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Six Simple Rules for Earning a Healthy Living as a Certified Personal Trainer. Posted on Sep 1, 2008 - 10:01AM Six Simple Rules for Earning a Healthy Living as a Certified Personal Trainer. by Evan Chacker First, ask yourself this question: If two Trainers both earning $50,000.00 a year, one who works forty hours a week, and the other works ten hours a week, at the end of the year which trainer is richer? Since both trainers earn the same amount of money, the question has less to do about money, and more about the freedom mentality of personal trainers. The person working forty hours a week is earning around $20.00 an hour, the one working ten hours a week is earning $100.00 an hour, they both earn the same $50,000.00 at the end of the year. Which Trainer Is Richer? I would argue that the person working only ten hours is much, much richer. An extra 30 hours a week to spend with friends and family or building your business is absolutely priceless. Time is why the ten-hour a week person is richer; they have the luxury of time. So how do we turn each and every one of you into the ten-hour a week $50,000.00 a year trainer, or even the 20 hour a week $100,000.00 a year trainer? It is a lot easier than you think and it is actually quite easy if you follow a few simple rules. These rules apply both to Independent and In-house Trainers in the clubs. Independent Trainers have more freedom in general, including with pricing, and In-house Trainers can earn a healthy living working inside of a health club. There is a lot less risk involved in going to work in one spot, and working for a club as a trainer is still filled with a lot of freedom, especially when you compare it to most other careers out there. In-house trainers can still follow the same simple rules and make the most they possibly can inside the club with the least amount of effort. Giving 110% Of Your Effort Has a manager, a coach or a teacher ever asked you to give 110%? I hear it all the time, and it is ridiculous, you can only ever give 100% of your effort. This brings me to the Pareto principal, which is more commonly known as the 80/20 rule. The Pareto Principle is that 20% of your effort is responsible for 80% of your return. Meaning 20 percent of your work brings you 80 percent of your money. Don't believe it? Well the 80/20 rule is an average that applies to just about everything, e.g. 20% of your floor get 80% of the foot traffic, 20% of the world population holds 80% of the worlds wealth, 20% of the drivers cause 80% of traffic accidents. It goes on and on. You Can Only Give 100% Of Your Effort. So when trying to build your business, that means that that don't try to put 100% of your effort into it, just your best 20%. Why? Because your 100% has a whole lot of unproductiveness mixed in with it. When prospecting, focus the best of your efforts, 20% is an average, so you can begin by focusing 10% of your efforts on building new business. Set up a time to be productive, put it in your schedule as an appointment so you will be sure to get done. Write it in your book and treat it like a paid appointment that cannot be moved or cancelled. 10% of 60 minutes is only 6 minutes. For 6 minutes, hit the gym floor and focus on setting appointments. Six minutes is the minimum, if you can do more effectively, do more. There are 40 hours in a traditional workweek, begin by scheduling 10% for building your business, which is only four hours a week. For those four-hours, you must force yourself to be productive. For an average of only 6 minutes an hour, you need to be focused on the single-minded task of growing your business. 6 minutes of focused effort can equal $100 an hour, twice a week totaling an additional $10,400.00 a year. That means that at least once every hour while in the gym you spend 10% of the time laser focused on setting appointments for first workouts, ignoring all distractions. 10% is the minimum; if you can do 20% stay out there for 12 minutes, but then take a break. Spend 10% Of The Time Making Appointments.. Outside of the gym, force yourself to strike up a conversation with a stranger, break out of your comfort zone and spend ALL of your prospecting time speaking to people you do not know. Follow the 80/20 rule, give your best and then recharge so that you can do it again. Below are a few simple rules to follow while giving your best 20% that will help you build your business in the shortest amount of time possible. They are effective both inside and outside of a health club setting. Six Simple Rules To Prospecting Effectively 1. Be Unavailable When prospecting, you are looking for only the best prospects that are interested in buying what you have to offer right now, even if all you are selling is an appointment for a complimentary first workout. If you prospect the floor with the composure of "I am just here to help" and "I am not looking for new clients", people will want to train with you, they will be drawn to you as a trainer. That eliminates the need for a free first workout, now you can charge for a first workout. The assumption most people will make is that a busy trainer is a good trainer, and people often want what they cannot have. 2. Prospect Like A Manager Would As a trainer, I followed these rules to pick up clients quickly, but when I was managing health clubs, it was always a lot easier to set first workouts for the trainers I managed. Approach prospects and always set an appointment for "one of your trainers." After they agree, let them know that you will train them yourself since you are interested in seeing them reach their goal. 3. Let Them Know You Want To See Them Reach Their Goal. I have found this to be one of the easiest and best ways to set comped workouts. Casually walk up to a prospect, build rapport and then simply offer to set the prospect up with a complimentary one on one personal training session with one of your teammates. If they say no, it is not to you but to your offer. There is absolutely no tension involved on either side of the interaction, no pressure at all. 4. Prospect With Another Motivated Trainer Prospecting in tandem is only effective if both trainers are equally motivated and equally gregarious. Target prospects that you have spoken with, but not pitched, the friendly people you feel awkward pitching. Simply walk up to prospective clients together and then one trainer endorses the trainer who is "up." It is as simple as saying you have to try and work out with this guy/girl he/she is amazing and perfect for you, you will definitely love it. That is called a 3rd party endorsement and if you are endorsing yourself, you just sound like an idiot, so try and find an outgoing trainer who also wants to grow their business and take turns. It is amazing how much harder a trainer will try to get an appointment for another trainer, usually much harder than they would for themselves. The way the "up" system works is a trainer is up until an appointment is made, then alternate. People ask some really silly questions, so let people see your trainer shirt and ask you if you are a trainer. Then follow the golden AFI Rules of what to do when asked that or any other question. 5. Let People See That You Are A Trainer. While you are working out, supermarkets, Starbucks, book stores, you name it, people will constantly ask me about fitness whenever I am wearing a trainer shirt, and I always ask them a question to gauge their interest and goals. Then I offer to set them up with a graduate trainer; it is that simple. So wear the shirt and set appointments. 6. Ask For Referrals You may already know that this is the fastest way to get new clients, but may not be effective at it. The best way to get client referrals is to simply ask your existing clients for referrals. You do not have to offer them anything if they are happy with you, they will be more than happy to help. Do not offer free anything in exchange for referrals from your clients. Offering free sessions for referrals has been known to be effective, but in my experience it is completely unnecessary and devalues your services. A quick way to getting referrals from clients is by giving referrals, so if you ask your clients for a large stack of their business cards and let them know you will be looking out for potential new clients, business and money for them, chances are they will do the same for you with out you having to ask them. Of course if they do not ask for your cards in return, offer them a few. Conclusion The number one rule is being unavailable; "I am not taking on anymore clients," is something you want to let new prospects know when you are discussing training. It sends a message that your time is valuable; let them know you are still interested in setting them up with a trainer to help them reach their goals. Then choose to train them yourself or to grow your business by hiring another trainer to hire them. By focusing your efforts for an average 6-12 minutes per hour and follow these six simple prospecting rules and you can easily become a Personal Trainer who works ten-twenty hours a week, $50-$100,000 a year trainer. It is easier than you think and you can do it by focusing the best 20% of your efforts. LISTENING! BUT, BUT, BUT? Posted on Sep 1, 2008 - 9:39AM LISTENING! BUT, BUT, BUT? Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola I have come across several sales associates (trainers) in my day. One thing always holds true. The better they are at listening the more clients (income) they have. So, what is the mystery behind being a great listener? Why do some do it better than others? Is it nature vs nurture? Is it the age of the sales associate (trainer)? Well, all of those things are factors - but not the answer. You can learn to earn, it just takes practice and a commitment to getting better. Did you ever wonder why we were all blessed with two ears and one mouth? If you lost one of your ears in a freak accident or you are deaf in one ear, it's still ok, you still have a 1-1 ratio. It just means more practice. Yes, I happen to be deaf in 1 ear! The basis for all communication is first seek to understand then to be understood. This means you have to utilize your ears and your brain and take your mouth off of auto pilot. For some this will be harder than others. The most common listening mistakes are as follows: cutting people off mid sentence because you think you know what they are going say, prejudging a prospect, thinking while someone else is talking. These bad habits can cause you to miss important and crucial information. Here are some suggestions: Try utilizing the "string of pearls" method. Simply put, everything that comes out of someone's mouth is a pearl. You listen first, then interpret (use your brain), then respond. Each statement is a pearl linked to the next by your response and question. If that doesn't help, here are the 14 rules to becoming a better listener. 1. Don't interrupt (But, but, but) 2. Ask questions. Then be quiet. Concentrate on really listening 3. Prejudice will distort what you hear. Listen without prejudging 4. Use eye contact and listening noises (um, gee, I see, oh) to show the other person you are listening 5. Don't jump to the answer before you hear the ENTIRE situation. 6. Listen for purpose, details, and conclusions. 7. EMPATHIC LISTENING involves interpreting. Interpret quietly! Feel what they feel, tie into their emotions. 8. Listen to what is not said. Implied is often more important than spoken. 9. Think between sentences 10. Digest what is said (and not said) before engaging your mouth 11. Ask questions to be sure you understood what was said or meant. 12. Ask questions to be sure the speaker said all he/she wanted to say 13. Demonstrate you are listening by taking action 14. If you decide to think during speaking, think solution and don't embellish the problem. I would like to issue a 30-day challenge to all who read this article. Try to go 30 days without cutting someone off mid-sentence. Not just clients, but anyone you come in contact with. If you can make it you will be well on your way to becoming a better listener. How Much Should I Charge for Personal Training? Posted on Aug 18, 2008 - 8:51PM How Much Should I Charge for Personal Training? Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola Have you ever done this: called up one of your competitors, assumed a fake voice and asked, "How much do you charge for personal training sessions?" Go ahead. Admit it. But here's the really silly part. Have you ever adjusted your session price to match or beat other gym prices? If you took Economics 101 in high school or college, you learned that selling prices for goods and services are determined by "what the market will bear." That means that members - the local area - decide what a product is worth, and will give so much money, but no more, for that product. After doing a fake-voice phone survey of a few local gyms, and setting your prices somewhere in their range (even doing the same type of price breaks for committing to more sessions), you might say you are charging, "what the market will bear". This beats going to the trouble of figuring out what your company's break-even point is. "We can't charge more than 'what the market will bear'!" is delivered as a logical reason for maintaining below-cost selling prices for personal training. But here's the rub. The "what the market will bear" rule applies to commodities, not services - like personal training. Commodities are products that don't differ much from vendor to vendor. Gold, for instance, is a commodity. Gold is gold is gold. Gold will follow the Economic rule of 'what the market will bear' pretty nicely. It will be directly affected by the law of 'supply and demand'. Economics 101 works well when you are talking about commodities. But it doesn't count for much as far as your products and services go. Here's the real rule, the 'street' rule, the rule they don't teach you in Economics 101 or Franchise Training: the local area, market or member doesn't set the selling price. The marketers (you) do. Why does Coca Cola sell for three times the price of generic colas? Why does Rolex sells watches for $50,000 when you can get a very nice watch for $100? Why did anyone pay $15,000 to cross the Atlantic on the Concord when a jet plane could have got them there for about $500? The marketers in this world differentiate their products, and make them something more than a commodity. Marketers create and communicate features that benefit consumers. Benefits add VALUE to the product. Coke is the real thing. A Rolex is a symbol of wealth and power. And the Concord went really fast (Speed is always a cool product feature). What does your personal training say to your members (what is the perceived value). Higher value commands a higher price. If value = price, then there is no sale. Cash in pocket will only be exchanged for something that has a higher perceived value. So, if a product is worth exactly what you are charging for it, no one will buy it. What usually happens is that you will drop your price until the value of your product becomes bigger than the price, and then sell. However, the marketer increases the value until the price looks insignificant. Then you have more profitable sales. You see there is a huge problem with basing your prices on what your competition is charging, on 'what the market will bear'. I bet your competition has no clue when it comes to knowing his break-even and the true cost of doing business. Because everyone in the industry, for the most part, is ripping off everyone else when it comes to pricing and price structure. And most don't even know how they got the prices that they have. They got their selling price by calling other gyms, gyms that are now out of business. Don't assume that your competition knows what they are doing! Lots of folks get confused when they set their personal training prices. They look at what everyone else is charging, then they hope and pray that they can make money at those prices. So, don't beat yourself up. Just do it the right way. Decide how much money you want to make - first. Offer a terrific product. Not just a trainer standing there counting reps, holding a clipboard and writing down a workout. Next - Figure out ALL your costs of doing business. Come up with a selling price that makes your dreams come true. Adopt a marketer's mindset. Create so much VALUE for your product that your customers beg to buy it. If you can create an EXPERIENCE that the member cannot duplicate on their own and find out the real, real reason why they workout - then they will love to buy at your price, not theirs. And forget what the 'market will bear'. Are you making the #1 mistake that cost trainers the most money? Posted on Aug 18, 2008 - 7:32PM Are you making the #1 mistake that cost trainers the most money? Evan Chacker, Founder - American Fitness Institute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lets start with the 2nd biggest mistake a trainer make which is accepting the 1st no when asking for the sale. why accept the 1st no when presenting training. Don't accept it, expect it and be prepared to over come it. You should be prepared to ask for the sale at least 5-7 times in 5-7 different ways. If you were at the door of a night club walking in behind 5 of your closest friends and the bouncer said that only you could not come in because you were wearing black sneakers instead of black shoes, would you just walk away? Probably not, you would probably sell him on why he should let you in. Be prepared to determine the true objection, overcome the objection and ask for the sale again. Always remember that after you ask for the sale, you stop speaking. The reason is that if you add anything else, the prospect can object to that. Equally important is that when you present the sale it is a yes based question. Example: You: "Based on what you told me, this is exactly what you want and need to get ready for X,Y,Z, right?" Prospect: "Yes" You: "So lets get started on your goal of X,Y,Z today, fair enough? You" " (say nothing for as long as it takes) Prospect:"Ok, do you accept cash?" You: "I will make an exception in your case" The last few times you ask for the sale, should be a little different, it is when you have nothing to lose, I call it "Getting real", and it is a little more aggressive than some of the other hand holding techniques, but it is for their own good. You are only asking them to buy what they are telling you they need and want. It is also after they have told you they are wasting money on things that pushes them further from their goals. Remember that it is ok to be passionate, it is not ok to be abusive or mean. Example of getting real: You may say,"Look if I was one of your buddies and I called you up and said C'mon, lets go drinking you wouldn't give it a second thought, am I right?... So lets put that money towards your health and guarantee you reach your goal, doesn't that make more sense?" Example of getting real: Look, you said your an accountant right? So do you change the oil in your car and rotate the tires, no. Because that doesn't make much sense either. Trying to do what you want to do here in a gym, you need professional guidance. I'll tell you what, you focus on what you do best and let me focus on what I do best, transforming your body into exactly what you want it to be. Lets get started right now, ok? Example of getting real: Look, you said you have been doing this on your own for 20 years and you still have not gotten the results you want. Doesn't it make sense to stop throwing away money and time? Stop banging your head against the same wall, instead doesn't it make sense to invest in a yourself a guarantee that this time with professional help, you can make a difference? Some people have to object, it is just a part of their buying process. People will object, so be ready to overcome the objections, make the sale and get more clients. The #1 mistake is not asking for the sale after a workout. Most times a trainer does not ask for the sale because the trainer has already sold themselves on the idea that the prospect is not buying. No matter what happens, as a trainer, after every workout you must always ask for the sale. Is It Satisfied Clients You're After? NO! Posted on Aug 4, 2008 - 11:30AM Is it satisfied clients you’re after? NO! Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola I’m sick of client satisfaction. The worst companies in the world tout the fact that they won some satisfaction award. It’s not just a bad joke. It’s a pathetic statement. Every club in the fitness industry, is hoping that their members will renew their membership, renew their personal training package or just buy more of whatever. They’re hoping that their members will spread the word about how great their products are, and about how great their people are. And they’re hoping to proactively encourage others to buy a membership, personal training, supplements or do any other kind business with them. That is NOT client satisfaction. That is client LOYALTY. Every health club must have loyalty as its mission, not satisfaction. Every health club must have loyalty as its imperative, not satisfaction. Health Club Corporate drivel mission statements talk about exceeding member’s expectations, talk about being number one in the industry, talk about shareholder value, and say NOTHING about the one word that makes all of these things happen: LOYALTY. The reason that health clubs, especially big health clubs, don’t stress loyalty is because it’s much more difficult to achieve, and requires both an investment, and a commitment on the part of senior management to instill. Client loyalty is a hollow statement unless it is preceded by a mission. REALITY: Every health club and its executives must be loyal to its employees, loyal to its product quality, and loyal to its service excellence. This means they must both invest in and support a loyalty imperative. HERE’S THE SECRET: Loyalty must be given before it is received. No health club or even studio can ensure client loyalty until they have secured employee loyalty. It amazes me that big clubs will layoff hundreds of people in the name of profit or shareholder value, and think nothing of what it does to internal morale, or the impact that it has on the reduction of service to its personal training clients -- even a reduction in the quality of its product. Loyalty is both an action and a process. Look at the best companies in the world. They have great employees. They have great products. They give great service. And they’re easy to do business with. This makes them attractive. And these are the elements that create loyalty. The one element that is most important is great service. Memorable service. Loyalty-based service. And that flies in the face of satisfaction (the lowest level of acceptable service). In our tele-seminars, we teach the 5,000-year-old ancient Chinese proverb, “To serve is to rule.” Giving great service is an integral part of the loyalty process and it’s a fundamental part of “giving loyalty before loyalty is received.” Going above and beyond the clients expectations is how to gain their confidence to buy again and again. Here are a few ideas to incorporate into your club’s loyalty imperative: 1. List all reasons that clients buy personal training from you. There are probably less than 15 (many underlying buyer motives, but usually fall under some health fact - lose weight, etc). 2. List all barriers that you place in front of a member connecting with you or you connecting with them. There are probably less than 10. (no trial of a personal training session - no reference point of your service, lack of prospecting, members that go straight to a class and immediately leave, your schedule, etc.) 3. Once you have all the opportunities and all the barriers listed, have a weekend retreat with general manager or personal training supervisor (if applicable), personal training manager and personal trainers to determine best practices, generate new ideas for serving and making their "experience" one that is memorable and cannot be duplicated on their own or with a competitor, and making it easier to do business with your club. Document (record) everything. 4. Put the ideas and the best practices into action. Create a training program for best practices, and invest whatever is necessary for making your club “barrier-to-buy” free. 5. Rather than announce all of these changes in the form of a bragging advertisement, or internal hoopla, let your members have an opportunity to react and respond to your new and better way of doing business. Let the referral part of your business begin organically. Let it be earned, not asked for. Let every session be one that goes above and beyond their expectations. Learn what those expectations are and not just satisfy them, but go above them to create LOYALTY. Loyalty that says, "I would rather buy from you, than from anyone else. I would like to buy it again from you." 6. All members of club management must support this process both verbally and visually. If you’re going to evolve from satisfaction to loyalty, it has to be “hands on,” not just “words on.” I wish more clubs would add to their mission statement that they’ll be loyal to their employees -- so that their employees would be loyal to their customers -- so that their customers would be loyal to the company. That is a loyalty chain. And it doesn’t start with satisfied customers. It starts with ownership and management understanding that loyalty is a way of life, not just a word. That loyalty starts at home, not at a customer’s place of business. That loyalty is earned by a process, not by a wave of a wand, or even by product excellence. And loyalty is easily measured. Just look at your repeat business. You should have an average of 50% of all personal training sales as repeat clients, and obviously 50% on average should be new clients. Satisfaction is also easily measured. Just look at the customers you lost. They are in the form of clients who just don't buy personal training again. Whether it is after one month, three months, nine months or even a year later, a loyal client will be a client for life. Try to introduce personal training into their lifestyle rather than changing their lifestyle to accommodate personal training. Build Your Personal Training Business by Setting Personal Goals Posted on Aug 4, 2008 - 10:15AM Build Your Personal Training Business by Setting Personal Goals Evan Chacker CPT, AFI Founder If you do not set a goal, you will never achieve it. When it comes to training more sessions, goal setting is a must. Determine where you are now, and where you want to be and write your goal down. Your chances of achieve your goals increase 50% just by write down and periodically reviewing them (something you may want to share with your clients). Answering the following questions will help you in setting your session goal and reaching it. * How many sessions did you do this week? * How Many Sessions will you next week week? * Are you happy with that number? * How can you increase that number? A fast way to add extra sessions is to call your existing clients and ask them to come in an extra day e.g. if they train twice a week, ask them in for a third time. Another sure fire way is to add more clients to your client list. Just like a weekly sessions goal, you should also have a monthly new client goal. Here are a few short cuts to building up your client list 1. *Ask your most satisfied clients for referrals. 2. Call up all of your old clients who stopped training 3. Prospect using what you learned from AFI *If asking for referrals in not your strength, think about adding "The greatest compliment a client can give me is a referral to one of their friends." I have seen it often enough in many other industries, but never in personal training. Referrals should be a large part of your client growth strategy. Rock Your Workouts Like a Hurricane Posted on Jul 16, 2008 - 9:04AM Rock Your Workout Like a Hurricane Martin Rooney PT, MHS, CSCS, NASM So you want to look like a UFC warrior and don't want to get punched in the face? Here's the great news. There is a method of training that will not only get you ripped with bigger muscles, but is also easy to perform, an exciting change from your regular routine and can take less time to produce more results! Enter the Hurricane A hurricane is a powerful, yet brief storm that leaves destruction in its wake that then calls for renewal and rebuilding. Hurricane Training relies on the same destruction and renewal of a person's body and has been used to produce both the physical results and world titles my warriors have achieved. I now believe this is a perfect form of training for every person regardless of his or her battle aspirations. In nature, the more powerful a hurricane, the more damage is left in its path. As a result of storm intensity, there is more time, energy and resources that have to be spent to rebuild the region bigger and better than before. When you apply this same principle of intensity and destruction in the gym, you can take advantage of numerous metabolic and hormonal responses that will produce unprecedented results. Science has determined as workout intensity increases, metabolically more energy will be required to get your body back to a physiological resting state. So the greater the intensity of the Hurricane, there can be more calories expended over a longer period of time. That increase in metabolism and added muscle building from weights make the hurricane a great tool in weight management, body fat reduction, and strength! So why do these calories need to get burned? Just like the buildings, roads, etc. that need to be rebuilt and restored after a hurricane in nature, the following are a number of physiological variables to restore after the hurricane: Restore Energy Sources Decrease HR Decrease Ventilation Decrease Body Temp Increase Cellular Repair Decrease Blood Lactate Increase Oxygenation of Blood How Does the Hurricane Training System Work? Hurricanes are categorized using a scale from 1-5. Category 1 is the easiest and Category 5 will be the most demanding and potentially productive. Every Hurricane utilizes nine sets of cardiovascular training (treadmill sprints). For Hurricanes 2-5, two different body weight and/or weighted exercises are performed after the first 3 sprints (Hurricane Round 1). Then two new exercises are selected to coincide with the next 3 sprints (Round 2) and again for the last 3 sets (Round 3). So a Hurricane Workout equals 9 total sprints and 18 sets of weight training to be completed in 20-30 minutes. Talk about intense! Whether you are a fighter or just want to look and train like one, Hurricane Training is for you! Using this workout, your old routine will have no choice but to tap out. (Personal Training) Sales is a noble profession. Posted on Jul 16, 2008 - 8:33AM (Personal Training) Sales is a noble profession. Are you noble enough? Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola Last year, AEFG delivered many seminars on selling more personal training and servicing clients in order to keep them, with a combined audience of more than 600 trainers & managers. What would we be without the sales aspect of our job? Simple. We would be something besides a personal trainer. Personal Trainers are professional salespeople, as well as, service providers. Without sales we wouldn’t be eating, and it is the lifeblood as to how we grow and maintain business for ourselves. Personal trainers need to start viewing themselves as a sales engine at the club and the personal training manager should be viewed by their sales force of trainers as the sales manager. The problem I’ve seen is that personal trainers do not want to be viewed as salespeople and therefore have the mentality to want to be disconnected from that all together. As for personal training managers, most of their time should be spent grinding away at the phone, contacting leads to set up comped workouts, confirmation calls, follow ups; developing their trainers, and managing floor prospecting shifts. Sounds like a sales manager doesn’t it. The difference is not the activities of a sales manager, but the products they sell. Guess what? We sell personal training services! Others sell copiers, real estate, insurance, etc. The great news is that our prospective buyers are all in front of us and already qualified buyers, since they already are there working out. At our seminars or staff development trainings put on at the clubs that hire us, they come to an these events in the hope of learning to better their skills, secure more clients, keep their existing clients loyal, figure out new strategies, or some other form of making the sale including overcoming economic conditions or just plain getting out of a rut. Our audiences of trainers and managers were all ages, with all types of experience - at all levels of competence with one basic common goal: Learn more to earn more. That's one of the characteristics of a great personal trainer or personal training manager: continuous learning. Student forever. I was racking my brain to think what other job exists where this type of activity takes place. You could make a case for professional development and specific career knowledge for doctors, lawyers, accountants, and architects. But even they are dependent on sales, marketing, or some form of practice/business development in order to increase their business. And so, I asked myself the question: Why do people become a personal trainer and sell an emotional product? What characteristics do they have that sets them apart (at least the successful ones)? And I thought that it might be an interesting exercise for anyone contemplating personal training to answer the question, and for anyone who is a personal trainer to reaffirm or answer the question: "Why is personal training (sales & service) for me?" Personal Training (sales) is economic freedom and challenge. If you're paid based on how many sessions sold or serviced or have an additional form of bonus based on performance - you're ostensibly free to go out and create your own economic environment, based on your performance. Personal Training (sales) has no economic barriers. If you're in a performance-based job, the more you sell, the more you train, the more you earn. If you're in a bonus-structured job, the more you train, the more you earn. You create your own pay. One of the early attractions to me when I first got into sales, I mean personal training was that income was only limited by my ability to perform or succeed. I didn't have to wait until it was time for a raise, I could give myself one by simply going out and making more personal training sales. I also made it a priority NOT to change their lifestyle (only enhance it), but to make personal training part of their lifestyle. But personal training (sales & service) is a much bigger opportunity than money. Great trainers (salespeople) have character, and characteristics possessed by few others. Here are the highlights: Presentation skills. How to speak in a compelling manner. How to persuade others to your point of view. How to overcome barriers. In short, how to get your way. How to get personal training with you as part of their existing lifestyle. People skills. Every personal trainer (salesperson) must learn to interact with members, clients, coworkers, gym management & owners, and anybody else in the fitness industry in a manner that is relationship building. Networking skills. Personal trainers (salespeople) have social and tactical skills to help them turn business time and social time into strategic alliances, connections, and leads. Questioning skills. Personal trainers (salespeople) know that asking is more powerful than telling. Listening skills. Personal trainers (salespeople) have antennas that are always alert to information, buying signals, buying motives, or other elements of how to make the sale that come only come from the person buying. Great trainers are also great mental note takers. Personal trainers (salespeople) are always seeking to improve their skills. They don't just come to our seminars, they read and listen to self-improvement information all the time. Personal development skills. Personal Trainers (salespeople) have a positive attitude. They achieve their goals and seek to master the other intangible aspects of the mental and physical elements needed to win at the game of personal training sales and great service. The ability to achieve a goal. The opportunity to change bodies, change lives, make lasting friendships, earn recognition, travel , in general enjoy more freedom than most other jobs in a company Creativity skills. Personal trainers (salespeople) have to prepare with creativity, demonstrate with creativity, respond with creativity, sell with creativity, and use creativity to build relationships. And that creativity extends to their sessions and is evident on the gym floor. Moxie. Personal trainers (salespeople) have self-confidence, self belief, determination, and persistence. Moxie is the added ingredient needed to transfer beliefs and confidence, and moxie is the unspoken swagger needed to complete the sale. Likeability. People buy from people they like, believe, have confidence in, and trust. Like starts the ball rolling towards trust. That is why selling training and “dumping or dishing” it off to another trainer creates a negative in the eyes of the member. And, oh yeah, they have sales skills. But there's risk involved in selling. You have to perform. Often you're presented with club monthly quotas, sales plans, or other forms of forced achievement, as well as, your own personal needs. You also have a boss. Someone who you may or may not totally love or respect. The challenges are multifaceted which I believe is part of the attraction. It takes intelligence, personal dedication, continuous education, and the ability to self-start. Often personal trainers (salespeople) are working remote. They're on the gym floor with the challenge, or the pressure, to perform. And they do. Or, they die a sales death. Red Motley, who in 1946 said, "Nothing happens until a sale is made." This is yet another reason why people decide on a career in selling; whether it’s personal training or insurance. It's the spark. Or the pressure to light the fire. It's the challenge, and it's the euphoric feeling you get when you know that you have now been given another opportunity to enhance another’s life. Personal Trainers (salespeople) also have unlimited opportunity to grow in any organization. Leadership positions and executive positions abound for the man or woman who can sell anything, in this case – personal training. One more bonus for great personal trainers (salespeople): Unemployment does not exist. There are always openings for people who know how to sell. You are selling on emotions, and if you can sell that you can sell anything! Are you the leader or just the personal training manager? Posted on Jul 14, 2008 - 8:53PM Are you the personal training leader or just the boss? Contributing writers: Brett Johnston, Mark Leeling & Randy Humola The leader of a football team knows how to use every player’s strengths. He also knows how those particular strengths used together will create something grand and spectacular. The leader of a football team knows every position that everybody has to play, and knows how the plays, player strengths and positions blend together to gain positive yards to score. They're actually called "quarterbacks" - but you know what I mean. When you can take all of these leadership elements and put them together, you have the makings of a high scoring football team. You have a team that knows their individual talents, knows their individual routes, knows each play for their position, knows how to play, knows the fundamentals and has mastered them, and knows their timing and when to incorporate everything - to create team harmony. And if the leader is prepared, in control, and respected, the results can be spectacular. If you're the leader of these people and these elements, it is imperative that you know how each player must perform, or you will fail. Same in personal training sales. All personal training managers and owners want their trainers to be a team. All trainers resist it, because they just want to sell personal training and train their clients -- but they often need their manager to make it happen. THE PERSONAL TRAINING TEAM SECRET IS: Everyone must know his or her own skill and know it perfectly. Until they know themselves, they can't play well, or work well with others. THE LEADERSHIP SECRET IS: To be able to extract the excellence of their trainer's performance combined with the excellence of their own performance. Often trainer’s don't live up to their potential and don't do their best, or they make mistakes along the way. This is where leadership can make it happen, or break it down and continue with less than stellar performance. THE LEADERSHIP REALITY IS: If you're a real leader, you can't blame the trainers for poor performance. You have to be the teacher, the director, the coach, and the encourager. On Sunday afternoon (and Monday night) football game, thousands of people pay to watch live or watch from their favorite spot, the players AND the quarterback perform. And at the end there is usually the victorious team trotting off the field (hopefully your favorite team) smiling and knowing they are one step closer to the Superbowl. You, as the spectator (the customer), paid for and saw a sixty-minute performance. But the outcome was not determined by their performance that afternoon. The outcome was determined long ago when they were practicing. If they didn't practice, their performance would not have been acceptable. Same with you. And the key is the message I'm trying to transfer. Leaders and a football team PRACTICED TOGETHER. It's the same in personal training sales & service. You can't just be the owner or the personal training manager. You also have to be the leader by example, and the coach who knows the game. In personal training sales & service this means go with your trainers. Make confirm & follow-up calls with them. Help them make more sales. Be their coach, not their boss. AEFG teaches managers to spend two hours a day developing the talents of your staff. Your time is as valuable as their time. Invest your time in getting ready to lead and coach your trainers. Invest your time in preparing your information for your trainers that they consider valuable. Spend the time wisely, by inviting existing staff to development sessions they need. Invest your time in your own personal development by studying attitude and encouragement as two of your self-determining factors of your success. Here are two more indicators you're on the winning path: 1. You're attractive. Not pretty. I'm talking about people calling you up on the phone because they want to work for you. Did you ever have a college professor that everyone would line up for and hope they made it into his class? The questions you need to ask yourself are: Who's willing to line up and wait for me? Who wants to play on my team? Who wants to sell & service personal training sessions for me? 2. Your former trainers stay in touch with you. People move on with their careers. I want anyone that leaves to say that you were the best coach, the best leader they ever had. You don't just win best coach -- you win the game of life. Boss or leader? Boss or coach? Boss or teacher? Boss or encourager? The choices are obvious as they are written. Your challenge is to make them a reality. I hope you do. Do Your Member's Have "Buyer Confidence" in Personal Training Posted on Dec 19, 2007 - 1:29PM Do Your Member's Have "Buyer Confidence" in Personal Training by Brett Johnston The member is not going to BUY if they are not confident in you, your personal training skills, or your gym. How can you create Buyer Confidence? Get past the fundamentals of rapport first, such as positive/energetic, friendly, professional looking and of couse, Be on time! 1. Come prepared with an agenda of your skilled questions and your listening intently on them only as well as your agenda for your complimentary workout base (add the fillers on the fly). 2. It's all about them, getting them involved and part of the presentation...not just a sideliner that is watching. 3. Tell how you helped others in a similar situation, even name drop someone they might know. 4. Show them you are there for the long haul and sell to help not for immediate income by asking the right questions and also showing you care by being sincere and genuine. If you are a new trainer, sell them on how you desire to go above and beyond their expectations for each and every session. Even have them start off with a smaller package and buy a larger one once they got a chance to experience training with you. An important note for managers/owners: One sure-fire way to LOSE Buyer Confidence is to pay your trainers a commission up front for personal training sessions that have not been serviced yet. The drawback to doing this is trainers across the nation have received payment ahead and left the gym and client, while the gym is left holding the bag so-to-speak. No other trainer wants to take on the client since the gym isn't prepared to pay the new trainer until the client purchases again. This results in a bad taste in the client's mouth and word spreads quickly. One last note, PRICE is never a confidence builder for a buyer. Dropping your price will not improve a buyer's confidence. When a price drops too low that actually sends buyers on a "why is the price that low?" alert. So remember, No Buyer Confidence = No Sale! |
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