A Personal Letter to My Trainer 

Now, I’m not here to criticize my team members or chastise them for not living up to our 90% conversion rate, but rather see if I can guide them back on track by reminding them of what got them here in the first place …

If you’re wondering, this story does have a happy ending and as I write this to you the PT I’m referring to just signed up another new client this morning for 2x a week for 12 weeks (and he has 3 new consultations scheduled for next week already – that’s potentially 6 more sessions per week in 1 week’s time!).

I’m a huge believer in keeping your mind open to new ideas and different perspectives about how to get the same job done more productively or with greater ease.

Just as it helped one of my studio team members, I believe that these 10 tips below may help you rethink how you view potential clients and what they’re really looking to you for…

Enjoy!

“Hi XXXXX,

I know you’ve kind of hit a rough patch over the past few weeks with new client sign-ups, but I wanted to share with you a few helpful tips that I’ve discovered over the last 20 years of training. I think these may help you to not get discouraged and also help to convert more comp sessions to full-time clients.

Keep in mind that whenever something isn’t working it isn’t a shot against you, but rather an opportunity to see how things may be able to be tweaked in order to get an even better result.

Here are a few tips I’ve shared with 100's of PTs that I’ve personally worked with and trained:

Tip #1:

Always let the prospective client do the majority of the talking – keep asking them questions to get at the heart of why they came into see you. What is their goal and why do they need to achieve it right now? Remember, we were born with 2 ears and only 1 mouth for a reason!

Tip #2:

Spend the majority of time talking about their previous exercise history and their current goals… and why it hasn’t worked out for them. After not interrupting, present them with reasons why what they were doing wasn’t working and what you’ve used to successfully help clients in their position. Never compare them to another client, but let them know how others like them have been successful

Tip #3:

Greet your client as you begin your session with passion and energy in your voice (even if you have to fake it). Make sure to extend a handshake and a smile when they walk in. First impressions make all the difference in the world. People judge you based on the first 5 seconds of meeting you by your verbal and non-verbal cues.

Tip #4:

Begin to connect with them on a personal level. People want to work with people whom they think really care about them. The only reason I’ve had the same clients for the past 10-14 years is because I genuinely care about them as a person. I want to know how their family is, how their kids are doing, how their job is, etc. Only after that do we focus on their workouts results (Genuinely caring is far more powerful than getting them results)… This is why some trainers who don’t get their clients results can still have a great retention rate.

Tip #5:

During the complimentary session keep going back to their goals. Let them know how their postural and muscular imbalances will affect their daily life activities and joint health if they’re not corrected. Let them know how losing 10 kilos will allow them to lower their BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and improve their health – besides helping them look great for their wedding, etc.

Tip #6:

After the fitness floor assessments sit back down in the office and let them know what you saw. Then in your professional opinion recommend them a program customized for them. Let them know this is what you’ve seen work best for your most successful clients. Start with 2-3 days a week in studio and relay to them that you will also design their off-day workouts and nutrition to help them reach their GOALS faster.

Tip #7:

Let them know that you are fully committed to them. Use energy in your voice and actions to show them that they will have you to keep them accountable through phone calls, text messages, emails, and weekly weigh-ins.

Tip #8:

Tell them your schedule and let them know that you only have a few openings left for dedicated clients and would be happy to reserve them a time for the next 12 weeks so that no one else could take their time slot.

Tip #9:

Don’t stop the customer service after they become a client. Do weekly follow up emails and send them helpful tips. Smile, and be genuinely happy to see them when their session starts and wish them well as they leave. This is all part of being a successful PT and shows great customer service. Plus, with this type of service clients will be far more likely to re-sign and refer their friends.

Tip #10:

Never talk poorly about your job or profession. Clients expect you to always be high energy for them and have a smile on your face. You’re a motivator, as much as a fitness trainer. Also, never complain about how many hours you’re working or how long your day is – it makes it seem that working with that client is a chore or that you’re just a factory churning out client sessions. EVERY CLIENT WANTS TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE YOUR ONLY CLIENT . If you keep that in mind throughout the session and make them feel special, you will be booked solid for life.

I hope these tips help you to look at things in a different perspective on what it means to be in the top 1% of PTs .”

(end letter)

The personal email goes on for a few more lines reinforcing the belief (and truth) that my staff member is an excellent PT and just needs to work on the “human” aspects of helping & relating to other humans rather than on strictly focusing on the impersonal “personal training” side of things… if that makes sense.

Changing the way you interact with people on an emotional level is a difficult task to undertake, but if you dare to open up and care to a greater degree about your clients you’ll never have to worry about having an empty schedule ever again…