Many people that require major medical procedures need them because of poor lifestyle habits. As a fitness professional, you’re ideally placed to not only help many of these people, but grow your business by marketing yourself to niche markets that most other professionals never consider.
Let’s take Mrs. Jackson for example. She’s overweight, and has been so most of her life. Mrs. Jackson’s doctor has been telling her for years that she needs to lose weight, but Mrs. Jackson just hasn’t gotten motivated to do it. Her knees hurt (due to her weight) and that made her move around less than she should. The less she moved around, the worse her knees got and the more weight she gained. Sounds familiar, right?
Now that she’s older, her knees are deteriorating under the excess weight and she needs a knee replacement. Her doctor doesn’t want to perform the surgery, however, because Mrs. Jackson is so deconditioned that she is a cardiac risk under anesthesia. Additionally, the doctor feels that Mrs. Jackson’s lack of strength would jeopardize her rehab after surgery.
This is where you can come in and help the doctor with Mrs. Jackson’s “big picture” plan. If the doctor can send Mrs. Jackson to a qualified fitness professional (someone like you) who can help with increasing her endurance and cardio capacity prior to her surgery, the risk would be much lower. It also might make her more aware of the importance of exercise, which would motivate her to continue her sessions after recovery has taken place. It’s a win-win situation for all.
Another untapped market is that of the plastic surgery field, particularly those who are getting weight reduction procedures. If you aligned yourself with the right physician you’d be well placed for some great clients, while at the same time making the physician look good.
Why not roll your services into a package that the physician offers as an “add on bonus” to their clients to promote long-term care? This is very doable since most plastic surgery is not covered by insurance, and makes an excellent selling tool for the doctor. You get great clients, the doctor stands apart from the pack, and both of you get business. Another win-win.