5 Steps to Save a Stagnant Offering

“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” – Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn

The biting quote that kicks off the article from my colleague Jessica Maurer; she explains how we were motivated to change our own program and shares her five steps to help you do the same:

Maybe that quote is extreme for your business. Perhaps embarrassed is not the right word, but you can sense something is wrong. The offering isn’t selling, you don’t have people in your classes, or it’s attracting the wrong clients. 

What can you do about it?

I often receive this question from fitness professionals like you. It can be demoralizing to give up on an offer you worked hard to create and market. Sometimes, shutting down is actually the worst option. Instead, use the steps below to update the offer to make it more appealing.

I will give you a personal example. Nathalie Lacombe and I launched a program called “7 Days to Build Your Brand”; this program sent one email every day for 7 days with tasks to help clients build and establish their perfect business brand. We loved what we created from a business coaching perspective. However, it never really took off as we expected. 

Instead of just giving up, we asked for feedback and made adjustments. We realized that while we loved the program, our target audience needed more time between tasks, and we needed to expand the content to be more about driving the audience to our customers. We restructured the program from 7 days of emails to 21-days of digital coaching, made a ton of updates based on the client feedback, and changed the name to “7 Simple Steps to Attract More Clients” to explain the offering better. Then, we relaunched the service. Voila! 

If your product isn’t selling, then here are 5 steps to save a stagnant offering.

Ask For Feedback

Even if you have only had 1 person attend the program or class, ask what they liked and attracted them to your offering. Maybe you need to turn up the volume on one aspect of your offerings or create a marketing campaign for that specific client. Make sure to also ask them what your offering is missing so you can plug a hole you didn’t see before.

Ask Your Target Client

Who do you want to participate or purchase in your offering? Go directly to the source and ask what they feel they need right now. Remember, your offerings (including social media, blogs, etc.) should answer your target demographic questions. Once you have that information, how can you evolve your program to align with those answers? 

For example, I am working with a studio to revamp their signature program. The program they had run for years was no longer successful, and they couldn’t figure out why. When we asked their target clients what they needed, they responded in shorter workouts and more virtual offers when they couldn’t make it into the studio. So, we created a new program to fit those needs, using the skeleton of the program they had always run. Success!

Ask Where to Find Help

Now, you have ideas about what was working and what your target client wants. You need to assess if you can manage these changes. If you don’t have the expertise to add a nutritional component, reach out to partner with a local dietician. Do you need to change the class time but cannot work that out with your schedule, can you hire an instructor? Don’t compromise yourself to make a program work; instead, find partners & resources to help.

Ask About Your Marketing

Launching a new service, class, or program takes a lot of lead time if there is a designated start date. Your marketing materials should be reaching your target demographic at least 4 weeks in advance. If you have current happy clients, leverage them by asking for testimonials to include in your marketing. Revamp your social media strategy to focus more on the answers you and your product can provide to your clients.

Ask Yourself

Earlier in this blog, I said giving up on a program could be the worst idea. However, we have to admit that sometimes it can also be the best idea. If a program is outdated with your vision, values, or target audience, then maybe you do need to scrap the idea, giving yourself space, time, effort, and energy to focus on your next big thing.