January is a funny month. On a personal front there’s the adjustment from the fun filled festive period to a more mundane time of the year. Plus, those of us in the northern hemisphere generally have to deal with varying degrees of cold, cloud, rain, ice, snow and a lack of sunshine. Professionally you are either run off your feet with eager new and returning clients or stressing that the anticipated “January rush” has passed you by. As it comes to a close here are a few things to consider whichever group you fall into.
Rushed off your feet?
If you fall into the first category and are really busy then it’s important to put some time and effort into retention with the aim of turning those new years resolutioners into long term clients. For LTB members who’ve watched Chris’ consumer psychology webinar you will know that clients that sign up in a state of heightened emotion often aren’t prepared for the behaviour changes required to get the results they want. This doesn’t mean you need to accept their leaving as inevitable but does mean you might need to put a bit more thought into how you use your communication skills and the elements of self determination theory to support your clients and set appropriate expectations. Don’t celebrate the sign ups too early and make sure you focus on support to move them from a problem focused mindset into a more problem solving one.
You should also keep an eye on your own wellbeing. Being busy is great and can absolutely be sustainable as long as you have some things in your life that rejuvenate you so make sure you don’t completely give up on life outside work.
Stressed over finding clients?
If you are concerned that you have missed out on the seasonal influx then don’t panic. There are a number of reasons why people don’t sign up straight away in Jan. Firstly, finances are often tight as people struggle with the hangover impact of the additional expenses and early paydays of December. Secondly, when people are fired up and raring to go on something they normally feel confident they can go it alone. Our enthusiasm and determination are enough and “this time will be different”. This all means that although January can be a great time to build people’s awareness of you, it may not be the best time to get people to sign up. Demonstrating how you can help people as their initial enthusiasm starts to wane and how you can help them ensure that this year will be different is key.
If January is getting you down, give yourself a shake, come up with a plan and take action. Avoid panic behaviour such as jumping between different social media forums asking for advice or flitting between different lead generation tactics. Create and follow through on a well thought out plan. Whilst it can be tempting to listen to trainers who claim to attract loads of leads every week it’s worth considering that a successful trainer doesn’t need loads of leads. The ones that are burning through hundreds of leads because their clients are all turning over every 6 months or so do not have a successful business. The successful ones have a full diary and potentially a waiting list.
With that in mind here are a few actionable tips:
Commercial Gym Based
- Make sure you are present and building relationships with people in the gym. Spend as much time as possible in the gym and talk to people!
- Within the rules of the gym you work at make sure you have appealing posters / profile board / information available when you aren’t there (but don’t rely too heavily on this).
- Consider running a free event or a competition.
- Contact any previous clients or leads to see if things have changed since they decided you weren’t right for them.
Private Facility / Mobile / Online
- Don’t just put out content on social media for the sake of it, make sure each post you do has a purpose and is relatable for the audience you are aiming for.
- Include a mixture of posts that demonstrate results (remembering results aren’t always weight loss), address concerns, provide practical information on what you do, how you do it and how you can help shorten the distance for them between where they are now and where they want to be. Don’t forget a call to action.
- Consider running a competition.
- Contact any previous clients or contacts to see if things have changed since they decided you weren’t right for them.
Remember that lead generation is all about building relationships. Make sure everything is relatable to the people you are aiming for and be consistent in terms of message and language. Don’t assume that people know you exist, know what you do or will ask if they want training.
Regardless of how January went, we have another 11 months to make a difference to people’s lives and to build our businesses and there is no reason to write off 2019 yet!
If you are interested in Chris’s webinar on consumer psychology and other resources on marketing then check out membership information and sign up for your 2 week free trial here.