Being an independent personal trainer who’s not tied down to the hard knock life of working in a big box gym, you probably know firsthand just how hard it is to charge what you’re actually worth. Why is this? You own your own business and have clients that have made amazing transformations, and yet you still struggle with the notion that your services aren’t worth a whole lot more than a gym membership. Learning how to sell personal training programs without comprising price or what you’re worth has more to do with how you run your business versus your selling and closing skills.

Now, don’t get me wrong- knowing how to sell and close clients is extremely important, but you should also keep in mind that how you run your fitness business makes a huge difference. What’s the environment like? Is it friendly? Encouraging? Would a first timer be comfortable coming to your boot camp or private studio? These things play a valuable role in getting clients to say yes instead of no.

What about you or your trainers? Are you (or they) as friendly and outgoing with your new clients as possible? People have to know, like, and trust you and your trainers in order to feel comfortable shelling out the big bucks to be a part of your facility.

Atmosphere

Having a nice and friendly atmosphere goes a long way in the eyes of someone who is looking for a new gym or boot camp to join. Same goes for cleanliness as well as the feel of your facility. It’s important to keep these things in mind when you’re looking to get new clients because these things do matter a lot. It also matters to the clients that you plan on keeping for the long haul because they’re expecting a nice, clean studio too.

How you keep your facility says a lot about who you are as a trainer and a business owner. So does how you keep yourself. Are you a fit trainer? You have to be or it’s a lot like going to a hair stylist with a rat’s nest on their head, or going to a dentist with bad teeth. You can’t expect your clients to pay several hundred dollars a month to train with someone who doesn’t look the part.

But don’t go completely overboard and spend money that you don’t have fixing your gym or boot camp up. Use what you have and improve on it as your business grows.

Show Them The Love

Show your clients the love and you’ll keep them much longer. You won’t ever feel like you’re overcharging them if you spoil them rotten. Remember their birthdays and other significant things about them so you can surprise them with a little something here and there. It’s so important to build real relationships with your clients because that is what makes you different than your average gym and gives you the permission you need to charge them what you want.

Send them things like a care package when they first sign up with you along with a handwritten thank you note that encourages them to stick it out. Exercising is really tough for some people so you’ve got to make an effort to encourage them rather than neglecting them because they can’t do something just yet.

Buy them a pair of skinny jeans when they meet their goal and be sure to schedule a consultation with them so you can help them re-evaluate and create new goals. Send them gift cards and recipe books just because. Going out of your way to do little things like this will help set you apart from the other personal trainers in your area and put you in a category of one.

Rapid Results

Getting results is vital for your personal training business or boot camp, but getting your clients to see or feel their results quickly makes a huge difference. Incorporate more fat burning workouts in your facility if you’re not already, and don’t just stop there.

Nutrition makes up about 80% of weight loss and exercise accounts for about 20%. Knowing this, it makes a lot of sense to start offering nutritional guidance in addition to your programs. Start creating meal plans or find really good one online that you approve of. Or you partner up with a local Registered Nutritionist and start a referral program. You could even start selling supplements in your facility- do your research on which ones your clients should be taking and start recommending them. Your clients will trust you if you make good on your promise to get them results the safe and healthy way.

Above all, remember to be the best at what you do and add value to the lives of your clients- that’s how you sell personal training programs without compromising on price!

This entry was posted on March 7, 2014 at 3:53 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Boot Camp Business, Boot Camp Marketing, Boot Camp Strategies, Closing and Sales Techniques, How To Start a Fitness Boot Camp Business by Steve Hochman | No Comments Yet