Summer has nearly come to an end, people are returning from their vacations, the big rush to get into shape for the beach has just
about drizzled out. So, we need to shake things up a bit. We want to make sure
we don't lose any of the momentum our clients may have gained over the summer
or make up for the "other" kind of gains they may have found do to travel and
inability to make it to the gym regularly.
It is my experience in the past that just like changing up a
workout to shock the muscles into growing, we have to sometimes shock the
client into a rejuvenated reason for training and training hard for results. Finding
a way to re-motivate, alter-motivate or create a sense of urgency has to be
creative, fund and rewarding.
One of the things I have done with all of my clients in the
past is contacted all of them via email and told them that we were going to
have a "Biggest Loser" contest. The contest was strictly limited to actively
training clients. I spelled out the rules, the system of measurement and the
start to finish dates of the contest. I always set this up as a friendly
competition but with a promise of great results and obviously a prize to the
winner.
I encouraged each person to contact me. If they wanted to
add a session or two a week to gain an edge of their competition, I would
encourage them to do so before the time slot filled up. If they needed me to
tweak their diet or place them on a nutrition plan, I made myself available. Ultimately,
I provided all of the tools (upon availability) to succeed. At the end I
offered prizes to first-, second- and third-place finishers, such as a month of
free training, a spa package, massage, etc.
The idea of the contest was to accommodate several things:
1. Create a sense of competition. I believe competition is healthy if done the
right way. This can become the source of motivation for clients to push a little
harder or reestablish a goal.
2. Create
a sense of urgency. By setting a start and finish date, we established a timeline
in which to operate and have an end in site.
3. Keep
clients accountable. I have always said, where there is accountability, there
is responsibility. If all of the results are sent via email, it holds the
clients accountable to each other for pushing forward.
4. Add
new business to my week. I always found that clients would add one to two
sessions a week to try to win the competition. And the schedule booked up fast.
I made more money!
5. TO
HAVE FUN! My emails would always praise and encourage my clients to press
ahead. While this is a business, we do what we do because we love it. Our
clients don’t necessarily feel the same way we feel about exercise, so we have
to make it fun for them so they will continue.
You can come up with your own contest, recipe or event that
will spark a change in "why" your clients are training and "why" they are
training with you! I would love to hear your creative ideas on how to motivate
your clients, create a sense of urgency. We want to be successful, so share
your successful ideas!
Mike McDaniel is an authority of leadership,
goal-setting disciplines, sales strategies and corporate physical
fitness. He has been a professional trainer for over 18 years and owned
two health clubs, employing over 75 personal trainers. Mike can be
booked for speaking engagements, sales training or consultant at www.askthewhyguy.com.
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