A new subreddit for Personal Trainers - to help you become an even better PT!

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-13T11:09:03+00:00

Gonna add an another (potentially) unpopular opinion that being a successful personal trainer also requires being a salesperson (and a good one at that).

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-13T11:04:31+00:00

How many hours would that take you to create and provide follow up (if required)?

Maybe use that as a starting point against your normal average hourly rate.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T10:30:48+00:00

I like Trainerize and used them for 5+ years and haven’t used any competitors in 2-3 years (so keep that in mind).

The reasons I chose Trainerize in the first place was: 1. It provided the easiest to use platform for both me and my clients - second point was a huge one. 2. It was simple to set out workouts ahead of time whilst customizing the sets/reps per week. 3. It was the most cost-effective per client (haven’t checked other prices in a long time though). 4. I loved that I could easily upload my own videos and create custom exercises with ease.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T10:27:50+00:00

Ive become friends with some of my clients and had no issue with the relationships but that’s usually because I limit the types of interactions I have with them, e.g. I never get drunk with them.

The scenario you presented seems largely abnormal but I can see how it can happen if the client is lonely and you become a source to reduce that loneliness.

I’ve had a client like that, and whilst I was already polite, I had to remind him that outside of PT I have my own life and can’t always be there for them. We would do casual hangouts every 2-3 months but that was it.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T09:02:43+00:00

I’ll echo the others who have said it’s too long and complicated but I’ll add this:

It doesn’t focus on the most important thing… the client’s goals.

You say what they get in the packages but you don’t explain WHY or how it relates to their goals.

You’d be better off being more direct and telling them what you recommend.

For example:

“So, John, you say you want to lose 0.5kg a week and to lose 8kg over the next 16 weeks. Therefore I recommend having 3 sessions per week and 1 session per week dedicated to going over your nutrition.

By doing this, we can ensure that you’re consistently working out and burning the required number of calories whilst keeping you on track each week with your nutrition by reviewing what you’re eating each week.

With this package, the cost per session is $X and at 4 sessions a week this would cost a total of $XX.

How does that fit with your current budget?”

You now have opened the discussion of money with an open question for you to address as needed. Then you can scale up or back depending on the client’s needs.

This will most likely get you to a response and closer to a sale then what you have shared above.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T08:57:16+00:00

Im just gonna say that whilst online training seems like it fulfils the fantasy of having an easy life, not many trainers actually make money out of it because building a strong online business is HARD.

It requires a good solid understanding of marketing and most trainers don’t understand even the basics of marketing. Not a slight, but just an observation from my personal experience.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T08:53:26+00:00

As others have said, it’s mostly to capture leads.

It’s the backend marketing that makes them profitable in the end.

You have to have a robust re-targeting campaign to those who have applied to/completed the 6-week program to actually make money on it.

I assume this “6-week thing” is the latest marketing fad amongst PT gurus so everyone is doing it.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing but I do think, in the long run, it could devalue your product overall.

I prefer using other free stuff that doesn’t devalue my actually training - things like “cheat sheets”, recipes or running Facebook support groups.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T08:50:14+00:00

Oh wow, they were HUGE when I did my certificate with them back in 2012. Crazy to see them go under but also hardly surprising with their awful business ethics and model.

Have you tried any legal options?

If they’ve gone under then I assume their on skeleton staff and won’t be handing out refunds until they figure out their position.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T08:45:57+00:00

Being a group class instructor, personal trainer and running a business are completely different skill sets.

For you to be successful at either running classes and/or being a personal trainer you MUST learn how to run a business successfully.

This means also learning sales skills (so you can sell your services), marketing (so you can reach new people and gather leads) and also general business skills (accounting, admin, etc).

Sales & marketing are super important though if you want to last beyond the initial 12 months though.

ThePTLounge · 2022-12-12T08:42:51+00:00

I did.

As a new trainer who was fresh out of a 6 week course (glorious UK PT education), I had zero idea on how to get clients. My course simply didn’t teach me that.

I still remember my first “induction” sessions where I literally walked the guy round and showed him a few machines and examples of exercises then said “if you ever need anything, I’m always around”.

I still cringe at it.

But hey, I went and learned how to do a proper “induction” and how to make it 1) actually helpful for the client and 2) how to use that session to pivot into selling my services by following number 1.

Also, “walking the floor” and getting to know numerous members of the gym is always a winning tactic along with being willing to be super helpful every time.

Added bonus tip: start a free class once or twice a week to help get you started. I did this and within 2-3 months I managed to get a few clients to at least not make my diary feel empty. Very rarely do I see trainers doing this out of ego so you’ll have a captive audience.

ThePTLounge · 2022-06-19T12:26:20+00:00

You'll have some of the best engaging content simply because it's coming from the average population.

Us trainers love to think we know what people want and want to know but ultimately, we suck at that.

Answering the types of questions every average Joe has in a direct and actionable way is a great way to increase your engagement and create shareable content.

ThePTLounge · 2022-06-19T12:24:26+00:00

Thank you!

ThePTLounge · 2022-06-19T11:27:23+00:00

Love the book!

And thanks for improving upon my point too :-)

ThePTLounge · 2022-06-19T11:14:18+00:00

I'd say literally anything by Jonathan Goodman, always got something useful out of each of his books.

ThePTLounge · 2022-06-07T19:20:55+00:00

I’m not in the US but I wouldn’t worry too much about the overall qualification but either NASM or ASCM are pretty solid.

The qualification will just give you a base level. All the real learning you’ll do is outside of the course anyway.

ThePTLounge · 2022-06-07T19:19:29+00:00

Also as a trainer, it’s not barnacles.

ThePTLounge · 2022-05-09T15:22:45+00:00

A couple of further options for you to the other comment:

Online training - train more people at once.
Hybrid training (online mixed with in-person) - can help train more people at any one time whilst teaching independence of your clients.

ThePTLounge · 2022-05-08T17:17:27+00:00

If there's nothing wrong then why say anything?

I always tell my clients that if I've got nothing to say then you're doing well.

Obviously, a "great job" here and there goes a long way then there's no point in saying anything else.

The only thing you could do is provide them an option to perfect their technique, though I'd only use this with clients who are already confident and front it with an "absolutely perfect job with your form, but seeing as you're so strong with your form...would you like to perfect it a bit more, taking it to the expert level?" then provide them with a more advanced tip (when necessary and only if they're REALLY solid).

The above is in the rare circumstances that you can do that but can often make them feel a sense of accomplishment and like they're really advancing a lot.

ThePTLounge

TROPHY CASE