Coronavirus Tips For Clients
As a result of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) developments, many of your clients are probably asking whether they should be working out and heading to the gym?
Operations
Team Meetings: Schedule Them Now!
Team meetings are an important part of keeping your team informed about your business, they help you team get to know each other and they are a time to share ideas. If your fitness business is anything like ours….your staff is always coming and going and never on the same schedule. That means that many of our staff will not see each other throughout the month and we are certainly never all together at one time. That is why monthly team meetings are critical for our success.
I know that many fitness businesses struggle to get their staff to attend meetings.
Cancellations Without Stress – 4 Simple Steps
Cancellation policies can be tricky, but with the correct approach they don’t have to mean lost revenue and they don’t have to mean upset clients.
The following simple steps help us avoid most of the issues that can arise when a client cancels after our predefined cancellation deadline (24hrs). This can work for you too!
Step 1: Proactive CSRs (Customer Service Representatives)
Whenever booking an appointment, always remind clients, “If, for whatever reason, you need to reschedule please give us 24 hours notice so we can schedule someone else into that time slot”. This will regularly remind them of the importance of advance notice and the value of your time and that you have a policy in place.
Going Outside With Clients? Play It Safe.
It is that time of year when many personal trainers and group exercise instructors start taking their clients outside for workouts. Clients love getting the fresh air and trainers can keep things interesting with TONS of new exercises and adventures in the great outdoors. We have a couple protocols when it comes to bringing clients away from the studio for workouts and I recent sent them this email as a reminder:
“Great weather has arrived in the Pacific Northwest and many of you want to take your clients outside for workouts. I love that! Read more on Going Outside With Clients? Play It Safe….
3 Steps To Keeping Group Fitness Fresh
I have shared many of my group exercise success tactics with you. Today I want to focus on keeping your group fitness program fun, fresh and cutting edge.
Here are some questions to start out:
- Do you change your group fitness schedule regularly?
- Do your clients get a say in what group fitness classes are on your schedule?
- Do you have a staff member who is responsible for coordinating your group fitness schedule?
I hope your answer to all of these questions is a resounding “YES”!
Be Prepared – Bad Weather Is Coming!
For many of us fitness business owners and managers……we are not only entering one of our busiest times of year, we are also entering a time of year where bad weather is inevitable. Whether it be ice, snow or fog. Make sure you and your staff are aware of your bad weather protocol. Don’t have a bad weather protocol? Take a look at ours and modify it for your needs! Read more on Be Prepared – Bad Weather Is Coming!…
Is Your Fitness Business Making This Mistake?
In all of our conversations and consultations with fitness business owners…one of the most common mistakes we notice is that business systems are not automated and centralized.
Too many Personal Trainers and Personal Training departments and businesses continue to use a manual scheduling process.
This leads to various scheduling errors, frustrations, ineffective communication processes and ultimately lost revenues.
One of the very first recommendations we make to a Personal Training department or Training studio is to invest in a Business system that will allow them to track the pulse of their business and incorporate administrative systems that allow for high levels of customer service. Read more on Is Your Fitness Business Making This Mistake?…
Bad Weather Protocol
The best way to deal with bad weather is to take a proactive approach. So, we recently touched base with our staff members to make sure that IF something were to happen we would have the information we need:
Do you have this information from your team?
- Who could actually get to work?
- Whose vehicle is capable of driving in the snow and whose is not? Who feels comfortable driving in the snow and who does not?
- Who has chains – and knows how to use them?
- Who lives close to the studio with no major hills or obstacles en route? Who lives close to a bus route and could easily take a bus into work?
Going Outside? Do This!
It is that time of year when many personal trainers and group exercise instructors start taking their clients outside for workouts. Clients love getting the fresh air and trainers can keep things interesting with TONS of new exercises and adventures in the great outdoors. We have a couple protocols when it comes to bringing clients away from the studio for workouts and I recent sent them this email as a reminder:
Overcoming Obstacles & Excuses – Week 5
We have made it through the majority of the excuses that your clients will try to use to get out of training with you. After reading these last two scenarios you will be armed with what you need to help your clients overcome these obstacles. Pretty soon your clients won’t even try to get out of workouts because they know you always have a comeback that is just too good!
Let’s Go Back Home
Imagine this scenario. Your clients have scheduled a two-week vacation and have decided to drive to their favorite holiday destination. They get half way there, get a flat tire and turn around and go back home. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But this is exactly what happens when most people start exercise or nutrition programs. They are on their way to their goals and they slip up. Instead of “fixing the flat” and continuing on toward their goal, they give up and return to old habits and patterns. We know that 70 percent of people who start an exercise program drop out within a matter of months. And most people who lose 10 pounds gain them back. So how do you help your clients avoid being one of the failures? It is important to help your clients realize and accept that there are going to be obstacles, challenges or perceived failures along the way to any goal. Those who succeed learn from the challenge and get right back on the exercise track.
The Here and Now
So many of our clients fall prey to the lure of immediate gratification. The chocolate cake staring them in the face is too great a temptation compared to future weight loss. They would rather experience the pleasure now and worry about the consequences later. A binge today simply means tomorrow they will eat better or they will work out twice as long or hard. There is always a way to justify a lack of discipline. Discipline and will power are perceived as deprivation – Read more on Overcoming Obstacles & Excuses – Week 5…
