The Busy Fitness Pro

Posts Tagged ‘Fitness Professionals’

Choosing the right equipment is an important step in meeting your fitness needs. When choosing your equipment you need to know what type of workout you are going to perform most often. The second step to determining your fitness equipment would be determining the location of your fitness equipment. After you have decided on placement, you want to learn how to best utilize your fitness system. After you have completed your analysis, you can then concentrate on your health plan.

Fat burning, impact aerobics, toning and sculpting are among the available workout selections. Whichever workout type you want to participate, you will have the ability to select from different equipment systems. A really intense fat burning routine can be performed using rowing machines or exercise bikes, a less intense workout can be achieved by changing levels on an elliptical machine or treadmill. A nice toned look can be achieved through training routines involving a workout bench and weights. Maximum fitness can be achieved with boxing gear and a punching bag.

Situating your equipment is not a concern if you are going to work out at a gym. Many people who either work at home, or run an online business from home find it more convenient to have fitness equipment in or near their office. You can likely fit your equipment in a room with an existing function if you are investing in one or two small pieces. If you are going to be purchasing a full set of equipment then you will have to find a room to dedicate to as your fitness center.

Before purchasing your equipment you will want to learn how to use it. You might think that reading the instructions are enough, but it would be a good plan to consult with a fitness professionals. Assembling and using your fitness equipment is now the final step.

Fitness equipment planning is a challenging task. Finally, you can focus on your body changes instead of the equipment.

Technorati Tags: Body Changes, Business From Home, Choosing Your Equipment, Elliptical Machine, Exercise Bikes, Fitness Center, Fitness Equipment, Fitness Professionals, Fitness System, Impact Aerobics, Intense Workout, Maximum Fitness, Punching Bag, Rowing Machines, Sculpting, Small Pieces, Step Fitness, Training Routines, Workout Bench, Workout Type

You know, despite the exciting developments in technolog… websites… blogging… pod-casting… email marketing… SMS marketing… the humble business card remains as one of the simplest, lowest-cost ways to promote your fitness business.

But unless your business card gives your prospect a strong reason to KEEP the card, then you’d be better of just scribbling your name & number on the back of a napkin.

Why?

Because thanks to the previously-mentioned technological boom over the past decade, business cards “live” just long enough so the carrier can pop your details into their PDA or computer (if you’re lucky), before they unceremoniously toss it in the bin! So why waste your hard-earned money on something that isn’t valued, and isn’t likely to give you a return on investment?

If you want your business cards to be put to work, the biggest and most important thing you need is to provide a strong reason to call. A “call to action”. This could be in the form of a free initial session. A free T-shirt & towel with every 6 month membership. Go in the drawer to win a holiday for 2 to Fiji, with every 12 month membership purchased. Or even a free report on how to get the world’s sexiest body by Christmas, which they can download from your website (of course, they’ll need to enter their name & email address first…)

Put a value on the card. Something like, “This card entitles you to a free sports drink with every court hire”. Or “Present this card for 10% off your first session”. Give them a strong reason to hang on to your card – but more importantly, to call or come in to your business.

You can even use your business card to capture qualified prospect’s contact details on autopilot. For around $40 a month (plus call costs), and virtually zero setup fee, you can have a 1300 or 1800 number, recorded message and answering service created just for your business card.

The 1300 number links to an answering service (”24 hour message for your convenience”) where interested prospects can leave their details. You get the contact details of qualified prospects sent straight to your email as an audio file, and you can target your info packs much more effectively. And best of all, you don’t have to have someone sitting by the phone all day!

Once you have a strong call to action, use it to create a powerful, eye-catching headline. Instead of placing your company name & logo at the top of the card (which your prospects aren’t really that interested in, to be honest) use this space instead to tell them why they should call YOU.
A sample headline could be,

“FREE audio CD tells you how to lose weight SAFELY and QUICKLY – without resorting to pills, potions or fad diets”.

“Are YOU making this back-damaging mistake when you lift weights? ”

Then again, you may opt for something simple like this:

“Don’t throw me away! I’m worth $15 at your first visit!”

…followed by the usual name & contact details.

Although many fitness business owners shy away from the idea, you will be surprised by the positive results when you include a mug-shot photo on your business card. Just as relationships are stronger when in person than over the phone or email, placing a casual “relaxed” photo of yourself on your card helps to create strong neurological pathways in your prospects mind. They remember you, like you, and have more trust in you simply by having your photo in front of them. The photo is particularly powerful if you’re a personal trainer – because you ARE the product!

Why waste the back of the card? You can use this to provide details on the free widget you offer on the front of the card, or to hold various client testimonials (to reduce scepticism in the mind of your prospect), or even for the prospect to write their name & contact details for entering into the raffle drawer (for that great holiday to Fiji!) They have to come in to the store to pop the card into the barrel, which is a great time to chat with them and encourage them to purchase or grab a trial membership. More importantly, your card has performed the highly-valuable task of capturing a qualified prospect.

For even stronger qualified prospects using this method, use a fitness-related prize as opposed to cash, or a holiday (it depends upon your particular business).

There is much more that could be said for business cards – they truly are one of the most overlooked and under-utilised marketing tools available to fitness professionals.

By using some (or all) of these ideas, you’ll be able to turn your boring humble business card into a response-generating marketing tool!

This has been a really quick overview on what you can do to maximise your business card’s impact – I’d love to hear your results!

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If you don’t quite believe that life begins at 40, just take a look at people over 50 who are super fit-all achievers in their own right and above the 40 year marker. It will change your view of ageing forever. Fit over 40 is an excellent book that showcases the art of healthy living over 40. The book written by Jon Benson and co-authored by Tom Venuto (author of the best seller burn the fat and feed the muscle) is a tribute to people who have defied ageing against great odds. And it has changed my life, maybe even added years to it.

There are tons of book on anti-ageing and fitness, but fit over 40 stands out because of its sheer honesty and truth of purpose. It is the real life account of the author’s journey from fat to fitness. He goes on to present 50 role models all over the age of 40 some fit like a fiddle at the age of 70 plus!

Best thing about fit over 40 is the truly amazing account of how Jon Benson like many of his role models managed to motivate people when they were almost on their deathbed. If you think that Jon and Tom just did interviews with celebrity fitness professionals and compiled a book then you are dead wrong! Most of the 52 people whom you’ll meet in these pages are people like you and me. There are engineers, full time moms, and construction workers – literally from all walks of life. So if they could do it why not me? This will be the question that will hit you powerfully when you start reading these testimonials.

Fit over 40 does not prescribe any fitness fad drugs; instead it is sheer hard work, strategy and commitment. The real life success stories of all these people over 40 have a common thread running that is the application of knowledge and dedication. Jon brings in the concept of “5 pillars of anti aging” each pillar is so vital in building and sustaining your health and fitness.

Personally, I always wondered at super fit people who defy age by their stunning physique and athleticism. After reading fit over 40 I could get answers to the questions. How do they train? How do they eat? And how do they think? These questions are answered in simple but inspirational real life experiences. You can choose the role model that resembles your situation and work out your own schedule. There are no strict regimens or fancy diets prescribed in this book. Personal accounts of people who had actually done it share their secrets – simple yet powerful.

Fit over 40 discusses the strategies that really work. No bottles, no syringes no pills – pure facts. The book covers the entire gamut of anti aging starting right from how to build up your muscles, how to boost your immune system and above all how to harness this good health to halt the relentless march of heart disease, diabetes and continue to live a healthy life.

You can really slash inches and pounds off your body and look better, feel better and jump around with the boundless energy of a teenager. Fit over 40 is for all people who come up with excuses especially when it comes to their love life. In this book, you’ll learn some techniques to re-charge your sex life too! The authors have thought through the process of anti-aging very systematically and it shows. It shows in the alacrity they dispose of ‘doubting Thomas’ questions with crisp, true life inspiring stories.

Each true account in fit over 40 could reflect your own experience. You can choose the one that fits your goal and work on that. It is not true that this book talks only about body building. But even if you want to become a professional body builder it will help you, but it is more of motivation to ordinary people who just want to feel good and healthy once they reach 40.

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