January is fast approaching — a critical time of year for fitness and weight loss facilities. It is when thousands of potential customers are looking in the mirror and making the resolution to lose weight and get in shape. So what are you doing to capitalize on this sudden interest? What can you offer that will keep them coming back after the initial motivation has waned?
The answer is Metabolic Testing! Metabolic testing uses oxygen consumption measured through a short breathing test to determine precisely how many calories a client burns at rest. This Resting Metabolic Rate, or RMR, is based on sound, scientific principles and can provide the basis for weight loss counseling that has a leading edge appeal to attract clients. Consider what Metabolic Testing can do for you in 2012:
Marketing
With Metabolic Testing, you can add more “punch” to your existing marketing budget. It adds something new and exciting for your mailers, ads or website. A banner outside your facility, brochures at the local pharmacy, or posters strategically placed at the grocery store can all help entice potential customers to come to your facility for Metabolic Testing. The service will sell itself . . . you just have to get the word out!
New Source of Revenue
Most markets report that clientele are willing to pay a minimum of $40 per test. It’s only a matter of weeks before the system has paid for itself and test revenue drops straight to your bottom line. When was the last time you had a piece of equipment that actually paid for itself?
Enhance Existing Weight Loss Program
Many fitness facilities have invested in weight loss and nutrition programs. Some may restrict the kinds of foods clients are allowed to eat. Others may simply restrict total caloric intake. Maybe supplements are used to enhance weight loss. But regardless of how it is structured, success in weight loss is ultimately determined by burning more calories than you eat.
Because “burn more than you eat” ALWAYS applies to weight loss, metabolic testing can complement any diet program you may have. First of all, consider the interest generated by metabolism. Check out the headlines in any supermarket checkout, and month after month you’ll see the word “metabolism.” Why? Because a slow metabolism is a common excuse for extra pounds. When individuals hear there is a way to actually test their metabolism, they jump at the chance!
In addition to increasing interest in the program you are offering, metabolic testing can make the program itself more effective. As clients see the results of their testing, they better understand how their body works as a calorie-burning machine, even at rest. Their body is no longer the enemy working against them, but their greatest ally.
Launch a New Weight Loss Program
How can Metabolic Testing become the basis of a new program? Simple. The client begins with their RMR test results that show how their own metabolism has frustrated their weight loss efforts in the past, and what they can do to be successful this time. An eating plan is structured to keep them within their “target zone” of caloric intake. The client tracks their intake, and then reports back to their counselor regularly. A variety of software, apps, and tracking aids based on RMR are available to construct eating plans.
You will want to encourage clients to come back for retesting every eight weeks. Any change in caloric intake can alter their RMR. These changes are often the cause for the dreaded weight loss plateau. Close monitoring is especially vital during the maintenance phase. Clients should be tested monthly for at least six months after reaching their goal weight until their metabolism has stabilized.
Metabolic testing can give you something new and exciting to offer for the New Year! You can have technology that is not only the latest and greatest, but also scientifically proven to work, permanently. And results like that will win you customers for life.
Julie Kofoed, BSN is the Vice President of Marketing for KORR Medical Technologies. She can be reached at 801.483.2080 or by e-mail at jkofoed@korr.com, or visit www.korr.com.
