You’re not alone if your personal training business has fewer general enquiries and a drop in attendance during winter.
But, there are ways to limit the effects and, in fact, build your outdoor PT business, even when your members’ motivation levels wane during the colder months.
We ask Step into Life’s founder and director Larry Cohen for an insight into the trends he notices and the successful business strategies his franchisees’ use during winter.
Anyone who knows small business’ will tell you every industry has peak and off peak periods. But the key to success is maintaining a steady and consistent marketing and promotion presence. Make sure you know the benefits of training in winter, and take a strategic approach when dealing with new or potential clients versus existing clients.
Here’s how:
Ideas for a retention program you may want to run might include bonus educational sessions about topics like:
The same advertising methods apply all year round. For personal trainers in the outdoor space, it’s important to have visible car signage and portable items such as a tear drop banner. A constant marketing presence means that your brand and offering will be placed on the ‘mind-shelf’ of your potential customers. This means when they come to making a buying decision, they will think of you first.
There’s no doubt wet weather can pose some challenges for outdoor PTs. And, some sessions may need to be modified depending on the conditions. Always assess any safety concerns as a result of working on a wet surface. For example, high intensity cardio segments such as sprints may need to be limited due to the risk of slipping. Instead, replace these with something like step ups. Remember, your members will be more uncomfortable than usual, so put extra effort into boosting their motivation with encouragement. A simple text message reminder to bring a dry layer to put on after the session can make a big difference.
Photo credit: Step into Life West Pennant Hills
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