Personal Fitness Professional - January 2008 - (Page 11) It is obnoxious to brag about yourself, but it’s totally fine to let someone else do it! information you present — it is very easy to give the attendees everything they need to know during the talk, but this means they have no reason to become a personal client. Find a balance between giving them some great information that they can take immediate action with and leaving them wanting more so that they will need to get started with you right away and personally experience your program. I like to tell a lot of client stories (anonymously, of course) throughout my presentations to show how I have helped people get healthier and fitter, and, whenever possible, I also include a personal testimonial. If you have a client or two in your audience, ask them ahead of time if they would be willing to stand up and give a testimonial; if they agree to do so, introduce them during the talk. Make sure to limit your talk to 45 minutes max with five to 10 minutes remaining for questions, and let them know you will be available after the talk to answer any other questions. CALL TO ACTION At the end of the evening, you need to have a call to action that is time-sensitive. I never discount my services, as I don’t want to attract discount shoppers. Instead, I build in incentives in order to entice them into taking action that evening. Right at this moment is when they are most excited. When they leave, the buzz will start wearing off, so you want to get them involved and committed immediately. This means that, in order to take advantage of what you have to offer, they need to sign up and pay. If they do so, then give them something special as a value added incentive — this could be a DVD, book or a nutritional product. Also, have a calendar of upcoming events, and sell tickets to the next event that you are having. Remember: you will need people to help you with getting people signed up at the end of the seminar, as you will be trapped in the front of the room answering questions! Don’t give up on the attendees that don’t become individual clients right away. You have their contact information, so continue to market your services to them through other seminars and programs. Oftentimes, it takes multiple exposures for someone to take action, so be tenacious! JJ Virgin, PhD, CNS, CHFI, is a professional speaker, celebrity nutritionist and fitness expert, national spokesperson and television personality. A member of Mensa, she has her PhD in holistic nutrition. She is a certified Health and Fitness Instructor with ACSM, a Certified Nutrition Specialist with ACN and board-certified in holistic nutrition through NANP. JJ regularly appears on national television, including Dr. Phil, Extreme Makeover, I Village Live! and E!’s Modern Girl’s Guide to Life, and she is also a spokesperson for Subway. She maintains a busy celebrity practice and helped Brandon Routh pack on 24 pounds of muscle for his leading role in Superman Returns in 2006. For more information, visit her website at www.jjvirgin.com. ● JAN-FEB2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 27 11 http://www.jjvirgin.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM
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