In today’s video, I want to talk about getting more referrals into your fitness business.

Referrals are the cheapest, fastest, and quickest way to grow your business.

Not only does is bringing in new clients, it also means that they’re naturally a good fit.

And how do we know that? Because your current clients are a good fit.

They’re good energy. You like being around them. They’re people you like to be around and associate with. And guess what?

People hang around with people who are similar to them.

So, if you are trying to attract more A-Grade clients and prospects then it makes sense to target your A-Grade current clients.

They’re already happily paying for your services. So why not get them to be walking talking billboards for your business? 

You become who you hang around.

So, if you want to hang around more billionaires you’ll probably have a very high chance of becoming a billionaire.

If you hang around more people who whine and complain about their Mondays and are not healthy, sloppily dressed, never on time, then guess what?

You too, are going to adopt those habits. That’s a proven principle.

So, it makes sense that to attract more of your A grade clients, let’s ask them to help you because they are going to be hanging around more A Grade clients.

The problem is that I see most fitness business owners make is they just expect magically to receive referrals every week.

It doesn’t work like that! 

It’s not like the movie Field Of Dreams, where he says, “build it and they will come.”

You think you simply build a great business and people just “magically” turn up on your doorstep? 

Nope. Sorry.

You need to have a system that routinely brings in referrals. 

Four Principles

I want to share four principles to receive more referrals. 

These are proven principles that will take your referrals from anywhere from 5, to 10, to 20 referrals per month consistently by having these systems in place.

So, whether you’re a personal trainer, a boot camp operator, a gym owner, even if you’re in the allied health space, these four steps will work really well for you.

Referrals Are Cheap 

Do you want to know why I love referrals? They’re CHEAP.

Sure, you can run paid funnels, paid ads on Facebook and Instagram and LinkedIn, but often you’ll have to still sort through some B and C grade prospects and it can be expensive.

You have to try the ad, perhaps, you waste a few days or weeks running the ad and testing things that don’t work.

Referrals are the cheapest form of leads you will ever buy.

My 4-Step System 

So firstly, the thing that oversees these principles is principle #1

Make It A Condition Of Doing Business 

Part of doing business is an expectation that if they think of somebody who’s a good fit, they’re going to send them down to you for your LBO or your trial or free session or a free week.

Make it a condition of doing business with you. 

This needs to be the thing that oversees all these principles. It sits at the top of the four principles. 

Every client that comes down to you should be worth at least two more 

If you’re tracking the average transaction value of a client, that client might spend on average two thousand dollars with you. 

So if that one person brings in two referrals who become clients, they’re now worth $6,000.

Here’s Where It Gets Fun…

But when those two friends, they come down become clients they also bring down two.

So, $6,000 dollars upfront but then if you draw like a pyramid underneath that with the friends bringing more friends, it’s exponential how much one client is worth over the long term. 

So, number one we make giving referrals a condition of doing business with you.

And here’s how we do that, there are three ways every single month, throughout the year recur on a recurring basis to get more referrals. Principle #2 is when to ask for the referral…

Point of Sale

When somebody joins your program they are likely to want to share the news.

When they sign up, try this…

You say “Sally, I’m super excited to help you with your goals of X Y Z this year. And I’m going to bend over backward to help you achieve them. One of the goals here at my facility is to transform 1,000 lives before the year 2020 in the local community. I’m super passionate about that. To help me with my mission, do you promise to send any family friends or colleagues down, if you think we can help them?”

And that seems really simple…

Almost too simple, right? 

There’s more to it than seems obvious…

In his book, Influence, Robert Cialdini talks about a principle called consistency. 

This principle states that we strive to act in accordance with how we see ourselves and what we believe and that we try to keep our commitments.

So if you ask your clients to help you with the goal of transforming the community and they say yes, they will work harder to go it than if you simply impose it on them.

If they agree to something publicly – They’re more likely to follow through

So you simply say what I said,

“Do you promise to send down any friends, family members or colleagues?”

And they will say yes. 

So that’s the first thing, you plant a seed.

Here’s the second time to ask…

The first check-in

Perhaps depending on your business, you do monthly check-ins or fortnightly check-ins or weekly check-ins in terms of their sleep and their habits and their food and their weight loss.

At that first check in, whenever that interval is I would just ask them,

“Hey Sally, I mentioned at the start, last week that my goal is to transform a thousand lives this week. Do you know anybody who would be a great food for our culture and I promise to look after them. Who can you think of?”

And just ask!

All of a sudden by asking, you jog their memory twice now and the wheels are going to start turning.

When they go back to work or chat with their friends or go for a lunch with girlfriends are going to be thinking of

“Oh yeah! Pete’s looking for more people to hit his mission and to transform more lives.”

So, in that check-in, you can ask.

Referral Vouchers

Think of vouchers like the golden ticket from Willy Wonka. Remember that?

He gives the golden ticket and the only way you can come in is if you have that ticket.

What if you gave all your clients a golden ticket or a golden envelope with a referral voucher in there?

And the only way they can get this two weeks for $20 or some special offer is with the golden ticket.

On that golden ticket, have an expiry date on it.

Don’t make it you know they can use in a year’s time. Give them maybe two weeks or four weeks to use it as a bit of urgency.

And when that referral gets redeemed they SMS or they call you or they come in, treat them like royalty.

Look after them and then they enter your funnel and you can again ask referrals from them.

So, the first check-in is a great time to remind them of what your mission is and to ask them who else they can help with.

Monthly campaigns

Externally, you will run ads or funnels to bring in new clients.

But internally, whether inside your online business or a physical business, you should have a marketing campaign every single month.

Perhaps this month you’re going to give double class movie tickets away and a dinner, if anyone brings in a client for your new challenge starting.

Perhaps next month they might go in the draw for a holiday.

Perhaps the month after that you just give $100 cash-out if somebody brings you a referral and they become a client.

Each month, have a different offer.

Let Your Clients Know At The Start OF The Month

You should email them. Announce it in your client-only Facebook group.

And tell EVERY client in person about this months offer.

Monthly Events

Run events, run charity events, run special workouts to raise money for the community…

The final principle is to run monthly charity events.

You want to try to get your clients to bring as many friends as possible along on the day.

When they’re on the day, make them a special offer for a free week or a discounted first month.

Get them while they’re hot!

I’ve written in detail about how to be a go-giver and how to run monthly workouts here. You should check it out.

My 5-Step Formula to get more referrals every month into your business.

#1- Make it a condition of doing business 

#2- When somebody first signs up, plant the seed.

Remember what Cialdini said, “If they publicly say yes to something, they’re far more likely to follow through.”

#3- At the first check in

“Hey Sally, your results in the first month are amazing! Who else do you know who would like to experience something similar?”

#4- Have a monthly internal campaign.

Movie tickets, restaurant vouchers, clothing, cash. Change it up, and let everyone know. 

#5- Run charity events

The goal is to raise a huge amount of money to have a ton of fun and to get 5, 10, 15 even 25 new leads down you’ve never met and make them an offer on the day that’s too good to refuse. And once they’re in, you can upsell them to your long-term high price program.

Get a referral ticket simply growing a tribe and then the cheapest and easiest way to get more A Grade prospects.

I hope this helps!

Leave me any comments down below I’ll personally answer them myself and I’ll talk soon.

Cheers.

Talk soon.

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