Archive for the ‘Pilates Business Marketing’ Category
First Day on the Job: Part 1
Guest blogger: Alycea Ungaro, Real Pilates NYC
New teachers make me nervous. It’s been 15 years since I hired my first employee and I still feel slightly anxious when a new hire comes on board. For a studio owner, each new teacher is a representation of your personal business sensibility and your beliefs about your product. Each employees’ success is your own success, so is there a formula to help this process?
From the studios’ perspective there are two sides to the personnel coin. First is the teaching or instructing aspect. This is fairly straightforward. Every teacher you bring in must be auditioned. A simple show and tell interview will suffice. Watch them teach a short class or session. The information you glean will be invaluable and will help you in your marketing efforts. The second side of the coin is the employee side. This is a bit more challenging to predict. The challenge to a studio bringing in a new teacher are not only to satisfy the clients but also to ensure a seamless integration among the existing staff and to establish a system under which all team members can thrive.
Here are some strategies I hope will serve as a tried and true system for success.
6 steps to finding your Pilates flow
Have you ever noticed how the basic Pilates principles: Centering, Concentration, Control, Precision, Breath and Flow relate to other areas of your life? The 6 powerful Pilates principles that you teach on a daily basis to your clients can also be used to help you look after your clients, your business and yourself!
Your clients are the Number 1 focus in your business. Aside from teaching them Pilates, you must learn:
- How to attract them to your studio.
- How to create a long-lasting relationship with them, and
- How to generate referrals from them.
Using the principles of Center and Concentration you can develop a large following of loyal clients who rave about you to their friends and family! How amazing would that be?
Steps to take:
- Using the Concentration principle: Decide who you really want to work with and why. What clients do you work with now that make you feel like you’re not working? Who do you work with now that drains you physically and emotionally? Use these questions as starting points to concentrate on who to teach.
- Using the Centering principle: Build a community around your studio. Who can you cross-promote with? Which client has sent referrals in and how can you reward them? How centered do your clients feel when they’re in your studio? Ask for feedback from your clients and set about building your community, with you at the center!
You started your Pilates business to connect with, help and heal your clients. Your vision was to create an environment that supported your vision. But when was the last time you worked on your business, and not in your business?
Using the principles of Control and Precision you can build your Pilates business. Steps to take:
- Using the Control principle: How well are you managing your business? Have you got a marketing strategy that is active? Or is your business prone to boom and bust cycles, which create panic and worry? Have you got staff procedure manuals, administration manuals and policies? Or have you opened a studio, got busy and been doing everything yourself? Have you asked for help from experts?
- Using the Precision principle: How are you looking after your business? How much focus have you placed on caring for it: making sure the cash-flow is healthy, that maintenance issues are sorted out, that equipment is repaired and serviced, that the leaking taps and peeling paint are fixed?
As a Pilates Instructor, you not only teach many clients a week, but you also need to look after yourself. Sure you workout a few times a week and may also have a massage regularly, but when did you really nurture and connect with yourself? Have you set time aside each week for regular self-care?
Using the principles of Breath and Flow you can look after yourself. Steps to take:
- Using the Breathing principle: How well are you looking after yourself? Are you clear on what your inner value and purpose is? Are you living congruently with this through your Pilates work?
- Using the Flow principle: Are you asking for and receiving what you want from your work? Are you surrounding yourself with the people you want to be around (your clients, your staff, family and friends), or are they draining you of energy and life? Can you remove obstacles that are restricting your life-flow, that are stopping you from fulfilling your purpose?
So there you have it, the 6 steps to finding your Pilates flow! Let me know what you think below…
How to create your own PR: it’s not as hard as you think!
As a Pilates or Yoga Studio owner you may have considered how to increase your profile in your community. Maybe you’ve looked at local newspapers and wondered how your studio could feature in them? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be interviewed by your local radio station about your awesome Pre-natal Yoga classes?
Media releases directed to the right journalist, at the right time can create momentum in your business. And you can do this yourself, without needing to hire a PR company!
This week I attended a fabulous event in Melbourne for small business owners and PR companies. A panel of experts, including a TV producer (The Circle: Channel 10), Radio producer (Breakfast show, 101.1 Mix FM), Fashion journalist (“The Age”) and Business journalist (“BRW” magazine) revealed the secrets behind getting your PR and media releases noticed by them. The frank discussion and pearls of wisdom relate to all industries and I couldn’t wait to share them with you!
Why hope is holding your Yoga & Pilates business back
Do you ever find yourself in a Dusty Springfield moment where you’re “wishing and hoping and thinking and praying”? You’re wishing you had more students in your classes. Hoping that you find the “right instructor” . Thinking you should get your marketing and promotions in order. Praying for a holiday to relieve you of the stress that you’re feeling! The good news is, you’re not alone.
Many other Pilates and Yoga Instructors are feeling like this as well! So how can you break out of this mindset and create a business and lifestyle that supports you?
3 Steps to Peace and Clarity
Have you ever felt “out of sorts”; when you feel irritable and cranky? You feel like you’ve turned into a pessimist overnight and you aren’t sure why!
So what can you do when you feel like this? One part of you just wants to run away and hide and the other part of you knows you “have to get it together”! You have responsibilities – at home and at work! And yet you feel like you’re in a reactive state of mind rather than a proactive state of mind. You feel sensitive to everything and everyone around you.
So how can you get out of this “mental funk” in 3-steps?
Business thriving? The 3 mindset shifts you must make to improve your results
If you’re a Pilates or Yoga Instructor, a Massage or Holistic Therapist and your business isn’t thriving this blog post is for you!
Your business isn’t thriving if:
- You’re not attracting the numbers of clients you need to create a healthy profit every year.
- You can’t remember the last time you had a pay-rise.
- You feel overwhelmed and stressed when you need to pay your monthly rent, wages, insurance and phone bills.
- You’re working long hours and seeing less of your family and friends than you would like.
- The rates you charge your clients aren’t increasing annually; to keep up with inflation and to reflect the value your clients are receiving.
Put simply, if your business isn’t thriving you are investing your time, energy, heart and soul into a very expensive hobby. So how can you shift from where you are to a business model that thrives?
Are you the world’s best kept secret?
Are you a Yoga or Pilates instructor who would like more students in your classes? Maybe you’re a Massage Therapist or Holistic Healer who has spent years getting training, and now you’re wondering where your clients are?
You “know your stuff” and have been passionate about your industry for years. And yet, you still feel like you’re struggling to “make ends meet”. With more and more people being trained to be Yoga and Pilates Instructors, Personal Trainers, Massage and Holistic Therapists, there is no better time to get serious about looking after your business!
The good news is that you’re not alone. Everyday there are thousands of Fitness, Health and Wellness professionals sitting in their rooms, studios and practices, wondering where their clients and students are! Your success in your chosen field has little to do with how many hours of training you’ve completed or how many years experience you have.
3 ways to detox your Pilates and Yoga business
When you think of detoxing, you may assume it applies to your body. You know the type: cutting out fatty and processed foods, eliminating alcohol and caffeine and becoming more mindful about what you eat, how you move and look after yourself.
So how can you apply this to your business? As a Yoga or Pilates Instructor, you know that your business is a reflection your energy: if you’re feeling stagnant, angry or stressed, this is reflected in your business outcomes. Conversely, if you’re feeling energized, passionate and connected, your outcomes will exceed all your expectations. I find the following steps have helped me when building my businesses and I also use these when helping my clients!
3 steps to a balanced Yoga and Pilates business
As a Pilates or Yoga Instructor, you’re well aware of the need to stay grounded, be balanced and to practice with intent. However, these Yoga and Pilates principles are often overlooked when it comes to creating a business. Use the following 3 steps when you’re next working on your business. You may just find that building a Yoga or Pilates business can be done with ease and joy!
5 Mistakes Pilates and Yoga Instructors make
Pilates and Yoga Instructors aren’t expected to be experts at sales, marketing and advertising. However, the ability to connect with the students you want to work with depends on how clearly you communicate with them.
So how can you make sure your message conveys your authenticity, your point of difference and your passion? Avoid these 5 common mistakes and you’ll be a step closer to building the Yoga and Pilates business that you dream about!
