Fitness News

Keep Selling During The Christmas Holidays

By 16th December 2015 No Comments

Christmas is literally days away and we’re all looking forward to spending some quality time with friends and family – but when you’re a fitness professional, taking time off can be damaging to your business and many fit pros try to avoid it like the plague!

It shouldn’t be that way!

So this year we have come up with a few simple email techniques on how you can keep selling over your Christmas break, while you’re away from the office, and not have to drag the laptop to the dinner table!

lucy

Email Signature

Ok, first things first, you need to tackle your email signature. This will play a vital role, especially in the upcoming days, for when you’re contacting clients etc.

We personally believe that your email signature should be as simple as possible. We tend to see fit pros with a bundle of images in their email signature and it just looks messy and steers the reader’s attention away from the important factors, e.g. your website url, social media links etc.

Keep it clean and you will generate more clicks. Here is an example:

[Name] | [Twitter Handle]

[Title], [Company name]

[Mobile/Skype] | [Office/Skype]

[Blog link to a certain article!]

The blog article you link to should be a recent article, which also has a great call-to-action. Also, ensure the title is catchy in your signature, for example: ‘Our Top 5 Tips to Keeping off the pounds over Christmas’

This is something many want to do and will more than likely receive clicks from your email receivers.

Instead of linking your blog generically, link to an individual post as this is more compelling to click.

The only issue here is if your blog is like a ghost town. This will have a detrimental effect on website traffic. If you find it hard to create blog posts then take a look at our blogging service, specifically aimed for fitness professionals who are looking for more leads online.

outofoffice

Out of Office

Now that your email signature is on point. It’s time to look at the essentials while you’re on your Christmas break. We have spoken with so many fit pros that just simply can’t stay away from their inbox even while away on holiday. This isn’t good practice. You will end up becoming stressed; rushing tasks and will run yourself and your business into the ground. Time off should be exactly what it says on the tin.

Yes, you will most likely receive emails over the Christmas period, which is why you need to put in place an Out of Office (OOO) reply to work for you.

The trick here is to be unique. We see too many people with the same generic, “I’m out of the office until [date]. If it’s urgent please contact [co-worker].”

You need to advertise to your readers.

Therefore, instead of a generic out of office reply, try something like this over the Christmas holidays:

Push them to your blog!
Happy Holidays!

I hope you’re having a great Christmas. Unfortunately, up until [date] I will be away from my emails, but will reply to you as soon as possible. In the mean time, check out my blog for some great tips and tricks on [the service you provide]

Speak soon!

Get readers to download your eBook!

Hi,

Thanks for the email.

I am most likely knee deep in Turkey right now, but I will be back on [date] to answer your email.

To celebrate the holidays, we are giving away a FREE eBook, which you can download here.

Speak soon.

 

If you are available for calls

Hi,

Is there any chance you can contact me via telephone as I am currently away from my office. My number is [tel. no.]

Regards.

 

Get more book-ins!

Hi,

Over the next few weeks we are offering all new clients a FREE taster session in January, which you can book here.

I am currently away from my desk right now

 

This way you’re not wasting those eyeballs you’re getting while you’re offline.

Do you have any tips for how to sell while you’re on vacation? Share in the comments.

lucy

Schedule a Newsletter

Commercial email volume is at an annual high in November and December. However, studies show that consumers are more likely to open and click-through during the holiday season.

It’s safe to say that positioning your business to capture some of this holiday spend is definitely wise. And one of the very best ways to accomplish that is through an awesome Christmas newsletter.

With you being away from the office, you would need to create this newsletter beforehand and then schedule your newsletter for a later date. This can be easily done on Mailchimp, allowing you to select a certain date and time for your readers to receive your newsletter.

Here are a number of promotions in which you can use in your Christmas newsletter:

Gifts

The best kind of Christmas newsletter provides value to the recipient. And what do we love to receive at Christmas time? Gifts of course! If you run fitness classes, why not offer your readers a FREE session to redeem in 2016. This is a great way to get clients through the door and, once they are in, you are more likely to keep them as regular clients.

Templates or Tools

Offer your newsletter readers something to help motivate them in the New Year – if they stick with their New Year training, then they will stick with you. Try offering them a free progression PDF allowing them to fill in their details and see progress as they go along.

Customer Loyalty

If your newsletter is exclusive to current clients, then offer them an exclusive deal. This can work in your favour too. Let’s say, for instance, you offer them a 2for1 session when they bring a friend. You can try to turn their friend into a regular client too! And better yet, the newsletter reader will appreciate the recognition of an exclusive offer.

Final Thought

As we mentioned earlier, many fit pros fear taking time off over Christmas as they feel they will lose money and their website traffic will dwindle. But this really doesn’t have to be the case. If you follow the tips and tricks on your emails above, then you will be able to keep traffic at a high and hopefully receive a number of new leads too.

Christmas is a great time to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. The weeks after are also a time fitness businesses thrive! Download our FREE digital checklist to ensure you hit the ground running in January!