POWERFUL Business Networking | Fitness Marketing Muscle

If you run any type of service business this blog post is for you.

Most people reading this will be fitness business owners as this is a blog about building your fitness business. But make sure you send this blog post onto any of your joint venture partners for them to read, as this applies to them as well.

Now if I was to start any type of service business, a restaurant, dentist practice, car workshop, hair salon, beauty salon, chiropractic center, photography business, life coach business, florist, Insert any type of service business you want here? ____________________.

One of the first things I would do for marketing is join BNI. If you?ve never heard of BNI just click the link here and check it out. It?s free for the first two sessions.?

Let me tell you my story and how BNI helped my business and me. My fitness business started in 2008 and it was recommended that I go along and talked to other small business owners in my area.? So I did just that, I turned up at 6:45am and walked into a room full of smiling people who introduced themselves to me and asked questions about my business. I remember handing out lots of business cards, eating breakfast and then the next thing I know I?m asked to speak for 60 seconds about me and my business. ?

Now for someone who feared public speaking this was a big deal, but guess what? I did it?and it was a success.

The next week I stumped up the cash (500 joining fee) it may vary depending what country you are in. I didn?t have the cash to do this, but I knew I had to reach people, and get in front of people on a weekly basis. I also knew that public speaking was a weakness of mine and by doing it every week I would improve.

What were the results of joining BNI?

1. Within the first months of joining I paid for the joining fee plus more by getting one referral from another member in the group.
2. Within the first 6 weeks I went on the free BNI training which shows you how to become a better public speaker.
3. Within the first 10 weeks I did my first ever 10-minute slot, where you speak about your business for a whole 10 minutes. (It sounds easy but for someone who feared public speaking this is huge.)
4. I was the youngest group leader in the Sussex region at the age of 25? (This means you are in charge of everyone in the room and the meeting.)
5. I was a member at the same group for 3 years.
6. My business went on to join three other BNI groups in the area as BNI networking groups were so powerful for us.
7. My group had between 25 ? 40 members and at least 15 of them become customers of mine, which resulted in a lot of revenue plus extra referrals form them once they experienced my fitness system and got results with their own health and fitness.? It?s hard to put a number on it but the R.O.I was HUGE.
8. In my BNI group was a chiropractor who I linked up with and now I regard as a good friend of mine, but from a business stand point, we set up a strong joint venture were we would promote each others? businesses, share email lists, and put on yearly charitable health and fitness fairs (GOLD RUSH?).? I also set up other partnerships with other types of business, which resulted in me making money from their clients.

When you?re building a business from scratch you need help from other people. For me it was great to use the services of people I know from BNI. To name a few: my printer, my accountant, my website, my IT guy that would fix my computer/install phone lines into my office, human resources lady who drew up my staff contracts, my photographer who took action pictures of my fitness sessions and my team, stationery supplier. You get the picture, you need a lots of things to start a business and you needed them fast, so have to those contacts is priceless.

My Top 8 Tips To Get the Most Out of Business Networking:

1. Arrive early ? I used to be first in the room every week. Why? Because from time-to-time guests who owned other local businesses would arrive and they would always come early to make sure they found the venue etc? I was the first person they spoke to in a room full of 40 people, I was the one that welcomed them and made a good first impression.? We would exchange business cards. I would ask them lots of questions about their business. And always send them a follow up email to say how nice it was to meet them.
2. Get around the room and show people you care ? It?s not called NET-sitting, or NET-Gossip, It?s called NetWORKING and that what you?ve got to do! Work the room and your contacts. Work at getting referrals for your business and referrals for other people in the room.
3. Make your 60 seconds fun? I sat through 3 years of 60-second speeches and those that took the time to practice, and add value, always got more referrals and leads for their businesses.? Keep things fresh. This is an example 60 seconds I would use:

   Hi, my name is Ben Davis and my business is Sussex Bootcamps. We run Fitness Bootcamps in Haywards Heath, Lewes, Worthing, Horsham and Crawley with time slots ranging from 6:15am , 9:30am, 6:15pm and 7:15pm. We help men and women just like you achieve long-lasting health and fitness results through our simple but effective programming that covers exercise, nutrition and mindset. Our oldest client to date was 71 and our youngest is 18. We cater to all shapes and fitness abilities. (I hold up a before and after picture) Pictured is Client ___________ . She lost ___________ in ____________.? Before she joined SBC she hadn?t exercised for 5 years, had a stressful job and her nutritional habits were poor. We worked with her to help bring down her stress, change her nutrition and made her fall in love with exercise.

   This week I?m looking for a referral into ______________ who have an office here in Horsham with 70 staff. I want to give them a free lunch-and-learn seminar about the 5 simple steps they can make to achieve a lean, tight body in 21 days.? I would like to speak to the ________________ to discuss putting a date in the diary for the free seminar.?? I?m Ben Davis from Sussex Bootcamps, 4-weeks to fitness freedom.

   Every week I would change it up, use different angles and jokes, show pictures of different clients.? From time-to?time I would bring clients who had businesses along with me to BNI. They could promote their own business and I could show them off as someone who lost weight working out with me. ?

   When I was specific with my referrals requests, 80% of the time I got a lead that I wanted to speak about my business. ?
   

4. Vision ? Have a clear vision for what you want out of each meeting, who do you want to speak with and what do you want out of that conversation. Also, what referrals and leads do you want from the meeting? What other local business do you want to speak with about your services?
5. If I ever had to miss a meeting I would always have someone fill in for me, to make sure my business was represented.
6. Understand how BNI works. If you get me business, I will want to get you business. BNI is a system and it?s a system, which works VERY well. People that leave BNI and say ?It doesn?t work for me? or? ?My business is different?? either, just don?t get how business networking works or they didn?t give 100%. They think they could just pay the entry fee and that would get them instant referrals.
7. Pick a BNI group that is close to your business, has high energy and it also helps if some of the members could be potential partners. Chiropractors, beauty salons, hair salons, physiotherapists, massage therapists etc?
8. Lead by example. Be professional, dress like a business professional, go above and beyond, put in time outside of BNI to help other members, meet weekly for one-on-one meetings, do a 10-minute slot every 3-5 months.

If your reading this and you?re thinking, ?Well BNI is once a week and it?s early mornings and I train clients every Tuesday morning? I can?t go.? Or ?Oh that is an expensive investment and I don?t have the money to do that right now.?

You?re not seeing the bigger picture?

Get staff onboard (DUPLICATOR?) to train your early morning client so you can invest that time in building your business or better MOVE that client to another time slot. It?s your time; you should be in charge of it. If the client can?t/won?t move to another time slot, then you should consider getting rid of that client.? If you?re scared to do that, then it?s most likely because you don?t know how to market your fitness business to get new clients. If that is the case then DEEP CORE? is the answer to your problems.

If your mindset is of one that says ?I can?t afford the joining fee? or ?I?ll join when I get some money? you need to change that mindset pronto. Just like our course? (EVOLUTION ACCELERATOR?) BNI is an investment into your future, and you will get a good R.O.I in your investment.

If you?re a member of BNI now, please share how BNI helps your business.

Ben

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Source: http://www.fitnessmarketingmuscle.com/powerful-business-networking/

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