Sonja Bella - Creating a 6 figure weight loss consulting practice working 6 clinic hours per week

1300 969 367
www.weightlosscollege.com.au
Creating a Six-Figure
Weight Loss Consulting Practice
Working Just 6 Clinic Hours Per Week
By
Sonja Bella
CEO & Founder
The Australian College of Weight Loss Consultants

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The Reality....
• Currently 62% of all adult Australians are
overweight or obese, up from 54% three years
earlier
• In 2008 Australia was reported to have
become the world’s fattest nation
• And our health system is sitting on an obesity
related time bomb that will cost billions in
health care over the next two decades

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A Decade of Experience...

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The frustration begins...
• Diagnosed with borderline osteoporosis
• 300 female clients per week
• Education on healthy eating versus dieting
• Clients wanted detailed meal plans
• 500 clubs around the world
• Potential to make a massive difference to
the global obesity epidemic
• Focused only on fitness
• Began to realise that without behavioural
changes, often fitness and/or nutritional
changes were short lived
• Many industries tackling weight loss from an
industry biased approach which is not working

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Industry biased approaches to Weight Loss
• Weight Loss Industry – Diets / Meal
Replacements
• Fitness Industry – Exercise
• Health Industry – Drugs / Surgery
• Other Industries – psychologists, life coaches,
social support networks

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Weight Loss Clinic Trials
• At the end of the 12 weeks
– Clients wanted the accountability to continue as they recognised this as a
key to their success.
– A maintenance group program was formed
– My experience with personal training, often around the 3 month mark,
clients start to drop off or reduce their sessions.
• Changing services from Personal Trainer to Weight Loss
Expert, fees went from $60 an hour to $766 an hour.
– Weight Loss Clinic cost was $997 per person to attend for 12 week clinic
– 10 participants per group and a total of 26 contact hours over the 12
weeks
• There is a big ‘disconnect’ between personal trainers / health
clubs and weight loss; fitness is not seen as a method of
weight loss

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Elements for Success

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74kg (2008) 61kg (2008) 53kg (2012)

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An Overview of the
Weight Loss Industry
What is the Weight Loss Industry?

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Industry Definition by IBISWorld
Weight loss providers include any company offering goods or
services specifically targeted as a weight loss solution.
As well as traditional weight loss advice and counselling
services, companies offer a variety of foods and beverages
targeted at those wishing to lose weight.
Please note that this industry does not include gyms,
personal trainers and other exercise orientated companies.

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The primary activities of this industry are:
• Weight loss counselling services
• Provision of low-calorie foods and beverages
• Sale of products and supplements to assist
with weight loss
• Surgery to remove fat or assist dieting
• Sale of books targeted at weight-loss
oriented clients
The major products and services in this industry
are:
• Books
• Food, drinks and dietary supplements
• Medicinal products
• Surgery
• Weight loss counselling services
Primary Activities, Products & Services

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Key Players

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An Overview of the
Current Trends

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Future Forecasts
• After the rate of national overweight and obese adults increased from
54% to 62% in only three years, consumer concern about weight issues
appears to be increasing.
• In 2010-2011 Australians spent $789.6 million on counselling services, low
calorie foods and shakes, diet cookbooks, weight loss guides, dietary
supplements and even surgery in their quest to slim down. This marks a
continuation of a solid recovery following a difficult year in 2008-2009.
• Industry revenue is estimated to have increased at an average annualised
rate of 4.1% over the past 5 years, with 1.7% growth expected in the
current year.
• Revenue is forecast to grow at an average 3.2% per year over the 5 years
through 2015-2016 to reach a total $922.5 million

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Industry Lifecycle
IBISWorld states that the Weight Loss Industry is Growing
• While the industry is more than two decades old in
Australia, it remains in a growth phase of its economic life
cycle.
• Revenue growth has proven remarkably resilient to drops in
consumer sentiment and disposable income. In particular,
seeing as there have been few new markets exposed by the
industry (male clients), growth has come almost entirely
from the same market. The industry’s products and services
have been wholeheartedly embraced for some time, yet
consumers continue to spend more on weight loss than
ever

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Industry at a Glance

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An Overview of the
Opportunities

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Major Markets
• The major anomaly in the industry’s target markets is the absence
of men.
• According to (ABS), men are more likely to be overweight than
women (45% and 27% respectively).
• Women are slightly more likely to be obese than men.
• About 80% of industry revenue comes from female customers.
• The smallest segment of the market is men over 45 years
• The largest industry market is women between 30 and 45 years,
closely followed by women aged 46-64 years; a combined 64%
share of revenue.
• Younger women spend less on weight loss, primarily due to the fact
that they tend to have lower incomes. The bulk of their weight loss
spending is on diet foods and dietary supplements, rather than
weight loss services and surgical treatments.

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Market Segmentation

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Demand for Services
• The demand for WLC will not be met by available supply for many years.
• WLC is fast growing and relatively under-supplied which is why many
people are attracted to becoming a WLC; either to become a professional
in their own right or to add WLC skills to their existing role.
• WLC do not need to be a specialist in any particular field. However,
approaching WLC from a particular expertise or niche is becoming more
prevalent. There is already a considerable Weight Loss Consulting
presence and influence in the following areas:
– Nutritionists / Dietitians
– Psychologists
– Life Coaches
– Personal Trainers / Exercise Physiologists
– Beauticians
– Pharmacists
– Nurses

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Business Models for Earning a
Six-Figure Income

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Group Clinics – My Formula for Success
$120,000 per year working just 6 clinic hours
per week!
Your formula for success:
• 3 x weekly weight loss groups (Mon/Thur/Sat)
• Each group has 10 participants
• Cost per participant is $997 for 13 weeks*
• Each session is 2 hours in duration
• This equates to $2,300 pw / $120,000 pa

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How were the sessions structured?
Participants received:
• Access to Nutrition Complete & Food Journals
• A copy of the Real Body Plan & Real Body Real Food Plan
• Handouts / Worksheets during each session
• Online support via email if/when required
• SMS motivational messages each week
Each two hour session consisted of:
• 45 minute group education session based mostly around
behavioural changes but also some general education around
weight loss
• 15 minute weigh and measure
• 60 minute group circuit / interval training session (strength/cardio)

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• Building networks within your community; eg
– GPs
– Nutritionists, Dietitians, Naturopaths
– Massage Therapists
• Strong promotional and marketing strategy
– Know your niche market
– Understand their key pain and drivers
– Understand their profile; where they eat, what magazines
they read, what social media they use, where do they hang
out, what makes them tick
– Be everywhere; networking events, community events
Keys To Success

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One to One Consultations
• As a Weight Loss Consultant you can charge
$75 - $150 per session or $750 to $1500 per
month depending on the frequency and level
of support and service you provide to your
clients.
• As an example, if you charged 10 clients an
amount of $1000 per month, you would earn
$10,000 per month or $120,000 per year.

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The Future of the
Fitness Industry

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Industry Outlook Australian Fitness Industry Report 2012
One of the biggest opportunities currently facing the Fitness
Industry is the potential for it to link in with the general and
allied health sector. Traditionally, fitness has been about
servicing the ‘well, while the ‘unwell’ have been left for health
sector professionals such as GP’s, physiotherapists and
dietitians.
As the health of Australians becomes more complex –
particularly as the incidence of physical inactivity related and
obesity related disease increase and the population ages – the
need for the fitness workforce to be able to contribute to the
management of health issues is growing

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Future Forecasts THE FUTURE OF FITNESS
A White Paper - Suzie Dale, Sue Godinet, Natalie Kearse and Dr Adrian Field (commissioned by Les Mills)
We are likely to see ‘merging’ and ‘blurring’ of what constitutes
a gym and health club. For example:
– Clubs may become a key partner in working with healthy and at-risk
populations to promote and sustain wellness. Given their regular
access to the consumer, fitness professionals might become a central
hub in the health information flow, feeding health-monitoring
information and insights to healthcare providers.

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Opportunities
• 14% of Australians participated in fitness industry activities in 2009-2010
(ABS) versus 62% of adult Australians who are overweight or obese
• The weight loss market seeks out ‘weight loss services’ vs ‘fitness services’
as a support mechanism (partnership)
• Demographic ageing suggests increased demand for fitness services in
older age groups (45-64 and 65+), which have traditionally had lower
participation rates than younger age groups, but which will now swell in
terms of absolute
numbers if current
participation rates by age and
gender are maintained. 27% of
the weight loss market are
women aged 46-64
• 61% of the $789.6m was spent by
women aged 30-64

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Weight Loss Consultants
The Missing Link?

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Current New Member Model
No Results or Too Confused = Attrition
Gym
Floor
Group
Exercise
Personal
Training
Membership Consultant
Induction to Club Products & Services

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New Member Model with a WLC
Personalised Weight
Loss Program inc
Recommendations
Personal
Training
Gym Floor
Equipment
Supplements
& Retail Items
Boot Camps
Personalised
Meal / Eating
Plans
Other
Programs /
Services
offered
12 Week
Weight Loss
Clinics /
Challenges
Group
Exercise

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Adding an additional 6 figure
income stream to your Health Club

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Breaking it down...
• A Weight Loss Consultant could easily add $2500 per week
or $360 per day to your club revenue
– Charging for personalised meal plans and/or weight loss plans
– Running Group Weight Loss Clinics
– Increasing Front Desk Revenue via product recommendations
(supplements, meal replacements, pedometers, etc)
– Increased Membership Base; advertising and appealing to the
traditional Weight Loss Market versus the Fitness Market
– Increased Membership Revenue; new Premium Weight Loss
Memberships
– Increased Retention & Referrals – better results, increased
attendance, increased accountability, higher usage of club
services

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Certificate & Diploma Overview

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Your Qualifications
• Certificate in Weight Loss Consulting
• Diploma in Weight Loss Consulting
• Qualified to write meal plans
• May be eligible to apply for Health Fund
rebates
– Health Fund program criteria:
• Professional Indemnity Insurance
• Membership of the Weight Management Code
Administration Council of Australia Ltd

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Certificate & Diploma Modules
• AILC01A Utilise relevant psychological based models in understanding
human behaviour.
• Psychology is the study of animal and human behaviour. This course will
develop your ability to analyse aspects of a person’s psychological state
and apply derived knowledge to motivate that person. This provides a
solid introduction/foundation for further studies of psychology covering
the nature and scope of psychology, neurological and environmental
effects on behaviour, personality, consciousness, perception, needs, drives
and motivation.
• This unit gives you an interesting and informative start to the exciting field
of psychology. This subject is perfect for students who want to gain a
strong foundation in psychology and understanding people and provides
an outline of the most common models used in coaching.

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• ACWLC02A Understand the principles of nutritional science
• Understanding the principles of nutritional science is the cornerstone to
success as a Weight Loss Consultant. The fundamentals which determine a
healthy diet and assist in weight loss must be able to be identified in order
to successfully advise clients on a suitable weight loss strategy; a diet
which meets both nutritional requirements for good health and the right
energy balance to induce effective weight loss.
• In this unit you will gain a thorough understanding of what nutrition is,
how the body converts food into energy and the complex processes of the
body’s digestive system.

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• ACWLC03A Undertake an initial weight loss consultation
• Undertaking an initial weight loss consultation is the first step in helping
clients on their journey to weight loss success. As a Weight Loss
Consultant you will be working with a wide range of unique clients, all of
which will need to be coached differently to gain effective results.
Learning how to communicate with your clients effectively and evaluate
their needs in terms of medical, health, lifestyle and weight loss is the key
to their success.
• At the outcome of this unit, you will be able to conduct an initial weight
loss consultation which includes medical screening, goal setting, food and
activity analysis, reviewing lifestyle and cultural factors and performing
different forms of progress measurements.

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• ACWLC04A Advise on appropriate diet, nutrition and weight management
products and services within recommended guidelines
• On completion of this unit, you will understand the need to view weight
loss as a multi-disciplinary field and what options, services and programs
are available to you as a Weight Loss Consultant to either advise your
clients of, refer your clients to or work with to achieve the best outcome
for your client’s weight loss goals.
• Diet, exercise, surgery, social, psychological, emotional and other factors
all come into play on your clients journey, and understanding all of these
components is crucial to your success as a Weight Loss Consultant and the
success of your clients.

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Certificate Completion

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Diploma Modules
• ACWLC05A Undertake regular weight loss consultations
• This unit combines all of the skills and knowledge from previous units and
ties them together to provide a complete strategy within the Weight Loss
Consulting context.
• At the completion of this module, the Weight Loss Consultant will have a
more detailed understanding of what is required to perform ongoing
weight loss consultations, from motivational strategies through to
developing a series of educational and support resources for your clients.

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Diploma Modules
• RTAACWLC06A Design, plan and deliver group weight loss consultations
• Delivering regular group weight loss consultations has been proven to
increase the adherence and therefore the success rate of weight loss
among weight loss clients. The social and support network created in this
environment is conducive to creating a sense of community and
belonging.
• As much of weight loss is about emotional support, this module will
provide you with the tools and structure to design, plan and deliver your
own group weight loss consultations within a guided framework.

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Diploma Modules
• ACWLCCUS402A Address customers needs.
• This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge
required to manage the ongoing relationship with a customer, which
includes assisting the customer to articulate their needs, meeting
customer needs and managing networks to ensure customer needs are
addressed.

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Diploma Modules
• ACWLCREL401A Establish Networks.
required to develop and maintain effective work relationships and
networks. It covers the relationship building and negotiation skills required
by workers within an organisation as well as freelance or contract workers.
• This unit applies to individuals with a broad knowledge of networking and
negotiation who contribute well developed skills in creating solutions to
unpredictable problems through analysis and evaluation of information
from a variety of sources. They may have responsibility to provide
guidance or to delegate aspects of tasks to others. The ability to establish
a range of networks is critical for the success of a Weight Loss Consultant
and their clients.

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Diploma Modules
• ACWLCSMB403A Market the Small Business.
required to coordinate and review the promotion of an organisation.
• The information included in the unit provides the opportunity for our
students to develop a marketing plan designed to attract potential Weight
Loss Clients.

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Diploma Modules
• ACWLCMKG413A Promote Products and Services.
required to coordinate and review the promotion of an organisation’s
products and services.
• The information in this unit provides the Weight Loss Consultant with the
ability to convert potential clients into paying clients by utilising
appropriate sales conversion strategies.

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Diploma Completion

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Questions

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Today’s Conference Special Offer
Certificate in Weight Loss Consulting
$2450 reduced to $1950 – upfront
$2950 reduced to $2450 – student loan
Cerfificate + Diploma in Weight Loss Consulting
$3450 reduced to $2950 - upfront
$3950 reduced to $3450 – student loan
• Course/Diploma can begin any time after enrolment; completion required within 12 months
Call Now 1300 969 367

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Our Vision
• By 1st July 2017 Weight Loss Consultants will be recognised as a profession within the allied health
industry.
• Our members and graduates include a passionate and powerful group of people committed to
working together to stem the tide of global obesity.
• Weight Loss Consultants have bridged the gap that exists between the weight loss, fitness and
medical industries.
• The community regards Weight Loss Consultants as the first choice for people looking for the right
weight loss advice.
• The Australian College of Weight Loss Consultants is recognised as the leading provider of weight
loss education in Australia.
Our Values
• Leadership
• Passion
• Integrity
• Community
• Transformation

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