They Only Want Me In Person

I had a comment in my Facebook group this week from a lady who answered my questions 'Where are you stuck? What is stopping you growing your six-figure online business?'

Her reply was along the lines of 'I'm a fitness instructor. All my in-person clients want ME, IN PERSON. They don't want online programmes. What do I do?’

It's a great question because when you work face-to-face, you have clients who love working one-to-one with you, getting your personal input and feedback, sharing your enthusiasm and benefitting from your support.

So, when you try to transition them to an online side of your business, where you provide online training, maybe online accountability groups, no wonder they aren't interested. They already have you, the creme de la creme, right there in person a couple of times a week. Why would they want to, in their eyes, go for second best and buy your online training? Where's the benefit to them in that?

Let's face it - most of them aren't going to buy. Your Ideal Clients are great for your current business but not the new online side. So what can you do? Does this mean you can't build an online side to your business? Have your six-figure plans gone out of the window? Not at all! We just need to look at things in a different way.

If your current customers aren't going to buy your online training, find other people who will.

There are loads of people right now who would probably love to work with you and learn from you in person but they can't, for many reasons:

• They aren't geographically close enough to you.

• They have small children and can't get to your training sessions.

• The times don't work for them.

• They can't afford your one-to-one classes.

• They are introverts - they don't like meeting new people.

• They want to be able to do the training when it suits them.

• They want to give your training a try without embarrassment, in their own home.

• They want to be able to cancel when they like, rather than being tied into a block of classes.

• They are more of an 'online' person.

• They don't drive, so the travel logistics of getting to you are tricky.

• They are fed up of Davina DVDs and want something new but haven't found you, YET.

Depending on the service you provide, there will be even more reasons and it's a really useful exercise to try and get inside their head and think about what those reasons might be, because they will come in very handy in your marketing. 

What you need is your ONLINE Ideal Clientss rather than just your original Ideal Clients.

Yes, it means you have to find new Ideal Clients and build a new audience for this online side of your business but it will be worth it. You are opening up your business to a potentially global audience of people that you can help 24/7. Your business becomes infinitely scalable.

So, here's what you need to do:

1. Get REALLY clear on your new Online Ideal Client - on the reasons why they won't buy your face-to-face sessions, on the reasons why they would love online training. Think about their lifestyle, their circumstances, their budget and their needs. Think about how you could use that knowledge to create marketing that really speaks to them, that addresses their challenges, gives them solutions and shows you really get them.

2. Build your new Online Ideal-Client audience including email list and social media following - it's not twice the work, it just means adding in your new online element and talking about why it's perfect for your Online Ideal Clients. Knowing what you know about them, you can share all sorts of value and benefits that will show you're a great fit for your new audience, without devaluing your face-to-face service. If anything, your face-to-face clients will be even keener to hang onto their one-to-one slots as you're so awesome and they don't want to lose you.

3. Have a different page or area on your website that talks to them, with their different needs. Make it easy for your new audience to find you and buy from you. Use those words and phrases we looked at in the 'reasons why they won't buy' exercise. They can already (hopefully) see on your website that you're brilliant at what you do 'face-to-face' so all you're doing with your new section is showing them how they can still have a bit of your magic, but in a way that works for them and their life.

   
   

Does this mean you have to have 2 separate marketing campaigns too? Sheesh, that's hard work!

No, well sometimes. If you are promoting the benefits of personal training, or you are sharing tips and advice, or you are doing 80% of your usual marketing sharing valuable stuff your Ideal Clients will love then you can including your Online Ideal Clients in that marketing.

If, however, you are promoting your online classes then you might want to only email or target your Online Ideal Clients, to encourage them to join AND stay.

If you are promoting spaces in your one-to-one schedule, you might decide to only email or target your original Ideal Client.

Or actually, you might just send both emails to everyone.

Who is to say that some of your one-to-one clients might not want that added support via the online side? They might not want it INSTEAD, they might want it AS WELL (which is exactly what I do, I get one-to-one personal training but I also subscribe to their paid PT portal because it gives me extra things I can do in between sessions if I want to and also has a handy tracker).

Who is to say that some of your Online Ideal Clients might not have a change in circumstances and might snap up the opportunity of a face-to-face slot?

But keep them separate anyway because, if you have 2 lists and 2 audiences then at least you have that choice.

Also, you're not starting anywhere near from scratch. You can use the success from your face-to-face business to help you build your new Online Ideal-Client audience. Your reputation and testimonials, your results and success stories - of course these are a crucial part of building your new audience. Your tips and advice work for both. Both audiences will want to see you and build a relationship with you via your marketing. 

So, just because your current (relatively small) group of face-to-face customers doesn't want your online stuff (yet) don't be disheartened. This does NOT mean your online business won't work, it just means you're marketing to the wrong crowd. Get clued up and market to your Online Ideal Clients instead of trying to convert your happy face-to-face customers and watch your business change for the better.