burton
New facebook page for my latest adventure The Fitness Retreat. Also twitter @fit_retreat

Have a wonderful Thursday

Love Rachel xxx

Tweet me http://Twitter.com/RachelHolmes

This is a free weekly resource that I designed 10 years ago years ago to provide support, ideas and back up for all Instructors and Personal Trainers. I love to receive your feedback, so if you do have any comments or would like to contribute in any way please email lesley@choreographytogo.com or please use the very lively forum.

For website/membership/course bookings and general admin email Lesley@choreographytogo.com or call the C2Go office 07854 739285. We aim to answer your emails within 24 hours. Please add Lesley@choreographytogo.com to your address book as mail sometimes can go to your junk/spam mail box. You can also find the answers to many of your questions in the FAQ section and Help section of the site click here for FAQs and Terms & Conditions