Here is an easy and quick way that just about anyone can use to build a service based business real fast… especially a personal training business.

It works great for personal trainers, chiropractors, martial arts instructors, yoga teachers and massage therapists. Keep in my mind that this strategy is mostly for the business owner or professional who really wants to get a lot of new clients fast. If you already have a seasoned and strong clientele, this probably isn’t the best practice for you. As a matter of fact, if you DO have a strong client base, I would probably go with the opposite of this routine and up my rates and justify my high rates in all of my marketing.

But if you’re just starting out or want to get a whole bunch of new clients in the shortest amount of time possible this strategy kicks ass.

Here’s a little story to explain how it works…

When I started my fitness business, I was pretty out of shape compared to most trainers.  As a matter of fact I didn’t  even really look like a trainer. Sure, I’m tall, I’m about 6 foot 6, but I wasn’t super fit.  So I didn’t have that going for me.

But what I did have going for me is an understanding of what makes people work, what makes them tick if you will. I knew that if you give to others and you do something for them, that they will want to give back to you.

So one day I sat down with of friend of mine who also owned the gym where I trained my the clients I had at the time. Now this guy had built one helluva success personal training business and his gym was doing some pretty impressive numbers.

He explained to me how he built his personal training business and I was blown away by the simplicity of it. What he did when he started was take on tons of free clients and all he asked in return was that they bring him referrals.

I knew immediately that this was a genius plan… I mean I knew in every cell of my body that this was in a perfect alignment with how the universe works and how people work.

I jumped on it immediately.  I started knocking on my neighbors’ doors , I would talk to people in line at the grocery store, I would talk to waiters at restaurants I was eating at. and I called almost my entire phone book from A – Z.  I would talk to just about anybody I could anywhere I went. Yes I was probably extremely annoying to some people but those people weren’t the ones I was concerned with… I only focused on the ones who said “Yes”

Within two months I had around 25 free clients, and within another two months after that I had around 25 paying clients that I had gotten from the referrals from the free clients. Now for a personal trainer who just started his business to have 25 paying clients was pretty sweet, many trainers I know who had been training for years didn’t even have that many. (Keep in mind my training business was mostly semi-private sessions, meaning I worked with 3-6 people at a time. If you only work with one person at a time this strategy still works, but you might want to massage it to fit your business model.)

I quickly learned that the best people to target were hair stylists (they have close bonds with so many of their clients), chiropractors, ministers, salespeople, girls working at tanning salons, massage therapists, employees at supplement stores, owners of medium to large companies, front desk secretaries at large corporations and basically anyone with a large circle of influence.

I also found it to be a great way to meet to women, it’s actually how I met my wife, but that’s a story for a another day…

Basically the strategy worked like gang-busters for me.  Sure at first I had to be willing to do a little bit of work and not get paid for it, but it over time it paid off like a winning lottery ticket.

Why did it work so well for me? How will it work for you if you try it? Here’s why and how:

1.  Life helps those who help others.

2.  Through Law of Reciprocity, people you help will naturally want to help you.  You will be building a literal sales force of clients who want to help you by getting you more clients.

3.  You will be doing your job and IN the energy of doing what you do, which is much better than sitting at home, wondering how you’re going to get business.

Now, I’ll admit six months down the road I didn’t need to do this anymore.  As a matter of fact, over time I was able to charge extremely high rates and qualify the hell out of people before I would even make an appointment with them.

But, in the beginning, this really positioned me as a trainer in demand because I was always booked, and that looked really good to a prospective client.

Plus, my army of sales people who were trying to help me, were bringing in referrals left and right, which is something you just can’t beat when you’re starting a business.

If you’re just getting started in your business and you’re having a hard time getting clients, patients, or customers, then just help a ton of people, and help them for free. Just tell them to pay you with referrals.

Sure you’ll get a few deadbeats, all you do is kick them to the curb the first time they flake, set the rules in place early on, and do your thing.

Then, a short while down the road, you’ll be able to charge premium rates and be very selective about who you will work with.  But, in the beginning, just going the extra mile and helping people for free is a dead-on winner.

Work Less and Make More

Chris McCombs live in Orange County California and is a well known personal fitness trainer marketing and gym marketing specialist.