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Q: I own a personal training company, and just launched my first product. The business is doing “ok,” but I really need to get more clients (specifically some high school athletes in my area) and I’d really like my product to sell better. But I don’t want to do any “hard sell” marketing or promotion – no way – it just makes me mad.
I’m also speaking in front of a group of athletes next week. I know it’s a great opportunity, but I don’t want to do any obvious promotional stuff there, as I think it makes us look cheap – I hate it when speakers do that.
Any ideas? I’m struggling a bit.
I don’t think you really asked a question directly there, more than you just told me your opinion.So instead of answering you directly – I’ll just leave you with a few quotes from T. Harv Eker – author of the excellent Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
- “Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value. Poor people think negatively about promotion.”
- “Resenting promotion is one of the greatest obstacles to success. People who have issues with selling and promotion are usually broke. It’s obvious. How can you create a large income in your own business if you aren’t willing to let people know you exist?”
- “Some people feel that promotion is beneath them. I call this the ‘high and mighty’ syndrome, otherwise known as the ‘Aren’t I so special?’ attitude. The feeling in this case is that if people want what you have, they should somehow find and come to you. People who have this belief are either broke or soon will be…”
- “If you believe in your value, how could it possibly be appropriate to hide it from people who need it? Suppose you had a cure for arthritis and you met someone who was suffering and in pain with the disease. Would you hide it from him or her? What would you think of someone who didn’t offer these people their opportunity because they didn’t like promotion?”
In other words – you don’t have any problems other than your mindset. Until you fix that, you’ll continue to struggle.
Stop thinking of marketing as “hard selling” and think of it as communication.
If someone had the cure for Aids or cancer, do you think they should keep quiet, or tell the world?
That’s the feeling you should have about your own services.
Aside from basic business skills and marketing – what other skills does it take to be successful if you’re just starting out as a trainer?
Aside from understanding business, everything collapses if you are unable to produce “infomercial” type results on a consistent basis – the kind that make you think “photoshop!” or “liar!”
In my experience most of the time, fitness professionals today aren’t successful simply because they haven’t mastered their craft.
Probably five years ago there were good trainers out there with zero business skills who were struggling. Now I think it’s flip-flopped and it’s actual training skills that are in short supply.
I’ve seen average trainers selling DVD’s and ebooks, with multiple page websites, Youtube channels and blogs who don’t have any clients. And I’m not exaggerating.
If you haven’t helped hundreds (or hopefully thousands) of people get results in person – you probably should hold off on launching your articles to the world!
So how can you guarantee your ability to produce great results every single time?
It starts with HONESTY. Be honest with yourself.
- Are you the best trainer you know?
- Do you have more energy and enthusiasm in the training session than any of your competitors or peers?
- Head to head with anyone in the world could your results out perform theirs?
- If not – why not? What are you lacking?
- What would you have to know to get to the next level?
- What would you have to read/watch/listen to?
- Who would you have to meet?
- What seminars do you need to take?
- Is it your program design skills?
- Is it your coaching?
- Is it your psychology?
- Is it your personality?
Look within and find your gaps. Then close them.
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Alwyn Cosgrove is a Tae kwon-do international champion. He has utilized his personal experience as an athlete and combined it with the advanced theories of European sports science and the principles of modern strength and conditioning systems. He has worked with a wide variety of clientele including several Olympic and national level athletes, five world champions, and professionals in a multitude of sports such as boxing, martial arts, soccer, ice skating, football, fencing, triathlon, rugby, bodybuilding, dance, and fitness competition. For more information, visit Alwyn’s website at: http://www.alwyncosgrove.com. 
Agreed on this whole article. You must have confidence in the service you are providing and know that you are giving what they want. If it is not what they want and you are trying to sell your product, then you are a salesman. If it is something they want and you can do it for them, you are not a salesman, but simply a trainer who will bring out the best in these athletes.
To the person asking for business advice, do you know what service you want to provide within the personal training industry? If you know that, you will have no problem finding clients.
Here’s a thought that I have. . . . ” If these trainers are so busy in life training people, giving seminars, training them selves, promoting their business AND doing their domestic stuff how on earth do they manage to make the time to write articles” ? ? ? ? ? ? :-O
Vic,
They sleep 6 hours or less per day. They also write during lunch or on any off time they get. As a trainer you know there are times that you either spend talking with people around the gym, partying with friends or training for too long.
The people I know that are real trainers and write, film and get the marketing done. Do work all the time. They don’t just sit on the computer to write. They write on the phone while they are waiting in line at the store, they record messages to transcribe later, one of them finished a book “Not ebook, a real book” while his wife was resting at the hospital bed after having his 2nd child.
If you look at your day. You will always find time to do the things you really want to do. Party, facebook, watching sports, on the phone with friends. Writing articles is pretty easy once you’ve written a lot. Also the articles that you are really passionate about, pretty much write themselves.
Thanks Rick. I guess it’s also that thing of if you really want to do it you will find a way.
I forgot. . . thanks for the article!
As always great content from Alwyn. I too struggle with the feeling of laying on the hard sell, but when you put it like you have in the article it makes a lot more sense. I’ve got a spot in a local big bank for the day this week so will make sure to be happy to talk about how I can help the guys there.
Cheers
Russell
Wow, that’s really interesting! I wonder how this differs from what I practice at my dojang. Taekwondo Warriors – Martial Arts Academy (230 St.) 5500 Broadway, Bronx NY 10463 (718) 812-7087 is where my family and I study martial arts. I think that the Olympic Style Taekwondo is more in line with what you are saying here.