You know the golden rule: The more you learn, the more you earn! My career really took off when I started attending seminars and conferences. I was going to one or two almost every month when I first began personal training. Not only did that equip me with the tools and confidence that I needed to succeed, but it was also an excellent networking opportunity. By learning, improving my skill set, and talking to others in the industry, my business got a real boost and it continues to go strong to this day.
Now, here’s a very important message that I want every personal trainer to hear:
I’ve NEVER attended a seminar for continuing education credits (CECs).
I’ve attended dozens of seminars all over North America and never once did I care about CECs. In fact, some of the best seminars that I attended didn’t even offer CECs. And I never had a problem making the quota for my professional designations because I had so many hours invested working in the field full-time, attending unsanctioned health and fitness events (which still count toward your CECs, albeit to a lesser extent), doing my annual CPR re-certification, writing for various publications, speaking at various events, and so on. I always had more than enough CECs without even trying. It was never a problem.
And by the way, there are many guys and gals in the industry, and I’m talking at the “top” of the industry, that don’t announce their credentials when they write or speak. The top ones are there for a reason. It’s about the results you get, not the letters after your name!
Most of my business is derived from word of mouth, not much from the internet because once they get a glimpse of my rates, they’re not too keen to sign up. Referrals, on the other hand, are a different story. People have seen the results they can obtain in real life and the value is worth the cost. That’s why I always tell trainers that if they want new clients, focus on the clients you already have. If you work hard and get results, your existing clients will be the best form of advertisement you’ll ever need, and you should be able to retain those clients for a long period of time. Even if they do leave for one reason or another, a good portion will return once they see the caliber that’s out there. You get what you pay for! If you end up with a trainer that’s solely interested in earning enough CECs for their certification, well there’s a reason you’ll pay less for their services.
Why am I going off on this rant today?
My company, The Catanzaro Group, has several divisions: we provide health and fitness services; we have a dietary supplement line; we publish books, DVDs, webinars, and video presentations; and we conduct seminars and workshops. At one point, I was conducting seminars on a regular basis. It was a big part of the business actually, but during the past few years, the concentration has been on the publishing end (along with the supplement line) and not so many talks. This year that will change.
So when I announced the first seminar of the year, Advanced Body Composition Strategies, many trainers were interested, but the question I received the most had nothing to do with the content, cost, or location. It was the following:
“Does the seminar offer CECs?”
Let me tell you a little story about CECs. When you apply for CECs as a provider, the normal route of action is that you pay a fee, submit your material for approval, and if it’s accepted, you’ll be assigned credits for your course. On a couple of occasions in this past when we applied for CECs, our money was accepted, credits were assigned, but no material was ever reviewed! We didn’t submit any material and yet we were approved. Enough said.
Again, I’ve never asked about any CECs for courses that I’ve attended in the past nor will I ever ask for any that I attend in the future. If you come to my studio, you will not see my degree or any of my certifications on the wall. And NO, the upcoming “information-packed” seminar on April 3rd doesn’t offer any CECs. Now you know why.
Body Composition Strategies
In Body Composition Strategies, you’ll learn many of the trade secrets that experts use to get their personal training clients lean in a short period of time. The webinar covers diet, supplementation and training protocols for both men and women. Several case studies are examined. Over 40 minutes of streaming video, a 38-page slide presentation and several bonus files are included.
