You know who your best clients are.
You know what they want. You know they’ll pay for it.
You’ve started to weed out your worst clients (great job—that’s the hard part).
You have room in your garden for more of the best clients.
So how do you get them?
Simple: you ask.
How to Ask for Referrals
At your intake process, you simply ask:
“Is there anyone in your life you’d like to invite to take this journey with you?”
They might say, “No.” That’s OK. You and I know that a training partner will help with adherence, but they might prefer to go it alone for now.
Your next opportunity to ask for a referral comes during your Goal Reviews.
When a client is having success, you should ask for a referral.
You: “Are you completely satisfied with your progress?”
Them: “Yes!”
You: “Great.”
Then you start Affinity Marketing. You must know things about the client, like who they live with, work with and hang out with when they’re not at your gym. You gathered this information during your intake process.
Following the Affinity Marketing plan, you ask one of these questions:
“I know your partner has struggled with eating. How can I help get him on track?”
Or:
“I know this is a stressful time in your office. What if we invited the other medical staff in to blow off steam next Friday after work?”
Or:
“I know you’re just standing around while your kids are doing their gymnastics class. Want to invite the other parents over for a workout next Saturday while your kids are in class?”
Start from the highest-affinity audiences (the people closest to your Seed Clients) and work your way out from there. Follow the steps in our “Affinity Marketing Guide,” available on our Free Tools page.
Vision, Strategy and Tactics
Vision: You’re only one degree of separation from your next best client.
Strategy: Follow the principles of “Help First.” Know your clients, know the people closest to them and offer to help.
Tactics: During your onboarding and Goal Reviews, specifically mention one person in your client’s life who you can help. Then ask how you can get that person started on a new journey.
The key to the best tactics? They’re simple. They might not be easy, but they get easier as you do more reps. That’s why I love the Pumpkin Plan and Affinity Marketing!
Other Media in This Series
“Seeds and Weeds”
“Seeds and Weeds: Your Best Clients”
“How to Fire Your Worst Clients”
“The Fired Client Rebellion and the Comeback of the Year”
“How to Upgrade Your Clients”
“Video Recap: Seed Clients and Weed Clients”
