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July 02, 2009

Offering 12 Week Transformations to Online Clients

Beforeandafterman As part of our Marketing Workshop we discussed how well 12 Week Transformations work with online clients.  You can see the presentation a couple of posts down in this blog - I recorded it and posted it live. One of our clients is truly successful at this concept - Jason Domingo and his group over at Power Challenge Fitness.  Check out their testimonials and photos and you will be amazed at how well they work with their corporate clientele virtually. 
I've attached a 12 Week Transformation Checklist for you:  Download 12WeekTransformationChecklist

Host weekly phone coaching sessions that include a weigh in.  Get these clients engaged with weekly habit changing webinars and celebrate their weekly successes as a group. 

July 01, 2009

Hosting A FitScore Open House - free e-book and Checklist

HSFitscore300dpi Everyone Should Know their Fitscore? Do you?
In my most recent Marketing Workshop we covered hosting a FitScore open House as one of the great things you can do to attract new clientele and then upsell to online personal training and nutrition.
see the attached document for a FitScore Open house Checklist. 
Download FitScoreOpenHouseChecklist
Also, read the FitScore ebook:
Download FitScoreBook
I'm happy to help with questions - feel free to email shelley@HyperStrike.com.

June 30, 2009

Marketing Webinar Resources Zip File

IFBBwomanheader Chock Full of great marketing, selling, promoting, pricing tools for your online training and nutrition.  Please view my recorded webinar for the full scoop below.
Download Marketing Workshop Resources

June 25, 2009

Marketing Webinar Video - Build, Brand, Market & Promote Online Training & Nutrition

Shell We hosted a live Marketing Workshop today - We thought we'd share it with you. Feel free to click on the link and download it. It lasts 50 minutes.  If after watching you would like all the resources from the webinar - please email shelley@HyperStrike.com and we'll send them right along.
Download 2009-06-25 13.04 Marketing Workshop

June 18, 2009

Upcoming Fitness Marketing Webinar - FREE

 

 

 

Marketing Workshop

 

Join us for a Webinar on June 25

How to Build, Brand, Market and Promote Online Training and Nutrition.
ROI, Case Studies, Sales Techniques, Pricing Strategies, Ideas, Tricks, Tips, Templates and Resources.

Title:

 

Marketing Workshop

Date:

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Time:

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM PDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

 

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/311626634

 

June 10, 2009

Goal Mapping, Tracking and Adherence = Goalster.com

Goalster Check out this brand new FREE site GOALSTER!
It just launched today in "Beta" form and we'd love to have you check it out.

Some info:
This site was formed to assist people in tracking anything that they or their friends can think of. Want friends to keep you honest? We have a feature for that. Share Goals with friends and have them help you reach your potential.

June 03, 2009

What Should We Really Be Eating?

Bagelsorbuffet USDA MyPyramid website: http://mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html

Image from Washington Post of MyPyramid next to old food pyramid: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/daily/graphics/diet_042005.gif

Link to Harvard Version of Pyramid and included information: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid-full-story/index.html

 

What Should You Really Be Eating?

Forget the old Food Guide Pyramid model released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and forget the USDA's new model as well, MyPyramid. There's a new food guide pyramid in town, it's called the Healthy Eating Pyramid.

Released by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, the Healthy Eating Pyramid is easy to understand and backed by hard science and the latest research. The food pyramids released by the USDA are backed by shaky evidence and lobbying efforts from commercial food organizations.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid's foundation is daily exercise and weight control. Why? Because those two elements greatly influence your overall health.

The next level consists of three food groups, WHOLE grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and healthy fats and oils.

I emphasize whole grains because for some reason USDA's MyPyramid guidelines state that it's okay that half of your grain intake consists of refined grains. Refined grains essentially act as sugar when ingested, have negative effects on metabolism and increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Whole grains have almost the opposite effect, they keep blood insulin and sugar levels stable and research suggests that diets rich in whole grains reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The benefits of fresh fruits and veggies are widely known, including lowered risk of heart attack and stroke, possible increased resistance to cancers, and lower blood pressure.

Surprised fats and oils are close to the foundation? Healthy fats of course can improve cholesterol levels and keep your heart beating steady by protecting it against sudden and dangerous rhythm problems.

The next level on the pyramid consists of two groups. Fish, poultry & eggs and nuts, seeds, beans & tofu. Nuts, seeds, beans & tofu are great sources of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Many nuts contain healthy fats and are good for your heart. Fish, poultry & eggs are great sources of protein. Certain kinds of fish such as salmon are high in omega-3 fats, which are good for your heart. Chicken and turkey can be low in saturated fat and are plentiful protein sources.  Eggs are a little high in cholesterol, but are still excellent sources of protein and nutrients. People with heart disease should avoid the yolks, but egg whites are okay.

The 2nd highest level on the pyramid is dairy, at 1-2 servings a day. Although a good source of calcium, dairy products such as milk are high in saturated fat. Did you know 3 glasses of milk contains as much saturated fat as 13 slices of bacon? Try to stick to low-fat or non-fat milk products.

The top of the pyramid is the familiar use sparingly category which includes foods such as red meat & butter, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks & sweets and salt.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid also includes some optional things for your diet, including a daily multivitamin and some moderate alcohol consumption. Although not for everyone,
many studies suggest alcohol has numerous benefits for heart health.

Overall, the Healthy Eating Pyramid is focused on quality of food and nutrition as opposed to focusing on numbers or how many servings one should consume. As long as you eat more foods from the foundation of the pyramid and fewer foods from higher levels, you will be following a healthy and sound diet.


 

May 21, 2009

From FitCommerce: Front Desk UnderValued and UnderPrepared

Great article - I thought I'd share with you:


Geoff Hampton

The Health Club Front Desk - Under Valued and Under Prepared

By recruiting well and providing strong initial training, your club can enjoy bottom line success.

by Geoff Hampton



The front desk staff represents the first point of contact for both the sale of memberships and the retention of members. Many clubs fail to recognize the importance of these highly-visible staff members and are caught in a cycle of poor candidate selection and poor initial training. The result can be significant in terms of lost annual revenues.

Another under-estimated application for front desk, which is based on false assumptions, is that the front desk can be multi-tasked to include membership sales duties. This results in ever greater lost revenue capabilities and performance potential reduction. While this may seem like a good strategy in terms of budgeting, it is not.

This false assumption generally costs clubs that use the application to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in new membership sales revenues and other opportunities that could have been better managed if the front desk had a stand alone function of customer service.
While the front-desk staff team member is still on the low end of the pay scale, the importance of the position must not be overlooked. It should be considered a professional position, and potential candidates should be interviewed and trained as such.

Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment for front desk is one of the most neglected components of hiring in the wellness industry. For most clubs, the front desk recruitment process represents crisis hiring cycles. Consider the positions of personal training or massage therapy. The industry requires noteworthy certification before a person may even be considered for hire. Then think about the requirements for front desk.

They must have a ride to and from work, be able to speak clearly and if even with one finger task execution must be able to push buttons on the computer keyboard. Yet this is the only position in the club that every member interaction begins with and ends with each visit. Furthermore, this is the first and last impression for all prospects, important person in club visits and is not a position that should be taken lightly.
Smily Face Mug
Like a good cup of coffee, the front desk person can positively set the mood for the day for each person who walks through the door. The front desk staff should greet every person with friendliness and enthusiasm…
Recruitment should be an ongoing process, which means that the club advertises in an ongoing manner for good qualified front-desk staff candidates. By advertising on an ongoing basis, the club will have a better opportunity to overcome the crisis hiring cycle and will begin to build a portfolio of qualified candidates.

Types of advertising include print advertising in the wellness employee recruiting websites, newspaper or word-of-mouth through friends, staff or members. A strong, regular advertisement run online or in the local paper will generate a lot of interest. While some clubs consider this type of advertising "wasted revenue," the cost is small compared to the final result.


"Don't forget to check references. A glaring error in staff selection occurs when clubs fail to check references thoroughly. If the candidate is not as good as he/she seems, service will obviously suffer."



Sometimes the best front-desk candidates come from referrals from either current staff or active club members. If you have a professional, motivated employee at the front desk that has a friend interested in a job at your club, consider interviewing him/her. The same can be said for club members.

The next step in establishing a professional, service-driven front-desk staff is selecting the right candidates. This step is less obvious than most club operators realize. For example, not all candidates will "test" well, but they may make terrific front-desk employees. Or, while some clubs may require experience, the person with little previous experience may potentially be the best front-desk employee the club has ever hired.

It is impossible to accomplish a 100-percent efficiency status in hiring, because all people are different. For example, someone may interview great and test fabulously, but not be able to deliver once they are on the job. Mistakes are easily made in a new job, so be objective and realistic. If you are interviewing someone who has an outstanding, motivated personality and their references check out but they don't "test" according to your criteria, don't necessarily count them out.

Don't forget to check references. A glaring error in staff selection occurs when clubs fail to check references thoroughly. If the candidate is not as good as he/she seems, service will obviously suffer.

"Each interview should help the candidate reveal pertinent information about themselves. Use few, if any, questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. The interview is intended to reveal the candidate's strengths and weaknesses, and questions should be open-ended in nature. "


Interviewing

The next step is the interview process. Depending on the size of your club and the structure of your staff, two or even three interviews can be revealing and useful. Interviews should be conducted by the front desk-manager, the sales manager and the club owner/general manager -- in that order. Remember, the potential front desk candidate will hold a highly-visible, important position. He or she will be greeting every member, guest and prospect both on the phone and in person.

Each interview should help the candidate reveal pertinent information about themselves. Use few, if any, questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. The interview is intended to reveal the candidate's strengths and weaknesses, and questions should be open-ended in nature. For example, "What are three personality traits you possess that qualify you to become an outstanding front desk staff employee?" Then ask about weaknesses.

The interviewer should write down candidate responses to make the process most effective. Many times, an interviewer who is inadequately prepared later says, "Oh, I forgot to ask the candidate about...." The best interviews are written and used the same way with every potential employment candidate. Keep the information in the computer so it can be easily printed for each interview. The interviewers can then assess the effectiveness of the questions and the interview format, and easily make appropriate changes as needed.

Each interviewer should cross-reference their notes with those of other interviewers. Obviously, each interviewer will have generally different interests in the candidate and, thus, the questions will be different.

Once the candidate has been interviewed and the management team feels comfortable enough to hire the individual, a standardized test can be introduced. Many companies offer effective standardized tests -- some more difficult than others. Standards established by the testing company should be examined closely. While tests may be effective, the front-desk candidate may still be someone that you collectively decide to hire -- even if they fail the test.

A good way to negotiate this dilemma is to establish a point rating system that allows for a less-than-perfect score in one of the key preliminary hiring elements. This should include "gut feeling," which is simply someone's real, most often accurate, perception of the candidate's personality traits and qualities.


"Customer service thinking is the No. 1 priority of front desk function. This includes all member and prospective member interactions. All must be handled with skill, professionalism and enthusiasm…"



Once the candidate has been selected, an upbeat letter can be mailed to the new employee to build enthusiasm. Make the new-hire feel special, while also building excitement in the new employee about the club and its professional staff. This is a powerful technique and sets the tone for a positive, motivated beginning.

Reiterating Service

In creating the proper mind-set for new front desk staff, it is important to differentiate between "task-oriented thinking" and "customer service-oriented thinking."

Task-oriented thinking can be crippling to the service-driven club. This is when the staff member focuses on the technical application of their job, instead of customer service. While technical application is important, it is not as crucial as customer service.

Customer service thinking is the No. 1 priority of front desk function. This includes all member and prospective member interactions. All must be handled with skill, professionalism and enthusiasm. In other words, no matter what may be going on in the staff member's personal or professional life, when they are at the front desk, they must be truly friendly, professional and efficient.

Remember: Recruit well and provide strong initial training. If your club follows these guidelines, then bottom line success is unavoidable.

About Geoff Hampton

Read more about Geoff Hampton and read his articles. Go to About Geoff Hampton.



More Like This…


Customer Service Excellence: PRIORITY ONE!   by Mike Campetelle

Your Employees...Your Number-One Asset in Your Club   by Jim Thomas

May 20, 2009

FindMyTrainer.com


 

FindMyTrainer.com Connects Pre-Screened, In-Home Personal Trainers with Clients Nationwide

Matching Service Bases Recommendations on Individual Fitness Goals, Experience, Location and Time; All Personal Trainers are Professional, Certified, Insured

Personal trainers can change lives by helping people reach their fitness goals faster than they ever thought possible
Yet until now, the process of finding the personal trainer best suited for you was expensive and time-consuming. We've simplified the process and made it affordable.

San Diego, Calif. (PRWEB) May 20, 2009 -- FindMyTrainer.com offers a new approach to personal training, matching experienced, in-home personal trainers with willing clients nationwide. All recommendations made through the online service are based on individuals' fitness goals, experience, location and available time, eliminating much of the guesswork in finding the ideal training team.

"Personal trainers can change lives by helping people reach their fitness goals faster than they ever thought possible," said FindMyTrainer Founder Tom Dorlig. "Yet until now, the process of finding the personal trainer best suited for you was expensive and time-consuming. We've simplified the process and made it affordable."

Officially launched to the public this May, FindMyTrainer has spent a year and a half building a national network of personal trainers, and it continues to grow its database daily. Each trainer is pre-screened, certified and insured. The network includes trainers from a range of specialties including weight loss, muscle building, injury rehabilitation, flexibility, endurance, sports performance and overall health.

Additionally, FindMyTrainer represents in-home personal trainers who can work with individuals in the privacy of their homes, at the office or an outdoor location. "Convenience is of the utmost importance. We help people get fit on their own terms, when and where they want to," said Dorlig.

Hourly rates range from $65 to $75 an hour, and each trainer in the network has agreed to the same pricing structure. There are no additional signup fees, maintenance fees or monthly contracts. Clients can cancel at anytime.

Individuals interested in learning more about personal training can visit FindMyTrainer.com. There is a short online form on the homepage that should be filled out as a first step. A member of FindMyTrainer staff will contact the client by phone within 24 business hours to discuss detailed goals and experience.

Personal trainers who would like to be considered for the FindMyTrainer network can visit the Personal Trainer Network.

About FindMyTrainer.com

FindMyTrainer.com is a national personal training matching service that pairs individuals with professional trainers based on their fitness goals, location and available times. All personal trainers are pre-screened, certified and insured. For more information, visit http://www.findmytrainer.com or call (866) 367-4511.

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May 19, 2009

Carving Out Your Niche and Passion with Personal Training

We found this article about a personal trainer who encourages cancer patients and survivors:

Personal trainer encourages cancer patients, survivors


For The Patriot Ledger
Posted May 19, 2009 @ 05:00 AM

A breast cancer survivor, Darlene Maggio, 50 of Quincy, has different fitness needs than most exercisers. To meet those needs Maggio, one of the 10 million people in the United States with a history of cancer, sought out a cancer exercise specialist, which is a new specialty certification for fitness professionals. It’s being offered at the Cancer Exercise Training Institute and the American College of Sports Medicine, among others.

Laury Hale, a cancer exercise specialist at Fitness Unlimited in Milton, said fitness trainers learn to adjust workouts for patients who have had surgery or who are dealing with chemotherapy or radiation side effects, such as nausea and fatigue.

“My motivation to add some specialized training for cancer survivors is a direct result of seeing how this diagnosis changes everything in a person’s life,” said Hale, whose mother is a cancer survivor.

“I try to approach personal training by looking at the whole person – what motivates them, what stresses are challenging their fitness goals, what other life experiences occurred before they made an appointment with me,” Hale said.

Just a few months into Maggio’s training, Hale saw her client’s enthusiasm – and commitment – grow.

“She’s the kind of client I love to see coming through the door,” Hale said. “Ready to go to work, willing to try new ways of training, giving feedback that helps me design a better program and making an investment in her future.”

Maggio has regained full range of motion and has lost 42 pounds. Last September, her body mass index was 37.7 percent, which is considered obese. Last month it was down to 25.1 percent.

Maggio underwent a lumpectomy and seven weeks of radiation.

“It scared me,” she said. “I told myself I only have one life and wanted to be here for my son for many years to come. While it was up to me to make it happen, I couldn’t do it alone.”

Recovering from cancer wasn’t Maggio’s only worry. Heart disease runs in her family.

“It wasn’t a matter of looking good in clothes anymore,” she said. “It was a matter of life and well-being.”

A personal trainer for seven years, Hale, 50, measures the success of clients by them “just showing up, reaching goals that are specific and reasonable, and taking advantage of several resources, not just another walk on the treadmill.”

Hale uses medical history, postural analysis, range of motion exercises and strength exercises.

Cancer survivors and those undergoing treatment have unique needs in terms of training, Hale said. She works with doctors and follows their recommendations.

“The wide variety of treatments, surgeries, reconstruction options and other variables makes it absolutely essential to keep any exercise program a part of their continuum of care,” Hale said. She said that assessments are done prior to training and at regular intervals during training. The information is sent to clients’ doctors and caregivers.

Being flexible and realistic in terms of goals is key, Hale said.

“Responses to treatment can vary; fatigue is a huge factor during and after treatment, and it is important to keep this in mind planning an exercise program. Every aspect of a person’s life is affected once a diagnosis is received: physical, social, emotional and mental.

“I know exercise can be a healthy response to the stress of this disease, and believe it can also be an opportunity to have a measure of control over your body and your life,” Hale said.

“Surviving cancer creates a ‘new normal’ – and I think exercise can be an important part of recovery.”

For more info, go to fitnessunlimited.com, or call Laury Hale at 617-698-0260, Ext. 40.


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