3 Bootcamp Tips from the Sketchy Side of Town

Just got back from 2-hour dog walk to the beach where I had a little swim and dog wrestling with Bally the Dog (and yes, we have a beach here in Toronto).

On our walk over, we saw a guy wearing a mesh shirt. Man, I haven’t worn one of those since I was 9. You?

My neighborhood is pretty gritty…there are a disproportionate number of overweight, cigarette smoking people who drive those power scooters everywhere.

Heck, one Saturday at 10am I was almost run over by woman driving her power scooter with one hand while she was eating fried chicken with the other hand. Definitely entertaining.

And every night there’s a trainer who runs a bootcamp in a big park by my place, right beside homeless guys drinking tall boys of beer.

No joke.

The ol’ East Side of Toronto. Good times, I tell ya.

By the way, that trainer is doing okay with her camp…she has about 6-8 women in there, but they don’t seem to be getting results.

Fortunately, she could be doing so much better – in terms of numbers and in getting her clients results if she just used these 3 tips from the “sketchy” side of town…

1) Set SMALLER Goals

This advice is the exact opposite of what most people do when setting their goals.

Everyone is told to dream big and set HUGE goals…but that might be wrong.

In the book I’m reading, “Bringing Out the Best in People“, human behavior experts actually recommend setting small, easy-to-reach goals so that your clients succeed, and therefore you can offer them positive reinforcement.

This positive reinforcement keeps motivation high and keeps them doing  what you want them to do.

On the other hand, when people set massive goals, such as losing 30 pounds in a month, they fail and that failure is negative reinforcement, and it causes  them to quit.

So each workout, set a small, achievable goal for each camper, and when they achieve it, give positive reinforcement.

That way they will continue with the correct behavior. So simple, so effective.

(You can totally use this on your spouses too…but use it for good, not evil!)

2) Build a Better Bootcamp with this Workout

Instead of her old-school crunches and aerobics-style moves, she should be using my no-equipment needed Bodyweight Cardio circuit.

Check this out…one of my best bodyweight workouts yet…AND it is filmed in the same park as that trainer’s bootcamp.

=> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qXxpWOow3s

Let me know what you think.

3) Now for a tip on getting MORE clients…

…this one from Steve Hochman:

She could use the “human billboard marketing system.”

She would get 21 people who get her bootcamp for free, BUT in exchange they sign a contract that they will agree to refer one paying client per month.

Interesting, huh?

If you take 21 human billboards and they get you just ONE client per month, that is 21 times $199.00 per month in income (presuming she charges $199 per month for the bootcamp).

Boom! Automatic $4k per month. It’s that simple.

And each month you get another $4k in new clients as the human billboards continue to refer you new clients (as agreed upon in their contract). Cool! And it doesn’t require you to sell, sell, sell.

Steve and I are dedicated to helping you live the life of your dreams while helping dozens – if not hundreds – of clients to lose fat in your bootcamps.

Talk to you soon,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TT Bootcamps

Incoming boot camp search terms:

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3 More Bootcamp Workout Trends for 2010

You ever write an article and then realize you totally left out important information?

That’s how I felt yesterday after sending you the 3 big bootcamp trends for 2010. I totally left out 3 MAJOR bootcamp success factors.

1) Bootcamp owners who energize & inspire will win

Remember this quote:

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to bring high energy to every bootcamp you teach. But that’s not a new trend, however, your role goes beyond just energizing and even motivating your bootcampers.

What you need to do is get all of your bootcampers to join a Facebook Fanpage set up exclusively for YOUR bootcamps. On that page, you’ll post a powerful quote every morning. You’ll recognize specific bootcampers for their efforts. You’ll provide the social support and inspiration that might be missing from their lives.

To see an example of how to run your Facebook Fanpage, please join mine here:

=> http://www.TurbulenceTrainingFanpage.com

2) Bootcamp owners who provide a complete set of tools will win

We all know that bootcamp clients can bust their butts in a workout but if they are eating poorly, they will get minimal results.

So you need to go beyond just providing great workouts and generic nutrition advice.

Bootcamp owners who go the extra mile and provide written meal plans, grocery store tours, shopping lists, and fat loss recipes (something you can provide on your Facebook Fanpage) will be the trainers who have the most clients getting results and giving referrals.

Take 10 minutes today between camps or while driving to your evening workout and make a list of ways that you can help solve the nutrition problems of your bootcamp clients.

3) Themed Bootcamps

Back to marketing…while Steve, Bedros, Chris, and Leanne give amazing tips in their bonus interviews in the TT Bootcamps System, I have thought of some new ideas.

I really think we’re going to see bootcamp owners dominate their area when they move towards niche markets with themed bootcamps.

If you specialize (i.e. holding Mom and baby bootcamps, bridal bootcamps, advanced butt kicking, beginner weight loss, or even “age defiance” bootcamps), you’ll be able to differentiate your bootcamp and provide a better, more powerful experience.

You will also be able to charge more because you are offering SPECIFIC solutions to more UNIQUE problems. Don’t try to be everything to everyone, because then you’ll be competing against everyone else, making your business a commodity.

You MUST be different.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TT Bootcamps

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7 Traits of Successful Bootcamp Owners

Disclaimer: I admit, I first wrote this article about the “7 traits of successful online business owners”…but these apply to bootcamp
owners as well.

I think you’ll agree…

************************
I’ve studied and interviewed a lot of experts over the last 12 years that I’ve been building my business and I’ve found 7 main reasons why other people are so successful:

1) They are confident

This is the underlying foundation of every success story…and on the other hand, a lack of confidence is a common factor in every
struggling biz owner that I meet. I know it’s harsh, but it’s true.

The most confident bootcamp owners who are out there talking up their camps to everyone are the ones with the most clients.

2) They have a driving desire to help others & create amazing content

Every top success story is a go-giver…they realize that to achieve their goals, they must help others succeed too…that’s why you see
the top bootcamp owners giving away such great information.

Plus, bootcamp owners who hold client appreciation functions and who get involved with local charities are the big success stories.

3) They never settle for the status quo.

No matter how big their bootcamps or current location, the top success stories are always looking ahead to the next project and
working to do even better. They are not complacent and realize that they might have to completely re-invent their business in order to grow to the next level.

4) They are lifelong students of self-improvement.

The top 5% of people I’ve ever met have always been the same folks who invest in every resource that is made available. They turn over every rock to find the information they need. That’s the mark of a lifelong student and ultimate success story.

5) They are positive people who attract other amazing people into their life

Successful people draw other successful people to them…this is the law of attraction that I believe in…and it goes back to being confident, being a go-giver, and never settling. Those are the types of people other successful people want to be around.

6) Successful people are entertaining.

They tell amazing stories and let you get to know them, even if it is just through emails and online video. So that’s why you need to
include your personal story in your bootcamp marketing (like my friend Leanne Ellington does).

7) They deliver amazing value to their clients.

Your clients want to be inspired, motivated, encouraged, and shown exactly what to do in order to reach their dreams. And that’s exactly what all top success stories do for their audience. They give, give, give, and it’s always amazing content delivering the highest value for their fans.

Listen, everyone wants to be told exactly what to do…we are all looking for the Blueprint to Success in life…and we want to be told by an expert who has complete confidence in what they are saying.

Doing that is the mark of a top success story…they spell out every action and don’t let any alternative ideas enter the reader’s mind.

So take a look at those 7 reasons why people are mega-success stories and identify where you are strong and where you need improvement.

All of these factors are under YOUR CONTROL to change.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TT Bootcamp Workouts

Incoming boot camp search terms:

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How to Get Your YouTube Videos Watched More Often

Before I give you these tips, I want to say that I have NO IDEA whether or not these tips will increase SALES on your website. All I know is that they will help increase the number the views that each of your videos get on YouTube.

1. Put more action and less teaching in your videos.
2. Add “hard rock” tracks (essentially making your workout clip a music video.

You can get royalty free music at www.freeplaymusic.com – and there are some decent riffs on there.

Here are more tips from Andrew Locke, one of the Internet’s top video experts and owner of the Internet TV Show, www.HelpMyBusiness.com.

1. Keep the video to less than 60 seconds.
2. Make the first 10 seconds as INTERESTING as possible.
3. Use an attention grabbing headline
4. Create a video that is not a blatant ad
5. Make it cute, funny, shocking or controversial
6. Provide compelling content. Be original, not boring.
7. Tell your list to go and watch it!
8. Embed the video on your site and blog
9. Tell your affiliates to embed the video on their sites and blogs

And make sure to use your city and fitness keywords in the title. You should be able to dominate youtube and even Google search with video.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Creator, www.TTBootcamps.com

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How to Use Holidays to Promote Your Bootcamp

One thing you always need to be doing is finding ways to call attention to your business and products.

It’s a busy marketing world, and you need to be creative in order to find a reason why your prospects should choose you over your competitors.

Fortunately, the calendar provides us DOZENS of opportunities each year to hold special promotions for our prospects and customers.

Really, there is a never any reason to miss an opportunity to promote your bootcamp. All you need to do is to create your own fame with any traditional holiday, as well as special events related to your industry.

Here’s a list of all the major holidays, plus additional times of the year when you can ADD MORE VALUE to your bootcamp to create a higher-value experience, or use as a good reason why to contact new prospects or past customers and get them back into your camps.

1) New Year’s Resolutions/“Fitness Season” 3-day promotions

Okay, doing a promo for New Year’s goes without saying since we are in the fitness industry, but I’m still surprised how few promotions I see at this time. People are “red hot” for fitness at this time of year, and you need to do everything you can to stand out among the hundreds of fitness choices consumers have at this time.

In particular, combining your New Year’s promotion with a Transformation Contest kick-off is the smartest thing you can do – so use a 21-day Rapid Fat Loss plan to get folks into your camp and hooked on your workouts.

If you currently don’t have a transformation contest running, then take an hour and write out the rules, pick the prizes, and get people involved. I’m kicking myself for not doing these sooner!

2) Every Monday

While on the topic of New Year’s resolutions, I just wanted to add that contacting your prospect list or Facebook fanpage or running an ad in your local paper on Monday’s will often give you the best results in terms of sales.

Why?

Because every Monday is like a mini-New Year’s Day, where readers return from the weekend vowing to eat better and exercise. Therefore, they flock to fitness programs to get started.

3) The SuperBowl

Why not create a fun week of pre-Superbowl promotions, focusing on Superbowl Challenge workouts, a nutrition day where you give away healthy recipes for the big day, and workouts where you divide your campers into teams – named of course for the two teams in the Superbowl.

There are so many ways you can tie into the game – even for a women’s only camp – that will get folks talking about your bootcamp.

And that’s what you should be trying to accomplish everyday…Tying your business in with current events is an easy way to keep your communications with your readers fresh, interesting, welcome, and effective.

And it’s not hard – all of your communications with your list should be like having a conversation with a friend. Did you happen to have at least 1 conversation with a friend about the Superbowl? Sure, even if you talked about how much you dislike the “big day” and all the overeating, you could have simply made your promotion about that.

4) Valentine’s Day

With a surname like Ballantyne, I’d be a fool not to do some type of Valentine’s Day promo. Heck, even Ryan Lee used my name in his Valentine’s Day promotion. Yet aside from Ryan and myself, everyone can still use the biggest, sappiest holiday of the year to promote their bootcamp.

My friend and Online SuperProfits Mastermind Member, Rommel Acda, runs an ANTI-Valentine’s day bootcamp at his gym for all of the single women…and they love it.

Now tell me, you don’t think you could get some amazing PR if you did something like that? It would be awesome…and probably one of the most intense workouts ever!

5) Spring Break

Everyone wants to lose fat for Spring Break, so you could in fact start mentioning this in your materials as early as January 1st. Fortunately, Spring Break week occurs at different times for different areas of the country, as well as different levels of school, so you can get a lot of mileage out of these types of promos.

Find out when the kids of all of your campers celebrate Spring Break and then start a countdown to Spring Break Transformation Contest.

Or you could run a special Spring Break bootcamp for high-schoolers during their week off to make some extra cash for your very own Spring Break getaway.

Those are just 5 killer ways to promote your bootcamp while tying into holidays and water cooler talk…but I’ve got another 10 ways for you to plan to take advantage of other holidays – coming soon!

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TT Bootcamps

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5 C’s For Your Bootcamp Success

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you an amazing 2010…and it will be, I promise, because Bootcamps are still on the way up. Their stock is rising, and as a
result, so is yours.

Today I want to talk about the “5 C’s” that are keys to your success in 2010…

(NOTE: I actually sent these tips out to the folks on my “how to make money on the internet” email list, but they apply just as well to anyone who wants to boost their income with bootcamps.)

#1 – Continuity

It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting, or if you have 100 campers per month – you need to structure your business to include an offer for continuity.

You don’t need a membership site or forum.

It could be some type of supplement (i.e. lots of trainers are doing well with ProGrade supplements).

Even if you just add 5 people per month at $20, that will be an automatic $1200 per month by the end of 2010.

Also, and this goes without saying, but you must have your campers on EFT on a monthly basis…no more taking checks or taking 2 weeks off your bootcamps every 6 weeks.

Get started now.

#2 – Confidence/Charisma

Some days I think the only factor separating the most successful from the struggling is simply their confidence.

If a dog can smell fear, I think a prospect can smell a lack of confidence…so you must take a really good long hard look at what image you are conveying to your campers.

Are you confident or insecure?

If you’re the former, you’ll be successful. If the latter, you’re going to continue to struggle.

#3 – Character

You must be exciting, entertaining and fun. You need to be a character. You nee to set yourself apart. You need to talk about things that no one else in your market is talking about.

You need to create a cult of personality around you. Combine character with confidence and its game over for your competition.

#4 – Celebrity

There are more ways to use celebrity than to just hire an actor, so think creatively.

Can you create celebrities among your campers?

Can you be a celebrity?

Can you connect your product to a celebrity?

Can you be “anti-celebrity”? (I.e. anti-celebrity diets?)

Anyone can be a celebrity, and you have to use it in your marketing.

#5 – Clients

Once you have a client, you now have someone who trusts you and is willing to take your recommendations to heart.

So when you’ve solved one of their problems, start solving the rest of them – either by offering more services or referring them to other experts.

Be their top source to solve all of their problems.

*******************
Put the 5-C’s into your business and 2010 will be the year you “CRUSH IT”.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – That’s a lot to think about right?

So let me add in a 6th “C”…

Craig’s workouts.

Take all the frustration and time out of workout planning by using my done-for-you TT Bootcamp workouts here:

=> http://www.ttbootcamp.com/order.shtml

Plus, you’ll get lots of client-attraction marketing secrets from the 6-figure bootcamp champ himself, Steve Hochman.

Have an amazing 2010!!!

5 Bootcamp Secrets to Get More Fat Burning Results for Your Clients

I was just reviewing a big file of all the new exercise, diet, and research proven fat burning tips I wrote down for 2009, and I wanted to share 5 BIGGIES that can help your clients get more results AND make your awesome workers even awesome-r..

So here we go:

#5 – Recent research shows shuttle-running is tougher than running intervals in a straight line…

…so if you want to help your clients burn fat faster than ever, make sure you incorporate old-school shuttle runs (i.e. classic suicide type drills) into your fat burning interval programs.

#4 – Encourage your clients to use a food log. When they ask why, tell them I said so.

No seriously, tell them this:

“According to Men’s Health (Feb 2009, p 38), keeping a food log helped subjects lose 3.5 more pounds than subjects that didn’t keep the log.”

#3 – Demand that your clients hit a personal best in each workout.

This is an oldie, but a goodie. There are a few reasons you need to do this:

a) First of all, everyone loves progress, and if you can get them to achieve a record each workout (i.e. could be # of pushups, plank
time, etc.), then they will feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment

b) More personal bests = more results. Plain and simple.

c) They will get addicted to the workouts, and always want to come back for more attempts at breaking records…thus becoming raving fans of your camps and referral machines.

#2 – Remind them that they need you, and here’s the proof:

“According to Men’s Health magazine, (Dec, 2009), beginners who work with trainers get more results than beginners who workout by themselves”. Guaranteed.

#1 – Bring a motivational quote to every class.

You might say it at the start, middle and end of every class, or you might print it out and give everyone the quote to take with them, or you might simply put it on your bootcamp’s Facebook fan page every morning.

Regardless of how you deliver the motivation, I promise you that it will keep your campers connected to you AND it will elevate your expert status even more in their eyes.

Here’s the first motivational quote you can share with them:

“Be loud and proud of the healthy changes you are making in your life. There are many more folks secretly wishing someone will take charge and be a healthy role model for them. It might not happen overnight, but if you continue to lead by healthy example – without preaching or being condescending – you can build an entourage that will help you reach the next level.” – Craig Ballantyne

Helping you and your clients get more results,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TT Bootcamps

PS – What if 1 simple workout style could also help your clients get more results without any equipment?

I promise you, the TT Bootcamps System can – and will – get your clients more results, without requiring any more work on your part.

Click here to get 31 Done-For-You no-equipment bootcamp workouts

It will free up even more time and energy for you to fill your bootcamps and build the life you deserve.

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3 More Holiday Bootcamp Marketing Tips

Winter arrived in Toronto on Wednesday…and its only 2 weeks till Christmas…but you can still be pushing to fill your bootcamps and working on plans to get more campers in 2K10…

So I asked Pat Rigsby, bootcamp-filling guru, for his best advices on what you can do right now…

Tip #1 – Reward your current members.

Send a personal card to all of your campers and consider adding a $20 gift card to Starbucks or something similar. While some
businesses will send cards, few if any will actually give ‘real’ gifts.

You’ll stand out from the crowd this holiday season and it will lead to referral word of mouth around holiday parties so that you’ll have more people calling to enroll in your camps.

Tip #2 – Get your MIA campers back on the scene.

Design a reactivation campaign to get all of your former campers and clients back on board for January. They’re going to go somewhere to try to reach their fitness goals in January – make sure it’s your camp.

Pat has more info on a bootcamper reactivation strategy here:

=> http://tinyurl.com/reactivatebootcampers

Tip #3 – Launch a New Year’s Transformation Contest.

Model what Turbulence Training does with the TT Transformation Challenges and use it to motivate your campers, produce referrals and generate buzz about your camp.

For more info, check out:

=> http://www.TransformationContest.com

Bonus Tip #4 – Create a 21-Day Bootcamp Program

Consider offering a short term program to capitalize on people’s new found motivation. Many of Pat’s Bootcamp Blueprint members are offering a ‘Drop a Dress Size in 21 Days’ program with great success.

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Those are easy to implement to make sure that you’re off to an amazing start for 2K10, while finishing strong in 2009.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

5 Holiday Bootcamp Marketing Tips

I bugged Steve Hochman and Bedros Keuilian to give you some holiday bootcamp marketing tips…and to get you set up for more campers in January.

Tip #1 – Implement a 21 day rapid fat loss challenge

You’ll set this up for a $97 fee…and everyone who takes this offer gets unlimited bootcamp and a 21-day meal plan.

Then you can up-grade them when they come in by offering them 7 extra days (for 28 days total) as long as they sign up to start the monthly program after the 28 days…

Let them know that it’s a no brainer because IF during the 28 days, they decide they don’t want to continue, they can cancel with no
penalties or hassles.

Of course, thanks to your amazing workouts, they’ll be hooked on your bootcamps and will become a raving fan for life…so they’ll stick around much longer than 28 days.

It a really cool way to get new people in on a promo now that takes them through the new year…and that way they already know, like, and trust you for their New Year’s fitness solution.

NOTE: If you don’t have time to do this before Christmas, no worries, just start it up after Christmas…perfect way to get new clients in for New Year’s.

For more info, search the 21-day rapid fat loss program on Bedros’ blog here:

=> http://www.PTPower.com

Cool!

Tip #2 – Give Your Current Campers Plastic Gift Cards

If you’ve read the interview I did with Steve, you know he loves giving out plastic gift cards to clients.

So give each of your bootcampers a $20 gift card to Starbucks (for them) along with five $100 plastic bootcamp gift cards to give to
their friends.

Each bootcamp gift card is worth $100 of bootcamp, and that will be another way to get new clients hooked on your workouts…and it makes your current campers look awesome for giving out that cool gift.

Tip #3 – Reward Your Current Members…

…by getting a free service from the local tanning salon, spa, chiropractor, and nail salon, and combine them into one big certificate and gift it to your clients.

Okay, those are great…but we’re not done yet…here are MORE TIPS from Bedros on how to prepare for the January rush…

Tip #1 – Offer free Saturday boot camps every Saturday in January for the entire community. This has worked awesome for California fitness expert, Josh Carter.

Tip #2 – Make January the bring a friend for a week month. Each member can bring 4 friends throughout the entire month (one friend per week). This is a killer referral system.

Whew. There you go.

That will get you off to an amazing start for 2K10, while finishing strong in 2009.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

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Bootcamp Blueprint System

In my neighborhood here in Toronto there is a bootcamp at a local park that makes me very sad.

Even my dog wants nothing to do with it, and he loves any excuse to get attention.

You see, the camp started out strong with about 12 women, but each week I notice fewer and fewer clients showing up.

I think they are down to about 6 people now.

Sad, isn’t it?

Frankly, I’ve watched some of the classes and the workouts leave a lot to be desired.

After all, 5lbs dumbbell curls for 20 reps isn’t my idea of a workout, if you know what I mean (especially if you’ve checked out my NO-equipment TT bootcamp programs).

But what hurts this bootcamp more than anything else is that they have no business system blueprint.

I don’t think they have any type of business mentor, and they are just making up their marketing as they go along.

Unfortunately, with that approach, these poor trainers are going to go out of business pretty soon.

The bottom line is that ALL bootcamps need a blueprint system…one that can be put into place by other trainers so that you don’t need to do all the work.

And that way, you keep your clients happy and just as important, actually coming back every week.

If you need help with systems and getting clients to come back week in and week out so that your bootcamps are recession proof, then you need, “The 6-Figure Bootcamp Blueprint Guide” from BJ Gaddour.

That’s just one of the bonuses you get with the TT Bootcamp system.

Click here to get started with your done-for-you bootcamp workouts and marketing:

=> http://www.TTBootcamp.com

BJ’s blueprint will help you build your bootcamps so that you’ll have less stress, more time off, and more energy for your life outside of work.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TTBootcamp.com

PS – If you run a bootcamp, you also need…

BJ’s done-for-you nutrition guideline that he gives to his clients.

That’s another one of the bonuses you get here:

=> http://www.TTBootcamp.com

After all, we know that nutrition is more important than exercise for our client’s results, so you need to make sure they are getting everything they need to succeed.

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