Tag Archives: Experiences

What you can learn from “Shamu” the Killer Whale

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Well I am back from a wonderful relaxing vacation with the family. Despite the sweltering heat we had an amazing time visiting San Antonio and Sea World. Now, I would like to be able to say that I did not think about work but unfortunately I can not help but think about how my experiences can help give you an edge or tip to increase your knowledge and business. So, my question for you today is, what can you learn from a killer whale named “Shamu”? 

I am assuming everyone has had the opportunity to visit a Sea World and has seen the Shamu Show. If not, I highly recommend that you visit a location near you and take in the experience. So with that being said, each year Sea Worlds change things up with the themes of their shows and currently the theme of the Shamu show is “Believe”. What a great theme for what we are currently experiencing right now in this economy. I know people are struggling right now and now more than ever it is important to continue to believe in what you are doing and most importantly, believe in yourself.  Beleiving in yourself is an important first step for your success, but the real lesson I want to get across to you today is what you can learn from Shamu the killer whale.

The first and most important lesson to take away is that Shamu is the predator of all predators in the ocean; however, as dominant as this creature is the killer whale and the Sea World trainers have developed a trust that is incomprehensible to think of. Who would ever think that a whale and a trainer could come together and develop a trust that allows a unique relationship to develop and flourish. Building trust is the single most important  trait that you need to develop with your clients. Trust will open up doors that you never thought were possible and once the doors are open then you will be able to help solve the emotional pain that your client is experiencing. I guarantee you that once you have established trust with your client you will create a raving fan. (More on raving fans at a later date)

The second take away from Shamu is the adaptability that exists between him and the environment that exists at Sea World. It is almost unfathomable to think that a killer whale is able to adapt to different elements and ultimately succeed no matter what environment that he is in. This is important for personal trainers if you want to succeed. The best way to become a successful personal trainer is to adapt to your environment and your client. Each client will present a different opportunity and with that you will need to adapt to their personality and their needs if you want to retain them as a client. Listen, if a killer whale can adapt from being the dominant animal in the sea to a trained entertainer then I know that you can adapt to whatever client personality that is presented to you.

If you want to be a successful personal trainer learn two things from Shamu the killer whale. Build trust and learn to adapt to your environment and you will become successful with your business.

What Business are You in?

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Duh! The Fitness Business, Dave! No, if you are a fitness professional you are not in the fitness business. You are in the business of changing lives. You are in the business of creating experiences for your clients. You are the dream realization business. Too many times have I seen fitness professionals fail because they believe that the business they are in is working out. They believe that it is all about anatomy, biomechanics, sets, reps, and soreness. This is one reason we are having a hard time converting people who currently do not exercise into gym members. Here is a list of things we need to keep in mind when trying to get a prospect to use our services.

1.) Clients buy for their reasons not yours.

2.) Clients want an experience

3.) Clients want their problem solved

4.) Clients buy when they TRUST you

Keeping these four reasons in mind when approaching your business will help when you are in the prospecting mode and trying to gain more business. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that you need to inundate a prospect or client with tons of scientific terms and movements. Keep it simple and remember that you are in the business of changing lives and solving problems. If you just focus on solving the client’s needs you will be guaranteed to generate more personal training sales.

First Class Service

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What can you learn from flying first class and how can you apply it to your  business?

Well, let me tell you I finally get it! This past week I had to fly to Orlando due to the passing of my Grandfather and I flew first class. This was only the second time I have had the opportunity to fly first class but what an experience. Now, it did not come cheap. We had to use a lot of our miles, as well as pay a small fee, but the airline made it worth it. The reason the airlines make it worth the money is because the airline companies know that the first class passengers spend the most money and are probably the most loyal. This is what you need to take note of. Most sales professionals and trainers spend way too much time and effort on getting new clients and don’t realize that they need to spend more time on giving their current clients first class service.

Why, you ask? Well, the clients who train with you the most are going to continue to train with you, and will also continue to spread the good news about you. So, what can you do to start creating first class service?

Here are a few things:

1.) Send a thank you card to your clients – a spontaneous card thanking them is a very nice gesture, which shows you took the time out of your schedule to show your appreciation.

2.) Comp them a personal training session – Set a number of sessions trained and after they hit that number give them a comp session.

3.) Give them a small gift – you can get creative here and you do not need to spend a lot of money here. Remember it is all about the gesture.

4.) Start a distribution list and send them motivational quotes and articles.

5.) Remember kids names, birthdays, anniversaries, etc… Use this to send emails, cards, and congratulations when you are talking to them.

 

Now, these are just a few ideas, but the point here is you need to go above and beyond to create memorable and positive experiences for your clients. The airlines have been providing first class service for a long time and they know how to get it right, so if you need to see what I am talking about fly first class and then start providing first class service.

The Importance of Personal/Professional Development

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I wrote the other day about how important it is to master the art of sales and I said I would share with you in more detail the 5 steps to successful selling that I adapted from Zig Ziglar. So let’s tackle the first step. The first to step to successful selling is the importance of Personal/Professional development. Okay, let’s get started.

A.) Personal

  1.  Phyiscal – are you keeping your end of the deal? What I mean are you practicing what you preach? I know sometimes trainers get burned out and the last thing they what to do after a session is workout, but remember your clients are watching to see if you are doing what you tell them to do.
  2. Mental – what type of books are reading? Are you staying around positive people? What type of thoughts are you thinking? It is important to feed your mind with positive thoughts and ideas.
  3. Spiritual – Up until a few years ago this is an area I let slip away but since my father’s passing a few years ago I have found my purpose in life. Remember each and everyone of us was put here for a purpose. Find your purpose and live it!  
  4. Financial – I added this point because as a trainer you will have fluctuations in your income from week to week and month to month, so it is important to understand the value in financial planning. Also, one thing for trainers to consider is what would you do if you were hurt or injured and could not train? Long Term Disability Insurance is something you should think about in case you were laid up for a long period of time do to an injury or illness.

B. Professional

  1.  Information – What sources are you getting your info from. Make sure it is a credible and reliable source if you are going to share it with clients.
  2. Experience – The hardest part initially for a trainer is gaining that experience. As you continue to grow you can use the experiences that you learned to enhance your credibility. 
  3. Knowledge – Technology and research has really changed the way we conduct personal training today. I tell all my trainers that the way we train today is totally different than we trained 10 years ago and it will be totally different 10 years from now. It is important to continue to grow and become an expert in your niche. As I tell interns and new trainers the best piece of advice I can give you is never stop learning! Invest in your knowledge on a daily basis!  

Customer Service isn’t Dead

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I thought Customer Service was dead! I am happy to say it is not! You see every week in our staff meeting we have a time to share great customer service stories with the staff and for the last three months I have been on able to share any real great experiences but last night that all changed. My wife and I were out on “date night” and went to a brand new restaurant. Yes, I branched out and decided to try something new and different, which turned out to be great. Why, was it so great you may ask? Well, at first it started out a little shaky because we were sat at our table and five minutes had went by and no server had approached us. Now, one thing I always do is time how long it takes for someone to greet us and take our drink orders. This comes from my days of working in the restaurant industry back in college. Okay, so finally we were greeted and the first thing our server, Sloan, did was apologize for us not being greeted. You see, we had had a glass of wine from the bar and she thought that someone had already taken care of us, but nonetheless she felt bad and immediately tried to change the situation.

Lesson number one – if things start out bad you still have time to change the outcome but you must act fast. Apologize and start trying to create a memorable experience.

Okay, so once she apologized she started to create a memorable experience for us. First, she told a story about the wine we purchased, which was really cool. Then, she made some really great recommendations  on the menu. And finally, when we had a hard time choosing between two different items she offered to split both plates with half of each order. What was interesting about that was the couple next to us asked their server if they could do that and he had some lame excuse as to why it could not be done. So here is lesson two.

Lesson two – be different and create an experience. It wasn’t that I absolutely loved the food, but the service and memory that Sloan,our server, created for us.

I can not begin to tell you that in this economic time period “Customer Service” is going to make the difference between your training or someone else. People will buy but will buy great memories!!!

Coach Dave