The Dark Side of Fitness Boot Camps

Avoid these 8 Mistakes to Ensure Satisfied Customers and Maximum Profits…

Everyone wants their fitness boot camp to be successful and profitable. But there are some mistakes frequently made by trainers that sap the life and profit from an otherwise excellent program. Avoid these eight mistakes to make the most out of your boot camp:

1. Not giving yourself enough time for preliminary planning -Not planning well enough in advance!

When you are thinking of starting a camp or group training you must plan well enough in advance.Even though you may have the best bootcamp starter kit on the planet, you still need to do your own planning…here are the specifics:

Who -who are you targeting? woman?,athletes? baby boomers? etc

Where– where are you holding your camp? indoors? outdoors? You need to find a place!

If its a park…do you have permission from local parks and recreation?

If it’s indoor have you secured a spot?-yoga studio,gymnastic center,martial arts studio,church basement,your back yard..etc

When– what times are your camps and what days are your camps. Are they 3 x’s a week? 2 x’s a week? Are they 6 AM or 6 PM?

How Much– what are you going to charge? you must charge enough to be profitable and competitive in your area.

Do you have your workouts planned? See number 2 below

Now you can start marketing…and putting your business model or bootcamp kit into practice.

2. Not planning your next session before your current one starts

Do you have your workouts planned? This is my suggestion -plan at least a month of workouts in advance if not two months,written out ..meaning on paper.:) Do not wing it.

If you run your boot camps in sessions, like a four-week boot camp for example, you should have the next month session scheduled and planned before the current one starts. This way your bootcampers know what to look forward to, which increases retention rates.But more importantly,You will also feel more prepared and ready especially if you are new to group training. I recommend new trainers to have a month or two of workouts pre written even just to use as a guide.

3. Failure to promote your boot camp often and regularly and far enough in advance

Running your ad once or only a week ahead of your next boot camp or sending out one round of flyers or postcards is not marketing. It is a waste of money. Your prospects need to see your promotions three to five times before they begin to notice you. Send out marketing regularly and often. Start marketing four to six weeks before your boot camp begins.

4. No back-up plan

What happens when your outdoor boot camp gets cancelled by inclement weather? What if you’re too sick to show up yourself? Do you have a back-up location? Can you get someone else to run your camp? Do you have a plan to make up cancelled classes? How do you contact bootcampers to let them know what’s going on?

5. Failing to evaluate customers’ fitness and help them set goals and objectives

If you can’t show customers how their fitness and health have improved by attending your boot camps, retention rates will be low. Measure customer fitness at least once a month and help them establish fitness goals so you can show them the success they’re experiencing.

6. Not having a niche or Unique Selling Proposition that makes your boot camp stand out in marketing

Give your boot camp a personality that is memorable or specialize in a certain type of exercise, like TRX system workouts or circuit training. Or specialize in boot camps for certain goals or sports, like a bridal boot camp or runners’ boot camp. Find a way to differentiate your program from other fitness programs and stand out.

7. Nothing to sell satisfied customers besides the next session

There’s no bigger waste than a satisfied customer with nothing else to buy. Always have something else to sell besides the next session. Here are some suggestions:

• T-shirts, water bottles and related items with your logo and boot camp name
• Books or journals—either your own, even if it’s a hardcopy of your eBook, or some you recommend (but be sure you buy them at wholesale prices).Blank journals are
• another excellent choice at low cost.
• Training gear, like TRX systems or exercise mats or resistance bands, they can use at home
• Individualized personal training sessions that “fit” the customer’s goals better
• Bottled water and meal replacement bars for use during or after class
  

If your boot camps are at your personal studio or gym, have a store or table of items for sale. If your boot camps take place in a park or other outdoor setting, take along a crate of merchandise and let customers know what’s available.

8. Not locking in your location for at least a year

If you don’t hold boot camps in your own gym or studio, make sure your location is available and dedicated to your boot camps for at least a year. Having to move your boot camp because the location is being used by someone else is unprofessional and will diminish your reputation among customers.

Bottom line is know matter what bootcamp business model you have or purchase ..If YOU don’t plan ..you will fail. No bootcamp product or workout program or any other magic will get your camps running and packed….if you do not plan ahead.

About the Author

Georgette Pann: owner of NutriFitness LLC. http://thenutrifitness.com. She has 20+ years experience in the Health and Fitness field with expertise in fitness bootcamps.She is author and creator of the best selling “Sure Victory Fitness Bootcamp Kit” at http://thefitnessbootcamp.com and The Fitness Bootcamp Inner Circle community for fitness bootcamp trainers at http://thefitnessbootcampinnercircle.com.