Art's Blog

Exposed for the Holidays! by Art Rothafel

What?  Holidays...?!!  Isn't it a little early to be writing about the holidays?

Yes, it is -- if you're looking for presents, festivities and good cheer.

But, it's not too early for your clients who want to look good.

Think about it... 

Just around the corner is the time of year they get together and actually visit with parents, grand parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, friends and professional peers..... often for the first time in months... maybe years!

My friend Peter, runs an 8-week "Holiday HIT" (High Intensity Training) program that runs from mid Sept. to mid November.  It's one of his most profitable programs and is always full.

He sends out flyers, emails, etc. to all his clients reminding them of the upcoming holidays.  His promos include some one-liners:  

• "Who'll be seeing you at Thanksgiving?  Just HIT it!"
• "Add energy to your holiday.  Just HIT it!"
• "How ya gonna celebrate New Years?  Just HIT it!"
• "Can't sleep? Just HIT it!"

Oh... and his programs are all pre-paid. Nice cash flow.  Like most Next Gen trainers, he's always thinking ahead.  By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, he's already sold out his New Year's weight-loss programs!

So.... are you, your clients, your training programs exposed for the holidays?

Top 100 Global Brands... What Can We Learn... by Art Rothafel

Businessweek just released their list of the Top 100 Global Brands.  What can fitness professionals learn from the "best-in-the-business" of branding?  Plenty! 

First and foremost... Trust and Transparency.  Sound familiar? 

• Watch the video. 

• Check out the list. 

• Then, get a free check list for your own brand. Click here...

I Don't Iron. Do You?

I don't know about you, but, I hate to iron. In my perfect world, I simply wash, dry and wear. Well... that's the beauty of this incredible professional polo shirt. It's Wash & Wear!

Here's what else....

This particular shirt is made of micro-tec fabric that not only wics but, stretches. It allows a full range of motion. So, no matter what you do, the shirt always looks sharp and fresh.

It's no wonder today's top trainers continue to request this particular polo. It looks great and it's EASY!

I have six of these shirts with our logo imprinted on them. They've endured more than 50 washes and the logo still looks brand new... no fade whatsoever! That's the result of the new state-of-the-art DTG (direct-to-garment) imprinting that's used in our process. It actually impregnates the fabric with ink so that your logo always looks deep, rich and permanent.

These shirts typically sell for $59.99 and require a minimum purchase of 12 units.

But not for you! I'm so convinced you'll LOVE this polo, that I'm making a special offer. You can purchase a single shirt and try it out for just $39.99.

No Minimum Qty! No Set-up!* YOUR LOGO.... All for just $39.99!

But, I can only hold that price til September 30.

So, hurry, you only have a few days.....
* Micro-tech high-tech breathable fabric
* Stretches to allow full range of motion
* No Ironing
* Permanent Crease
* Permanent D-T-G logo imprinting
* Different Cut for Female or Male

*NOTE: If we have your logo on file, there is NO SET-UP Charge.

If we do NOT have your logo on file, there is a one-time set-up of $61.50 that will cover all products in all catagories.

Got Voice? ... by Art Rothafel

Hurrah...!  Just about every fitness professional on the blogs, FB, Twitter and elsewhere have shown some unity on the issues surrounding the Biggest Loser. 

Never mind all the physiological and psychological damage rained on the participants...

How about the negative perception of trainers and fitness professionals in general? 

Watch the show a couple of times and ask yourself if you'd hire any of these trainers to work under your banner.   Yuck!

This is some very serious negative PR.  It is affecting our industry as your read this.  That's right...  it's happening right now. 

So, this begs the questions. 

• Where are our industry voices? 
  
• Does our industry even have a BIG VOICE?
  
• If so....Where's the Damage Control???

O.K. PR pros... what should our industry do to combat the negative imagery of fitness professionals being cast by the Biggest Loser?  What's the single message?  Is there a template for all of us to follow?  Talking points?

What should the "Single Voice" say...?

Little Incentives.... by Art Rothafel

Exercise compliance is hard. Keeping a journal is difficult.  Most clients and members don't want to write things down. But, we know -- and research has proven -- that keeping a journal really works.  So, Next Generation trainers create incentives and rewards for compliance.  And, it's really NOT about the prize.  It's about achieving something.  Here's what Todd Livingstone did:

• Most days of exercise/nutrition tracking (Free Car Wash Coupon)
• Highest utilization of all forms (Subway Sandwich)
• Best handwriting (Pack Bic Pens)
• Most colors of ink or pencil (Pack Bic Pens)
• Most "beat-up" Journal (Shaker Bottle)

What the Heck is That?

"What the heck is that all about?"

That's the question asked of me about the new banner adds along the right hand navigation bar on this blog.

Well, here's what this is all about.

First off, I never recommend anything that I don't use myself.  So, if I use it and I like it and think that it might make sense for health and fitness professionals... well, then, yes, I will recommend it.

Do, I make money at it.  Yup.  I'm not embarrassed about being an affiliate marketer... especially since it's something I believe in.

So, right now you can see that I stand behind the following:

• Aweber:  The absolute best e-mail service in the business.  I switched from Constant Contact to Aweber about 3 months ago.  What a difference!  Incredible customer service.  Much more up-to-date modern internet marketing techniques with auto-responders, follow-ups, templates, email capture forms, etc.     Here's another thing.  Instant customer service.  I had a little trouble when I first started with Aweber... but one phone call and they had me up and going.... Yes... I actually spoke to a REAL PERSON...!   If you're interested you can take it out for a free test drive by filling out the form on the right.     

• Instant Capture Page:  I've written about this in the past.. several times.  That's the little "flash banner" below.  I love this for several reasons.  Jeff Long is accessible - he actually answers his emails.  Plus he has a FaceBook account and has always been upfront and honest with me.  Even when things were not working properly on one of his launches.  Now that's honesty... even when it hurts...! 

• Instant Capture Page:

• Does not require any knowledge of html.
• Allows me to insert a video into an e-mail capture form. 
• Conducts  telephone follow-ups if you choose it (I don't use this function).
• And, last but not least, he has a nice commission structure for his affiliate program.

• Private Print Job:  Well, I own this site, so... well, of course I want to promote it..!  It's the latest in web-to-print technology which means you save big on custom printing.  Currently we have a manual affiliate program, but in the future, you'll be able to refer your clients to us and earn a 10% commission by placing a banner on your site.

So, that's what the heck this is all about.

To your continued Success...

Art

Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way..! by Art Rothafel

I received a call from a trainer two months ago who was singing the blues.  Going out of business.  We had a long talk which could be summed up with this TRUTH for all fitness professionals: 

If you want to survive this economy, you've got to LEAD, FOLLOW or GET OUT OF THE WAY.

Let me translate:

LEAD:  Get proactive - don't just sit around waiting for business
FOLLOW:  Go work for someone else
GET OUT OF THE WAY:  Get out of the fitness business

If you're going to LEAD, here's a simple check list:

1. Give a public presentation (clubs, schools, corporate, church, police, fire)
2. Run a fitness contest
3. Write an article for local media
4. Network with local community or business groups
5. Create a video for distribution (YouTube, etc)
6. Send out a newsletter (mail or email)
7. Lead a field trip (hike, grocery store, outdoor events)
8. Create or Update your Blog, Website, E-mail, FaceBook, Twitter and all media that reaches potential clients.
9. Establish multiple profits centers
10. What else  ______________  (add to comments...)

You've Got Clients...! Now what...?

O.K., you purchased the DVDs. 

Went to the seminars and workshops. 

You learned how to get clients from Facebook, Craigslist and wherever. 

You've become an effective networker and now have plenty of clients booked. 

Great! 

Now what.....?

What is each client worth? 

Is it just $45 per session?

Next Generation fitness professionals continue to value clients BEYOND their "session" value. 

Paul Jensen, a successful marketer/trainer in Florida shared this information regarding a single client profile:

Sessions:

• 1 Client = $45 per session.
• 3 Sessions = $135 per week
• 6 Weeks  Total = $810

Non-Session Studio membership:

• 59.99 per month x 12 = 719.88
• Yearly Total = 1,529.88

Auto-Ship Supplement Plan

• 1 For Women Only Multi-Vitamin Mineral $39.99  per month
• 1 2X Super Fat-Loss Formula $49.99 per month
• 1 Metabolic Optimizer 39.99 per month.
• Total per month = $129.97
• Yearly Total = $1,559.64

---------------------------------------------

1 (one) Client Yearly Total = $3,899.52

So, here's the point.  You've got clients.  Here's what's next:  Leverage your opportunity!

Here's more....

We Gave The Truth its Own Website... by Art Rothafel

Yep....

We were getting so many hits that we finally just gave the "21 Truths to Lifetime Weight-Loss" it's own darn website.

Thanks to all the fitness professionals who believe that long-term weight-management BEGINS with EDUCATION!

I'm Engaged!

No, it's not what you think.  Gigi and I have been happily married for 17 years....

What I mean is:   I'm engaged in the political debate raging around health care.  I've actually  downloaded and attempted to read the entire bill (HB3200).  But, as with many... I can barely read it and it puts me to sleep.  So, I use it for reference when required.

I watched President Obama's speech last night with great interest.

Listen, if you are a health and/or fitness professional this legislation is going to have an impact on your business... in one way or another.

So, I wonder.  Have any of the "voices" weighed in on the bill?  IHRSA?  IDEA?  ACSM?  ACE?

I know that I'd like to see some cash incentives or tax rebates for individuals who can verify some sort of ongoing health, fitness or wellness program.

How about you?   What provisions you would like to see in the bill?  Please feel free to comment!