The Difference Between A 'Workout Business' and A Great Training ...

March 24, 2013 ‐ By admin

The fitness business landscape is more competitive than it?s ever been before.? Not only are there new personal trainers moving into the industry by the thousands each and every month, but your training business has to compete against:

• 24 Hour Health Clubs in virtually every market
• Discount $10-19 per month Health Clubs
• CrossFits popping up in every community, often several times over
• Bootcamps being opened by anyone with a certification
• Home Workouts like P90X
• Niche fitness offerings like Zumba

And I can promise you, this increased competition isn?t going to change.?

Sure, some of these fitness providers will fall out of favor, but they?ll be replaced with other, newer or trendier solutions.

So how can you not just compete, but actually thrive?

Building Brand Loyalty

Your answer to thriving in this ever evolving market is by building Brand Loyalty.

I don?t recall using the word ?Brand? too many times here on the blog or in newsletters but it?s the right word for what we?re talking about.

See, there is great value in having a brand that is known for something.? That stands for something.? When you think of brands like Disney, Starbucks, Apple and many others ? they?re not just a product.? They?re more. But even beyond that, each of these brands? success isn?t simply based on being more than a product ? it?s really based on forming relationships with the customers the brand serves.

Brand Loyalty.

So step one is simple: evolve into more than just an easily commoditized product: workouts.

But that?s just the foundation.

It takes more than simply building a brand to build brand loyalty. The key, really, is in understanding the emotional connection that people have with the brands and products they love, and then respecting and cultivating that connection.

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Building Your Brand Connection

There are plenty of training businesses that are here today but won?t be around a couple years from now. That?s just the way business works.

How can you avoid being one of those ?here today, gone tomorrow businesses??

Connect with the people you serve.

Being the Disney fan that I am ? I think there is no business on Earth better than them at making this connection.

They don?t just entertain people ? they make them feel special.

But you may be thinking ? ?yeah, but that?s Disney?my business is nothing like that.?

I disagree.

There are plenty of other amusement parks around the country that spend millions to develop rides and attractions, but still struggle with the overall customer experience.

Disney understands how everything works together: the attractions, the people, the story ? to make for the best possible experience.

In fact, Disney?s Cast Members (staff) are what truly set them apart. They work hard to create magical moments for guests. So for Disney, Brand Loyalty is viewed as a reciprocal relationship that starts with them.

Here are just a few examples of the ways Disney?s Cast creates magical moments for their guests:

• Guest of the day programs
• Honorary titles, badges and certificates
• Special scavenger hunts
• Honorary starring roles in their shows
• Special games and activities just for children
• Signed cards from Disney characters

For Disney, nothing is bigger than the guest experience. They recognize that positive interactions, no matter how small, result in lasting memories and an emotional connection to the Disney brand.

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Creating Your Brand Loyalty Experience

In your training business, what opportunities do you have to create special moments or stronger connections with your clients?

Here are some ideas:

• Public Recognition ? Client of the Day, Week or Month.? You can recognize people in person, in your newsletter and in social media.

• Private Recognition ? Birthday cards, anniversary cards, gifts and other expressions of your appreciation of them as an individual.

• Individual Coaching & Acknowledgement ? Making sure everyone knows each and every day that they are not just a face in the crowd.? Greetings by name, high fives and a couple minutes of individual coaching can go a long way.

• Client Only Events ? Client appreciation events, client only workshop and other events that help clients feel like they belong to something exclusive.

• Client Education ? An often unappreciated way to build Brand Loyalty is through education.? By educating your clients you?re helping them better understand what is unique and better about your business.

• Evolution ? The enemy of Brand Loyalty is boredom. You need to constantly be looking for ways to keep things interesting to keep people engaged.

• Having A Carrot ? Martial Arts has belts.? Universities have degrees.?They?re not only signifiers of a level of proficiency, but they?re a means of keeping people involved.

• Differentiation ? People want to belong to something unique. Something special. What can your clients easily quantify about your business that is obviously different than the competition?

These are a few starting points for building your Brand Loyalty Plan.

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The Big Benefit

By now you understand that it?s easier to keep a client than to find a new one. But that?s just a small part of the benefit of developing Brand Loyalty.

When you have strong Brand Loyalty, it becomes much easier to market through the clients you already have. Those people that are loyal to your brand will introduce you to people in their network that they think are a fit for what you offer.

Having strong Brand Loyalty also allows you to position yourself as a premium provider instead of always being forced to compete on price.? Think about the businesses I mentioned earlier?Disney, Starbucks and Apple. They?re all at the top end of the price range in their respective markets.

So if you want to build a great business ? one that attracts clients, attracts prospective employees and keeps them all longer and happier ? then make developing your Brand Loyalty a top priority.

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Dedicated to Your Success,

Pat

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Source: http://fitbusinessinsider.com/workout-business-vs-training-business/

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