At HSN Mentoring we are dedicated to helping gym owners and nutrition coaches increase nutrition coaching revenue in their gyms.
We provide a turn key solution and education platform to deliver a professional nutrition, and health coaching program in fitness facilities world wild. In this blog series we are highlighting the steps necessary to increase nutrition coaching revenue. Additionally we will let you hear, and see the results from gym owners and coaches who are making real money running the HSN Mentoring program in their facilities.
Gym ownership is notoriously driven by a genuine desire to make a positive impact in people’s lives rather than solely focusing on financial gains. Many gym owners embark on this journey with a deep-rooted passion for health, fitness, and the well-being of others.
Their motivation stems from a heartfelt intention to assist individuals in achieving their fitness goals, improving their lifestyle, and fostering a sense of community. While financial success is undoubtedly important for sustaining the business, the true fulfillment lies in getting clients better results, and witnessing their transformation.
Unfortunately all the passion and good will in the world doesn’t pay the bills. At some point shifting the focus to adding revenue streams that will help make more money, and also serve helping people improve their health ends up being a win – win for the gym owner and the clients.
In this blog post we will highlight The Free Intro.
It is the second step in the sales process, and serves as a gateway between potential clients getting results from your nutrition coaching program, or not. Steps 1 and 2 are highlighted here, and explained with great detail in our article “3 Tips To Help You Price And Package A Nutrition Coaching Program In A Gym“.
These steps include setting up prices for group fitness, personal training, and nutrition. Additionally we talk about how to develop packages that include fitness and nutrition coaching that will ultimately increase nutrition coaching revenue.
Time is also spent on developing a front end “transformation” type offer that adds another revenue stream, and shows potential clients the real possibility of reaching their goal to lose weight, and live a healthier life.
What Is The Free Intro In A Gym
Many factors make up a great free intro, however to keep things simple, the primary goal of the free intro is to allow the gym owner or coach to get a better understanding of a potential clients goals. Clearly the intro session was made by the client. This means they are very interested in changing something related to their self worth, and lifestyle.
Gym owners and nutrition coaches understand that these changes can be made through nutrition and fitness coaching. However, many clients don’t share this same understanding, or their level of knowledge around having a fitness and nutrition coach is limited.
The free intro is an opportunity for the gym owner or coaching staff to spend a few minutes of quality time getting to know a potential client. Developing an understanding of where the clients are now, and where they ultimately want to be is the desired outcome. This will allow the gym to provide their best resources available to help more people get better results.
In a nutshell, the free intro process serves as a valuable stepping stone for potential clients to make an informed decision about joining the gym and/or the nutrition coaching program. It also has the potential to set the foundation for a positive, and rewarding fitness and nutrition journey.
Who Facilitates The Free Intro
The free intro, sometimes referred to as a free consultation is facilitated by different roles in a gym depending on the staffing structure. At HSN Mentoring, we find that many of the gyms we work with employ the actual owner to complete the free intros. For the gyms that do not have the owner facilitating the free intro process, a head coach or sales person are completing this consult.
Because we work with a lot of CrossFit or functional fitness facilities, owners are typically highly involved with the day to day operations of the facility. When looking at a “globo” style gym, or bigger franchise, a sales team is more likely to be facilitating sales type services.
Regardless of who is meeting with potential clients in the free intro, the entire process is an extremely important role. A free intro is essentially like the second or third date when comparing it to a romantic relationship. Emails and social media posts could be considered the first date, and are what lure the person to the facility in the first place.
This free intro is where the rubber meets the road. So many people are very apprehensive or self conscious when it comes to the food they eat, their fitness routines, and their overall health.
A well run free intro has the potential to either turn clients away, or draw them in.
We want you to draw them in. That is why we are giving you the details today to nail the free intro process, win a client for life, and ultimately increase nutrition coaching revenue in your facility.
How To Nail Your Free Intro And Increase Nutrition Coaching Revenue
The nutrition industry is booming, and is predicted to reach $347.5 billion by 2025. Our point is that there is no shortage of places for clients to turn when it comes to nutrition coaching, and fitness. Many of these places are online resources that don’t necessarily foot the bill of a well run program in our eyes, however, to a client they may seem shiny and bright.
The point is to take our great advice, and really hone in on the free intro as your opportunity to shine in this multi billion dollar global market. Doing so will help increase nutrition coaching revenue in your facility.
Step #1 - Build Genuine Rapport
Building rapport with potential nutrition and fitness clients is crucial, especially when they are actively exploring other facilities in the area. Establishing a strong connection fosters trust, and allows gym owners, and staff to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Taking time to understand the client showcases the gym’s dedication to the client’s well-being. In general, building rapport is essential because it creates a foundation of mutual understanding. It allows the gym to tailor their services to individual preferences, and helps clients understand they will feel valued, supported, and motivated throughout their fitness and nutrition coaching journey should they chose to join.
Some potential questions to ask could be:
How did you hear about us?
What prompted you to book this appointment today?
If you were to invest your time, money and resources into your health and wellness for the next year, what does success look like to you?
Step #2 - Get To The Clients Why
Understanding the emotional reasons behind a client’s decision to join a nutrition coaching and/or fitness program is crucial in the sales process. While practical factors like weight loss or improved physical health may initially drive their interest, it’s often the deeper emotional motivations that truly fuel their commitment.
By uncovering these emotional drivers, it’s possible to establish a more profound connection with the client, address their underlying needs, and provide the support needed for change. Whether it’s a desire for increased confidence, improved self-esteem, or a need for stress relief, tapping into these emotional reasons allows gym owners to provide personalized service that resonates on a deeper level.
Some potential questions to ask to get to your clients why could be:
How long have you been thinking about making this change?
Why is this goal so important to you?
Continue to ask “why” until you get to the real reason. If the person says “I want to lose weight”, ask “why”?
If they say something like “I would like to be fit”, ask “why”?
We need to get to a deep response like, “I want my kids to be able to put their arms around me when they hug me”. Or, “I don’t want to take up two seats when I get on an airplane”.
We are looking for something deeper than vague responses such as simple weight loss or working out.
Step #3 - Identify Barriers
Understanding a potential client’s barriers to reaching their goals is vital for several reasons. The first, and obvious reason is it allows the owner to assess the client’s specific challenges, and limitations. By identifying these barriers, such as time constraints, lack of knowledge, or previous unsuccessful attempts, the gym owner can address these obstacles head-on which will ultimately increase nutrition coaching revenue by increasing sign ups.
This personalized approach increases the client’s chances of success because strategies that work within the person’s unique circumstances can be implemented.
Secondly, understanding barriers helps set realistic expectations, and goals for the client. Many times an effort to teach a client how to set realistic goals is necessary. This knowledge gained will help a client be more realistic, and set goals they can measure. It allows for open, and transparent communication about the challenges that may arise during the fitness and nutrition journey.
By acknowledging and addressing barriers upfront, the client feels understood and supported, increasing their trust in the gym owner’s expertise, and commitment to their success.
Here are some questions a nutrition coach or owner can ask to help put forth potential barriers:
What is stopping you from getting where you want to be?
Do you see any potential road blocks when it comes to you getting your fitness in every week?
What is coming up for you that may prevent you from being able to work on eating healthier food?
What have you tried in the past that did not work so well for you?
Step #4 - Paint The Picture Of Success
It’s important for the person to reflect on what success would feel like. They came to this appointment needing help, focusing only on the things they want to change in their life. By helping them understand there is a light at the end of the tunnel, they can visualize and feel what success will mean to them.
Potential questions to ask questions in order to paint the picture of success:
Can you imagine what it will it feel like when you reach your goal?
How will this change impact your kids or your family?
What would it feel like if you choose to do nothing about the way you are feeling, and left here today not making any changes?
Step #5 - Identify Pain Points And Test Biometrics
Identifying what this person does now in regards to their nutrition and fitness puts more emphasis mentally on why they are there in the office at that moment. The pain points are things that are driving them to make a change. Put simply they are things the potential client is doing, or not doing that is directly affecting the their “why”.
Some questions to ask to get to the pain points are as follows:
What does a typical day look like for you in regards to fitness and nutrition?
How would you rate your nutrition and fitness effort from A-F?
Are your weekends any different than your week days in regards to nutrition or fitness?
After you test their biometrics, go over the results. These results, although difficult for them to digest, are going to drive home their reason putting emphasis on their decision to be there in the first place.
Step #6 - The Pitch
Eventually the owner or coach can talk a little bit about themselves.
If the client needs to loose weight, highlight the fact that 2/3 of people who go on a diet will regain the weight they worked so hard to lose. You can then discuss that even if they came in for fitness only options, nutrition, fitness, and accountability are the fastest ways to reach a goal.
Additionally, focus is placed on a holistic approach addressing not only nutrition and fitness, but also sleep, stress management, mindset, and support system.
Ask some questions like these to determine their commitment:
Are you willing to workout 3x per week?
Are you coachable?
Are you willing to invest a bit of time, energy, and finances to achieve this transformation you are looking for?
Is there anything stopping you from getting started today?
Step # 7 - Close The Sale Or Handle Objections
When the client says yes, its a good indication that value was shown during the free intro process. But, even if value was shown, sometimes people still say no. This is where handling objections comes in.
Handling objections in my mind, is one of the hardest steps in the free intro process. If you are a HSN Mentoring client we have a complete guide on how to handle objections.
One common objection is, “I need to talk to my spouse”. How many of you have used that line when you aren’t sure you want to make a purchase?
I know I have!
When a potential client comes back with that statement, a response from the owner or coach could be: “I can appreciate making sure your spouse is on board. Have you shared how important this is to you with your spouse?” Or, “What do you think your spouse will say when you talk about it?”
If after asking more questions and conversing a bit more, they still don’t commit, let them know you will follow up the appointment with an email. Additionally inform them you will touch base with them in 30 days.
Remember that objections aren’t always a bad thing. They provide the opportunity to answer more questions, and build additional trust.
Wrap Up
Understanding that the free intro process is one of the first in person touch points a potential client gets is important. The impact it could have on the person’s decision to join the gym or look elsewhere directly depends on how this meeting goes.
If you are an HSN Mentoring gym, remember that any of the staff in your facility is able to watch the free intro training; Even if they are not a nutrition coach. We want anyone fulfilling these free intro meetings to be confident in this part of the sales process.
Confidence in what they are selling is going to directly effect the nutrition coaching revenue for the program. The more confident they are – the more they will sell.
Not part of our mentoring program yet? Keep checking back! We provide a ton of free help both on our blogs, Instagram, Facebook and our YouTube Channel.
Book a Free Call if you are interested in finding out how to start a nutrition coaching program in your gym.
