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The Agency Decision Workbook

By the end you'll have picked the marketing agency that fits your business, or decided none does yet. You'll know what it costs, what it won't do, and the date you'll sign or walk away.

Free workbook14 pagesabout 45 minutes

What you'll have at the end

  • Your number one marketing job named, plus the most you'll pay each month
  • A shortlist of 2-3 agencies, each checked against five tests
  • Five questions sent to each agency, with their answers written down
  • Your pick, the jobs left with you, and a date to sign or walk away

Inside

  1. Name the one job you need done
  2. Set the most you'll pay
  3. Shortlist 2-3 agencies that fit your job
  4. Check each agency against five tests
  5. Ask five questions before you sign
  6. Make your pick and fill the gap
  7. Your 7-day plan
Jason O'DellBy Jason O'Dell, founder of RiseForIt. Goes with the free guide Pick the Best Marketing Agency for Your Personal Training Business.
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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 1 of 6 · Learn it

Name the one job you need done

A trainer who worked for me left to train clients from a gym he built in his backyard. Months later he came back asking for his old job: 'I don't know how to get leads.' If you don't name the one job that's costing you clients, you'll pay an agency to do something else.

How to do it

  1. Tick every marketing task you skip, put off or hate doing.
  2. Look at your ticks and ask which one, if it got done, would bring you the most new clients.
  3. Write that one job in a single plain sentence.
  4. Tick the size of your business. Some agencies are built for solo trainers and others for gyms and chains, so this cuts your list fast.

Example: Maya, a solo in-person trainer in a commercial gym

Ticked: build website and booking, SEO, run paid ads.

Not ticked: posting. I already post 3 videos a week.

My #1 job: people find me on Instagram but have nowhere to book, so they drift off.

Size: solo trainer, in-person.

Your turn on the next page →

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 1 of 6 · Your turn

Name the one job you need done

Work you want done for you

The one job that costs you the most clients

Your business size

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 2 of 6 · Learn it

Set the most you'll pay

Most agencies don't publish prices. If you start a sales call without a number, the quote decides for you.

How to do it

  1. Write what one client pays you per month.
  2. Write the most you can spend per month, and the most you can pay once up front.
  3. For each price or quote, divide the monthly cost by what one client pays you. Round up. That's how many clients the agency must bring in just to cover itself.
  4. Do this again for every new quote you get.

Example: Maya

One client pays me $200 a month.

Most I'll spend: $300 a month, $0 up front right now.

My PT Website, from $75/month: $75 / $200 = 0.4, so 1 client covers it.

RiseForIt, $297/month: $297 / $200 = 1.5, so 2 clients. But the $5,000 one-time Build is more than I can pay now.

Your turn on the next page →

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 2 of 6 · Your turn

Set the most you'll pay

Most I'll spend: per month $_____ and one time $_____

Break-even check

Agency or quoteMonthly costOne-time costWhat 1 client pays youClients needed to cover it
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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 3 of 6 · Learn it

Shortlist 2-3 agencies that fit your job

Comparing ten agencies at once wastes a week. Matching your number one job to the right kind of agency gets you down to two or three in minutes.

How to do it

  1. Solo trainer who wants online clients, with content, same-day lead replies and sales calls handled: RiseForIt (our company). $5,000 once, then $297/month. No client results yet.
  2. Low-cost website, booking and SEO: My PT Website, from $75/month. It doesn't make social content or run ads.
  3. Gym or studio owner who wants member sign-ups from paid ads: Marketing For Gyms or Fitness Marketing Agency. No prices shown.
  4. Studio that wants local mail plus digital ads, or a brand with several locations: UpSwell or WindFarm. Likely too big for a solo trainer.
  5. Established trainer with a real monthly budget who wants SEO, ads and reviews from a big general team: WebFX or Thrive. They send quotes only.

Example: Maya

1. My PT Website: website, booking, SEO. From $75/month. Fits solo: yes.

2. RiseForIt: content, lead replies, sales calls. $5,000 then $297/month. Fits solo: yes, but over my up-front budget for now.

Crossed off: Marketing For Gyms, Fitness Marketing Agency, UpSwell and WindFarm, because they're built for gyms and chains.

Crossed off: WebFX and Thrive. No fitness page, and quote only, with no budget shown.

Your turn on the next page →

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 3 of 6 · Your turn

Shortlist 2-3 agencies that fit your job

Your shortlist (check each site for current pricing)

AgencyWhich of your jobs it doesPrice shown, or 'quote only'Fits your size? yes/no

Agencies I'm crossing off, and why

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 4 of 6 · Learn it

Check each agency against five tests

An agency's homepage tells you what it wants you to believe. These tests show you who it's really built for and what you'd still be doing yourself.

How to do it

  1. Open each agency's website. Look for a page about personal trainers, not just gyms or businesses in general.
  2. Find the list of work they do. If it's vague, write 'vague'.
  3. Look for the price, contract length and how to cancel. If you can't find them, write 'not shown'.
  4. Find out who answers your leads and who runs your sales calls: them, or you.
  5. Write down any red flags, such as no client results, a web address that redirects to a different one, or a recent merger that could change the terms.

Example: Maya

My PT Website: for trainers and studio owners. Website, copy, SEO, booking, payments, follow-up emails. From $75/month, no contracts, money-back before launch. Leads get automated emails, and I run sales myself.

RiseForIt: for trainers. Content written, edited and posted, same-day lead replies, weekly call. $5,000 then $297/month. Sales calls closed by Jason O'Dell.

Red flags: RiseForIt has no client results yet, and its guarantee needs 90% of the videos posted. My PT Website makes no social content and runs no ads.

Your turn on the next page →

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 4 of 6 · Your turn

Check each agency against five tests

Five tests (size was checked on the last page)

AgencyBuilt for trainers, not just gyms?Exact work listed?Price and terms shown?Who handles leads and sales?

Red flags I found

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 5 of 6 · Learn it

Ask five questions before you sign

A sales call is built to get a yes. If you write your questions down first, you get the answers you need before anyone asks for your card.

How to do it

  1. Send the message below to each agency on your shortlist, or read it out on the call.
  2. Write their answers in the table in their own words.
  3. If they dodge a question, write 'no answer'. Don't fill it in for them.
  4. Don't sign on the call. Tell them you'll decide within 48 hours.

Example: Maya, using what My PT Website's site already says

Cost: from $75/month. I asked for my exact price.

Contract: no long-term contracts.

Minimum ad spend: none needed, because they don't run ads.

Who answers leads: automated follow-up emails, then I reply myself.

Solo trainers: yes, the site names personal trainers and studio owners.

Your turn on the next page →

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 5 of 6 · Your turn

Ask five questions before you sign

Message to each agency

Hi , I'm , a personal trainer in . Before I book anything, can you answer five questions? 1. What is the monthly cost, and is there a one-time fee? 2. How long is the contract, and how do I cancel? 3. Is there a minimum ad spend on top of your fee? 4. Who answers my new leads, and how fast? 5. Have you worked with solo trainers, or only gyms? Thanks,

Their answers

QuestionAgency 1Agency 2Agency 3
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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 6 of 6 · Learn it

Make your pick and fill the gap

Every option leaves some work with you. If you don't say who does that work, it doesn't get done, and you blame the agency.

How to do it

  1. Cross off any agency that's over your budget or wouldn't answer the cost and contract questions.
  2. Of the ones left, pick the one that does your number one job from page 1.
  3. List the jobs it won't do, and write who does each one (you, or someone else) and when.
  4. Write a date to sign or walk away. If none fit, picking none is a real answer.

Example: Maya

My pick: My PT Website. It does my #1 job, website and booking, inside $300 a month.

Jobs it won't do: social content (me, 3 videos a week, Mon/Wed/Fri). Paid ads (not yet, I'll look again in 90 days).

I'll sign or walk away by Friday.

Your turn on the next page →

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

Step 6 of 6 · Your turn

Make your pick and fill the gap

My pick, and why it fits

Jobs it won't do

JobWho does itWhen

I'll sign or walk away by (date)

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RRiseForItThe Agency Decision Workbook

The plan

Your next 7 days

One small step a day, and you'll have an answer by the end of the week.

Your answers, in one place

My #1 job
My budget
My pick
Decision date

One small job a day

DayDo thisDoneNotes
Day 1Write your number one job and your monthly budget on a sticky note. Put it where you'll see it before any sales call.
Day 2Open the sites on your shortlist and fill in the five-test table, including any red flags.
Day 3Send the five-question message to every agency on your shortlist.
Day 4Write their answers in the table. Send a short follow-up to anyone who hasn't replied.
Day 5Run the break-even check on every price or quote you now have.
Day 6Make your pick, then list the jobs it won't do and who does each one.
Day 7Sign or walk away by your decision date. If you sign, put a 90-day review on your calendar.
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