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Enjoy Success in Your Training Business Even When Times are Tough
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Enjoy Success in Your Training Business Even When Times are Tough
Thriving Not Just Surviving
By Troy Fontana
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In spite of tough financial times for businesses, having the right mindset can still help to bring about success. Public speaker and author Troy Fontana shares his advice
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It's been said that 90% of the things we worry about will never come true and the other 10% we can't do anything about. Times may be tough and business slow, but given the right mindset you can still enjoy success and learn to turn these times to opportunity. Adversity can sharpen the iron of our sword, makes us bring forth our best effort and, in the end, gives us growth we could never have imagined. To create this atmosphere there are several areas on which to focus.
Customer service
Business essentially boils down to people and the service we provide to them. Are you providing your customers with exceptional service?
So, how do we create this excellent customer experience? One strategy we use at Fontana Fitness Personal Training Studio is a customer goal sheet. The sheet has a weekly tracking list of items that were put together collectively by our team. We believe, if completed, these tasks will help make an exceptional client experience thus helping ensure client retention. The following are several ideas from the list.
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A barbeque or group bike ride is a great way to help connect health club or personal training studio staff with their members and clients.
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First, a monthly fitness education handout allows trainers to be innovative in creating an educational resource and causes the customer to see that you have a deep vested interest in their success. Topics can range from super foods, snack ideas or articles on some of the latest fitness trends.
Also, our team has collectively decided that it would be beneficial to do a monthly outreach. At least once a month trainers contact their clients and ask them how they're doing and if they're enjoying their sessions. This can be done via phone, email or text message. A simple act like this can make a profound difference in building a lasting client-trainer relationship. Be sure to block a specific time each month to do this, thus ensuring effectiveness and action.
Another aspect is our monthly client appreciation activity. This can be a group bike ride, flag football game, a barbecue or a free Boot Camp workout. Clients and trainers love connecting outside the fitness facility and this gives family members a chance to participate in the experience.
When it comes to customer service a simple mantra to remember is, "And Then Some". Mentor and friend, fitness professional Todd Durkin, shared this with me while discussing how to create a Ritz Carlton experience at a fitness facility. What we came up with was to give an effort worthy of greatness, and then some, thus making for perfect effort. Also, make a conscious effort to notice, and perhaps emulate, others who offer exceptional service to their customers. You want your clients to feel proud to be a part of something special that's happening at your facility.
Employee Service
Are you doing your part to create an environment where employees can thrive and use their creative talents?
A simple start is to involve your employees or staff members in making decisions and generating ideas. As mentioned before, our employees were involved in the development of the customer service goals sheet. At our studios, we involve everyone in creating a plan of action. This gives employees a true sense of ownership. Another example of encouraging and supporting our staff is a series of questions we review at our team meetings. What do we do already that is good? What can we improve on? And finally, what is missing? Everyone's ideas are written down, discussed as a group and many are acted on.
Another idea for improving employee relations is to get and give feedback on a continual basis. Staff members need to feel they play an important role in the growth of the business. By giving feedback and showing team members what it is you want to see them achieve or do better can greatly help in this process. Show them you care by challenging and encouraging them to be their best. Also, don't ever be too proud to get feedback for your own performance. Create a simple questionnaire for your trainers to fill out and review with you in person. This can eliminate built up tension.
Creating an environment where everyone has a voice gives team members a sense of ownership and a feeling of value. Emotions like these will allow your employees to share in the reward of business success. At the end of the day you want your employees to feel proud to wear your company's brand on their chest.
Finally, make sure to always speak of the positive. Negative jargon can be detrimental to a team and make it virtually impossible to create a winning culture. It's easy to speak of things in terms of what we can't do or what we can't afford, but instead try focusing on what it is you can do.
At Fontana Fitness we obtained a local census report of our town population, shared the large number with our team and said, "Let's go get them". We then strategically discussed how to achieve this and put a plan into action. A quote by Edith Armstrong I often share and repeat to myself reads, "I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance. Then, whenever doubt, anxiety or fear try to call me, they keep getting a busy signal - and soon they'll forget my number."
We're too often walking through life with our eyes fixed on the ground, trying to avoid stumbling or falling. It's time to throw your shoulders back, lift your chin and give life your perfect effort. Perfection is impossible but perfect effort should be a daily business and personal goal. With an approach like this you can always have peace of mind, win or lose, knowing you've given it your best.
About Troy Fontana
Troy Fontana is a nationally published author, motivational speaker and owner of Fontana Fitness located on the Sparks Marina in Nevada. www.fontanafitness.com.
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