Chapter 20
Developing a Successful
Personal Training Business
Objectives
– Describe the qualities and characteristics of
uncompromising customer service.
– Describe strategies for finding an ideal
workplace.
– Understand the process for writing a resume.
– Understand the four Ps of marketing.
– Understand basic membership sales
techniques, including strategies for solicitation
of new sales and how to close sales.
The Personal Training Business
• Running a successful personal training
business, whether as an independent
business owner, as an independent
contractor, or an employee in a health club
setting, is no different than running a
successful Fortune 500 business; the
motto is always “the customer always
comes first!”
The Importance of education
– IHRSA recommends earning a certification
from an organization that has either received
accreditation or is in the process of receiving
accreditation of their programs from an
accrediting body such as the (NCCA)
– NASM is accredited by NCCA and is
considered the most elite certification in the
fitness field.
Where to work
– It is important to facilitate the skills learned during the
certification course in a pleasant atmosphere where
one can make modifications in presentation skills,
rapport building, and acquire observational skills.
Some example facilities include:
– YMCA
– Jewish Community Centers (JCC)
– Local Town Recreation & Park Services
– Women only facilities
– Commercial fitness clubs
Working for yourself
– An independent contractor can be a person,
business, or corporation that provides goods or
services to another entity under terms specified in a
contract or within a verbal agreement.
• An independent contractor is in control of his/her own
schedule, marketing and business practices*
– Some personal trainers also elect to work with
clientele in their homes.
• This option requires the fitness professional to travel and
use portable equipment.
• Clients receive services in the convenience of their own
homes, and the fitness professional gains notoriety in the
community.
Owning a facility
– Owning a facility or studio can be an
advantageous endeavor simply because the
demand for service can be appealing to the
fitness professional and the bottom line.
– Marketing and networking is done at the
discretion of the fitness professional and the
target population is usually what the fitness
professional specializes in working with.
– Involves overhead costs, hiring and firing staff,
community networking, facility ordinances, taxes,
insurance, and preserving a continuous stream of
clientele for business.
Resume Writing
– The most effective resumes clearly focus on a
specific job title (e.g., Personal Trainer, Group
Exercise Instructor, General Manager) and
address the employer’s stated requirements
for the position.
– Knowing about the duties and skills required
for a specific position helps aspiring
applicants organize and tailor their resume
around these points to get noticed and be
successful.
Resume Writing Tips
• State a clear objective
• List all education (schools, certifications,
internships)
• List all relevant experience especially if knew to
the field, emphasize personal experience
• List references separately
• Don’t use family as references
• Avoid spelling, grammar errors
Marketing Mix
– Product: The specific product or service
offered to customers.
– Price: The amount charged for a product or
service, including volume discounts, seasonal
pricing, and bundle packages.
– Place: Channels a product or service will go
through to reach the customer.
– Promotion: The communication of
information about a product or service with
the goal of generating a positive customer
response.
Uncompromising Customer Service
• Success depends greatly on your
reputation
• Consistently add value to each member
and client
• Keep client information confidential unless
the client gives you consent to use their
information or pictures as advertising*
Who Is the Customer?
• In the very near future…
– Personal training will move from a luxury to a
necessity
– Health care may play a pivotal role in the
success and growth of the health and fitness
industry
– This means greater opportunity for health and
fitness professionals
The Customer
• In the past decade, technology has
replaced movement
• The result is:
– Increased obesity
– Increased dysfunction
– Increased need for greater energy, mental
acuity, and self-efficacy
• The Customer will make their purchase
based off emotion.*
Approaching Potential Clients
• Nothing in your career or in the life of a prospective
client happens until you take the initiative to do
something!
– Say “Hello!” to every member while working each shift.
– Offer members a towel or water, if the club has it available.
– Roam the floor, clean up equipment, and make sure that
the workout floor is clean and tidy.
– Do not hide behind the fitness desk, a computer, or a
newspaper.
– Be sure to get out there and greet people, at the very
least.
Approaching Potential Clients
• During your first encounter with a member:
– Introduce yourself by name and ask for his or
her name as well.
– Let the member know that you are there to
enrich the club experience by attending to any
needs. Then, do it!
– Resist the temptation to educate
• First interaction is professional, pleasant and, most
important, nonthreatening.
Approaching Potential Clients
• During your next encounter, having
already built rapport, you will be in a better
position to offer assistance by:
– Identifying the goals and desires of the
member
– Conducting a movement assessment
– Correlating the solutions provided by the
OPTTM model with their goals
Approaching Potential Clients
• Avoid approaches that members may
perceive to challenge their beliefs,
judgments, and competency, such as:
– May I make a suggestion?
– Can I recommend a better way of doing that?
– Can I show you a different technique?
– Let me show you the right way.
– Can I help you with that?
– What’s your goal for that exercise?
Creating Value
• Just because someone has a need or desire does
not mean he or she will take action.
• Your perceived value must outweigh the cost of
investment.
– Price
– Time and effort
– Commitment
• Fear of failure is a major deterrent.
• Relentlessly create, display, and educate your
clients on the value that your services can offer
them.
READ
• Rapport – building rapport will help the client get
to know you and feel comfortable with your help.
• Empathy – relate to your client and match their
emotions
• Assessment – assess client needs to
understand how you can help them.
– During the assessment paraphrase what the client is saying to
show an understanding of the client’s needs*
• Development – develop them to learn what
methods will best help them achieve their goal.
Directive and Non-Directive Questions
• Directive questions can help lead your
client to a decision.
– Are you going to use a personal Trainer?
– When was the last time you exercised?
• Non-Directive questions are open for your
clients to discuss their feelings or opinion.
– What would you like to achieve?*
Asking for the Sale
• It is not through manipulation but concern and
professionalism that sales are created.
• Professionals who are not fanatical about selling are
also not fanatical about increasing:
–
–
–
–
Performance
Health
Self-esteem
Quality of life by using the OPTTM tools and systems
• Until a sale is made, none of the above are possible!
Ten Steps to Success
• Developing a clientele depends to a large
degree on how well you are able to work
the floor.
• Don’t make the mistake of relying on
orientations scheduled by sales
consultants.
Ten Steps to Success
• Set up a plan based on a desired annual
income goal.
• Use the 10 steps to success and
corresponding questions to direct the
design of that plan.
Step 1
• What is the desired annual income?
– An annual income goal is the achievable
desired sum total of monthly earnings over 12
months.
Step 2
• How much must be earned per week to
achieve the annual goal?
– Divide the desired annual income by 50 to
figure out what will need to be earned on a
weekly basis.
• Instead of dividing by the 52 weeks in a year, use
the number 50 to allow for 2 weeks of vacation.
Step 3
• To earn the weekly goal, how many
sessions need to be performed?*
– Take the weekly goal and divide it by the
amount earned per session.
• Also take the current average number of
paid sessions performed weekly and
divide it by the number of clients currently
signed up.
Step 4
• What is the closing percentage?
– Determined by the total number of people
helped on the floor, compared with how many
of them purchased training packages.
Step 5
• In what time frame will new clients be
acquired?
– Unrealistic time frames lead to frustration and
disappointment. However, if a time frame is
set too far in the future, it will not create the
sense of urgency necessary to maximize
performance.
Step 6
• How many potential clients need to be
interacted with overall, to gain clients
within the time frame?
– Take the desired number of new clients and
divide that number by the closing percentage.
Step 6
• Break down the number of members that
need to be interacted with overall into
weekly increments to make the process
more manageable.
Step 7
• How many potential clients need to be
contacted each day?
– Further break down the number of members
that need to be interacted with on a weekly
basis into daily increments to create concrete
goals for each work day.
Step 8
• How many potential clients need to be
contacted each hour of the day?
– Once more, break down the number of
members that need to be contacted on a daily
basis into hourly increments to form easy,
solid plans for each hour on the floor.
Step 8
• For each contact in that hour, provide
measurable, personalized assistance that
is related to the goal of the person being
approached.
– These contacts, even if they do not develop
into sales, add to a valuable future prospect
base.
Step 9
• Ask each member spoken to for his or her
contact information.
– If a good level of rapport has been built with a
member, don’t be afraid to ask him or her for
contact information.
– Offer to develop a few exercises to help him
or her achieve the goals discussed.
– Contact the member and arrange a time to
assist him or her in implementing the new
exercises during his or her next visit to the
club.
Step 10
• Follow Up
– Every exercise is an assessment.
• Write and keep detailed notes on each member.
– Within 24 hours, mail the member a handwritten thank-you card for the time he or she
spent in the club.
Step 10
• Give the card 2–3 days to arrive, then call the
member. During the call, work toward the following
goals:
– Make sure the member got the card.
– Thank him or her personally for his or her time.
– Let the member know that you have thought about his or
her goals and would like to go over some exercises that
will be helpful.
– Be clear that it will only take about 10 minutes the next
time he or she is in the club.
– Determine the next time he or she is coming to the club.
– Schedule an informal appointment during his or her next
visit.
Step 10
• When you see the member again, be sure
to:
– Implement a couple of the exercises on the
floor and explain how they relate to the
member’s goal.
– Offer the member a more thorough
assessment, an individualized program
design, and a single training session to
maximize the results he or she is currently
seeing.
– Directly ask the member to sign up for a
package of sessions.
Asking for the Sale
• Most sales are lost because they’re not
asked for.
• Four reasons for not closing a sale:
– Not enough value built into the sale.
– Insufficient level of rapport makes the
potential client hesitant to go ahead.
– The fitness professional did not affirmatively
ask for the sale.
– The potential client legitimately does not have
the ability to pay.
Asking for the Sale
• When you ask for the sale, about 9 of 10
will say no.
• Even with a 10% closing ratio, you will be
able to build a very successful clientele.
• The key is understanding what to do in
either situation.
Asking for the Sale
• If a client says “Yes”:
– Process the payment.
– Schedule the client’s first appointment as
soon as possible.
– Send a thank-you card immediately.
– Call to confirm before the first appointment.
– Review the client’s goals and briefly reiterate
how he or she will achieve those goals.
– Congratulate the client and acknowledge him
or her for taking the first step in achieving his
or her goals.
Asking for the Sale
• If a client says “No”:
– Remain professional and helpful.
– Thank the potential client for participating in
the session.
– Make sure to have the potential client’s
contact information.
– Ask to call him or her in a couple of weeks to
check on program status.
– Send a thank-you card immediately.
Asking for the Sale
• Schedule a follow-up call in 14 days.
• Every 30 days, send information that
pertains to the potential client’s goals
(such as pertinent points from article
clippings, trade journals, fitness Web
sites).
• Follow through on all tasks.
• Keep a record of all points of contact.
Keys to Remember
• You must obtain 2 CEU’s every 2 years to
maintain your NASM certification.*
• C3
– Consistent
– Contact
– Consciousness
Summary
• Fitness professionals must work the floor
and greet members to develop rapport,
build relationships, and eventually close
sales.
• Use the 10-step plan to work toward an
overall goal.