Starting a Personal Training Business
If you have been a gym instructor for a while, you will soon be ready to move on to bigger and better things. The most obvious step forward is to become a personal trainer, but it can be a scary move for some.
When I work alongside the Gym staff in my own club, I can usually spot the ones who will succeed at Personal Training. They are the ones who are always chatting and helping out the members, looking for opportunities to interact and enhance the member’s experience within the gym. It doesn’t always follow that the most technically knowledgeable instructors will make it. I have seen some of the best fail because they didn’t have adequate interaction skills.
If you have already carved out a successful role as a fitness instructor, you will be giving your knowledge away on a daily basis, and people will be used to the idea that you give them this help for free. How do you then go about persuading them that they should suddenly pay you for the privilege? It can be difficult to imagine when all people see you do is clean exercise device and clear dumbbells away. There are probably days when you feel like nothing more than an over-qualified cleaner!
Firstly, keep in mind the fact that members are paying for your help; they are actually paying through their membership fees to the facility, although they may not realize this.
You might think that the best plan is to withhold the majority of what you know, and not give too much away for free. In fact the opposite is true. The more you give, the more you get back in return. You have to demonstrate your knowledge, and prove that you are an all-rounder.
It’s important to think about yourself differently and carve out a new role for yourself. In the weeks before you make the transition, don’t be afraid to let people know what your plans are. Start to speak with more authority, spend more time with the existing PTs in the club, see yourself as one of them.
One of the key things that all successful businesses have in common is that they have a system; a set way of doing things. This helps to establish your brand and make your business more efficient. It also means that every customer gets exactly the same treatment. PT is no exception.
However, the mainstream fitness industry has taken this to extremes. When you look at them, you can see that commercial gyms follow this idea. They are by definition bland and characterless. They are designed to appeal to a wide range of ages and tastes. The business model that they use to operate is very generalized, as it has to fit every person that walks through the door. You probably have to follow a protocol set by the club when you deliver inductions, health checks and other gym floor activities, and there may not be much scope to deliver a bespoke service.
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