Professional/Self Development 10 Questions to Define Your BEST Prospective Client by Sean Greeley | Date Released : 16 Jan 2017 6 comments Print Close Of all the decisions to be made in growing and building a successful fitness business, choosing the clients (the WHO) your business will serve is by far the MOST important decision of all you’ll ever make. IF you target a large and abundant market, with a big problem to solve or goal they want to achieve, that has money they’re willing to invest in solving that problem or achieving that goal… then you’ve got the makings of a great fitness business that can grow and scale. But if you choose a small market OR have an UNDEFINED market (which is the problem that most fitness business owners struggle with) then you’re going to find it very difficult to be successful in marketing and growing your client base… no matter how good you are at what you do. Fortunately, there are a LOT of people that fit the criteria of a GREAT market for your fitness business. And if you want to attract more clients, then the first step you’ve got to take is to get VERY clear about WHO your best prospective client is. The better you know WHO they are, WHERE they live, and WHY they buy… the more effectively you can communicate with your target market (and attract them to your business!).So, let’s break down how you can do just that… Part 1: WHO are They? The most specific you can be in defining WHO your best client is, the better. And the best place to start is by looking at your current client base. Break them into three categories. The “A” clients are those who are awesome to work with, pay their invoices on time (often in full), and make it a joy for you to do your job. The “B” clients have some of those qualities, but not all of them. And the “C” clients make your life hell. You should let them go. And once you know how to market and add more “A” clients to your roster, you won’t be afraid to do so. So, let’s examine the “A” group more closely. Are they mostly men, women, or evenly split? What is their average age range (within 10 years)? And what other characteristics define them? Are they moms? Executives? Working professionals? Here are a few examples of defining the WHO: 30- to 40-year-old stay-at-home moms 40- to 50-year-old busy male executives 45- to 50-year-old professional women with kids who are grown-up and have left the house The WHO is just the first step in defining your market. Once you’ve got that down, it’s time to get clear about… Part 2: WHERE Do They Live or Work? For local service businesses, your location must be convenient for your clients to visit multiple times each week. Generally speaking, it’s best to be within 15-30 min travel time from where someone lives or works each day. That way it’s easy for them to make working with you a part of their daily routine and life. So take that “A” group you were examining before and look at what time during the day they come to see you. Is it in the early morning before work? Is it mid-morning after the kids have gone to school? Is it during their lunch hour when they break away from the office? Are they traveling to or from home when they see you? Or are they traveling to or from their office? Lay out each of their addresses on a map. Pin point your location on the map too. Then look at what the data points tell you. What radius or area from your facility do they live or work in? Is the area defined by a specific postal code? Can you further narrow down the area by neighborhood or subdivision? If you can, great. That means it’s even easier to know where to go looking for more people just like them. But knowing WHO they are and WHERE they live or work is NOT nearly as important as understanding WHY they buy. Knowing WHY they do what they do allows you to communicate (and define your marketing messaging) to them. Part 3: WHY Do They Buy? At the time your “A” clients signed up with you, what was driving them? Were they most driven by the pain of dealing with a problem or the desire to achieve a goal? And what was the dominant emotion they were feeling around the problem they were trying to solve or the goal they wanted to achieve? Get clear on understanding what that is. Because that is the emotion you must be speaking and crafting ALL your marketing messages towards. Looking at what they most wanted to gain and what they were most afraid of… at the time they were seeking you out and signed up… will lead you to even better understanding their emotional drivers. We ALL make decisions based on emotion. There are lots of people that are out of shape and overweight. But only a few of them are willing to do anything about it. Make no mistake, your best clients signed up to work with you because they were driven to take action based on the way they felt about a problem (or goal). Every new client has a primary emotional driver that is behind their actions and decision to enroll in working with you. And knowing their “why” allows you to best direct and lead your clients (and athletes) to success with their goals. For instance… That 35-year-old stay at home mom that lives in Buckhead, GA, USA? She enrolled to “get her body back” after having children. She wants to look good, feel good, and be at her best for herself and her famil The 48-year-old busy executive CEO that works in Northern Sydney, NSW, Australia? He’s committed to being at his best for his career and life while managing the tremendous pressures of a large company that relies on his leadership. And the 50-year-old professional with kids who are grown-up and out of the house that lives in Wimbledon, England? She signed up because she felt terrible about the weight she gained over the last 20 years taking care of everyone else but herself, and now she lives for outdoor challenges and hitting new fitness milestones. Know the dominant emotional driver, and you can speak directly to what’s important to them and how they make decisions in taking action. If you ever have clients tell you that an email or message you wrote “felt like you were speaking directly to them” then you know you’ve done this right! ☺ Summary When you’re clear on the BEST prospective client for your business, you can align your sales and marketing activity and communication to speak directly to THEM. And that’s how you become a fitness marketing rock-star. Back to top About the author: Sean Greeley Sean Greeley, CEO and Founder of NPE, has an unrelenting passion for empowering fitness business owners to grow their business and create the life they want. Since 2006, NPE has served 45,000+ fitness business owners in 96+ countries and is an award-winning company with offices in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney. Full Author Details Related content Content from Sean Greeley Leading Yourself So You Can Lead Others (and Create the Life You Want) Sean Greeley | Articles 6 Keys to Creating a World-Class Client Experience (and Keeping Clients Longer) Sean Greeley | Articles Can Your Business Survive the Off-Season? Sean Greeley | Articles 1 Tip to Increase Profits in Your Fitness Business by Sean Greeley | Videos 1 Trick to Turn a Lead into a Client in Your Fitness Business by Sean Greeley | Videos How To Build A Website That ‘Makes It Rain’ Qualified Prospects For Your Fitness Business For Under $200 Sean Greeley | Articles How to ‘Leave the Gym’ and Head Out on Your Own Sean Greeley | Articles How To Build A Referral Machine That Produces High-Ticket, Long-Term Clients Every Single Month Sean Greeley | Articles How to Get Your First 3-5+ Clients in the Next 30 Days (Or Less) Sean Greeley | Articles Leading Yourself So You Can Lead Others (and Create the Life You Want) Sean Greeley | Articles 6 Keys to Creating a World-Class Client Experience (and Keeping Clients Longer) Sean Greeley | Articles Can Your Business Survive the Off-Season? Sean Greeley | Articles 10 Questions to Define Your BEST Prospective Client Sean Greeley | Articles Six Social Media Marketing Mistakes Sean Greeley | Articles One Weird Trick for Converting Facebook Likes To Paying Clients Sean Greeley | Articles 6 Steps to Getting Clients for Less Than $20 with Facebook Advertising Sean Greeley | Articles 10 Steps to Hiring ‘A-Players’ To Grow Your Business Sean Greeley | Articles A Step-by-Step Guide to Opening Your Own Fitness Facility Sean Greeley | Articles 9 Models to Build a Profitable Fitness Business Sean Greeley | Articles Grow Your Business in the New Year with These 10 Critical Questions Sean Greeley | Articles 7 Tips for Creating a Winning Culture in Your Fitness Business Sean Greeley | Articles Advanced Fitness Sales Training (Part 3 of 3): The 7 Step Sales Process for Doubling Your Fitness Business Income Sean Greeley | Articles Advanced Fitness Sales Training (Part 2 of 3): How To Eliminate The Top Fitness Sales Objections Sean Greeley | Articles Advanced Fitness Sales Training (Part 1 of 3): Who’s Charging What? And Why? Sean Greeley | Articles Corrective Business Sean Greeley | Articles Please login to leave a comment Comments (6) Maricle, Brady | 19 Feb 2019, 21:57 PM Great read!! Reply Nunez, Martha | 29 Oct 2018, 16:36 PM Good advice to succeed in this business of fitness clubs. Reply Lawrence, Amy | 09 Apr 2018, 02:51 AM Great post! Reply Rella, Cindy | 24 Oct 2017, 04:54 AM Thank you, always helps reading it. You know the answer, but sometimes it takes someone else to say it to be able to understand it Reply Johnson, Marcus | 17 Oct 2017, 22:25 PM very informative Reply Lemme, Max | 07 Sep 2017, 06:37 AM Thank you great rading Reply Back to top