If you've ever had an idea for a new, fitness related product or service? Dream about building a company around your new widget and then selling your company to a larger company? If that sounds like you, you'll want to listen to this interview with fitness entrepreneur Sara Shears. Sara invented the Ugi ball to help her personal training clients train more frequently. After years of effort, she was able to sell her company Ugifit to Mad Dogg Athletics.
Rather than trying to explain Ugi to you – watch this short video to see it in action.
http://youtu.be/GxkBlo44XPA
Listen to Sara explain some of here entrepreneurial journey below.
I met with Sara at WSSC and took one of her 30 minute classes. It kicked my ass and the whole time I was suffering through Sara's class, I kept thinking how Ugi could be the perfect strength and balance compliment to a small boutique's cycling class.
Interested in training to teach Ugi classes? Here's the link to their website where you can find a certification training near you – or how to host a training at your club or studio. I'd love to know what you think about Ugi…
As fitness professionals, many of us find it is exciting when a member asks us for fitness related advice… but are you making the proper recommendations?
Do you really understand what she/he is asking?
Do you have enough information to respond in a way that will be motivating?
Or do you have the tendency to just launch into a long response, hoping that some of it sticks?
As a long-time sales guy, I've tried to learn the importance of asking the right questions, before offering a solution. Actually it's often a series of questions, before I'll consider responding. Last fall I talked about a total fail I had early in my career, when I tried to empress a potential customer with all my product knowledge, in this post.
Now that I finally have a device (my new iPad) to download ebooks, I'm putting it to good use. My latest read is The Psychology Behind Fitness Motivation: A Revolutionary New Program to Lose Weight and Stay Fit for Life by Health Psychologist Dr. Kim Chronister. In the book Dr. Kim describes the concept of a Motivational Interview – which sounds exactly like what I suggest you use, whenever you've been asked for help or advice from a member.
Motivational Interviewing for Exercise Motivation
An optimal technique that is supported by the research for exercise motivation is motivational interviewing (MI). When you are seeking the motivation to gain results (for a better body, sharper mind, etc. from regular exercise) motivational interviewing falls into the “what you need” category to get you “what you want”…results.
MI has been shown to be enhanced when MI is combined with other effective treatment methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy (which was discussed in the previous chapter). The technique of motivational interviewing can be used to improve a person’s motivation to change and it can be effective in facilitating behavioral change.
In a clinical setting, motivational interviewing is used by a therapist or other mental health or medical professional to help promote positive change in a client’s behavior. MI exercises are designed to help people recognize the need for changes in their behavior. As a first exercise, let’s say a motivational interviewer (i.e. psychologists, nurses, social workers, medical practitioners, physiotherapists, and dietitians) is meeting with a client trying to lose weight to alleviate chronic health problems. The motivational interviewer would emphasize the importance of the change, current information about why the client should make the alteration in his/her lifestyle, including many benefits. The motivational interviewer would then provide the steps and action plan to make these lifestyle changes. At the end of this chapter, you will be given tools based on the technique of motivational interviewing to help you in your personal fitness goals.
Near the end of the interview, Dr. Kim and I discuss her thoughts about a question I had; should Instructors take an active role in sales and marketing, especially Instructors who teach at a small studio?
What do you think? Should (or would) you be willing to sell/market/promote your studio's services to your participants? I'm not referring to you simply reading a few announcements before the start of class here. I mean communicating with members with the purpose of building rapport, suggesting upgrades, encouraging purchases, recruiting new participants… you know, selling what your studio has to offer.
Would you do that if you were rewarded financially?
Master Trainer Cameron Chinatti from Stages Indoor Cycling joins me to offer suggestions on how you can solicit constructive feedback… and then what to do with it once you receive it.
Cameron's handout begins:
Dear _____________________________________________
As a fitness professional, I take every opportunity to improve my craft to better serve each and every one of you. In addition to the time and resources that I voluntarily dedicate to learning new exercise formats and methodologies, I also strive to improve myself.
My current self-growth project is entirely dedicated to being an effective “cue-municator”. I recently completed a cutting-edge indoor cycling course and one of my assignments is to fully understand and embody my strengths – not only as an instructor, but also as a person. If you are willing, please share your helpful, honest feedback.
[wlm_nonmember]
Cameron's handout is reserved for ICI/PRO members. We offer monthly and annual subscription options:
As the fonder of multiple fitness programs for Moms; Stroller Strides®, Body Back® and Fit4Baby® – Lisa Druxman knows all about creating a Tribe of people passionate about a fitness business.
Lisa Druxman created Stroller Strides in 2001 after the birth of her baby. With over 1,300 locations nationwide, it offers moms an opportunity to get in shape, meet other moms and have fun with their baby. Since then, we have released Fit4Baby, our prenatal fitness class and Body Back, our workout for any stage of motherhood. All of our programs give women the “Strength for Motherhood” and together create FIT4MOM.
Helping YOU to make strides in fitness, motherhood, and life! ®
Our Values:
We will help moms achieve their ultimate potential, both physically and emotionally.
We will offer support and education for moms.
We will inspire moms to reach optimal health and well being.
We will inspire children to emulate their moms and make fitness a part of their lives.
During the interview Lisa and I discuss the importance of Starting With Why – it's what your Tribe will connect to, Here's a presentation from author Simon Sinek where he explains the process of finding your Why!
Marketers have specific names for people, based on how quickly they purchase new products or embrace new technologies. The people who lined up, days in advance, to buy the first iPhones are described as innovators. Those of us who waited a few weeks for our new phone are early adopters. The few holdouts still using a rotary dial phone fall into the laggards category.
It maybe a “guy” thing, but I love new technology and feel I'm a bit of an innovator. I'm very comfortable experimenting with new software, especially if it includes a promise to improve my fitness or help me deliver a better class. For example; the second I saw Spotify I knew I needed to learn how it worked – both for myself, and then be able to help motivate the thousands of Instructors who visit here use it as well.
When it comes to Social Media, I hate to admit, I haven't been very innovative. Closer to a laggard. I've been privately wishing that FaceBook would fade away. You see, ICI/PRO has always been about others. My response to questions; “so, what do you do John?” has always been; “I have a platform to promote smart, talented and passionate people in our industry”.
So after multiple promptings to “get more active on FaceBook” and my realization that it isn't going away any time soon – I have finally decided to do just that… get more active on FaceBook and other platforms. Except I realized that I needed some help.
Enter Social Media expert, blogger and Indoor Cycling Instructor – Courtney Messier Lee 🙂
Courtney makes her living helping businesses develop their brands, online, using the various social media platforms. She has graciously offered to help me, starting with the creation of a FaceBook fan page.
Courtney joins me to discuss her plans to enhance my social profile and some of her ideas may help you as well.
You can learn more about Courtney and the services she offers, by following the (you guessed it) links to her profiles below.
Chris Hawthorne AKA Chrispins and I had a Skype date yesterday morning, to record our latest Audio Class PROfile – Four Corners. I'll be publishing it later today for all of our ICI/PRO members to enjoy.
Chris is another of the smart, talented people I enjoy promoting here. She has a real wealth of knowledge about music discovery, playlist creation and all things Spotify. With over 1,000 followers, her Spotify profile is one of the first places I go to steal find new music for my classes 🙂 Visit chrispins1.wordpress.com and you'll understand why Chris's blog has become a real go-to place for new music and playlists suggestions for Instructors.
Before we started with Chris's profile, I hit record and we discussed her weekly music discovery tool, some common questions she gets about Spotify from new users and her trick for getting missing iTunes tracks to show up in Spotify – she calls it magic.
During the interview I mention a low cost (under $25) bluetooth receiver you can use to connect your iPhone/Android wirelessly to the club's sound system. Here the post for more information.
