“Results start when you do. When would you like to schedule your first training and how would you like to take care of it?” ~ Bill Crawford
Bill Crawford (email – iamfitness [@] aol.com) has been a leader and visionary in fitness since 1977, and is the owner of Basic Training (Facebook), a well revered high intensity strength training facility in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Bill was trained for musculoskeletal evaluation and rehabilitation at the Exercise Science Center, University of Florida in Gainesville, and was personally trained by the late Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus and MedX.
Over the last 42 years, Bill has owned and developed fitness centers around the world. He has a strong track record in growing both large fitness chains and small boutique studios. His current business, Basic Training, is a very profitable single-studio business with a long waiting list. Basic Training do NO paid marketing, yet continue to generate more referrals than they can handle.
This podcast is packed with sales principles and tactics, which you can implement immediately to generate more sales and get results in your business.
At around the 38-minute mark, we switched from Skype to phone and lost a few minutes of content, which I briefly summarised to make sure you don’t miss a beat!
Access exclusive content from Bill on how to position your MedX inside HIT Business Membership
Download How to Attract Great Personal Trainers PDF
Enjoy the show!
- Listen to it on Apple Podcasts
- Stream by clicking here
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”
Would you like to hear more from Bill? — Check out our podcast on how to build a profitable single-studio HIT business, how to price and package your services effectively, and much, much more (Stream below or right-click here to download):
Show Notes
Click the link below to listen from the exact time stamp on Overcast:
- Bill’s Resistance Exercise Conference highlights [1:50]
- The latest news on MedX production and business roadmap [3:45]
- Bill’s biggest takeaways from REC 2019 [8:45]
- Bill’s sales process [16:45]
- How to qualify new prospects [20:00]
- The importance of tailoring the tour [23:15]
- Basic Training’s service offering [25:12]
- How does Bill qualify out prospects? [26:10]
- How long does the tour take and what does it entail? [28:25]
- Why don’t Basic Training offer complimentary introductory workouts? [29:27]
- More depth on the finer details of Bill’s sales process [32:50]
- The big advantage the boutique studio has over big box gyms [36:00]
- How to read prospect’s body language effectively to increase conversions [38:10]
- How do Basic Training present pricing to the prospect after the tour? [42:50]
- What exercise machines has Bill found to be the most effective selling tools? [50:15]
- How does Bill close the sale? [51:00]
- Why it might be advisable to charge lower rates in the beginning [53:19]
- Why it’s a bad idea to offer “pay as you go” personal training [56:10]
- The benefits to increasing prices over time [58:30]
- Client expectations of your service-based business [1:01:50]
- How to build strong client relationships and a common pitfall to avoid [1:03:10]
- The importance of keeping silent after you ask for the sale [1:06:05]
- How to overcome sales objections [1:07:55]
- How do Basic Training close the $10,000 package? [1:15:00]
- How does Bill explain HIT to new prospects? [1:21:30]
- How to contact Basic Training [1:25:60]
Selected Links from the Episode
- MedX Online (Order your NEW MedX Machines now!)
- Resistance Exercise Conference
- Nautilus
- Electromagnetic pulse
- Basic Training Pricing
- Discover Strength
- Rock Solid Fitness Florida
- Cobwebs
- Lord Of The Rings
People Mentioned
- Arthur Jones
- Dr Doug McGuff (Listen to my episodes with Doug here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5)
- Dr Jeremy Leonneke (Listen to my episodes with Jeremy here: Part 1 and Part 2)
- Dr James Fisher (Listen to my episodes with James here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6)
- Chaz Mahle
- Luke Carlson (Listen to my podcasts with Luke here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6)
- Bill Gates
- Jeff Bezos
496 – How to Build A Highly Successful, Isometrics-Only HIT Fitness Business (with Isophit Inventor Brad Thorpe)
495 – How to Grow A HIT Business Fast and Operate It Like A Well-Oiled Machine (with Smart Fit Method’s Connor Darnbrough)
494 – How to Grow Your HIT Fitness Business and Give it a MASSIVE Boost — Your Marketing Master Plan for 2025 (with Sherri McMillan)
It is interesting to learn that MedX is back in business. I saw something on another forum, but it wasn’t sure if the story was real, or a hoax. I suppose they will remain one of the more expensive options for equipping a studio, and that the big challenge will be to convince prospective studio owners that the higher cost can be justified in terms of client satisfaction, acquisition, and retention.
BTW, as our intrepid journalist/blogger on the front line, when will you put up your own report on the conference?
Great interview! Everyone in sales should listen and take notes, whether or not they’re selling High Intensity Training. I will apply to my business right away! And, as I “pitch” resistance training to friends and family, I will incorporate.
Use the word complimentary instead of free and build in a brief demo (leg press) in the initial consultation/tour. If you spend 1 hr with a client that is about 3 times as long (~20 minutes) as you would after the initial ~6 week learning phase. All great advice from a guy who doesn’t have his own business (but is working on his Hituni certification). If you have the soft people skills with basic business fundamentals, success is soon to follow.
I meant to also say charge for the consult, include the “complimentary” session and it would be like getting a discount. All great armchair advice.
Agreed!
There is a book mentioned at 38:10 that is not captured in the show notes. Bill thinks the title is “Body Language and Closing”, but I can’t find anything like that. Does anyone know what this book is?