One of the biggest failures of the Personal Training Industry is the lack of business education. Exercise science and the ability to create effective programs is not all that’s needed to help create your ideal business.

I probably read 20 business books each year and while some aren’t remarkable, some can truly change how you look at your business. These are, to date, my top 10 favorites. (My standard is that I listen to everything in audio book form and if I find myself having to go back and make notes, I know I need the hard copy.) While they aren’t for Personal Trainers specifically, they absolutely apply to building and running our business.

Currently, I’m reading The Referral Engine and I’m loving it. I’m halfway through this and know I need the hard copy. Referrals are the lifeline to service businesses.

The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself

Another great book on getting your existing customers to do your marketing for you is:

Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force

I think that Seth Godin led the way into a new era, away from interruption marketing into, as he called it, permission marketing. With it followed books that showed the way to engage, connect, and create trust such as The New Rules of Marketing andPR, Inbound Marketing, and Problogger.

Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, 2nd Edition

Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (New Rules Social Media Series)

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income

Two powerful books on what it takes to help create change (or help create an environment to facilitate change) in ourselves, others, even society are:

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

My bible for anyone that wants to start their own business is E-Myth Revisited. It helps you map out your business game plan. Don’t leave home without it.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It

And still, after a number of years and lots of sales books later, I think that Selling the Invisible is the most accessible book on sales for those in the service industry.

Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing

I hope you get a chance to read some of these books. They are, or at least can be, real game changers for your professional life.

Best wishes, Mark

More and more I’m asked by club owners how they can boost the revenue of their Personal Training department. As with anything you look to change, you must first look at what you have. Who are your Personal Trainers? Do they have the traits and skills that it takes to move forward?

Trainers, if you’re not rockin’ the world with what you’re doing, not having the career you want, follow this series to see where you’re missing out and how you can take your business to the next level.

Before I even start the list there are a couple of beliefs we need to address. In his book Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, Kerry Patterson states that there are two essential beliefs in order for change to occur. 1) You must believe that it is possible, and 2) You must believe that it is worth it.

That’s where it starts. Personal Trainers, do you want to change your business? Do you believe, and I have to stress that you actually must believe, that your business CAN build? Do you believe that it is WORTH the work that you would have to put in to change it? (some people are perfectly happy doing mediocre work with mediocre results)

If you ARE one of those Trainers that believe, follow me as I lay out what it takes to become the success that you want to be.

P.S. you can also follow my Business of Personal Training Facebook page

First, we cannot change anyone. We can help people that want to change. We can be facilitators in the process of change. But, nothing we we do will make any difference if the individual doesn’t want to change. (Actually, that’s not completely true. But that’s a post for another time.)

That said, I’m constantly looking for ways to help individuals or groups of individuals make positives changes in their lives. I spend a great deal of time wondering how we, as an industry, can have a greater impact on the obesity epidemic. Why do people continue behaviors that they know are harming them? It’s not a lack of information. Look at cigarette smoking. The warnings are right there on the package. They know its unhealthy. People also know that being obese is a danger to their health. There are many other forces at work here… inherent, cultural forces that need to be our real targets. I don’t have the answers yet, but I’m starting to form some ideas. Join me in changing our society. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Best wishes, Mark Nutting

P.S. Here are my two favorite books on changing behaviors. *Warning, it’s difficult to read these and not get motivated to change the world.

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard