Fitness Marketing Guest Post by Zach Hunt
Hey there… it’s Chris McCombs here, and I hope your boot camp and/or personal training business is rockin’ hard… this is a guest blog post by my Zach Hunt… my partner on products like the Auto-Delegation Tool Box and The Fitness Profits Blueprint… this post is about the state of the fitness training industry and how to get ahead… I hope you enjoy the post… and I’ll let Zach take it from here…
When I was going through college I remember researching the average salaries of the so called “personal trainers”, at least in my state the average was either around or less than $20,000, not too inspiring.
Plus, I remember I was talking with my friends at that time in college and they were telling me about how long they worked and how they were pushed to sell supplements and all the other fun sounding things they were doing, this of course was in a national chain gym, but I didn’t know any difference at the time.
“As a fitness professional and nutrition professional, you are drastically underpaid. While it really is true that you can make six to seven figures as a personal trainer, the traditional industry is not set up to accommodate the large salary that you could (and should) be making. Instead, you’re stuck with a small salary or an hourly pay structure. However, to truly succeed in the fitness business, you must take matters into your own hands, and the only way to accomplish this success is if you have multiple income streams.”
That was a quote from my friend Ben Greenfield’s new book, “Personal Trainer’s Guide To Earning Top Dollar”. We met locally for the first time at a Mastermind event of local internet marketers, copywriters and the like where he showed me a copy of his book. Pretty cool!!
It’s so true, and yet kinda unfair – for some people that is. If you do follow the typical industry for personal trainers, there really is no room for progress and the natural progression is burn out and either switching jobs or just continuing on with a miserable career (unless you do like 40 hour training weeks and doing things like other tell you).
We also, talked about how it doesn’t really matter how much fitness you know, it’s more about getting the great results for your clients, and firstly – getting clients to come in and get those results for.
Not the typical mindset of beginning trainers. Yes, when I first started I was reading: Mel Siff, Stewart McGill, and pretty near every other training book out there.
But, I have to admit, I stopped reading “fitness” books a while back. I now read pretty much only business and marketing books and of course fitness marketing blogs =)
This is a pretty touchy topic for some trainers, but really unless you plan on being an exercise rehab or athletic trainer, or something other than a fat-loss results fitness trainer, bootcamp instructor, you don’t really have to know that much about fitness.
Getting people into shape is not hard, it’s more about motivating them, keeping them accountable and being fun, friendly and positive than than actually knowing the 7 forearm muscles and nerve innervation of them.
Flexor carpi radialis- Flexor carpi ulnaris
- Flexor digitorum superficialis
- Flexor retinaculum
- Palmar arch arteries
- Palmaris longus
- Pronator teres
I never had a client ask me about any of those – okay, yes I did look those up just now – but I did use to know them when I was in college =)
But really, you have to take matters into your own hands and create your future, rather than rely on the established system of gyms and jobs available for the fitness profession. You’ll never go far in that world, even if you reach the top ranks of training managers and whatever else. It’s still a job controlled by others.
A favorite quote of mine (I don’t remember by who or where it’s from): “Rich people believe ‘I create my life’. Poor people believe ‘life happens to me’.
Really, as a trainer, it starts by creating your own clients through your own business, as Ben puts it face-to-face personal training.
Of course you just build from there and create your own freedom (which is what you’re after… right ? ).
But like always, continue learning, continue building and keep gathering profit-boosting nuggets… if you want to turn your training passion into a training career, you must continue to educate yourself on business and marketing and motivation (not just the fitness). =).
Cause in the end, no client really cares if you know anything about fitness, only if they get the results they’re after.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Am I off track here? Or should I continue to read fitness books?
Ben Greenfield, a personal training business expert, has written the book Train For Top Dollar to identify those streams and provide you with the exact instructions for easily commanding a high income, creating your fitness empire, and establishing yourself as a respected expert in your niche market area. Check out his website at www.TrainForTopDollar.com
Zach Hunt is a personal trainer in Spokane WA and fitness studio owner.
For a complete step by step guide to getting your business to 6 figures in the quickest time possible…
Great post.
Multiple streams of incomes is definitely one of the top three business strategies, but don't forget about the king strategy.
"Passive income" or better yet. Multiple streams of Passive income.
Casey
This has to be the most down to earth post yet Zack. Thanks and keep them coming.
Sidd
Hi Zach,
Thank you for this awesome post. I read yours, McCombs and Steve Hochman's posts on a daily basis and get inspiration from your experiences, but I'm not getting the same results for my personal training business. I've been in business for 18 months. How long did it take you to get to that 6 figure income? Would I be able to email you a couple of my business questions for some feedback?
Thanks. -Sara
Good post Zack. I laughed at the listing of the muscles of the forearm. While it's important to have a knowledge about how the body works, memorizing muscle names and origins & insertions won't get you anywhere.
Stephen
http://www.boycefitness.com
For you guys who haven't met them yet, Ben Greenfield is a really cool dude, his presentation on training triathletes blew my mind at FBS09.
Zach is a great guy who really lays down his systems (seriously, I just copy and paste the documents from his autodelegation toolbox into my operations manual).
And Chris is this awesome dude who feels like your best friend right when you meet him.
Here's the thing: All 3 of these guys are freaking TALL!! I'm 6'4 and I felt short chillin' with them.
Zach, bro, I drop the anatomy terms every now and then to position myself as the authority, but that's IT.
Keep reading the marketing books and then tell me what they say!
(I'm lazy, what can I say?)
Thanks guys!
~ Luke
Gotta tell you Zach- I think your wrong. You can read all the business books you want, but you'll NEVER blow up your fitness business until you have read: LL Cool J's Platinum Workout Book.
Haha- Great post man
John
I'm all for making money and reading the marketing stuff – hell, I read way more marketing stuff than training stuff at the moment.
BUT, I think you are on a very dangerous path if you just let fitness go altogether and never further your knowledge of the technical aspect of the profession.
Yes, fat loss training is easy and mostly about motivating clients, but there is WAY more to it than that and if you tell yourself otherwise you are lying to yourself.
What about the person who comes to you wanting to lose fat but feels a twinge in their knee during certain movements? Or the guy who has very little kinesthetic awareness and is always flexed over – putting himself in a big position to get injured? If these people are your clients and you just try to get past it by motivating them harder or ignoring it then you are setting them up to ultimately fail, because they WILL get injured.
There's nothing wrong with making money and living a good life. We all want to do that and we have a right to do that. But it shouldn't come at the expense of being totally unskilled at what we do.
I have interacted with some of the top trainers in the world (technically speaking) and they make great money and are incredibly good at what they do. There is MUCH more to their craft than simply motivating people and making them run around, and it shows. If you don't put in that time to become the best at what you do, you will eventually get out of date and be nothing but a poser and a marketer who is not very good at what he does.
Look at a guy like Cosgrove who is leading the fat loss revolution. The guy got where he is by being the best at what he does, and then marketing that well. Without that knowledge, the marketing is empty.
Think of it like this – if your doctor said to himself 'my practice is doing pretty well and I can keep expanding it, so I'll just keep reading books about marketing and forget about reading medical journals or keeping up with the latest research and pharmaceutical studies". Would you trust that doctor or say that he is doing his patients a disservice?
Sure, we aren't doctors, but we are healthcare professionals. If you take away the healthcare part then I think you are lying to yourself and others.
Like I said, money is great but it's time that someone stood up and said what needs to be said – you have to know something about training as well (and that means more than just being passionate and enthusiastic).
great post chris wish their was more people like you /keep up what your doing……….. p.s could you give me some tips on a good circuit for weight loss programe,thanks………………………sound bloke……………
Zach,
That quote is from T. Harv Eker – a former Personal Trainer himself – and his 17 wealth files. I too have memorised them; so know them well.
Flip the coin and multiple service / product offerings are good for cliens too. They get more choice and are better able to reach their goals. And you get to stand out as offering more than the average Trainer. Plus you get to help more people – the real key to a higher income!
Noel Lyons.
I see where Yudi is coming from and I think everyone will have to agree to an extent. It IS important to be knowledgeable in your respective field and to make sure you stay on top of the latest information.
I don't think Zach was saying to completely ignore it (I hope!) but I have to say I've taken a similar path to him as far as how I spend my reading time. I have books by Siff, Zatsiorsky, McGill and the like, but right now I need more clients and I can know everything there is about programing, coaching, and the most intimate details of musculature, but without a client in front of me … what's the point? I can't make a living off of my knowledge without clients!
So I spend the majority of my time learning to grow my training business and whenever there is a technical issue I either refer back to my books, ask a colleague for insight, ask my brother (medical doctor) or anyone else in my network for the information I need. That information is specific and easy to find, but the know how to grow a business can't be referenced in a single chapter of any book … its a lifelong journey and you can always get better!
Here's to growing our business and kicking ass along the way!
Dave
http://www.fitnessinsiderblog.com
Zach you look all fancy pants in that pic!
Zach,
Great information. I agree, we tend to get caught up in the A&P of training and never learn the business.
Thanks,
Brian
Brau, YOU ARE RIGHT ON!!!
I have been in this "training business" for 17 years and the one idea that has become crystal clear is this… for anyone who puts having amassed a ton of "technical" knowledge as the top priority for potentiating BIG income for themselves as a trainer…Cool…
I'll show you yawning clients who will trade Mr./Miss "High Tech" in for Joe S#!T THE RAG MAN who happens to have tons of motivating energy with mediocre "tech-know", but will put the lights out on a trainer's business faster than it takes to order the "Up The Mass"
protein shake at the juice bar.
POINT: Have your Business Marketing Acumen DOWN!
Zach & Chris…
Thanks & Peace-
Matt
Zack I've only been training a year it took me a while realize, that the routine doesn't matter if there not being held responsible, and if your not inspiring them to work the hardest. I'm so glad I found this blog and others
That's great! I don't know the last time I read a fitness book. Everything now for me is mostly marketing and business related also. I do read a good fitness book here and there if it's really interesting but nothing too technical! But the goal is to run a business right? Not be the best trainer or even train at all for some of us!
Hey Zach
I think you're on track. You can be knowledgeable in your field but it would be all useless reading those great training books if you got no clients to apply the knowledge on. I read books like you mentioned and were always looking at great training books but realize it would be useless if I can't get training clients and show the results. I'm glad I've been reading less training books these days and reading more marketing materials.
Bottomline…clients are more interested in changing their bodies than they care about us reciting all the theories in the books.
Hey Zach
Just the other I quoted the insertion of the popliteus muscle to a client and I surprised the shit out of myself. I went to university 11 years ago and that is the first time I have ever used the single piece of information. So, yeah… I get your point.
I think the skill of a trainer is to have the ability to successfully help a client change their own life. Action through understanding – including movement, food, behaviour, stress etc.
But, as business owners I think it is very important to not only focus on the marketing aspects of our business. Client conversion, client retention, increasing the amount your client spend and increasing your profit margins are all important cogs in the PT business wheel.
We often get obsessed with getting more clients as the solution to our problems, but overlook the fact that we can increase our revenue a number of ways.
Keep up the awesome work and good to see that you have got Ben Greenfield in on the act. The man talks the truth.
I totaly agree with Yudi. You need to keep yourself on the top by learning not only marketing and sells ( which are foundation for any profession) but your main skills too. If you want to be the best – you have to have the knowledge of the bests!
Clients/Campers don't care about your education/background.
They want to have fun, connect with you and get the results they are wanting!