Instructor Newsletter 4 October 2012

Newsletter VLOG

Newslettter VLOG

In today’s newsletter I’m looking at the first 1/4 of 2013 and how now is the right time to plan and prepare. January to Easter is an important “chunk” in the fitness landscape and making plans in October will keep you ahead of the game, organized and on point.
How do you see your fitness business? It really doesn’t matter if you teach 1 community class or 25; seeing yourself and your operation as a strong, sustainable business is crucial. Believing in yourself and the services you offer 110% is key.

Step and Aerobics – Don’t let them die……continues

I’m championing Step & Aerobics every day on my Facebook pages to highlight ALL the Instructors who teach Freestyle S&A. Step Tuesday, Body Conditioning Wednesday and HiLo Thursday have all attracted tons of comment and feedback.

If you teach any or all of these classes please comment with your class details, where and when, and I will continue to big up the Freestylers daily on my social media. Sally Roebuck tweeted me last week to say she continues to teach packed Step and asks the question are we “Step Super Heroes or Saddo Dinosaurs”……… It’s an interesting topic, so PLEASE keep commenting and talking up the amazing benefits of S&A.

Big One South

Which brings me onto the fantastic Big One South down in Lodden Valley at Reading. Again Step ruled the school. Every single Step session was packed. Step far outstripped the conditioning classes. The funniest class had to be the team teach with Steve Watson and Stuart Harrop. Even my jaw was hitting the floor with Stuart’s hilarious comments about Lord Watson.
I’ve now agreed to a team teach with Stuart in Blackpool, which I will probably live to regret, but it will most definitely be good fun and I will have the Mickey taken out of me mercilessly by Mr. Harrop. Joy.
If you attended the day I am positive you had a great time. I especially loved the outdoors sessions and doing my Body Transformation class in the October sunshine was bliss. Next stop is IFS Blackpool, where Jayne and I will be running UNITE as a pre-convention on Thursday 21st March, details to follow.

KSFL Franchisee

The doors are now closed on the initial intake of KSFL Franchisees as we are beginning training in earnest. I’m proud to announce there are 30 new Franchisees and I’m working closely with them on rolling out the KSFL clubs. With great PR on board now from Yvonne Radley, branding and a great concept I am working 12 hour days getting everything ready for launch. It’s exciting times and my biggest project since I started in the fitness industry in 1987.
To check out The Kick Start Fat Loss Press Release Click Here




Have a very Happy Christmas from Rachel!

Katie Bulmer Cooke talked about it a few week’s ago and I’m back now with a few tips to nudge you in the right direction. It’s all about the C word…CHRISTMAS

October is most definitely the right time to plan your classes and services for 2013 first quarter. AND to ensure you have a great Christmas and Happy New Year you need to be preparing you loyality deals so you can ensure your courses are sold and paid up before the end of November.

Why and Is this possible Rachel?

Of course it is! Your regulars will know that classes will be brimming in January/February so offer them special deals and discounts to sign up NOW guaranteeing their place. Start to market this in October before money gets tighter for people in November/December.

Look after your regulars and loyal customers.

Of course, you know they will all be coming back in January, but offer them a special loyalty deal NOW ensuring they sign up now.

Start advertising your 2013 classes and courses NOW with lots of incentives and value packed in. Making it attractive for your class members to book and secure spaces now. This will ensure you get revenue in before Christmas enabling you to relax and not worry if everyone will be coming back or not.

Added Value

Film downloads and workouts for customers who purchase your early bird deals to do over Christmas, build this into your loyalty offer.


Gift Vouchers

Design and print your January gift vouchers. Market them to your customers who can get them for friends and explain if people are stuck for things to buy you they could always get you a special Fitness Gift Voucher. A great way to get revenue in pre Christmas. Ensure the vouchers expire at the end of January 2013.

Payment Options

In 2012/2013 You HAVE to offer payment options and most definitely a PAYG option even if it’s a premium price. I’m a huge believer in offering payment choices including Class passes, Monthly DD AND PAYG UNLESS you are running a course with a start and finish date such a Pilates course or Bootcamp etc.

Look at other industries and businesses and observe what payment options they offer.
For Example Mobile Phones. All the main players offer hugely attractive PAYG options as well as contracts and all kinds of deals and tie ins.
Utility companies are the same, you can pay in advance, DD or when the bill arrives and even PAYG meters. For community class businesses a choice of payment options is the right way to go.

As always in Marketing the early bird catches the worm so plan you classes and courses for 2013. Construct great loyalty deals for your regulars. Create your Gift Vouchers and start your pre sell NOW ensuring you have a relaxed, Happy Christmas knowing a good % of your revenue has already been paid to you.


New Downloads

I have uploaded a new Step download for you this week https://www.choreographytogo.com/video-detail/?vid=646

The 5 essentials to being an fit pro-networker by Jill Gardner

I have built my entire business on networking alone. I have got a book deal, sponsorship, radio interviews, been made ambassador for products and promotions and have been fortunate enough to work some of the best in the business. In fact my business became global this year. How…..? Networking! I have learnt a wealth of techniques and top tips from leading branding expert, Sarah Setterfield from Impact for Success (www.impact4success.com and http://www.facebook.com/impactforsuccess)

Use these 5 essential tips to stand out and to make an impact:

Dress to impress! Rocking up in your fitness gear is not going to show your professionalism. People need to aspire to be like you. They want to have your physique and fitness – not your hoodie!

“Be clear about the sort of networking that works for you – formal, informal, disciplined, social or niche” – Sarah

Perfect you Pitch! your 30 or 60 second elevator pitch or introduction to someone needs to be knock out and invoke a huge WOW!

“Be clear about what you do. A job title doesn’t differentiate you – but what you’ve achieved does!'”- Sarah

Example: “I help people lose weight” is boring! BUT…..”I teach 35-50 year old women how to feel great naked” will get a WOW. Think…… how you can WOW your audience or potential client and leave them wanting to know more. If appropriate tell a poem or a joke. Or give them a mind blowing statistic or fact they never knew.

Crush it! Not literally, but a limp handshake is like saying ‘I am a limp piece of lettuce.’ A strong hand shake with positive body language tells them you are as serious contender!

PASSION! Arrive with masses of passion and energy!

“Be passionate and energised. We buy people not products or services. If you love what you do, chances are others will love what you do” – Sarah

Power of engagement Be authentic and genuine. Keeping eye contact and being genuinely interested in people will make them feel valued. Make sure your not looking around the room for your next pitch when talking to people.

“A good conversation makes people feel valued; its the best way to start a long-term relationship” Sarah

For more brilliant essentials on branding and networking, follow myself and Sarah. Become a fit pro-networker, a key person of influence and a magnet for opportunities.

Big networks, small tummies!
Jill- The Fat Controller www.hateitchangeit.co.uk www.facebook.com/hateitchangeit @itsjillgardner


Jayne Nicholls

Have you noticed that many bootcamp operators are undergoing a subtle if not obvious name change in what they offer?

The cycle of popularity is almost complete for bootcamp as a model and it cannot fail to suffer from emerging trends and new concepts. The people that will be left behind are the ones that mourn the demise of outdoor bootcamps and refuse to make the small changes required to sell them into the next phase.

Bootcamps upgraded the old circuit format and is now more recently influenced by H.I.I.T, Cross Fit, Metabolic training and Tabata. Collectively these training principles offer so much more than the title Bootcamp has to offer. When we combine this with weight loss another massive industry trend we have a business rather than a class model that requires a much bigger ”back room” and a broader outlook.

This broadening will move such classes both in and out doors with flexible payment schemes that allow a wider audience to benefit. They will actively target other areas of participation such as running clubs, pre and post natal groups, baby boomers with titles and content that will make them feel comfortable while educating them on the requirements attached to intense exercise.

So anyone who is mortified at the thought of their beloved Bootcamps being a thing of the past, it is only the title that needs to regenerate in the short term, the content if result driven will stand the test of time. Our industry is trend led if it was not Rachel would still be line dancing and i would still be sliding.

Business success relies upon being in touch with and staying ahead of trends.

Jayne Nicholls
Group X Training Ltd
www.groupxtraining.com
0208 488 1451

Diddly-Squat by Katie Bulmer Cooke

Howdy C2Go’ers!

Hope your Thursday is off to a flying start.

Just a quickie from me this week, on protecting your brand.

We all have fantastic, unique programmes that our clients love and we have put our heart and soul into. We’ve spent hours coming up with a great name, logo, creating websites, social media content, writing workouts etc.

After all this hard work, how would you then feel if someone else started to use your company or brand name, copied your logo or used your content?

I’m sure we’d all agree, we wouldn’t be too pleased about it…but the bad news is that unless you have taken the necessary steps to protect yourself there is diddly-squat (what a great word) you can do about it.

You can’t ask them to stop, you can’t complain- not matter how angry and frustrated you feel- you have to roll over and take it unfortunately!

So, let’s make today ‘action Thursday’, where every hard working fitness professional puts a 10 foot wall around their brand and give it ultimate protection.

Here are some of the steps I took to protect my company The Little Black Dress Club…

Buy your company name and register it with companies house

Once you own the name, no one else can use it. I recently used www.companiesmadesimple.com to buy the name of my new company The Fit Mummy Manual. It takes less than 5 minutes and cost less than £20.

Looking through Companies House records also allows you to check that a business name is available before you start using it.

Trademark your logo

The Intellectual Property Office has a great website and also give very helpful advice over the phone.

http://www.ipo.gov.uk

Copyright your written workout

You can do this by, adding © alongside your name and the date, as a footer to all of your written work such as meal plans, recipes and workouts. You can also print these documents, place them in a sealed envelope, and post them to yourself, without reopening the envelope. By doing this the official date of the works creation is established using the postmark.

Buy your website domain

Myself and Kelly Rennie recently started a new business together called The Fit Mummy Manual, and bought www.thefitmummymaual.com to ensure no one else bought it once we started promoting the product and then tried to sell it to use at a very expensive fee.

I used www.godaddy.com and a domain can be bought for less than £10.

If you would like more info, or want to expand your business and protect yourself, check out www.katiebulmer.com/sbl where you will find a package created by myself and THE Fitness Industry Accountant, Andrew Crawford.

Take action before someone else does,

KBC

p.s. let’s get #diddlysquat trending on Twitter!

Katie Bulmer-Cooke
IFS UK Personal Trainer of the Year 2012
The UK’s ‘Go To Girl’ For Helping REAL Women Get Their Bodies Back!
Creator of The Little Black Dress Club
www.katiebulmer.com
www.thelittleblackdressclub.co.uk
07725889957




Cori Withell…Did you see me in the media

You may or may not have seen my face and name throughout the media last week. To cut a long story short, a hall I had hired was cancelled because the priest in charge of the church hall felt that yoga was against his religion. I had no idea that the story was going to spread like it did. On the Wednesday I got told via Facebook that I was front page news on my local paper, that in itself was a shock. Within two hours the story had gone national with photographers calling me to arrange to come round to take shots. By lunchtime I had agreed to two TV crews coming into my home to film for that evenings local news. The day was a total whirlwind and it did not stop all day! I went out to teach that evening and of course, that is all my ladies were talking about. I was very much of the attitude that this was great coverage for me and lots of halls were offering their space but sure it would all have blown over by the next day – I could not have been more wrong. When I got home, there were posts all over my wall and in various groups about how it had reached Sky News, The Mirror, Mail, The Sun etc and had made it global with Australia and New Zealand the first on the uptake.

On the Thursday, the President of the Society in Hinduism in Nevada, USA had issued a formal statement requesting a response from the Catholic Bishop at the next Catholic Conference of England and Wales. I could not believe it (said in a slow shocked voice). This was a little local story that had gone global inside of 12 hours. The debate continued. Online newspapers were having hundreds and hundreds of comments, some just requesting I do one on one yoga in their home – you will always get one won’t you! However, some people had taken to emailing me personally with their views and some views did not make for pleasant reading and in a roundabout way, that is what I wanted to address. All too often as fit pros, we take things too personally and if you find yourself in the middle of a media frenzy this gets heightened even more. It is all well and good saying just ignore it but when people are making personal assumptions about you based on what a journalist has written (which may well not be what you said) that takes some getting used to.

It is all very well to say just don’t read it, but we will, we always do, of course we do, we are curious creatures after all! So, how do you arm yourself against it, whether it is media related, an unhappy client or a jealous instructor.

Remind yourself that it is NOT personal no matter how it may seem to come across.
Many people write things in anger without allowing that anger to dissipate before sending.
Some people are just trying to evoke a response out of you, don’t rise to the bait.
If you are happy and confident that everything you have done has been truthful and honest then you have nothing to worry about.
If it is comments from a competitor it may well be jealousy driven, see the positive that they like what you are doing and wish that they had done it first.
There are some people out there that do derive pleasure from trying to take someone else down – let it wash over you – you are better than that.
Have those people around you that will support and encourage you and know you for who you really are.

Health and happiness x
Best wishes
Cori x

Facebook www.facebook.com/cori.withell
Twitter www.twitter.com/CWFitness
Blog www.cwfitness.co.uk/blog





London 2012 – Is the legacy any good? By Sally Ghafoor

So the Olympics finished a good 6 weeks ago, has there really been any kind of legacy left behind?

The motto that accompanied the games was to inspire the next generation but in what way?

Was it to inspire the next generation to become athletes or was it to inspire them to be active? As I feel there is a difference.

I have strong views on competitive sport for children, I believe it is a good thing, I will explain my reasons why shortly. However emphasis in schools and given to children is an “awards for all” attitude – will this really breed the next batch of Olympians? Or is this in place to try and encourage children to remain active and encourage them to take part in sport? Or is it a mixture of the two?

Every child is different, some like sport some don’t, but then some like maths and some don’t. I hated Maths, but I had to partake in maths tests at school. I remember a certain test you had to get 97% of the questions right in a certain time frame then you moved up to the next paper. The results were put up on the wall, with who was at what stage. Now I disliked maths with a passion, but, I was a very competitive sports person. I didn’t pay much attention in maths, but seeing everyone move up a rung on the papers when I wasn’t, didn’t sit well with me. So I went away and actually practiced maths, and I moved up those papers – I was not going to give it up, I would not be left on the bottom rung even if it was in a subject I detested. I would master it even though I hated it. The lesson from this – being introduced to competitive sport at an early age made me acknowledge that if you come last at something, you go away and work hard and next time you won’t come last, this is not just for sport it is in everything in life. Believe me I came last in many sporting competitions, it didn’t come naturally I had to work hard.

I posed the competitive sport question on facebook, and the majority of people agreed with me stating that in sport “too much emphasis is put on the kids that can’t rather than the kids that can” and I completely agree. The whole competitiveness may turn children away from sport is not a valid argument, if they don’t enjoy sport they never will, because sport when they are older is competitive – there is no getting away from it. It is not fair to take away a child’s chance to shine just because another child is not as good in that subject. My eldest son has dyspraxia and scoliosis, he wore a body brace for the whole of his childhood. This meant his movements were awkward and slow. He loves loves loves football. He never got picked for the best teams, he played in the lower leagues, in his first season playing, his team lost every single match they played. Did this deter him – nope. He loved to play football, and looked forward to every single match. He is 16 now, his spine is fused but he hasn’t given up and he is at college studying sport, he still plays football. Competitive sport did him no harm.

At some point in life people will lose at something, would it not be better to have the skills to deal with that? Taylor my middle son has had so many knock backs its unreal, but he rallies himself and vows to work out a way to get to where he wants to be. He asked me this “I love sport, I am good at it, why can’t I get recognition for that, if I win the race, why does everyone get the same as me? I worked hard I trained, why should everyone get a medal when they haven’t put in as much effort as I did”

We have a motto in our house and I know some may take a big intake of breathe, but in our house, there is no trying, there is only do it or don’t, and if you don’t, don’t moan that you haven’t done it. This has been a motto in our family for years.

Lets look at the word try – it’s a cop out word. If you say to someone – yes I will try and pop over later – what that really means is I won’t be popping over later. Either pop over or don’t. You are not committing to doing something, you are giving yourself an opt out. My kids don’t try, they either do it or don’t, and acknowledge the consequences of don’t and the exhilaration of do.

What’s this got to do with the Olympic legacy? Well I believe in schools there needs to be definition between sports and keeping healthy. Sport as with Maths English and Science should be a subject where the children can be put in sets according to their ability as with other subjects, so if they can excel then they have a chance to do so, not held back in fear of how it may make other children not so able in sport feel. Surely then those children whom enjoy competitive sport can carry on and excel and maybe we will be committing to the Olympic legacy of producing a generation of new Olympians.

Along with sport they should also cover healthy leaving as a separate class, learning to eat the right foods, learning different ways of keeping fit that does not involve competitiveness.

Why is sport classed so different to other core subjects in school? If you are good at Science at school you are put in the top set with kids of your ability so you can be stretched and given a chance to shine – why can this not be true of sport too?

I only have limited space on here to get my side across so if you want to discuss more, catch the thread on facebook or tweet me your views.

www.facebook.com/sallyghafoor

Twitter @sallyghafoor


Bouncing back to business after a baby!

My business, Pyramid Health & Fitness, is officially five years old this year – it celebrated its birthday in September so I know it to be true – sometimes it feels older as I’ve been teaching classes in the community for a lot longer than that, sometimes it feels younger as I can’t believe five years has really passed since I made the decision to go it alone! 2012 has been a busy year for Pyramid, not only has recession finally taken a firm grip on the fitness industry so we’ve had to try a lot harder to attract and keep clients, but I also had a baby in April!

If you are reading this and thinking about having a baby or you’re currently pregnant and worried about how you’re going to keep your business running, or even if you need to take some time out for other reasons and need to keep business going then here are some top tips:

COVER: Get classes covered as much as you can during time off
Some people won’t like it, but I feel it’s better to keep things going than to stop completely.

COMMUNICATION: Let people know what you are doing
I wrote a letter to my clients before I went off explaining when I’d be off, when I intended to come back – that way they are kept informed and know that it’s only for a certain length of time.

CONTACT: Make sure you keep in touch with everyone while you are off
Send emails, update Facebook, Twitter – keep being seen – it is hard, and I was guilty of not doing enough of this, but it’s important so your clients know that you are still there and still care.

COMMITMENT: Accept that you won’t be totally off!
Even though I’d had the baby and was enjoying my time with him, there were still things that only I could do and that had to be done – in a way I think this was good as never really got out of the working mode or lost touch with what was happening. For most Fitpros this should be easy as we love what we do and don’t want to let go of our business!

CONSIDERATION: Take the time to re-evaluate your business.
By getting prepared and putting a network of support in place, I’ve had time to really look at my business and look at areas that had just been plodding along for a while. It’s given me the chance to look at getting rid of some classes, starting new ones and re-jig the class timetable for 2013. I’ve also used this as an opportunity to go and learn some new things – I’ve done Kettlebells, Bokwa and running courses so am ready to hit 2013 with a big bang when I get back in to the full swing of things!

It isn’t easy, but it’s possible and I would definitely say that if you want a family, don’t put it off for too long. There’s never really a good time as a self-employed Fitpro to take time off from your business but with a little bit of planning you can make it work.
I’m going to write a downloadable eBook on how to take time out from your business and make it a success while you’re away. Watch this space for more details!

Alice Ramcharran
Add me on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/alice.ramcharran
Follow me on twitter – Pyramidfit
www.thebootcampcookbook.com


Think you can’t get in the national press? Think again! by Yvonne Radley

Cori Withell proved to everyone last week that you don’t have to be a massive brand to get your business featured in the national press.
Her story about her yoga classes being banned by the Catholic Church went global.
If you have a good story it will hit the headlines but your local paper is a great place to start.
Journalists scour the locals for good content and there are news agency staff working in offices up and down the country that get paid to spot them. They re-write them and pitch them to the guys in London and if they are interested you could end up in The Sun the next day.
The key is to offer your local weekly or daily paper a story of interest. The fact you have a new class starting or you want to ban junk food just isn’t going to cut it. It has to be something that people are passionate about.
My coaching clients are busy writing press releases this week to send out to their local press next week and there’s not a class timetable in sight, just exciting big ideas that they want to tell the world about.
Think about your story or your client’s story, everybody has a story to tell. Think about your passion, what do you want to be known for? How can you create it? Think about your short term goal and a long term goal. Maybe you want to end up with your own TV Fitness show or appear on This Morning. But before you get there you need to be known in your own neighbourhood, so target your local paper and radio, even magazines and parish news, start small and then grow, eventually there will be no stopping you.
You can get guidance using my press release template in my BIG Me Up Media Pack or why not join my coaching programme in November.
Yvonne Radley
Yvonne Radley Media.com
Twitter@yvonneradley
Facebook Yvonne Radley
E:Radley@yvonneradley.com


Vikki Scovell

I have got soooo much to do. Really! I’m not just doing that thing that people do when they want to SOUND busy. I had a musician boyfriend who had to go to ‘meetings’ whenever I asked him to do something he didn’t want to (we had a child together: I wasn’t just being high-maintenance). These ‘meetings’ usually consisted of a few raggle-taggle chaps turning up with cans of beer and disappearing into the music studio for HOURS, whilst powerful bass-lines and unusual aromas filtered out from beneath the door. No, I’m not that sort of busy, I am genuinely up to my neck in it. I have a space the size of my bottom on the floor in the front room where a patch of carpet, like a little wooly oasis, is surrounded by a desert of papers, lap-top, letters, bills, ideas, chapter outlines for my cook-book, a belly-dancing skirt (?), a printer, a plastic fork, three current diaries which need condensing into one, empty vegan gummy bear packets (not mine) some unusual underwear (nobody taking responsibility) and 6 GIANT LISTS of things to do.
OK, why the mess, why the chaos, why the 6 LISTS? Well, this is the thing. Living in my house are two small people, well, maybe not that small at all actually, and they NEED me. I NEED to work, I NEED to make money so that I can pay the TV license so that they can continue to be obsessed by Hollyoaks. I NEED to be a good mummy who remembers to cook, clean and care about their day, help with homework and try not to be sarcastic about their more unusual make up experiments. Having a mummy who always has one eye on the lap-top , whose mind is elsewhere, or is constantly appealing to them to give me another ten minutes space so that I can finish something is NOT WORKING. Having half an eye on the screen and half an eye on the unfolding ‘did-you-take-my-Hollister-Hoodie-without-asking’ (launches open pencil case at sisters open howling mouth whilst pencils pepper the floor/sisters tender skin) drama, is also NOT WORKING.
This weekend I got up for boot camp on Saturday morning, and then I spent the rest of the weekend doing family stuff; shopping for silly little fun things, great cinema (Brave), dinner out at a cool warehouse restaurant (may have squeeeezed some romance in at this juncture) . Then lazy morning, family Sunday lunch, dog walk, blackberry picking, rope swing, getting muddy, skimming stones across the river, and home for a cosy tea before bed on Sunday. IT WAS GREAT. Because I had made the decision to do nothing work-related, I was FREE to devote my time to family. I have also decided to change school-nights; now it is a proper supper around the table with TALKING, set bed-times/reading and me looking like a REAL mummy instead of a hologram of an office worker in the midst of family life (anarchy).
So we haven’t dealt with the mess situation yet. WELL it might look like mess to someone cheekily peeking through the window, but actually it is being SORTED and the lists are in an order: Immediate, mid-term, Long-term, bills and house, school and kids, and BIRTHDAY PARTY! I cannot take responsibility for the belly-dancing skirt, plastic fork, sweetie wrapper or mystery underwear at this juncture, but who cares about that? Taking the whole weekend off work isn’t my usual line, but it had to be done. My kids needed me, and I wasn’t giving them the attention they deserved. I had two days clear head space, and then Monday was reserved for sorting and organizing and list-writing. Tuesday for writing (immediate), Wednesday for other IMMEDIATE stuff, Thursday for getting through bills, house and kid-stuff, and Friday will be preparing for Saturdays’ BIRTHDAY PARTY, and OMG it’s a big one (crap).
So there you are, I might look like a mess, but I am in control, and most importantly I can work harder because I feel like I am doing right (for a change) by my kids; as a single parent I have no-one to share the guilt with, so I REALLY need to make it work. Those small people are the reason for EVERYTHING I DO, but I need the space to actually be with them, and they need their Mummy. So I am up to my neck in it; who cares? I’m DEALING WITH IT.
Big love to you all; remember what really matters, and you will be happier at work xxx
Vikki Scovell Twitter @fitbite

Have a great Thursday
Love Rachel xx