The fitness industry is extremely competitive. In this environment, it is unfortunate that many fitness professionals come across to potential clients as pretty much the same as everyone else. Worse, many fitness professionals don’t have the knowledge or put in the time required to separate themselves from the pack. As a result, most fitness professionals barely scrape by.

If you want to be different, if you want to maximize your earnings and set yourself apart, you need to embrace the following four success factors for growing your fitness practice:

One: Deliver programs that set you apart. Get Certified in some interesting, in-demand programs that set you apart as unique, and that give your clients as much variety as possible. There are hundreds of niche fitness programs, from innovative strength training and boxing fitness to new forms of balance training and stretching. Keep adding to your portfolio. A fitness professional who stops growing professionally will quickly find that his or her client roster stops growing, too.

Two: Write a compelling marketing message that documents your results and edge. Most fitness professionals have incomplete marketing messages. It is not enough to present your educational background and credentials. You also have to get into your prospects’ heads by discussing the key fitness problems they face, what these issues mean for them, and how they can benefit with your solutions. Then you have to explain what sets you apart…and prove it with testimonials, case studies, and details about your credentials. One test of a good marketing message: You use the word “you” three times more than you use the word “I.”

Three: Get visible as the go-to fitness professional in your community. You want to be the first fitness professional people think about when they have a need. Get out there in your community! Speak. Write articles. Give free demonstrations. Pass out DVD's. Show up at health and fitness expos. Issue press releases to your local publications about fitness news. Have a website that dominates your local search engine listings. Post YouTube videos with sample training exercises. Ask for referrals. Volunteer for non-profit organizations. The more visible and proactive you are, the more people will know about you and call.

Four: Make marketing your top priority. It’s not fair, but it is true: The most qualified fitness professional isn’t always the most successful. A mediocre fitness professional who makes marketing a top priority almost always earns more money than a world-class fitness professional who waits for clients to come to him or her. Therefore, to succeed as a fitness professional, you need to make marketing your top priority. If you have down time, you should either be learning about new fitness programs to offer your clients, or marketing your expertise by getting visible in your community. That way, you can be BOTH the most qualified and the most successful fitness professional in your community.

Andrew Neitlich owns The Fitness Niche Company, which provides innovative fitness certification programs and marketing manuals for leading fitness professionals. For more information, visit The Fitness Niche Company.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed