Most personal trainers see a drop off in revenues during the summer. And while some see it as a reason to panic, astute fitness professionals know it is the perfect time to spend working on marketing. There are many activities trainers can partake in to grow their business during the lazy days of summer.

The following personal trainer marketing strategies are a must for anyone serious about their business:

  1. The list of 100: Everyone knows at least one hundred people. Create a list of everyone you know. And then list the people they know. Your job is to contact every one of these people by phone over the course of the summer and explain to them what your business is all about. It’s pretty amazing that most times family members and friends don’t even know what a personal training business is never mind how to refer people to it. So educate everyone you can think of on what it is you do and who you do it for. Paint a picture to them of your perfect client, and don’t be afraid to ask for referrals.
  1. Sphere of influence: Your list of 100 should include leaders in your community and successful business owners. Take each one of them out to lunch. Pick their brain. What made them so successful? How can you help their business or cause? How can they help you? Be sure to pick up the check and send them a thank you card. The more influential people who know you and your business the better.
  1. Explore new networking groups: Many networking organizations are a great source of referrals. And most allow you to attend two meeting before having to pay to join. Explore all the options in your community. Make sure your target market attends the meetings. Even if you already belong to a group be sure to use the downtime you have in the summer to get your name out even more. You could even make a special summer offer on your services to members of these groups for an injection of cash into your business.
  1. Join Toastmasters: Personal trainers—at least those who want to be successful—need to be good public speakers. Toastmasters International is a great place to hone your speaking skills. And you might even find some clients there. Additionally, set aside time to line up speaking engagements some for the fall. Public speaking is a terrific way to market your business. It’s much easier to sell to a large audience than one person at a time.
  1. Create a blog: Standard websites are almost becoming obsolete. Blogs are the here and now. They get terrific search engine rankings and will do a great job of driving prospects to you. In fact, take the entire summer to learn the new landscape of the Internet—Web 2.0. Technology is always changing, and it’s your job to keep up with how it will help your personal trainer marketing efforts.

Jim Labadie is a fitness entrepreneur, sales expert and speaker. You can download a FREE copy of his new e-book “63 Must-Have Sales Tips for Personal Trainers” at http://www.ptsalestips.com.