There’s really never a bad time to launch a nutrition coaching program at your gym. But the fall can be particularly effective for adding it to your list of services!
Both members and non-members alike are primed for change. With the transition from summer to fall, there’s often a shift in scheduling. Plus, motivation is higher after a summer of delicious food and cocktails on the patio.
With all of that comes the desire for a more structured life, and an increased willingness to commit to a plan. So as a gym owner, this is an opportunity to help people with their goals while driving revenue and retention in your fitness business.
Four Tips for Rolling Out a Successful Nutrition Coaching Program this Fall:
1. Start with a Short, Kickoff Challenge.
A short-term challenge is a great way to gather interest in a longer-term nutrition coaching program. Whether it’s macros-based or focused on clean eating, a quick, six-week challenge will often be a great motivator for your gym community.
There are two keys to running a challenge like this in the fall, according to Healthy Steps Nutrition (HSN) founder, Nicole Aucoin.
First, give people a little time to get into their fall routines. It’s generally best to start slightly after the school year has started. Aim for three to four weeks past the school start date to allow clients to settle into their new “normal” for the fall.
Second, Aucoin emphasizes is the importance of having clear-cut direction for what your nutrition coaching clients will do after the challenge ends. Otherwise, they may simply return to what they were doing pre-challenge.
The best solution - for them and for your gym - is to offer long-term coaching options. This will keep them on track with accountability and guidance along the way. Having helped hundreds of nutrition coaching clients, Aucoin and her HSN team have proven this is a path to success. HSN offers education and mentorship to help coaches and owners build a profitable - and fun - nutrition coaching program.
2. Prioritize Goal Setting.
The fall is also a perfect time to roll out one-on-one goal setting sessions. The “fresh start” that comes with the summer-to-fall transition is a great motivator. And sometimes your clients’ health, fitness and nutrition goals can change over time. So this is a great opportunity to reassess and make a plan.
Aucoin says that when sitting down with someone to talk about their goals, it’s best to take a client-centered approach. Although it may seem counterintuitive, this means focusing on letting the client tell you what they think is best for them. Let them speak about what their goals are, rather than you providing your opinion right away.
As tempting as it can be to want to steer your nutrition coaching clients toward what you think is obvious, try this approach. Being client-centered helps them to be more excited about making changes. As a result, they’re more likely to feel connected to their goals. And this naturally leads to higher compliance levels and better results.
3. Conduct Motivational Interviewing.
Motivational interviewing is a great tool to use when conducting goal-setting sessions because it helps you figure out what types of questions to ask. The goal is to generate the most authentic, useful answers to help clients solve their problems.
So what exactly is motivational interviewing? It’s a client-centered approach to guidance that prompts clients to really look within for answers. It involves asking open-ended questions that explore someone’s why and what’s really going on. You’ll dig into what might be holding them back from making changes. Plus, you’ll aim to find out what they really want and think is realistic for them.
Essentially, motivational interviewing empowers your clients to come up with a realistic game plan. This is proven to be more effective than you just telling them what to eat, what not to eat, how much to eat, etc.
These goal-setting sessions are set up easily, similar to how you’d manage personal training sessions.
Pro Tip: Want to find out how to use PushPress Appointments to seamlessly integrate this into your gym? Book a demo with our team today!
4. Highlight Clients’ Success Stories.
Social proof is a powerful way to launch a new nutrition coaching program. To help capture the interest of potential clients, start with showcasing current success stories.
Even if you don’t have specific, nutrition-coaching success examples yet, you can still establish authority with other fitness transformations. Any type of before-and-after photos or testimonials will prove to curious clients that you know what you’re doing. And this will lay the foundation for when you’re ready to launch.
Aucoin recommends marketing a nutrition program by rolling out success stories at least six weeks in advance. So consider this just an fun (and inexpensive!) part of your social media marketing strategy.
In Summary: Fall is the Perfect Time to Add Nutrition Coaching
Nutrition coaching is a fantastic option to compliment the fitness options your gym currently offers. Not only is it great for additional revenue by increasing average client value, but retention numbers will likely climb as well.
And while the New Year is often viewed as the time when clients want to revamp their nutrition, fall is another great opportunity. As Aucoin put it, “As summertime is winding down and kids are going back to school, parents are ready to get back on track with their health and wellness goals.”
Help your clients, increase gym retention and boost revenue? It’s a win-win for everyone.
