How to be the #1 gym in your city

What’s up Gym World?

Last time Jon Goodman was on the pod, he shared the playbook that took him from being a broke personal trainer to profiting over $3M a year.

Since then, he’s written a book packed with 15 strategies to help you dominate your local market by becoming the obvious choice for prospects.

It just dropped this week, and Jon says it’s his best work yet. So, we invited him back to share some of his favorite lessons and strategies from the book.

Here’s a sneak peek: 👇

Become famous to the family

It’s easy to forget about the people who care about what you do and could become your clients. Too often, Jon sees gym owners trying to impress everyone on social and ending up:

• Chasing likes that don’t grow their business

• Posting without a clear purpose

• Focusing on silly metrics over conversions

• Getting frustrated when no leads or clients come in

To connect with the right people and become the obvious choice for online trainers, Jon used the Human Optimized Marketing System (HOMS) framework. He built trust in his niche and grew a following by answering these 5 questions:

1. What key benefit does my business provide?

2. Who are my customers?

3. What do they want?

4. Where am I going to find them?

5. How can I talk to them today?

This framework also made it easier for Jon to create content that resonated with his audience (online trainers) and positioned him as the go-to-expert by:

• Addressing their biggest questions and concerns

• Sharing social proof like case studies and testimonials

• Including clear calls to action that made it easy for them to connect

Talk to people

The HOMS framework works just as well offline. If you want to build awareness in your community, the best way is to start talking to more people. A lot of gym owners we feature:

• Ask for referrals (they get higher-quality leads that are more ready to buy)

• Partner with local businesses

• Attend community events

• Host gym events

Never stop learning

Jon says he was an ‘okay’ personal trainer. He knew others had more experience, but what set him apart over time was combining his training expertise with complementary skills like:

• Behavioral psychology – to understand people’s motivations and habits

• Writing – to communicate clearly

• Marketing – to attract and retain clients

• Wealth management – to build a sustainable business

He gives himself 60 days to aggressively learn a complementary skill. So for wealth management, he:

• Read 7 books on topics like money management, the stock market, financial psychology

• Observed how finance experts managed their own money

• Taught what he learned via presentations or his podcast

We asked what complementary skills gym owners should focus on. He suggested:

• Understanding money - Identify and fix money leaks by learning contract negotiations, budgeting, expenses, and investing.

• Managing - Empower your team by becoming a better leader.

• Hiring - Know what qualities to look for, where to find great candidates, and how to let go of those who don’t serve you well.

• Nurturing - Improve how quickly you follow up with leads and get them through the door.

• Business writing - Be clear, concise, and include a next step in your ads and content.

So, what now?

It’s obvious—grab yourself a copy of Jon’s book 👉 https://a.co/d/c9MGvZT

Inside, you’ll find actionable insights to grow your business, attract more clients, and outpace your competitors—lessons Jon used to turn his business into a 7-figure empire.

Otherwise, be sure to watch or listen to Jon’s full interview on Gym World for more marketing tips.

later,

j

📣 P.S. If you found this valuable, share it with another gym owner who could use it too.