I wanted to share a recent observation that could be helpful if you’re not getting enough leads…
At a high level, you’ve really only got two ways to proactively drive brand new leads.
1) You pay for them. You acquire them via Meta ads, Google ads, direct mail, traditional advertising, etc.
2) You go out and meet strangers. You can do this individually, at events, or building relationships with other businesses.
Yes, you can and should ask clients for referrals. And if you have a good website (like the ones made by Kilo) you’ll get some traction via organic Google search.
But you can’t really shake these trees yourself. You’re working through your clients or SEO.
To the first option, paid acquisition definitely plays a role. Many lament the increased costs and reduced throughput of paid digital. But it’s still an important tool for most gym owners.
But what if you can’t afford paid ads?
Or what if it’s expensive and extra-crappy in your market?
Then you’re left with one final option.
Go out and meet strangers.
This can look like a few different things.
- Inviting passersby to visit your table at a live event with a raffle.
- Befriending another business owner to get exposure to someone else’s audience.
- DMing people who engage with you on Instagram.
- Handing out business cards in a grocery store parking lot.
- Striking up a conversation with someone behind you online in a local coffee shop.
All of these can feel daunting to many gym owners.
After all, you’re putting yourself out there to people who don’t know. And who haven’t explicitly asked you to tell them about what you do.
Sometimes it can make you anxious. After all, some people WILL be annoyed.
It can also bring up imposter syndrome.
(“Who am I to be stopping strangers and telling them I’m so great and they should train with me?”)
But here’s the deal:
If you want to make the biggest impact possible…
And if you want your gym to grow…
You have to be willing to meet people you don’t know.
To put yourself out there and risk people being annoyed or rude or downright mean.
There are definitely ways to make this easier. Having a script for what to say helps (we have one for our clients). And offering something valuable can make it less weird and easier to strike up a convo.
But to become “5 Mile Famous” you have to be willing to do some scary things.
The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek,
Mark
PS Looking for the fastest path to getting more leads right away?
We offer free 10-minute brainstorms for gym owners who want more personalized guidance.
In this fast-paced call, you’ll hop on the phone with me or someone on our team and:
- Review what is and isn’t currently working in your business
- Identify what’s possible for your gym in the next 90 days and beyond
- Uncover the #1 bottleneck restricting growth
- Develop a 3-step action plan to get you results ASAP