Keys to SUCCESS as a Personal Trainer

Effective Communication and Applied Knowledge, the keys to success as a

Personal Trainer

One of the keys to a good client trainer relationship is that both parties know what to expect from each other.  It is important to set expectation from both parties from the beginning.  A great way to formalize these expectations is in an agreement. The important business components of the trainer client relationship are listed below: • Term of the agreement  Establishes how long the agreement is for and what is included. • Fees and payment structure  What methods of payment will you accept and over what amount of time will clients be able to pay you? Will your client pay in instalments and how much payment will you expect up front? • Cancellation policy  It is strongly recommended that you include and enforce this policy. If you do not follow through on it, your clients will assume it is acceptable to cancel appointments without appropriate notice.  It is also recommended that you sell training sessions in blocks so that you have a level of commitment from your client and the cancelled session can be deducted from that which is already prepaid. • Late policy  Similar to the cancellation policy, this is an area that needs to be enforced before it becomes a common occurrence. • Informed consent  It is important that your client understands the risks associated with exercising.  With establishing appropriate relationships in mind, it is also very important to consider the following • Professional image  If you want to be treated and paid like a professional, you need to look and talk like a professional. Many people who purchase personal training sessions are professionals who are accustomed to being around certain types of people. If you want to attract this crowd, you need to keep these expectations in mind. Your professional image does not only apply to professional clientele.  Anyone who is paying you for your services deserves the same level of service and attention to detail. • Integrity  Do what you say you are going to do and keep your promises. The formal agreement will spell out many areas, but there are still many things not mentioned in it. For example, if you tell clients you are going to bring in an article on cutting calories, do it. If you tell clients you are going to follow up with them if they miss a session, do it. And, if you tell clients you are going to help them get healthier in all aspects of their life, do it! At the time it may seem like a minor event if you forget to do something, but the reality is that your clients will notice and will eventually lose faith in your ability to do the things you have promised. • Motivation and attitude  Your clients are paying for you. They can probably pull their own program off the internet or from a magazine. If you are not in a peak state each time you are with clients, then they are not getting what they paid for. When you are with your clients, you need to be 100% present. This means all of your energy needs to be focused on them. Anything else that is going on in your life or at work needs to be put on hold. They are dependent on you as their motivator and the tough stuff in your life needs to be put on hold! Being able to motivate your clients is very important but you must know when to push them and when to lay off.  Everything you do as an expert should have rhyme and reason behind it based on your education and experience. People like positive feedback. They want to feel good after their sessions not just physically, but emotionally too. I had a client once who had always been told she was clumsy and uncoordinated. I made a point of telling her that she was doing a great job learning some new and complicated moves and that her body awareness was increasing after each session. She was thrilled. I doubt anyone had ever told her this before. By focusing on things she did well I helped her to develop some much needed self esteem.  • Personality types  Most of us are comfortable around people who are like us. In our personal lives, we will normally choose our friends this way. Unfortunately, you will not always be able to choose your clients as a personal trainer, so you must be able to adjust your personality style to that of your clients. The same approach will not work for every client. You will need to be flexible in your approach, but there may also be times when you choose not to take on new clients based on their personality because you will have to act in a way that you are not comfortable with. Regardless of the situation, it will normally be up to you to decide whether the client is compatible with your style. • General communication  Clients need to feel comfortable with you so that they are willing to share any thoughts or concerns that are going to affect their session and their overall results. Listening is a key skill that all personal trainers need to master. This means listening without the intent of responding, trying to understand what people are saying and why they feel a certain way. When you do this, you not only listen to what they are saying, you also watch body language and potentially find out even more information. There are times when clients simply need someone to talk to. They may not need or want you to give them a solution. With experience you will become a good judge as to when you should respond and when you should simply be a sounding board. The bottom line is that it is always less expensive to keep an existing client than it is to find a new one. You do not need to spend any money or time marketing to current clients and you don’t need to spend a lot of time trying to convince them that you are the right trainer for them. They are already your clients; you simply have to take care of them and give them what they want. If you place as much focus on the relationship as you do on the actual program, you will develop loyal clients who will bring all of the future clientele you will ever need. This will not happen immediately since building any relationship takes time, but if you take the time to focus on all of the people you are training and taking care of them and their needs, you will reap the benefits. A successful personal trainer must be able to empathize with their client and above all be able to use feedback which the client provides to mould their exercise, nutrition and fitness program. This is personal training.  Each individual has their own set of specific needs and it the trainer's job to analyze the feedback provided by the client at all times to create the most individualized, personal training service. Expertise It is all about establishing trust with the client. Regardless of your qualifications you should be able to demonstrate your expertise in your personal training technique. As a personal trainer, you must be an expert in whatever you teach and your ability to apply your knowledge specifically to your client is all important. You must show that you believe in your training method, and are very confident in your skills as a personal trainer and nutrition advisor.  Establish Realistic Goals  If you promise every client that he or she will lose 10 pound after a few sessions, you might get a lot of clients at first, but they probably won’t stick around for long. That doesn’t mean you tell your clients that they can’t expect much in the way of changes. Just don’t over-promise.  It is important to establish SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed short medium and long term goals and stick to them. Reaching these goals and seeing results will ensure a long and successful relationship. Make the Sessions Enjoyable Your sessions have to be fun.  They can be hard work,  even a struggle at times but it has to be enjoyable or the clients won’t keep coming.   It’s always crucial to have a good working relationship with your clients if you hope to succeed. It is especially important today when people are considering their most important financial priorities. In order to run a successful business, client retention is crucial. A successful and strong instructor/client relationship is necessary to keep your business healthy and profitable and keep you LOVING what you do! If you would like to find out more about becoming a Personal trainer please contact Info@exercisestudies.co.uk