How to take time off and get paid
Have you ever decided NOT to take time off because you felt like you just couldn’t go without the income from the sessions missed? Unfortunately, this is a very common problem for many personal trainers… The main problems lie in the fact that most trainers are either NOT training the amount of sessions needed to be financially stable, have NOT saved enough money, or have spent their entire career focused on taking as many clients as possible and they do not know how to take time off.
Any one of these 3 are not healthy or an efficient way to run a
successful business.
At our personal training studio, we have found a way to make sure that the trainer gets the time off that they need, while at the same time, the client is able to stay consistent with their program and get the support that they need.
There are a few ways of doing this..
Option 1: Stack their sessions
For example, if your client is doing 1 session per week with you and you know you're going to be away for let's say 3 weeks, then get them to do 2 sessions a week for the next 3 weeks so you've effectively been paid NOW for the time you have off LATER. This can be done for ppl doing 2/week or even 3/week too.
Make sense?
This is perfect for those who have direct debit memberships for PT (like us!) as the client is just charged their normal weekly amount for doing an extra session with you in the weeks leading up to you going away, then they are still being charged while you're away for the extra sessions they have completed in advance!
PERFECT! Keeps your cash flow up even while you're lying on the beach.
I also make sure I dangle the carrot by telling the clients they can still come and attend our classes as a BONUS so they don't stop working out while I'm away, OR I give them a generic at home/outdoor workout to continue with until I get back
Option 2: H ave a co-worker personal trainer that you trust cover your session.
Now, this may sound like blasphemy to some, but I assure you it
really is a great business practice for both Studio's and Independent Personal Trainers.
Our main goal as fitness professionals is to make sure that we help our clients achieve the results that they are looking for.
Missed sessions that break routine and missed weigh-ins can derail dependent clients looking to us for accountability and motivation.
This is a big reason why they stay with us – It’s NOT just the workouts.
It’s the support!
Conversely, this does not mean that you should not be taking the time off that you need to spend with your family, go on holidays, unwind, go to continuing educational seminars and overall, just enjoy your life.
If money is the limiting factor, you can always negotiate a split compensation to the trainer that will be covering your session.
Remember, this is a session and income that they never would have had. So, if you are an independent trainer working in a big gym, offering to give another trainer 75% of the session rate, while you take 25%, is not unheard of.
Note:
If you are a Studio owner, it is in your best interest to keep the clients training while your employees are away. So when one of your employees goes on holiday, I recommend overseeing the transition of clients to your other trainers and assisting with that process. I do this and don't lose a cent!
Remember:
It is your business and if a client stops coming, that is revenue lost.
Here’s another method you can use to make money in a round about way when you go on holidays
3. Make a pact with another trainer at your gym or studio that you will cover all their clients while they are away, and of course they will cover yours. Set a time frame such as 1 week, or 2 weeks per year (10 working days).
Using this method you can:
1. Train your colleagues clients for the week he/she is away, and
not get paid
by your studio/the trainer. This way you still get paid while you are the one on holidays later and your colleague is training YOUR clients for free.
2. Ask to be paid for the extra clients you are looking after and then just know that you’ll make an extra 20 or so sessions in pay that week to save for your holiday later on.
Again, the both of you win – and so do your clients!
Recently, I went away for a week with the family and had one of my trainers cover 12 sessions for me.
I made it easy for him. We went over all of the client’s programs, weights used, and projected progressions.
I sent him this email to get him prepared.
Hi ______,
Covering sessions for another trainer can be intimidating for some. So to help you out, I wanted to give you a few things to keep in mind during the sessions to make it seamless for the clients.
1. Own the session
You always want to keep in mind that the clients are paying top dollar not to have a junior trainer or someone to stand there and say “Good Job.” Train them like you would your client and bring your personality!
2. Provide feedback
My clients are educated, but you should always give them feedback. Remind them why they need to “drive off the heal”, focus on firing the glute” or “how their breathing will enhance core engagement or power generation”. Bring some knowledge to the session… they’ve all heard my cues over and over again, so most likely, they will learn something new.
3. Progression
Make sure that they go up in weight if the program calls for an increase in weight . 1st set is usually a warmup set with 65%-75%RM. Then, go up to the weight that they finished with last workout on. Assess their form… and if they can go up 5-10% on the 3rd set, go up. If not, keep them there.
*Note- I actually didn’t give them an option to take the day off because I am out. I told them that the reason that they would need to come in is that we need stay consistent with their programs… and that you will have them go up, if necessary.*
4. Check in with them at the beginning of the session (THE OPENING)
This is something that you should do with all your clients at every session. Ask them how their week has been and what their workouts were like. To make it casual, ask them what I have had them do for weights or cardio on their own and if they did it.
Also, ask how their nutrition went. This way they know that you/we are holding them accountable. Use every experience as a coaching opportunity with your clients.
5. Set the focus at the end of the session (THE CLOSING)
Clients may not remember how great the workout was…. but they will always remember how you made them feel .
Let them know what they did well, and some things that they will need to work on. With my clients, just remind them what areas they will need to stretch and/or foamroll after the session. With yours, remind them what they will need to work on (e.g. cardio, what workout, etc.)
We’ll go over all of the workouts and session records tomorrow. As for now, I wanted to give you a few things to think about.
Well, I hope that this gave you some ideas on how to approach coverage for your sessions and how to prepare the other trainer.
Don’t be afraid to take time off.. you deserve it!
Check out my next blog on MAKING MONEY OVER XMAS!
Yours in Fitness Business Success,
Ben Dulhunty
