subject: Fitness Marketing Messages That Work: The Proven Step-by-step System [print this page] Most newbie business people want to convert cold leads into paying clients in one fell swoop. But try it in the real world, and you'll probably just scare them off.
With high-ticket items like your training package, you'll need to use your wits and court your prospects. Let me tell you about an approach that's a sure-fire way to warm them up to your services one step at a time. A few fundamentals that you MUST keep in mind: Each step in your fitness marketing has a specific purpose. Never attempt to do more with each step than what it is intended to do.
Your ads, flyers, postcards, business cards, etc. are specifically intended to generate leads by attracting the attention of potential clients. The SOLE purpose of this step is to get these prospects to call your voice mailbox and listen to your message (or to call you directly).
The SOLE purpose of your voice mailbox message is to get the prospect to leave his/her contact information so you can mail them your Free Report. If you are going to do any advertising, I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO INVEST IN A TOLL-FREE NUMBER WITH CALLER I.D. THAT AUTOMATICALLY CAPTURES THE CALLER'S PHONE NUMBER.
And finally, the purpose of your Free Report is to EDUCATE the prospect, introduce your service and make an irresistible offer to get the prospect to call you (this is the only step with multiple purposes). YOU should initiate personal contact with a "soft" call the day you get the lead to confirm mailing address and introduce yourself as the author of the report. Then FOLLOW-UP five days after mailing to ensure they received it.
Never attempt to make a step in this process do more than what it is intended to do. Please be clear on this because it is crucial. Do not attempt to sell your services or persuade the prospect that he/she should do business with you in either of the first two steps.
Target your market. Many trainers make the mistake of being too eager to run fitness advertising, and they do not do the important research necessary to make this system truly effective. That is they do not locate media that is targeted to their market.
What is a targeted publication? If you are in the seniors market, you want to locate publications, which are specifically produced for the seniors market. If your niche is women only, find publications which are specifically targeted to parents (these are read almost exclusively by women), or consider a Val-Pak type advertisement (these are the coupons which are mailed to homes in an envelope) which are read predominantly by women. Etc.
This investigative "work" that you do before placing an ad is very important. The more tightly you can match your message to your market, the more successful your fitness marketing will be and the more money you will make. If you randomly place your ad, you can expect random results. Talk to local businesspeople like sports store owners, chiropractors, gym owners, fitness equipment retailers, registered dieticians, massage therapists, even other trainers, and ask them where they are advertising and getting their best results. Search your local publications for health and fitness related advertisements. You want to be advertising where you see other health and fitness professionals advertising over and over.
With all that said, my strong advice to you is to focus on ENDORSED OFFERS and target farming to build your prospect/client list by incorporating multiple MEANS of response (direct call to your office, fax, email, website AND free recorded message) and multiple REASONS to respond (free information, free newsletter, free gift, discounted service, special offer, etc.) The more means and reasons for response you provide, the more likely you will get a response -- regardless of what type of fitness marketing you are doing.
To boil it down to the basics: TARGET your market, approach your marketing ONE STEP at a time, and provide MULTIPLE ways for your prospects to reach you - and multiple reasons why they should. Do this, and you'll have your prospects converting into customers like you wouldn't believe.
