You are so fortunate!

Hey Fitness Pros.

"If you love what you do, you never have to WORK another day in your life!"

Today, I just wanted to build you up by reminding you what a blessing it is to do something that you're good at and that you love! You're making a huge difference in a lot of people's lives and that's worth millions! Just remember that what we offer the world is SO much more than just an exercise program.

Plus, your job could be a LOT worse. Check out this photo!



Keep making a difference and helping people reach for their personal best!

Yours in health, fitness and business,

Sherri McMillan

Social Media your way to PT Success

Hey Fitness Pros,

So I'm quite the dinosaur when it comes to social media and new technology. However, I am open to learning and have made a strong commitment to utilizing tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and You Tube to help grow our business.

I even went online and purchased a number of resource books so I could learn how this all works. I'm such a dork but it has been helpful.

So I got myself a blog - you're reading one right now :) I also have a blog for our clients "Shape up with Sherri". I read a book all about the ins and outs of blogging. Still don't quite understand who has the time to read all my blogs plus all the other millions of blogs out there but I'll keep going with it. Some of our clients really like it and email me to tell me it helps them stay motivated. Others just unsubscribe...

I also posted a personal and business facebook page and am slowly developing our fan base. It's created quite a little community amongst our clients. This has actually been quite fun and can be addicting so be careful. It's easy to get pulled in which can negatively affect your productivity.

I've been twittering but I totally don't get this. I post a twitter usually once per day but who has the time to read about what people are doing multiple times per day? But apparently this is a really fabulous way to grow your business outreach. I'm not sure how so I bought a book on Twittering. Will read and keep you posted on why you need to Twitter.

Last, YouTube has been fun to post testimonials, exercises, footage of events etc. This was surprisingly easy to learn to use so this is a definite keeper.

So my suggestion is yes to Blogs, YouTube and Facebook....the jury is still out on Twittering.

Are you an expert in this area?? Please leave comments so we can all learn. I'm no pro at this stuff and would love to learn more!

Yours in health, fitness and business,

Sherri McMillan

Surveys help you grow stronger!

Hey Fitness Pros.

It's time to start planning for fall. Remember the saying "Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail". But before you start deciding what your clients want, remember to ask them first.

We just posted our Client Survey online at Survey Monkey. They are a professional, cost-effective option for small businesses. Plus, it's a service that is super easy to use! Then we email our clients the web-link and post on our website to collect feedback.

We host surveys three times per year; mid-summer to help us plan for Fall, mid-November to help us plan for the January rush and mid-spring to help us plan summer programming. It's also a wonderful way to assess how you're doing as a company. Clients will offer both positive and negative critique - all which will just make you a stronger business.

Click on our survey below to give you some ideas for your survey.

Click Here to take survey

Yours in health, fitness and business,

Sherri McMillan

Film yourself in action!

Hey Fitness Pros.

One of the best ways to improve your skills as a Personal Trainer or Fitness Instructor is to have someone film you in action. It's really impactful to see yourself as others see you!

Once per year we film our entire team - it just happens to be this month. Then next month, we sit down with our team and evaluate the footage. We don't have to say much - the instructor or trainer is always their worst critic! They will often pick out things like "Wow, I can't believe I say the same thing over and over again!" or "Why do I do that weird thing with my hair?!" or "Wow, I look kinda bored - I need to make my sessions more interactive or dynamic!" or "I can't believe I didn't pick up that incorrect technique in my client. I need to check them out from all angles when I'm spotting them!"

So if you're a manager or business owner, schedule this into your yearly plan. It really helps your fitness pros to be able to see themselves in action. If you're an independent fitness pro, ask a friend or family member to come and film you during one of your classes or training sessions. Then watch and learn.

Yours in health, fitness & business,

Sherri McMillan

Always finish a Training Session by Stretching out a Client!

If you want to enhance client retention, spend at least 5-10 minutes at the end of every training session stretching out a client and/or utilizing tools such as stretching sticks or balls to provide a muscle rub-down. There is a reason why we make this a mandatory component of all of our training sessions - we know the clients love it and that is good for business!

After you've just given your clients a really tough workout and you let them know it's time to stretch, nine times out of ten, they'll say something like "Ahhh, this is the best part" or "This is what I pay you for!"

So just do it - trust us, it works!

Yours in health, fitness and business,

Sherri McMillan

How to get FREE Exposure

Hey Fitness Pros.

I've written previously about the importance of developing relationships with your local media to increase the amount of FREE exposure you get. One way to let the media know about what you're doing is a Press Release. But many get tens to hundreds of press releases a day so the question is, how are you going to ensure that your Press Release is read versus just deleted within a second. It's got to sound interesting, news worthy, different...So for example, I just sent out a Press Release about an upcoming seminar I am speaking on. One way to ensure I don't get any media hits is to have a leader that is very boring. For example, Sherri McMillan presents seminar on July 14th, is going to get me no where. Who cares?

But what if I take a different spin on it...Here is the actual Press Release I sent out. Notice that the spin I take may be very interesting to some - why would they have ME speak to CEOs, Presidents & Business Owners? I hope it gives you some ideas for your next release.

Yours in Health, Fitness & Business,

Sherri McMillan

Press Release
July 2nd, 2009

Contact:
Sherri McMillan
sherri@nwpersonaltraining.com
360.574.7292


Why would a Fitness Trainer be asked by the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce to speak to Top Business Executives at Networking Lunch?

What: Sherri McMillan, co-owner of Northwest Personal Training & Northwest Women’s Fitness Club, will present the keynote presentation at the upcoming Chamber of Commerce Business Networking Event.

It may seem odd to some that a fitness instructor will present the keynote presentation to a number of high-profile local business executives. After all what do pushups, lunges and crunches have to do with business success? Most keynote presenters are highly credible and successful business leaders so what can a spandex laden fitness trainer share that will be of interest to these white collar execs?

When asked this very question, Sherri McMillan doesn’t hesitate “There is a reason why most of the top movers and shakers in Vancouver and Portland workout with us. Highly successful business professionals such as Tamara Fuller, Top Commercial Realtor, Lisa Dow – Vice President at West Coast Bank, Rod Cook – owner of Alpine AutoBody, Doug Palin – owner of Infinity Internet, Elie Kassab – Prestige Development and many others come to us to help them look and feel their best. They understand that in order to achieve great things, you’ve got to feel great!

Times are tough and in order to survive and thrive in today’s economy and to help manage the daily obstacles and stressors, you need strength and energy. Working out will help you overcome challenges and reduce any anxiety and stress you are experiencing. It will help you to keep a more positive outlook on your current situation because exercise secretes various endorphins that will make you feel better about everything! Plus, by taking care of yourself, you’ll experience less short and long term health care costs. You’ll end up eating out less which will also save you money. You’ll spend less money on new clothes because you’ll be able to fit in some of those clothes hanging in the back of your closets. You’ll have the energy to participate in family activities that are fun but don’t cost anything like biking, hiking, walking etc.

So my message is exactly what business professionals need to hear. I’m going to teach them how to balance their life so they can be successful in all realms. I will provide them with tools for fitting exercise in when life is already too busy for them. I know I can help a lot of people out there – because we already have for hundreds of others.

Everyone wants to excel in their professional, personal and social lives. Everyone wants to look and feel their best. But few people can attest that they are living their dream life. We will review the principles everyone needs to grasp and the actions steps we all need to commit to in order to achieve our Personal Bests.”

When: Tuesday July 14th, 11:30am-1:00pm

Where: Royal Oaks Country Club, 8917 NE Fourth Plain Blvd, Vancouver WA 98661

Cost: $30 members; $50 non-members. Guests who are signed up by a chamber member, receive member pricing. Golf course dress, please.

How: To register: www.vancouverusa.com, click Events/Registration and July 14, or call (360) 694-2588.

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