Fit Beach, Negril Jamaica

With Fit Beach just a couple months out, I’m scrambling hard to finalize details and of course keep up on the always present last minute changes.  Today I need to keep you up to date with detailed information that will save and maybe even make you money.

Referrals to Fit Beach =>

For the second year in a row, Fit Bodies is offering a commission for the referral of participants to this one of a kind conference.  This year though, we make it even easier for you to find referrals as we additionally offer a parallel Wellness Retreat.

That means you can refer to fitness professionals, clients, students, family…. pretty much anyone with a fitness and health interest.

==>>Details on Referral Commissions<<==

Also, don’t forget that the premium account holders at Fitness Pro Travel are offered significant discounts simply for holding that account type status.  Save up to $150 off your own Fit Beach registration… Act early and save $50 more

==>>Details on FPT Premium Account Pricing Benefit<<==

Are you in?????

What they all have in common is that they were posted to a targeted community of over 12,000 fitness professionals.  The business education program above is offering a free webinar and they are one of our “Premium Account Holders” so I’ve added their event information below once again.  Take a look as the program designers have been providing free business content to the Fit Pro Community for a couple years.  I’m sure they’ll have some quality insights for you!

If you are looking for continuing education programs or are offering educational programming, be sure to login and check the calendar.  Content providers, post your programs to the Fit Pro Community calendar and share them directly with a large targeted audience.

Entrepreneurs bringing business education to health and wellness practitioners

Arlington, MA— July 12, 2011 — You are an integrative health practitioner, an acupuncturist, a yoga instructor, a massage therapist, naturopath, or health coach. You help others, and are an expert in your field, having studied and worked hard to develop your practice.  However, a practice involves business know-how.  Entrepreneurs, Cynthia Pasciuto  of True North Business Consulting and Laura Greer of Mandala Services have formed the Institute of Integrative Business Studies to provide online business education to health and wellness practitioners.

Cynthia and Laura are not newcomers to the health and wellness field.  Cynthia has taught at the local acupuncture school along with teaching at the undergraduate level.  Laura has helped practitioners start, grow and manage thriving health and wellness practices, has worked for yoga studios and has been a yoga instructor for over ten years. They both noticed there was a need for business knowledge often being asked for advice on social media, marketing, management and legal assistance. They wanted the health and wellness practitioners to succeed.

The Institute of Integrative Business Studies? is launching The Integrative Business Program?, a series of online seminars aimed at helping integrative health practitioners learn what it takes to start, maintain and grow a successful practice.  The objective of the Integrative Business Program? is to educate integrative health practitioners in order to improve their chances for success and to increase the accessibility of qualified practitioners available to the consumer. The program teaches participants crucial business and practice management principles in the areas of Patient & Clinical Management, Marketing & Public Relations, Accounting, Insurance and Finance, and Business Law.

The Integrative Business Program? consists of a number of courses that run for a length of -6 weeks each.  Weekly online sessions are 1 hour in length and each course is taught by an expert in the topic.

Courses start in September. Sign up today for a free introductory webinar on Tuesday, August 30^th- Jumpstart Your Business: Top Ten Things You Need to Know!  Sign up for the free webinar at http://www.integrativebusinessstudies.com/jumpstart

The Institute of Integrative Business Studies?, where holistic health and business practices meet, is sponsored by the Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Association of Massachusetts and The National Institute of Whole Health.

More information at http://www.integrativebusinessstudies.com or
Contact: inquire@integrativebusinessstudies.com

The Fit Beach Post Card

Specific workshop and wellness programming to be posted very soon. Dates, location, pricing, and registration available as of today.

]]> http://fitprobiz.com/fitpro/fitness-pro-education/fit-beach-conference-and-retreat/feed/ 1 http://fitprobiz.com/fitpro/fitpro-opportunities/cycling-instructor-ici-pro/ http://fitprobiz.com/fitpro/fitpro-opportunities/cycling-instructor-ici-pro/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:54:17 +0000 FitPro http://tombomar.com/?p=248 Continue reading →]]> CYCLING FIT PRO – YOU NEED REGULAR CARE AND FEEDING.

That’s where ICI/PRO comes in. They deliver the steady, nutritious diet of Information, Motivation and Entertainment Instructors need to stay Fresh and Informed.

Reading a profile can be enjoyable, but sometimes not practical, so much of what we deliver comes in the form of Audio PROfiles. Exclusive to ICI/PRO Members, Audio PROfiles are a short Podcast mp3 that explain the inner workings of a class taught by Master Instructor Jennifer Sage or other experienced Instructor. Many ICI/PRO Members access the Audio Profiles via a Super Secret iTunes Feed. Their online training videos show you exactly how to do it.

Each Audio PROfiles is a complete class. Not just the ride profile, but also queuing, presentation ideas, motivating language and a suggested playlist you can use to bring a fresh perspective and maybe some much needed excitement to your next class.

ICI is a great group of fitness professionals dedicated to the specialty of cycling.  I suggest you take a look at their opportunities as there is likely benefit via membership – Take a look at what their membership consists of.

Did I mention 7 Days free?

7 days membership free is what got me out here to blog… That’s a nice deal, but it’s only available until the 15th of January. Interested – Hurry!

]]> http://fitprobiz.com/fitpro/fitpro-opportunities/cycling-instructor-ici-pro/feed/ 0 http://fitprobiz.com/fitpro/fitpro-education/holidays-bring-friends-specials-for-the-fitpro/ http://fitprobiz.com/fitpro/fitpro-education/holidays-bring-friends-specials-for-the-fitpro/#comments Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:43:01 +0000 FitPro http://tombomar.com/?p=220 Continue reading →]]> Announcements and Specials for the Fit Pro are always fun to bring to the Fit Pro Network.  With this Holiday season come several and excited and happy to share.

There have been several hints that Phase II planning and building had begun within the FPT Network.  Rumors were true

and the result should be seen before the end of the month.  New member options that include more networking, travel benefit, and participation bonuses.  It’s a good time to be a member as extended benefit will be provided existing members.  Keep an eye here as details are released.

The events calendar currently has a couple special opportunities specifically for our network members. View December events for details and remember you can add events you are attending for the benefit of others.

Golf Pros – Your time has come.  We are now booking golf pros at Breezes Runaway Bay.  We are also working on a golf tournament for April 2010.  More details to follow. Pros be sure to tell your Golf Pro friends of the new opportunity.

Oh Canada – Following are the names of the currently available locations at this new partner site. Further details can be found at Fit Bodies Canada. View all 3 hotels by visiting http://www.iberostar.com

• Hotel Iberostar Varadero,  $375
• The Iberostar Tainos  $300
• Hotel Iberostar Daiquiri  $300

On December 10th, we are opening up all the Superclubs resorts for booking fitness pros starting with the week of  December 13th, 2009…  All your favorites and some you haven’t even seen yet…

Some have changed their name but definitely not their special appeal. See View Resorts Pages

In Jamaica

Hedonism II – adult resort

Hedonism III – adult resort

Breezes Grand Negril  (formerly Grand Lido Negril) adult resort

Breezes Rio Bueno (formerly Braco Grand Lido) – adult resort

Breezes Runaway Bay – adult resort

Breezes Trelawny (formerly Starfish) – family resort

In Curacao

Breezes Curacao – family resort

In Bahamas

Breezes Bahamas – adult resort

And Brand NEW in ~Panama~

Breezes Panama – family resort

In Brazil

Breezes  Costa do Sauipe – family resort

BRAND NEW Starfish Santa Luzia – family resort

Breezes Buzios – family resort (NEW & OPENING SOON)

We will have two positions available each week at all of these hotels.  Group fitness positions for pros who teach land and aqua; yoga/pilates positions for those who teach either or both; and personal trainer positions for those who are qualified to lead fitness camp, sculpting, or group programs in addition to their one on one skills.  Once two pros are booked the other position will be deleted.

Please Note: We will not be able to switch anyone who is presently booked at another resort to one of the above mentioned resorts for any reason.  There will be no exceptions.

Golf Pros – Your time has come.  We are now booking golf pros at Breezes Runaway Bay.  We are also working on a golf tournament for April 2010.  More details to follow. Pros be sure to tell your Golf Pro friends of the new opportunity.

More good news: Haven’t figured out what you are doing for the holidays yet?  Many of these resorts have openings for Christmas week December 20-27 and New Year’s week December 27th – January 3rd.   There are only a few of these coveted positions available so book quickly.  Note: we will be charging $100 extra for these weeks.  This will be added once the order is confirmed.

If you’ve been to these old friend locations feel free to post a comment for others to know of your experience.

For the vast majority, that motivation should not be solely monetary gain… at least not directly.

If payment for fitness education presentation is not a likely benefit for you, then why do it?…

Because secondary benefits of product or service sales, exposure of your expertise to the masses, and authoritative positioning that comes with presenting, provide you plenty of lead opportunities that will pay off down the road.

“Duct Tape Marketing” provides us 5 tips for your free presentations pay off big time.
**These tips are appropriate whether you are presenting at the largest of conferences or at a local church.

1) Get referred

You can create your own workshop events, but one of my favorite strategies is to approach two potential groups and offer to present great information to their clients and networks. The key here is that you have a topic that is very hot and seen as very valuable. This is not a sales presentation, it’s an education and value add tool. Approach your two partners with the idea that you’ll present a great topic, they offer it to their customers, and they get to cross promote to each others attendees as part of the deal. You simply get referred in as the expert. (Every time you do this you will get asked to speak at an event one of the attendees is involved with as well.)

2) Make a deal with the sponsor

You are a highly sought after speaker willing to waive your fee only if they permit your to elegantly reveal that there is a way for attendees to acquire your products and services and that you will also be offering some free stuff in exchange for contact information of those interested in the free stuff. Make it known that you have no intention of selling, merely informing. This approach raises the value of your presentation and gets you what you need as a lead generation opportunity. This can be a deal breaker for you or the sponsor. If you over promote, don’t expect to get asked back, if they won’t allow you to acquire leads, don’t bother.

3) Educate like crazy

Don’t be afraid to give away all of your secrets. Some folks suggest you should just tell them what they need, but not how to get it done. I don’t agree. If you tell them how, some may think they can do it themselves, but those who really want what you have will realize through your specific details, how tos, and examples that you do indeed possess the knowledge and tools to help them get what they want. Educate and you won’t have to sell!

4) Collect those addresses

In some cases people will rush up to you after a thought provoking presentation and ask how they can buy, but, in case they don’t, make sure you give all attendees a valuable reason to share their contact information for the purpose of follow-up. You can offer them the slides to your presentation, a free resource guide related to your topic, or a more detailed report based on the topic, in exchange for business cards. If you don’t have this preplanned you’ll find you won’t get a second chance to wow these folks. Of course, I hope it goes without saying that you should also have a follow-up process. Write a hand-written note, add them into a pre-written drip email campaign on the topic, or call them up after the event to measure their engagement.

5) Simple call to action

When I first starting speaking in the manner I’ve described here, I would pour my heart out, mindful of not selling, and then come to the end and there would be this awkward moment when I knew people wanted to buy something, but I didn’t have an offer. Well, I quickly learned that didn’t serve either of us very well. If you provide great information and a clear road map to solve someone’s problems, you’ll often find them wanting you to reveal how they could take the next step. But here’s the key – in that environment, they want a deal for acting right now. Not every audience or speaking engagement will present this opportunity, but I’ve found that in a straight free speaking gig, where I’ve been given permission to introduce my products and services, this 3-step approach is well received.

a)tell your audience right up front you’re going to give them great information and tell them at the end about what you do

b) about half way through, after you’ve built some trust, take a quick minute to reveal, for instance, a paid workshop or program you have coming up, tell them the price and go on

c) at the end answer questions, make free offers, and, almost as an afterthought, agree to let them also bring a friend to the event you mentioned at the same price if they sign-up today. (You’ve just made the event half price in their mind, turned them into a recruiter, and given your potential attendee a valuable tool to offer to a friend or colleague) So, all of a sudden, anyone considering the offer is now highly motivated by this compelling change of events. Don’t hard sell this, simply put it out there and let people do the math. Don’t risk tainting your wonderful information with a sales pitch, but don’t leave those who want to buy without an option either.

As a Fitness Education Presenter you have many opportunities beyond being paid for each hour spent educating.  Presentation rewards should be far greater and last far longer than a single paycheck…. Be the authority.

Be sure to sign up for the mailing list on the right to keep up on many different niches, each of which may be great for serving as a fitness education presenter.

Besides seeking out competent mentors and/or appropriate trainings for marketing health & fitness, it is helpful to look at what larger organizations are doing in regards to this type of marketing.

One example is from the British Government.  The “Change for Life” campaign utilizes a well known group of animated t.v. stars to spread the word… The Simpsons.

Through sponsorship of Homer and the family the Change for Life campaign is using those who are well known as the opposite of health and through  creative graphic morphing, showing how dietary alternatives would make for a healthier Simpson family.

Corn Chip Anyone?

A second example of marketing health is exampled by the fast food and similar less-healthy industries.  Check out some of the creative junkfood marketing ads at this trendhunter article, that, even though we know better, still get us coming back.  Sexy and economical work for fast food as well as most any other industry.

As a fitness professional, whether you like the sound of selling or marketing, you ARE marketing health.  Without it, no one will ever hear your message.

Selling Burgers?

Whether you creatively find an “opposite” to display how your service can improve the wellbeing of your prospect. Or, you utilize tried and true (sex/discount) methods that are effectively used by the industries we are often struggling to encourage our clients away from… you have to establish some sort of plan for marketing your health & wellness offerings.

There are thousands of on-line and off-line options for marketing your programs.  But, what is often found among so many fitness professionals is the idea that by building their credentials the clients will automatically come. 

“Build it and they will come” is rarely the case and one way or another you will need to strategically approach the issue of marketing health in order to reach others with the good word of health & fitness.

Continue your fitness foundational learning, but don’t undervalue the need to learn principles of marketing and other related business skills.

In working with several thousand fitness professionals from various specialty backgrounds I most often am asked two simple questions.  I want to share those answers with you here.

1. What is a Wellness Coach – Answer: A proactive advocate for the overall wellness of the client.
2. What is best training for becoming a Wellness Coach – Answer: Health & Lifestyle Coach Certificate from the National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH).

Want further details on the reasoning for these conclusions? READ ON.Wellness Coach definition, if you search for just a few minutes, has apparently many different means. All generally related to being a wellness advocate.  Ultimately for the fitness industry professional it might be easiest to note that there are Wellness Coaches who are nutritionists, trainers, instructors, chiropractors, etc., but not all who have those specialties are Wellness Coaches. Related yes, but generally a bit different in approach.

Wellness Coach, Doug Nau’s article speaks to the Wellness Coach roll

Wellness Coach Training… It’s fairly simple why I point to the NIWH program for Wellness Coaching training. We have a great deal of information on their program available on the website, so I’ll bullet some reasons below.

• NIWH has more than 30 years of institutional education experience
• New On-line programs for convenient accessibility
• Program instructors are comprised of a variety of industry leading doctors and therapists
• Successful completion not only gives a title… Also provides you the ability to bill insurance companies for services rendered to clients. (Insurance company buy in doesn’t come easy)
• Established referral network to assist in the new career elements
• They offer discounts to Fitness Pro Travel Network members not available from their own site

Wellness Coaching is a growing trend in the Health & Fitness Industry.  The Health & Lifestyle Coach Certificate is an excellent program should you want to move to this cutting edge of client wellness. You will be viewed a bit more as an Allied Health Professional and it may open up several new doors for your career or fitness business.

Ever been to a fitness workshop or wandered a conference expo and been amazed by some of the toys and movements that have become so popular in our industry?

How about this, have you ever been humbled by said toys or movements? Meaning, you try, you look like an absolute idiot because you don’t know what your doing?

I have! Better yet, I’ve gone in thinking I was strong and centered but come out feeling foolish and ridiculous because I can’t figure out how to engage this or that, while I swing from the apparatus or stand on the toy.

Of course, if you are a like-minded fitness pro you will keep practicing the activity because you bought the damn thing that made a fool out of you, and will have it down within a week to 10 days. It’s that learning curve that gets us at first, but once we understand the technical side of things we can usually master the skill. Well, most of the time anyways.

Yes, I’ve been humbled, embarrassed, shocked and amazed by some of the things my body does and does not do when it is called upon. Let’s just think for a moment how our clients and class participants feel when we introduce things to them for the first time. Put yourself in the shoes of a beginning exerciser who comes to a unstable core training class for the first time- poor dears! They are still wondering how to stand or sit on the object and now you want them to engage their core and perform a one-legged push-up. Are we crazy?

I think at times we can be a little crazy. We are creative and we love a challenge because that’s what we encourage others to do, but we often forget that not everybody is up for the circus fitness trick that we are trying to teach or train. I see this a lot more in group exercise classes than I do in personal training sessions, unless it is a boot camp session taught by a trainer.

It often frustrates me because these participants feel defeated and lost in the activity. “I can’t keep up with that!” “How do you expect me to do that?” are comments I hear.

They want to perform and they should be able to do something, but the fit pro is lost in excitement of their super, cool one-legged balance drill. Personally, sometimes it seems like they are showing off (showcasing) their skills rather than teaching their group properly, which is one of the reasons participants may feel lost in translation. Professionally speaking this is not acceptable behavior for a certified fitness pro!

As a fellow fitness presenter I understand the need to show progressions and cool tricks on toys. Reason being is we want to show the versatility and level of difficulty of exercise progression.

I don’t expect everyone to walk out of my sessions with the idea they are doing to teach every challenging thing the next day, rather I want them to see where it can go and hopefully open up their minds to the vast challenge and creative pulse that feeds their individual style.

We need to remember first and foremost we are professionals. We educate, train, motivate and model exercises that fit into our group or individual training sessions. We are not performers who encourage a “keep up with me” attitude or try to showcase our ability to do the most amazing human tricks on earth. Save that for your advanced clients, classes or for your You Tube videos.

Be enthusiastic, compassionate and show modifications and/or break-down complex movements into smaller bits people can handle.

Who knows, maybe with good teaching and training tactics they will be performing those humbling circus tricks with gusto. Then you can stand proud and bang on your chest in response to their super human strength and ability.

Amy