Be the best business you can be
You've got the passion and technical knowledge necessary to ensure your clients meet their health and fitness goals, but where many exercise professionals fall short is in their understanding of how to run an efficient business.
When turning a critical or strategic eye to your business practices, what’s of most importance is that you have systems in place that make it as easy as possible for a client to do business with you. Director of Fire Up Coaching, Kathy McKenzie says that when working with members of the fitness industry her focus is on streamlining non-revenue producing tasks so that trainers can have more time doing what they do best, working with clients. McKenzie recommends trainers conduct a time management analysis over the course of a week or fortnight, tracking how they spend time each day and how each activity translates to profit or not. A common example of how an established system can improve business efficiency is in situations where trainers rely heavily on their mobile to manage client bookings. McKenzie says that because trainers generally have strong relationships with their clients, taking regular calls can result in long conversations that account for considerable time during the day. Having a system where clients cancel or manage bookings online or via text frees up time that trainers can use to benefit clients in other ways.
McKenzie’s approach to improving performance is in her business name itself, F.I.R.E U.P. When working with clients she poses six critical questions about the way they do business:
- F – Focus – Where does the business stand at the moment and what are the specific areas that need to change?
- I – Intention – What’s the overarching intention for your business?
- R – Results - What specific results do you want to see and in what time-frame?
- E – Evaluate – Do you regularly evaluate what’s working and what isn't?
- U – Upgrade – With this in mind how can you upgrade your processes?
- P – Performance – How can this improved performance be maintained over time?
Whether you enlist the help of a professional or call on a business minded acquaintance, it helps to have a fresh outside opinion. McKenzie says however sole traders choose to approach this review, her only definitive is that every goal has an associated time frame. Without this, business owners may find that the months have slipped past and while business is good, ultimately you’re not taking steps towards being the business you want to be.
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