This is a full transcript from Episode 3 of The Fitness Business Marketing Show. Click the images below to listen on iTunes or Soundcloud.
ALISON BRIGGS: Welcome to the fitness business marketing show. Sponsored and created by Marketing for Gyms and Personal Trainers. One of the leading and most respected marketing companies in the fitness industry today. Hi. I’m Alison Briggs. And, I’d like to introduce you to the creators of the show, industry leaders and all round nice guys, Frank Smarrelli and Brad Cusworth. With the combined industry experience of over 40 years having owned and operated personal training studios, health clubs and managed well over 60 staff members you’re sure to get lots of valuable information from this week’s show. So, without further ado let’s jump straight in.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Thanks, Alison. And, welcome everyone to episode number three. Thanks once again for all of the amazing comments and feedback from the last two episodes. We’ve been absolutely amazed and blown away with the response. So, thank you for that. Now, this week we’ll be discussing the current trend toward fitness professionals, creating and selling their own online programs, courses and eBooks. Frank will be discussing a powerful book from Doctor John Demartini called Inspired Destiny. We’ll also be answering two questions from our listeners including where to spend your marketing dollars when you have a small budget. And, also how to develop strategic partnerships in the local community. To wrap things up Frank will be delivering another powerful weekly rant about today’s highly competitive fitness market. So, let’s get straight into this week’s episode. Frank, how’s things mate?
FRANK SMARRELLI: I’m very good Brad. Welcome to the show and welcome to our listeners. We’ve had a – a huge week. I think Brad and I have both done about 80, 85 hours. I’m – I’m not really looking forward to the weekend. Brad, as you know I’m renovating one of my properties at the moment. So, I’ve gone from kind of an 80, 85-hour week to – to kind of – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Geez.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – painting for the next couple of days. But, I’m really excited about the show.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Fuck.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Excited to talk to the guys about the book review, one of my favourite books. A – a book that really means a lot to me. And, yeah just really – just really looking forward to the entire show, really.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah, awesome. Yeah. John Demartini, mate. One of my favourite mentors – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah. Yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – over the years. So, look forward to hearing – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – about that.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah. Special guy Absolutely.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah. Cool.
FRANK SMARRELLI: What’s caught your eye, Brad? What – what has caught your eye in the fitness industry this week?
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah. So, this week I’m going to talk a little bit about a current trend toward fitness professionals creating programs, challenges, eBooks and selling them online.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Okay.
BRAD CUSWORTH: So, – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Awesome.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah. Over the past few months I’ve had more enquiries made about this topic than ever before. It’s just – seems like every – every week someone else is asking me about this. So, I thought it’d be a good topic to talk about quickly. So, yeah. Back – back in the old days, you know, ten years ago when I was a PT this wasn’t even an option. You know, no one – nobody was doing this. So, it’s pretty – still fairly – fairly new in the industry. But, it’s at – it’s at that stage where it’s really taking off. So, it’s – yeah. A lot of opportunity. So, a huge number of PT’s, fitness models, athletes, they’re now looking to generate additional income using online strategies. And, it really is a fantastic way to – to leverage your time and generate more money. Now, I personally know clients who are making multiple six to seven figure incomes from online products alone. So, they’ve started as a PT and then they’ve started, you know, building their brand online with social media. And, now all they do is – is marketing online. So, it’s – it’s definitely an amazing opportunity for those that, you know, want to explore this area and really take it on. So, I thought what would be good is to just give three quick tips to get the ball rolling for those that are interested in this area. So, I might get you – get you thinking about if this is the right, sort of, area to – to explore moving forward.
So, number one, social media will be the absolute key to generating a large following if you want to sell online products and programs. In my opinion Facebook and Instagram are the two best platforms to do this. Now, I recommend choosing one that you feel most comfortable with instead of trying to build both platforms at the same time. And, then after you get a foundation in one you can then start to work on both platforms together. So, that’s tip number one.
Number two, before you start marketing your programs you must focus on building your brand and increasing your exposure. It’s really important. So, the best way to do this is to focus on adding massive value on your page. And, really building quality relationships which you’ll – you’ll get a bit of a them in our podcasts and everything that we do. You know, it keeps coming back to that point over and over again. So, social media – social media’s all about connection. And, you must make an effort to really connect with your followers. Always reply to comments. Thank people for sharing your content. Do live Q and A on your page. And, go over and above to add as much value as possible.
Now, tip number three. When you’re ready to start marketing some products start with something small, such as a basic eBook on nutrition, might be fat loss or muscle gain. And, then over time you can then build up to selling more advanced customised programs. Might be online challenges. And, even progress up to your own membership site, which is a really fantastic model for ongoing income as well. So, for those that are interested in finding out more about this we’ve dedicated an entire training module in our PT Business Accelerator program about this very topic. So, we cover three key models including creating basic eBooks, creating custom programs and also creating online challenges and membership sites as well. And, our gym pages platform also has templates to sell online programs. And, you can easily integrate them with PayPal for instant online payments as well. So, yeah.
I thought I’d cover that quickly to get the show started. I know a lot of people are interested in this area. And, yeah. Just let us know if you need any help setting up any of your online funnels.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Brad, look I’ve got a quick question. And, listeners which we certainly haven’t – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Sure.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – we didn’t speak about this before the podcast. So, I’m putting – putting Brad on the spot here. So, if a PT had, let’s say, I don’t know Brad, let’s say a PT had two – a fitness professional had two particular different programs. Let’s say they had one for females, one for males. And, they wanted a professional looking – I’m going to – I guess I’m going to call it a website.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep.
FRANK SMARRELLI: What’s the ballpark figure, we’ll talk Australian dollars. What is a ballpark figure that that personal trainer, that fitness professional would need to pay to be able to have the online system and everything integrated? Like, it – are you thinking something like $2,000? Are you thinking three or is it just too difficult to answer because we don’t know the specifics?
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah. We – we’d probably need to find out a bit more information about it. But, that ballpark figure is spot on. Around about the $2,000 mark will – will get you a website with a fully integrated platform. And, you know, everything up and running. But, as I mentioned previously is, you know, we have a new platform called Gym Pages for those that haven’t heard of it before where we have created a platform where for literally $67 a month, no upfront fees, you can get your own fully customised website theme where you can add your own colours, your images, your logo, your content. And, you can actually integrate it with PayPal for instant online payments. So, you don’t need to worry about setting up your own merchant facility or getting bank applications. You know, it was a pretty messy process previously. So, yeah. And, the reason we created this was because we wanted to make it simple. But, we also wanted to make it affordable. You know? Not many personal trainers have got two grand to spend on a – on a brand-new website when they’re just starting out. And, then they haven’t got their products, they haven’t got an income coming in. So, yeah. Literally $67 you can get it up and running. You can have your website up and running. We’ve optimised it. Every part of the website theme has been optimised based on our experience in the industry. And, yeah. You can add – start with one product. You can have ten products. You can – you can grow as you – as you build your brand and – and build your business. And, you know, this could be even, you know, selling supplements, clothing. It could be eBooks, challenges. It might be, you know, starting a – a basic membership site. Whatever you want to do we have that capability with our – with our Gym Page platform.
FRANK SMARRELLI: So – so, I guess Brad, that’s probably an easier format and then the – the fitness professional, the subscriber has the control to be able to change what they want when they want, rather than going back to the web developer and getting charged. You know, getting hit up, you know, let’s say 40 or 50 bucks per change. Okay. So, I get that. And, if they wanted to sell multiple products would the fitness professional use the same website or would they simply create another website or web template through the actual Gym Pages platform?
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah. Good question. You can actually do both. So, what I would recommend is to have a central website where you have similar products there. So, for example, you might have, you know, one eBook on fat loss. You might have another eBook on muscle gain. You might have another eBook on, you know, a 12-week challenge. Or you know, getting fit like the Kayla Itsines type model. So, you could do that within the same website. But, then – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Got you.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – the other thing you could do – say, if you’re running a – a 12-week challenge for your group personal training business. What you could do is we’ve got separate online challenge pages which can also be integrated with payment gateways as well, like PayPal. So, you could have a separate website or landing page if you like just for your challengers.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Challengers. Yep. Yep.
BRAD CUSWORTH: So, yeah. The – the benefit is you can add as many as you want. You can have individual ones for individual products. Or you can have them layered. You know, one product on top of the other. You know, without – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: So, it’s – it’s – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – the website being – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – so, it’s multi-tiered. They – they have a fitness professional can run their challenges and have challenge pages where people can pay on the actual page. And, then they can have a product website, per say, where they can be selling their online programs. And, they can do all that from Gym Pages.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah. Absolutely.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Awesome.
BRAD CUSWORTH: So, yeah.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Okay. Cool.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Fantastic. Yeah. So, guys, yeah, www.gympages.net if you want a – a bit more information on that sort of stuff.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep. Absolutely.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Cool.
BRAD CUSWORTH: So, up – up next we have Frank’s book review. So, I’m looking forward to this one.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Frank, what have you – what have you been reading since our last marketing show?
FRANK SMARRELLI: Last week, Brad, I – I re-read one of my favourite books in the world. And, I – I – it just means – it usually just sits on my bedside table. So, it’s a book by Doctor John Demartini, for our listeners if you want to write that down. Really, really well known. Look, I’m not going to say motivational coach but certainly in the personal development space mainly in the US, Australia and also South Africa. He’s got offices in those three countries. The book is called, if you guys want to write this down, our listeners. It’s called Inspired Destiny. Brad mentioned that in the introduction. Inspired Destiny by Doctor John Demartini. You can – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: We’ll – we’ll put this on the show notes, as well.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Absolutely. Yeah. That’d – that’s great. So, look you can pick up the book for probably 14 or 15 bucks from Amazon. The key takeaway, listeners, is the book is really about understanding what you truly value in life. John talks about how your hierarchy of values actually dictates and determines your actions and your behaviours in life. I think it’s probably worth saying that again. So, yeah. Your hierarchy of values literally determines and dictates all your actions and behaviours in life. I guess it’s how we basically communicate to ourselves. We – we communicate a grander vision. It’s about playing big and not playing small. You know, how to focus on doing something that you actually, you know, really love in life. But, not only – not only that you really love. But, how to actually make money from doing something that you really love.
So, I guess in many ways the book covers values, which is the – the study of axiology which I’ve done a fair bit of over the last five years. And, it really chunks down into, you know, why. Why our values are so important. And, why it’s so important to understand not only your – your own values but other people’s values.
I – I think it’s just – it’s one of these books, Brad, where you kind of read it and you actually – sometimes I just close it and, you know, for about a minute or so and just think, wow. Like, it’s – it’s one of those books where you just go, how can someone come up with such content. It’s – it’s one of, and this is a big call I know and that’s probably why it’s called Inspired Destiny, I’d say it’s one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read. Now, you – you know, Brad, I’m – I love reading. I’ve read over four and a half thousand books in my life. I typically read one or two books a week. And, I – I’m going to have to say, listeners, that I – I believe that that would be one of my top three to four books of all time. And, I – I’ve read some amazing books on – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah. That’s a big call.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – on some amazing authors. And, that’s the only book that I’ve ever read five times. As I said, I re-read it last week. I – I’ve read one of Louise Hay’s books, I think three or four times. But, I’ve never literally read a book five times. And – and, every time I pick it up, listeners, and read it, it feels like I’m – I’m – I’m – I’m learning something new. And, that’s, you know, I think that speaks volumes because I’ve read it five times. And, I cannot emphasise it enough. 15 – 14, $15 from Amazon. The book’s going to teach you a lot about what you actually want in life and what you don’t want and why that’s the case. Because it’s driven by the hierarchy of your values. So, my book review, this week yeah, Inspired Destiny by Doctor John Demartini. He’s written about 60 or 70 books. I think he’s written about three or 400 books that are unpublished. He’s literally a writing machine. I’ve gone to see him. I actually know John. I’ve gone to see him a few times. But, if you ever get a chance, if you – if – if he’s ever in your capital city, I’d highly recommend going to see him live. I’ve done a couple of his workshops, two-day workshops, three-day workshops. And, you’re going to get a hell of a lot out of the sort of stuff that he talks about. So, yeah. That’s my book review, Brad, Inspired Destiny.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Awesome. Yeah. John Demartini is amazing. So, if anyone hasn’t heard about him or hasn’t seen his work definitely recommend searching for him online. Back a few years ago I did his two-day workshop called the Breakthrough – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: The Breakthrough Experience.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – Experience. Then – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Cool.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – mate, that was probably – probably one of the most amazing – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: It is awesome. Yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – weekends I’ve ever had. You know? And, that’s a big call ’cause I’ve done a lot of seminars and a lot of personal – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah. You have.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – development type things. Yeah. Just – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Amazing.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – incredible. High – highly recommend checking that out. And, then – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – yeah. He’s just this guy that’s just – he’s – he’s – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Very inspiring.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – completely – completely on purpose. He travels the world. I think last year he – he spoke around about 320 days – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Times, yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – out of the year.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah. Yeah. He’s just – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: He just goes from city to city – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – city speaking.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – and that’s all he does.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah. Very, very interesting guy. We – we’re kind of, listeners, we’re – we’re kind of giving it – him a plug here. And, we’re certainly not meaning to. But, we just, yeah, Brad and I – yeah. I just think he’s a special guy. And, if you ever get a chance to a, read his book and also go do the Breakthrough Experience I highly – highly recommend it. Two days of just wow factor. The – the second day’s absolutely inspiring. Yeah. Doctor John Demartini. Check him out on YouTube guys and yeah, take some action if he’s ever coming to – to the state that you live in I – I highly recommend or we highly recommend going to see him.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep. Awesome, mate. Cool. So, before we move onto Q and A, Alison has a quick message from our podcast sponsors.
ALISON BRIGGS: I’d like to say a quick thank you to one of our major sponsors, Gym Pages. You can visit their website at www.gympages.net for more information on how to easily create customised landing pages and websites for your fitness business. Now, back to the Fitness Business Marketing Show.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Thanks, Alison. So, Frank, what else do you have for our listeners this week, mate?
FRANK SMARRELLI: Okay, Brad. As you know every episode we’ll be answering two questions from our listeners. If you have a question that you would like answered simply go to www.marketingforgyms.com. Click on the podcast tab in the top menu bar, scroll down and click onto the banner that says ask a question. It’s really obvious, listeners. It stands out. This will open up a pop up and you can literally just answer your question or ask your question in there and then submit it. And, that’ll come straight through to out email. So, the first question that I have, Brad today for our listeners, is from Stav. Stav is a – a club manager at Anytime Fitness in Hampton East. That is a Melbourne suburb in Australia for the – for the listeners that are outside of Melbourne and also outside of Australia. Hampton East, Anytime. So, the question was, “When you have a small budget to work with where should you concentrate to spend it in order to get more members and ensure exposure for your business?” I might write – read – read that again. So, “When you have a small budget to work with where should you concentrate to spend it in order to get more members and exposure for your business?” I think this is a really good question. And, it’s probably – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Great question.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – yeah. I think it – look, it’s probably a question or a thought that, you know, most club operators, managers, owners have at some stage if not most weeks. Because, you know, running a club these days is the – the – the – the yield is, you know, probably not as high as it – it used to be. I was talking to – to someone the other day, Brad, saying when I had my gym – for the listeners there, I – I opened up my first club in ’96. We were charging $22 a week. This was in 2010, 2011. We were charging $22 a week. No group fitness. I sold the gym about five or six years ago. And, I think the guy that bought it, Dave – Dave Owen, he’s charging I – I believe it’s 17.95 now and – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Okay.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – yeah. So, instead of – instead of the yield going up over the last five years it’s actually come down whatever that is, 20 percent or 25 percent, $5. So, I think it’s a – I think it’s a really, really good question. So, I – I think when people have got a really – not – a small budget or some people say, Frank, we’ve got no budget. We have to manufacture strategies and initiatives with virtually no budget. Then the first thing I look at – and, people often say, you know, should we hit Facebook? No. Because Facebook can be a killer in terms of money. So many people are literally flushing down, you know, money down the toilet when it comes to Facebook. I think you – when you’re spending money on Facebook, I think you have to be so much more strategic these days. But, look, that’s probably for another show.
So, if I had a low budget or if I was working on a shoe – a shoestring budget and I had my own club I would absolutely be optimising anything to do with referrals. So, ensuring that, you know, you’re running referral strategies and initiatives throughout the year. Ensure that you’re running, you know, at least one major referral competition per year. Anything to do with referrals I’d be looking at optimising that as much as possible. I have many clients at the moment that are running, you know, different referral promotions right now. For example, you know, invite a friend, family member or work colleague to the club this month and if they join we’ll reward you with either, you know, a or either b. And – and, listeners, a or b could be, you know, two weeks free, four weeks free, 30 days. A tub of protein powder, movie tickets, gift vouchers, merchandise packs. It all depends on what you guys think is actually going to – to motivate your clients how – or your – your members to – to actually refer.
I’d also really be optimising point of sale referrals. I’d – I’d – I’d really be nailing that as much as possible. I think point of sale is the perfect time to plant the seed of referrals. I’m going to say that again, listeners. I think point of sale is the perfect time to plant the seed of referrals. If you can get them on the day, fantastic. It’s not like the old days where you could ask for referrals and you’d, you know, you could probably get one for one. That’s what we used to teach. But, you – you – you simply can’t do that. But, if you can get referrals on the day, fantastic. If you can’t you should have a – a complete follow up system. What I basically call the rule of 90 day follow up system. I like when – when my clients, Brad, you know, set up a member rewards program. So, rather than – I – I think if you start asking for referrals at the point of sale it makes it about the business. I think when you start executing and articulating, ‘Hey listen, we have a member rewards program. Have you got two minutes? We’d love to explain it. Every time you come down to the club – sorry. Every time you invite a family member or friend to the club and they so happen to join we would like to reward you under the member rewards program with either a or either b. What would you prefer?’ And, then they make the decision and then they own that decision. So, I – I would be promoting a member rewards program at the point of sale and not necessarily a referral strategy. I think – I think a referral strategy absolutely implies that it’s about the business. A member rewards program implies that it’s about the member. Quite often I get clients saying to me, Frank, when I – when I talk about the word referrals, you know, our existing members are saying, “We don’t want any more people in the club. ” So, referrals are about the business.
So, Stav, to answer your question in short, I would be optimising all the referral initiatives. So, I’d be optimising the point of sale referral system, call it a member rewards program. Launch it at the point of sale and then make sure you have a follow up system in place for that. I’d be running, probably quarterly, referral initiatives. You know, invite a friend or family members to the club this month and receive a or b. And, then go into the draw to win, let’s say, maybe $500 cash. Furthermore, run a referral competition. A referral rewards competition once a year. That will typically go for six weeks. It could be something like, you know, invite a friend or family member to the club and if they join receive ten points. And, the person with the most amount of points at the end of the six-week competition simply wins the prize. And, the grand prize could be $1,000 cash. It could be, you know, a 12 months membership and ten personal training sessions. Probably Brad, six or seven years ago I used to teach more draw based competitions. So, you know, refer a family member or friend or work colleague to the club and if they join you – you have a ticket that goes into the draw. And, at the end of the six-week competition you’d simply pull out the winner from the draw.
But, over the last four or five years I think a point competition works better. So, listeners, I’ll – I’ll just go through this really quickly. So, refer someone to the club to get two points. If that referral joins, get ten points. The person with the most amount of points at the end of the six-week competition simply wins the grand prize. You can have a first prize or you can have a second prize.
So, overall to bring this all together, a summation, I would be absolutely optimising point of sale referrals, quarterly referral initiatives. Invite someone to the club and if they join receive either a or either b. And, I’d say that 90 percent of my clients globally run at least one big referral rewards competition every single year. Run it for five or six weeks. Great time to be running it is February and – and also, October for Australian clients. And, for the US, pretty much mid-year when – when kids are back at school. When – when the main break is finished I think that is the time to run a big referral rewards competition. Kids are back at school. You know, people are back at work. I think they’re the ideal times. So, yeah. So, optimise referrals. I call that, Brad, low hanging fruit.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Awesome, mate. And, the best thing about it is that it’s pretty much zero cost, right?
FRANK SMARRELLI: That’s right.
BRAD CUSWORTH: So, any – any club can do it without any excuses.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Absolutely. You – you’re just leveraging off existing members. I think that club owners and even personal trainers, I just don’t think they do it enough. They think that, you know, advertising on social media’s the be all and end all. Well, it’s – it’s not. And, you can actually waste a lot of money. Like, people often say, “Frank, is Facebook the go to if – if you’re on a low budget?” No. It’s almost one of the last things. You have to really optimise referral initiatives within your club or studio. And, also build relationships outside of the studio. So, look that – that – that’s my take on low hanging fruit. Brad, what question do you have for the listeners this week?
BRAD CUSWORTH: Okay. Cool. So, next we have a question from Michael who owns a personal training studio in Brisbane, Australia.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Okay.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Michael says, “Do you have any tips for developing strategic partnerships in the local community to generate more referrals and exposure for my business?” So, yeah. So, a little bit more on referrals here.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Okay.
BRAD CUSWORTH: But, it’ll go along the lines of, yeah, what you’ve already talked about.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Cool. Cool.
BRAD CUSWORTH: So, yeah. Great – great question, Michael. So, thanks for sending that through. This is a strategy that very few personal trainers actually tap into. And, I think they’re really missing out on a massive strategy or massive potential here. In last week’s episode, we talked about the importance of developing at least six to eight different funnels or lead generation strategies to really ensure you have an ongoing supply of new leads for your business. Now, I think strategic partnerships should definitely be used as one of those major funnels. But, the key is doing it the right way and actually creating a win-win outcome for everyone involved. Now, I find that most people approach partnerships in the completely wrong way by simply focusing on what’s in it for them. And, that’s why no one wants – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yep.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – to partner with them. Right?
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yep. Yep. Yep.
BRAD CUSWORTH: So – so, there are a number of options for creating a win-win. I’ll run through a few now. So, it may be a simple process where they refer clients directly to you and you refer clients back to them. Obviously, that’s the easiest way to do it. You could have a special discount or a one-time offer as an incentive. So, an example could be your new referrals refer seven days of free group personal training. And, then the referrals that you pass on back to the partner might receive a $50 discount voucher to use for their product or service. That’s a really easy way to do it. Another way to create a win-win is by offering them a commission for every referral. So, for example, you could pay the referral partner a $50 commission for every referral who joins your eight-week challenge. So, that’s another way you could do it.
Now, with this strategy you really need to develop a thick skin and keep persisting until you get results. A lot of business owners may knock you back. And, probably will initially when you ask them to form a partnership. But, you really need to learn to brush it off and move back – back to the – to the next potential partner. So, it really can be a bit of a – a numbers game. Especially when you’re starting out and you’re getting your first few partners onboard. So, yeah. Just my advice there is to just keep persisting and keep approaching people who – to get the outcome that you’re looking for. Now, the majority of people lose confidence and give up after the first few no’s. So, yeah. So, you just need to keep connecting with people, building those relationships, focussing on that win-win outcome until they’re more than happy to help you out.
So, just quickly I’m going to give a few examples of the types of companies who would be a great fit for club owners or personal trainers to approach. So, if you want to take some notes here. So, physios are great, osteos, massage therapists, chiros, naturopaths, acupuncturists. You know, that general field of, you know, people who are – who are assisting people with their injuries or with their general health is a really good fit for a personal trainer or even a club owner as well. Local fruit and vegie shops. I’ve got a number of clients that have got really good relationships with their local fruit and vegie shop. And, they might have their brochures, flyers at the desk. Or you know, even one of my clients whenever – whenever someone buys a box of fruit and vegie the – the fruit owner, store owner will actually put in a flyer in the box.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Awesome.
BRAD CUSWORTH: You know, that’s something that – really simple that you can do.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yep.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Hairdressing salons are great as well. Supplement stores, health food stores can be really good. Local cafés and also local sporting clubs as well. So – so, yeah. So, Michael, hopefully that gives you a few good tips to get started. And, just remember what I mentioned earlier. The key is creating a win-win outcome for everyone involved. And, also being persistent until you get some good partners onboard. But, yeah. I’m sure you agree, Frank, it can definitely be a great strategy to, you know, to fill one of your funnels when you’re – when you’re looking to build a business.
FRANK SMARRELLI: There’s – there’s no doubt. Look, one of – one of my clients said to me years ago, “Frank, it’s really a reciprocity strategy. ” And – and, I agree. And, I often say, Brad, you – you said the word win-win. I often say to people that in many ways the perception has to be that the cross promotional alliance, so the store owner, whether that’s a supplement store or a physio, the perception has to be that they’re getting more value out of the relationship. So, I call that win-win. And, you’re getting a win. So, the perception needs to be that they’re getting more out of the relationship than what you’re getting. Look, – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – people often say to me, like, I’m – I’m born and bred in Melbourne. Always lived in Victoria. And – and, people that know me from this state know me mainly from opening up Australia’s largest personal training studio in ’96. Now, people often say, you know, in – in the mid-nineties, personal training wasn’t – wasn’t trendy. It wasn’t cool. In fact, personal training was – was I – I think, was actually a lot tougher back then. And, people say, “How did you run a successful personal training business?” And, I can honestly say Brad, one of the key strategies was basically what you – you spoke about. Brad – Dave and I, my business partner at the time, we literally became micro-celebrities within our local community. So, we – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – made it – we – and, it was strategic. And, we’re – I’m not ashamed to say that. Like, we made it at – in like, we purposely went to specific cafés. We purposely went to specific places to have lunch. And, you know, specific restaurants. You have to become a micro – like, personal trainers and – and club operators literally need to be micro-celebrities within their own community, their own neighbourhood or their own suburb. And – and – and, the basis of that is actually setting up proper strategic relationships with the store owners. And, always think what can we offer them so they feel they get more out of the relationship than what we get out of it. It’s a reciprocity – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – strategy. But, I think way too many people, including some of my clients, I’m calling some of them out. They go in with the strategy of what can I take rather than what can I give. When you go and set these meetings up with the store owners or store managers or store operators the key’s, okay, what can we do to help you grow your business? And, in return we would love this. Win-win for them. Win for you.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Totally agree, mate. And, especially that first point of communication. Whether you send them an email or whether you go and visit them, whatever it is. That first point of communication you need to come from that – that mindset of what am I going to give to them?
FRANK SMARRELLI: Totally.
BRAD CUSWORTH: What value am I going to add to this – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Totally.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – relationship?
FRANK SMARRELLI: Rather than what I’m going to take.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Instead of I want this.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Yeah. Yeah.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Or I want this. Yeah.
FRANK SMARRELLI: You know, can you please leave my flyers on your front desk? And, can you please put posters all over here? And, we’re not going to do jack – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: That’s it.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – for you. That’s – that’s – that – that irks me. That’s completely the wrong – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: That’s right.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – that’s – that’s not a reciprocity strategy. That’s a selfish strategy which won’t work long term.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep. Totally agree, mate.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Cool.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Cool. So, this brings us to the last segment of the Fitness Business Marketing Show.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Thanks, Alison. I, yeah. I – I love that. Listeners, my weekly rant in episode three of the Fitness Business Marketing Show. Here we go. So, drumroll, even though we don’t have a drumroll. So, marketing execution or a lack thereof. Marketing execution or a lack thereof. It’s – it’s listeners, show listeners and Brad, it’s – it’s one of my absolute pet peeves. You can have the best marketing plan or intention in the world. But, if you’re not executing that properly, well, you’re – basically, you don’t – you don’t have anything.
Execution needs to be at the forefront of any particular marketing offer. So, you know, if – if you’ve missed an SMS or you’ve missed a Facebook post or Frank, I’ve missed those two emails. It’s simply not good enough in this competitive market. Plan your marketing at least 45 days in advance as a minimum. I was presenting at FILEX, I think it was either 2014, 2015. Put a couple of people’s noses out of joint. I said, “If you’re not operating with at least a 30-day marketing plan. And, typically 45-day marketing plan it’s almost like driving a car without a licence. ” And, I – I said, “Honestly, guys. ” I think I had 100 and so people in the room. “Put your hand up if you’ve actually got a marketing plan right now. Like, literally be honest. ” And – and, I kid you not, Brad, I think I had a less than a dozen people putting their hands up. If you’re not working off specific marketing plans it’s like driving a car without a licence.
Build it out, guys, with marketing integration. Listen – listeners, this is basically same message, different medium. I’m not sure if you guys are taking notes. But, marketing integration is at the forefront of marketing execution. Same message, different media. Put your marketing offer on all your social platforms. Use SMS marketing. It literally astounds me how many personal trainers and club operators aren’t using SMS marketing. It is – yeah. I – I just sit there scratching my head. SMS marketing was available in 1990 – in ’99, 2000. It’s almost 20 years ago. Yet, 96 percent of SMS messages – 96 percent of SMS messages are opened within the first email – within the first hour, sorry. Email cannot simply compete with that. SMS marketing is such an important basis of your – of – of your marketing, in general whether you’re a personal trainer, fitness professional, club operator. You must engage in SMS marketing. Integrate your offers with flyers for the local traders. Posters that you may be able to put in-house or definitely, you’ll be able to put them in – in club. But, you might also be able to put them up within retail stores. The key is you must integrate your marketing, build it out as much as possible to maximise traction.
Another specific area when you’re actually building out a marketing campaign is make sure you put your – your offer on your Facebook banner. It fricking freaks me out, Brad, how many people either have a very, very poor Facebook banner. And, I’m kind of, just getting agitated now thinking about some of the Facebook banner’s I’ve seen over the last few weeks. Or when they’re – they’re – they’re simply the – the offer’s there but it’s just a really poor Facebook banner. And, what do we always say? How many times do we see Facebook banners that are not mobile friendly?
BRAD CUSWORTH: So, – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: It – it may – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: [0:31:02].
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – it – it – it – it’s either – it’s either not mobile friendly or basically the – the banners, basically, has nothing to do with the offer. It’s not promoting the offer. Or it’s that – it’s that bad. Like, I think I covered this in episode two of the Fitness Business Marketing – – –
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yep.
FRANK SMARRELLI: – – – Show. You know, people doing their own graphic design. It’s one of the things that absolutely irks me. Promote your marketing hooks on Facebook and do it properly. Do – do a professional cover photo. Do a professional boosted post image. And, make sure your copy’s very clean and professional. Always think, listeners, that your Facebook cover photo or timeline banner is basically like a billboard. It’s a free billboard. It’s about the only thing that Facebook doesn’t charge us for. So, make sure that you have a professional Facebook banner promoting your offer when you’re ready to do it. You can either use video now on the – on the banner. I’m not sure if our show listeners know that. But, you can absolutely use a video on your – or as your Facebook timeline banner.
Now, here’s my disclaimer. Unless it’s a great quality promotional type video stick with the still image. I – I just think people said – someone said to me, Brad, a couple of months ago, “Frank, do you think that this is a good idea?” And, yes and no. I think some of my clients have got these amazing, kick arse promotional videos on their Facebook banners. But, I think it opens up a can of worms. ‘Cause what we’re going to see in the fitness industry, listeners, is just really low-quality videos uploaded as the Facebook timeline banner. And, I think it’s probably going to do more damage to your brand. So, yes, it’s an option, promotional videos. But, unless you have a proper promotional video put together by a professional. Or you – or you’ve got some tricks that you can put it together, stick with your still image.
A great marketing hook with poor execution, guys, is simply poor business. A great marketing hook with poor execution is really poor business. Marketing hook first. Plan it out second, integrate third, execute fourth. Execute fifth, execute sixth, execute seventh. I hope everyone gets the message. Brad, that’s my weekly rant. Make sure you optimise your marketing execution to maximise business traction.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Awesome. Mate, that’s one of your best yet. Love it. So, just a quick reminder, listeners, every episode we’ll be answering two questions. If you have a question that you would like answered simply go to www.marketingforgyms.com. Click on the podcast tab in the top menu bar. Scroll down and click on the banner that says, “Ask a question. ” This will then open a pop up form where you can submit your question. So, Frank, that concludes another episode of the – – –
FRANK SMARRELLI: Fantastic.
BRAD CUSWORTH: – – – Fitness Business Marketing Show. So, yeah. Enjoy the weekend, mate. Enjoy that painting. Yeah.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Enjoy the painting? Yeah. I was just about to say, mate, enjoy the painting. It’s going to be fantastic.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Yeah.
FRANK SMARRELLI: Listeners, have a fantastic week. And, Brad, also enjoy the weekend.
BRAD CUSWORTH: Awesome. So, listeners, as always until the next Fitness Business Marketing podcast, knowledge without consistent action means very little. But, when you take massive action you are sure to generate positive results in your fitness business. Please like, comment, share and leave a review for us on iTunes or SoundCloud to help us spread the word. Our goal is to become the world’s largest podcast on the topic of fitness business and marketing. We really need your help to achieve this. Now, to wrap things up, Alison has a quick message from our podcast sponsors. So, have a great week everyone. And, bye for now.
ALISON BRIGGS: I just want to quickly thank our major broadcast sponsor for making this Fitness Business Marketing Show possible. Marketing for Gyms and Personal Trainers has created the world’s number one lead generation software for fitness professionals and club operators. The More Members competition software has generated well over 90,000 local leads for our clients. And, it can easily be integrated and working on your Facebook page within days. Visit www.moremembers.net to check out all the features and benefits of this game changing software system. If you want more local leads and new members coming into your business then you will want to be using the More Members competition software as your main lead generation system.