Effective referral marketing for Personal Trainers
Earlier this week I was talking to a Personal Trainer about referral marketing. She said that she regularly asked her clients to refer her to their family and friends, but despite consistent reminders, it rarely brought in new prospects.
The idea of getting your best customers to promote your business is great, the challenge however, is expecting them to remember to talk about you after they finish their session. Especially when they walk out the studio door and into the other fifty million things they have going on in their lives!
So what is the most effective way of utilising the great relationship you have with your clients in order to promote and grow your PT Business?
In my experience there is one method of referral which is low cost, quick, easy and most importantly – effective!
The answer: GIFT VOUCHERS!
So how do they work?
You produce a set number of Gift Vouchers that are valued at the cost of a PT session, say $80
(Depending on your business growth goals ) You hand out a gift voucher to each of your current clients after their next PT session and ask them to give the voucher to a friend.
What are the benefits?
The voucher is tangible, measurable and as a result makes the recipient feel like they have been given a gift (they have!) worth $80.
(Imagine how you would feel if someone handed you a Rebel Sport, Myer or Lorna Jane Gift Voucher for $80 – pretty damn happy I would think!)
Why not test it out, verbal referrals Vs Gift Voucher ones. If you are confident in your ability to train a client, then you know you will be able to secure ongoing business after the initial session, therefore, don’t consider it as losing $80, think of it as a comp session that will gain you a new regular client!
Things to remember when you produce your gift vouchers:
- Always include a Redeem by Date!
- Include a contact phone number or website
- Include the voucher value
- Make sure they look professional. You can print your own at home or get them done by a company like The Smart Card Company or Vista Print
- Most importantly: Once they redeem their voucher, make sure you thank your original client for referring them to you!
Chantal worked for 15 years in senior sales and marketing roles in the media industry before transitioning careers. She began as a qualified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. Realising she could do more to help the industry, she became a Fitness Business Coach with Active Management. Then in 2015, she became the host of The Fitness Business Podcast. Now with over 262 shows and 500,000 downloads it is one of the world’s top podcasts for fitness business owners, managers and fitpreneurs.
Chantal has interviewed fitness industry leaders including Rick Caro, Bill McBride, Brent Darden, Rasmus Ingerslev, Derek Gallup, Alison Flatley, Mo Hagan, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Carrie Kepple, Emma Barry.
Fitness industry award winners including Todd Durkin, Krista Popowych, Carol Michaels, Kristen Green.
International authors including Jay Baer, Jeb Blount, Mark Shaefer, Mike Michaelowicz, Michelle Segar.