Letting members know you have a great product that can help them achieve results is sometimes not as easy as it sounds. Club communications (i.e. newsletters, blogs, weekly updates, etc.) are good methods to deliver a message, but lack the engagement and interactivity that a hand-on display or face-to-face interaction have to offer.
The first step in marketing your personal training department services is to become the fitness expert in the club. Here are some ways you can try:
1. Hold regular Q&A seminars about certain fitness topics that your trainers are experts on.
2. Offer free postural alignment screens or movement screens to begin a conversation between an educated trainer and a potential client.
3. Have trainers address certain training philosophies or discuss physiological facts in a monthly newsletter, blog or Facebook post.
4. Post profiles on trainers that have unique training abilities and offer a 15-minute demo with that trainer.
5. Have trainers go into the last 10 minutes of a popular group exercise program and coach them through an abdominal workout.
Secondly, let other employees talk about their own personal training experiences. This allows other employees to express the value of training to everyone they interact with, especially if they see results. The more employees talk about personal training to everyone they interact with, the more the message of how successful your trainers are with clients gets out there. This also allows the message of personal training to be delivered by your best marketing tool — satisfied customers. If your club does not offer training at a discount to other employees, seriously consider doing so.
The third step is to establish a relationship with every department in your club so that they know who your trainers are and what they can do. If your own staff does not know who your training staff is, how will members know? Send emails introducing new trainers to all of your department heads or all the staff in general and highlight your trainers’ specific skill sets and why they are part of your team. I would include a picture and a small bio.
The fourth and last step is to have your trainers become community exercise leaders. Have your trainers lead groups of members on runs or bike rides to build a rapport with members that will open up dialogue to the possibility of training.
The key to marketing your department is by using different avenues and tactics and by doing so you will achieve success. If you only use one method you will be restricting your potential for personal training revenue and growth.
Vic Spatola is the Director of Personal Training for Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club in Greenwood Village, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. Contact him at vics@greenwoodatc.com.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
