Are YOU listening to your prospects?

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“I’m not a sales person by nature.”

Something I used to tell myself all the time. I know as a fitness professional that high-pressure sales tactics don’t come naturally to us.

That is a good thing.

But a lot of us hold the belief that a sales person is supposed to be someone who is pushy. I’ve come to learn that selling has absolutely nothing to do with pressuring people. Nor should you place any pressure on yourself.

Selling your services requires nothing more than having a conversation with a fitness prospect. If you can’t hold a conversation with a person then you are probably in the wrong industry in the first place. During the time you are talking you will find out whether or not you and that person are a good fit for one another. If you are, great! If you aren’t, it’s no big deal.

There will be more prospects, right?

In case, you haven’t noticed the majority of people need your help! Thanks to the fast-food business, even China is becoming obese.

In a selling situation you always get back what you put out. Meaning, however you are acting is how the prospect you are communicating with will respond. If you are acting a little nervous the prospect will sense it and may begin to get nervous about hiring you. If you are acting a little pushy your prospect will sense it and begin to push back. Just relax and talk to the person.

Your prospective client should be doing the vast majority of the talking. Sales is about them, not about you. It’s natural for any person to want to rant and rave about the terrific services they provide and all the wonderful things they can do for that person.

But it’s even harder for us as fitness professionals because we have the ability to help people like few other professions can. However, you have to do it. You must listen to what they want. It’s not your money, yet, it’s their money. If you want to get a new client you’d better listen for what it will take to get them as a client.

It really is incredible what happens when you listen to your fitness prospects. They will tell you exactly what it is they want from you. By simply repeating back to them that you will provide them (assuming you can) with the exact results they are looking for, you’ll probably have a new client.

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TESTIMONIAL

“The Ultimate Sales Kit for Fitness Professionals is the closest thing to magic there is. I just used what I learned in the kit to land 2 new clients–at the same time! It worked like a charm.

Thanks!”

Rick DeToma
Tailored Fitness, LLC
****
If you ramble on and on about the things you do for your current clients you may miss the one thing that this prospective fitness client is looking for. You could list all sorts of benefits that you provide. But if they don’t hear the benefit they want then they probably aren’t going to hire you.
Always remember: People buy for their reasons, not yours. Asking questions and listening to prospects allows you to find that reason.

Promoting benefits makes for good marketing, but not for good selling. And for those of you who don’t know, marketing brings prospective clients to you. Selling turns those prospects into paying clients. There’s an enormous difference between the two.

Remember, there is no pressure when making a sale. Simply have a conversation with your fitness prospect. Ask lots of questions about what they want. Assure them that you can provide the results they are looking for and more than likely you’ll have more money in your pocket by the time you are done talking!

Yours in prosperity,

Jim Labadie
http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

PS- Last week’s Ultimate Sales Kit celebration got out of hand real fast! But I still have a few copies of the 128. You’ll see what I mean at:

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

PPS- Even MORE testimonials for the Ultimate Sales Kit for Fitness Pros!

“I love your program, and to be honest, I was horrible at sales until I got it. I closed my first $1000 dollar training because of what you taught me! Thanks for delivering such quality information!”

Sincerely,

Scott Buendia
ACE Certified Personal

“Jim, I just wanted to say thanks for all of your help. I’ve read everything Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and all the other “sales gurus” have in print, and it all pales in comparison to the Ultimate Sales Kit. We’ve been able to grow our business over 500% in the last 12 months and it’s a direct result of principles you outline in this program.

If a fitness professional wants to make more money in a hurry, they need to order the Ultimate Sales Kit today!”

Pat Rigsby
Owner
Fit Systems

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

Looking for some publicity?

This one comes from my good friend Amanda Vogel. Yes, the same Amanda Vogel who is a freelance writer who contributes to IDEA Fitness Journal, ACE Certified News, Fitness, Self, Cooking Light, Fit Pregnancy, Health and Shape. She is looking for articles from fitness professionals.

-Jim
http://www.CelebrityFitnessImage.com

Here it is exactly as I received it from her.

********

Call for articles:

I edit a fitness column in an e-newsletter for a UK-based fitness association called Fitness Industry Education (FIE) (www.fitnessindustryeducation.com). The newsletter goes to about 20,000 fitness professionals around the world every week.

I am currently looking for articles that I can include in this e-newsletter. Is this a paying gig? Well, no. But here’s how you benefit if I am able to use your article(s):

> You receive a professional edit of your article, which will increase its quality; you can use the edited version in your newsletters, on your website, in an e-book, in your press kit, etc. Plus, submitting the edited version to other editors increases your chances of getting it published as a reprint in magazines.

> You will likely get an insider tip or two about why your article query worked - or why it didn’t. (See below for more on this.) Either way, the info you receive will help you achieve success with other media and writing opportunities.

> You get to promote your expertise, name/business name and article to tens of thousands of fitness pros.

> You get to include your bio at the end of your article with a link to your website.
WHAT’S THE E-NEWSLETTER?

The article I edit appears in one of FIE’s affiliated weekly e-newsletters from a company called www.jumpybumpy.com. The article may also be posted on JumpyBumpy.com’s website and/or FIE’s website.

If you’re interested HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

> Email me a short article proposal (i.e., query) for the topics you have in mind (email to: info@activevoice.ca). Remember that I need TRADE articles for your fitness colleagues, not for consumers. The website attracts a lot of group exercise instructors and personal trainers.

> I am looking for practical articles about any of the following topics: group exercise, group personal training, one-on-one personal training, program design, working with personal training clients, exercise selection, workout ideas, boot camp ideas, nutrition, working with special populations. Other ideas are welcome.

I can use some business-related articles, but I mostly need in-the-field information.

> Feel free to send proposals based on articles you have already written. In fact, I encourage it since this is not a paid assignment. Please ensure you have retained the right to have your article re-published in the JumpyBumpy.com e-newsletter. Preparing a query for an article that’s already written is the same procedure as preparing a query for an article you haven’t written yet. Just let me know it’s a reprint and include where it’s been published before.

> I am looking for articles of about 400 to 600 words. If yours is slightly longer, no problem. But be prepared for me to cut it down.

> You will get to approve the edited version before it goes “live” in the e-newsletter.

> Please don’t send me the entire article; just a detailed proposal.

Questions? Email me: info@activevoice.ca

Amanda Vogel, MA
www.activevoice.ca

6 Unique Sales Tips for Personal Trainers

Just wanted to make you aware of some articles I’ve written on making selling your services a whole lot easier. You may need to copy and paste the links below into your browser.

- 6 Unique Sales Tips for Personal Trainers
http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/6UniqueSalesTips.htm

- Selling Fitness Made Simple
http://www.fit-pro.com/editorial2.asp?ID=227

- How to Close the Personal Training Sale
http://tinyurl.com/ow9a6

I also wanted to make you aware that all 98 copies of my Limited Edition Ultimate Sales Kit for $98 are long gone. However, due to the overwhelming demand, and to be fair to the people who took action immediately, we are making an additional 128 copies available at $128.

So if you were THINKING about getting in on the fun NOW is your last chance.

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

Have a great weekend!

Jim Labadie
PS- This testimonial just came in yesterday!

“Jim,

I just wanted you to know that I ordered the Ultimate Sales Kit for Fitness Professionals and started training our staff on it. I have done over 15 different sales seminars and nothing compares to what you put together for the personal trainer. It is very thorough, yet easy to follow.

Our company sales have jumped by around $5000 extra per month just by having staff listen and implement your system. I expect that number to triple by the end of this year alone.
Thanks for a great product and I can’t wait to see what you and Ryan put together down in Jupiter.

Frank Nunez
UNICUS Fitness
Unicuspt.com

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

This will NEVER happen again

As you may already know, the new business I’m starting with my friend Ryan Lee is getting closer and closer to launch. You may also know we’re both moving to Jupiter, FL to open an office together. So last weekend I drove over there from Tampa to find a place to live.

Boy, did I ever! I’m going to be living in a condo that’s right across the street from the beach.

Heaven.

I’m going to be leaving a lot behind here in Tampa, but I really can’t wait to get out of here and get started anew. It truly is reason to celebrate.

That’s why I’m writing you today. I want you to celebrate with me. I’ve put together a little something for the first 98 of you to read this.

I’ve never done this before. I will never do this again.

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

I’m rolling back the calendar. Getting back to my roots. Going back to what got my here. It’s the flagship. It made one of my customers $10k in 6 hours. Yeah, you read that right.

The celebration begins right NOW! But this one won’t last long. I might be crazy, but I ain’t stupid.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Ryan Lee is telling his list about this celebration, too. That’s well over 100,000 fitness pros just like you who are invited to this celebration. So if you want to be one of the 98 at the party you need to take action NOW.

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

Yours in prosperity,
Jim Labadie

PS - Come on, it’s Friday! Do some celebrating with me!
http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

PPS- Again, 100,000 trainers are reading this. Get in on the fun NOW!
http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/celebrate98.htm

Your entire future depends on…

Sorry I haven’t written to you this week. I’ve been a bit run down from everything that is going on. Running one company…finding a new place to live…saying goodbye to old friends…starting a new company…

My body told me to shut it down for a little bit, so I did.

That’s why it’s just a quick one today. Something for you to think about:

Your entire future depends on the very thoughts you are thinking right now.

So, what are you thinking about?

Yours in prosperity,

Jim Labadie
PS- Dream bigger dreams

http://www.fitnessbusinessmindset.com

PPS- Look for a big announcement from me tomorrow.

Can you do this?

I must admit, I’m extremely excited today. I’m driving across the state of Florida to Jupiter to find a new place to live. As you may have heard, Ryan Lee and I are meeting up there to launch an entirely new business together. That in itself has me excited as h*ll! But when you add the fact that I’m going to be living within walking distance of the beach…

To live any other way would be nuts - for me anyway.

I can’t possibly imagine not being an entrepreneur. I can’t possibly imagine not calling my own shots. I can’t possibly imagine not having the freedom to take off on a Friday afternoon to go look for places to live on the beach. I can’t imagine not taking the road less travelled by.

Believe me, it wasn’t always easy. I made more than my share of mistakes. I took more than my share of lumps. But with the risks come the rewards.

To me, there’s no greater thrill than rolling the dice on a CALCULATED risk. That’s why I don’t really consider what I do ‘work.’ I don’t want to call it a hobby. But it’s just too much fun to call it ‘work.’ I guess you could just call it my passion. And that’s what I really want for you. I want you to know this feeling - if you don’t already.

Just the other day I was at a barbecue with friends. One of my buddies, who is a fellow business owner, asked me if I wanted to take off in the middle of the week and go to an amusement park. My other friends, who all have corporate jobs, all kind of laughed and rolled their eyes. I just smiled and said my favorite line, ‘It’s easy being me!’

So how easy is it being you?

Can you take off whenever you want? Can you just take an afternoon off so you can go on a new roller coaster? Or go see your kid in the school play?

You can live the dream. I’m living proof that a regular ole personal trainer, who was always told to get a ‘real’ job, can make his life into what he wants it to be. If I can do it, you can do it.

My friend and customer, Pat Rigsby, is doing it too. He used to be a high school coach. Good, honest work, right? Of course. But it wasn’t providing Pat with the life he wanted to live. So instead of doing what most people do - complaining about what’s missing in their life - Pat took action and made it happen for himself.

He started out like most of us did, training one-on-one. And like most of us, he quickly realized that he needed to make another change in his thinking, and fast.

Why make things hard on himself? Why not go where there is a giant pool of potential training clients already? Why not build a business that would allow him to leverage his time? Why not build a business inside an existing business where his overhead would be as low as possible?

I recently interviewed Pat and discovered something very interesting. Did you know that most personal training departments in health clubs are bleeding red ink? Health Club owners want to sell memberships. So the trainers are really just a necessary evil. To many of them anyway.

So there was Pat’s answer. He started negotiating with club owners to take over their personal training departments for them. He pays a % of the gross revenue, but gets to keep a ton for himself. All the prospective training clients he could want are already in front of him. That way it’s easy to book his staff of trainers full of clients.

I also came away from our interview knowing that Pat was really onto something here. He went on and on about his system for building these training businesses inside of clubs. It’s brilliant. The whole thing laid out step-by-step.

Again, I’ve made my share of mistakes and those mistakes have truly served me well. But if I had to do it all over again, I would gladly have accepted a blueprint for success. If someone had told me what to do every time there was a bump in the road getting to this point would have been a whole lot easier.

Hey, I do not have one single regret. Not one single complaint. But I’m also not an idiot. If you have an easier way for me to do something, I’m all ears.

If you’re all ears, then I highly suggest you read this next section very carefully. Pat is willing to share with you how to do exactly what he did. Create the business, and thus the life, of his dreams. He can do what he wants, when he wants. He has a steady stream of income. He’s got everything systemetized. He’s essentially got a business-in-a-box for you.

But this information isn’t for everyone. Not even close. This is serious stuff. You have to want to make this happen. You have to want to be a TRUE business owner. This isn’t the kind of thing where you get a couple of ideas and move on. This is essentially a franchise without having to pay all the royalty fees.

Look: Pat has done all the hard work for you. He’s taken all the lumps. Made all the mistakes. Taken all the risks.

Do you want to reap the rewards? Are you ready to make your life easy?

If you are then check out what Pat has to offer you. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime staring you right in the face.

http://www.TrainandGrowRich.com/patrigsby.htm

Yours in prosperity,

Jim Labadie
http://www.TrainandGrowRich.com

PS - Again, this is only for the ultra-serious only. If you want the keys to the kingdown handed over to you visit Pat at:

http://www.TrainandGrowRich.com/patrigsby.htm
PPS- That new business with Ryan Lee? We just hired our Chief Financial Officer. He’s got his MBA from Columbia. This is HUGE! We are NOT messing around.

PPPS - Oh, I forgot to mention, Ryan Lee and I think so highly of Pat he have made him a member of our Board of Advisors for our new company!

http://www.TrainandGrowRich.com/patrigsby.htm

Subscriber Appreciation Day!

Woohoo!

It’s Subscriber Appreciation Day at TrainandGrowRich.com! To show my appreciation I’ve got a bunch of cool stuff for you. And it’s all ‘on the house.’

Get on over to http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/appreciate.htm and check out all your gifts!

Yours in prosperity,

Jim Labadie

PS- Answer: $19.95
Question: How much will it run to you find out how one trainer made $2.1 mill in just three years? http://www.ptwealthbuilder.com

Oh, and how you can do it too.
http://www.ptwealthbuilder.com

PPS- Thanks again for being a subscriber! I’m showing my appreciation at

http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/appreciate.htm

The Fortune Cookie

True story.

The other day I opened a fortune cookie and my fortune was:

“Your dream will come true”

Yes, it will. So will yours.

Know why?

At this very moment, as you live and breathe, your life is a direct result of every thought you have ever thought and every dream you have ever dreamed up until right now.

Know what else?

Your entire future hinges on every thought you think and every dream you dream from here on out.

See? Fortune cookies do tell your fortune.

Yours in prosperity,
Jim Labadie
http://www.fitnessbusinessmindset.com

PS- Dream bigger dreams.
http://www.fitnessbusinessmindset.com

There’s a BIG difference

I was emailing back and forth with Scott Colby of http://www.ptmediablueprint.com yesterday about prosperity.

There is a difference between being rich and being prosperous. I personally know lots of people with lots of moolah who are friggin’ miserable.

Why?

Again, there’s a difference between being rich and being prosperous.

Prosperity, to me, means being healthy, wealthy and HAPPY!!!

It also means spirituality. It means feeling connected to a source greater than yourself. The people I know who are miserable do not feel that connection.

And some of them are religious. But that is a much different thing from being spiritual.

Can you be both?

Of course.

Can you be TRULY happy without being spiritual? Without feeling a divine connection with all that is?

I’ve tried it and PERSONALLY I don’t think you can.

BUT…

Spirituality can mean many things to many different people. There is no right or wrong here. You will not be judged by me. And believe me, I will not be judged by you.

So take the weekend to think about it. What does spirituality mean to you?

Jim Labadie
http://www.howtoprofitwithbootcamps.com

PS - Latest http://www.howtoprofitwithbootcamps.com testimonial:

‘Hi Jim,

Just wanted to let you know what happened after I bought your Ultimate Boot Camp Start-up Kit. I put out an email to my newsletter list and within two days had sold out all 20 places in my camp!! This was without even doing press releases or any other marketing. That’s 1200 POUNDS!

I’m now looking for a sleeve sponsor for the t-shirts I want to give my 20 customers! Thanks for such a great product!’

Paul Mort (Dip.PT,Dip.ST)
PrecisionFitnesss.co.uk

PPS - See? Iit works in the UK too!

http://www.howtoprofitwithbootcamps.com

The DaVinci Code and the Fitness Professional

Three things today:

1) I need to thank my friend Heather Picken of FeelingLikeaMillion.com for this one. She let me know there’s a new DaVinci Code D i e t out there. Yup, more of the same ‘yo-yo’ cr*p.

Yes, the movie and the book are still hot. I just watched a show on it this Sunday and I saw ads for more shows. Regardless of your feelings on the subject - love it/hate it - it is a prime publicity piggybacking opporunity for you!

I’ve even got the perfect headline for your press release:

‘More DaVinci Code Deceit: Unscrupulous Weight-Loss Marketers Take Advantage of Book’s Popularity’

It’s the perfect opportunity to take a hot news topic and use it to your advantage. Plus, you can also talk about how people get duped by d i e t s like this because they are scramblig to look good at the beach.

If you’d like an entire YEAR of awesome publicity ideas handed to you on a silver platter check out http://www.ptmediablueprint.com

2) Another great PR idea for you. I was reading Reader’s Digest one day (hey, you never know where the next great idea will come from!) and I saw a little blurb on the lamest excuses for missing work. They were compiled by CareerBuilder.com.

Some examples:

- I’m too drunk to drive
- My cow bit me
- I forgot I was getting married today

What a brilliant media hit for them! Reader’s Digest is read by like a bazillion people.

How does that apply to you?

Are you telling me you couldn’t come up with the top-ten most lame excuses why people don’t want to exercise?! The media LOVES lists. The love simple ‘top-ten’ tidbits. You can send out a release on this. You could pitch it to local TV and radio. It’s perfect for print media.

Just make sure you make it humorous. You want people to like you. You don’t want them thinking you’re a fitness snob!

I’ve got an entire year’s worth of publicity waiting for you at http://www.ptmediablueprint.com

3) My friend and customer, Pat Rigsby has an AWESOME new ebook out called Health Club Marketing Magic. It isn’t designed for Personal Trainers. It’s for Clubs.

Basically, if you have a club, or a studio that is membership based, Pat’s ebook will help you:

- Get more members
- Get more purchases from each member
- Get bigger purchases from each member

I love working with Pat because he is an outstanding person and as aggressive a marketer as you will find. Again, if you have a club, or a studio that is membership based, get a copy of Health Club Marketing Magic.

http://www.ClubMarketingMagic.com

Yours in prosperity,

Jim Labadie
http://www.TrainandGrowRich.com

PS - Amanda Vogel, a regular contributor to IDEA Fitness Journal, ACE Certified News, Health, Self and Shape, listened in on the http://www.ptmediablueprint.com tele-seminar. Here is what she had to say about it:

‘Brilliant! Every idea in http://www.ptmediablueprint.com is right on target with exactly what media outlets are looking for. Follow these creative and totally doable ideas for year-round publicity and start collecting a ton more income as you also motivate the public to exercise.’

http://www.ptmediablueprint.com

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