How do I sell personal training at a gym? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

How do I sell personal training at a gym?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • Working at a gym is an ideal location for selling your personal training services.
  • The key to getting someone to try your service is to convince them that you offer a benefit that they want passionately.
  • After informing potential clients about the benefits of your services, the intent is to close the deal.

To run a successful personal training business, you need to increase your client base by closing more sales. Personal training certification, and the related courses, should have prepared you for designing workout plans and advising clients on good nutrition and the best exercises to do to reach their goals. However, it may not have prepared you for the grueling, but necessary, sales aspect of the job.

Working at a gym is an ideal location for selling your personal training services. Everybody walking through the door of the gym already has a desire to improve their health and body image. In the sales world, these are known as qualified leads. The benefit that personal training sales has over many other forms of sales is that it does not require a credit check or a minimum salary.

While each person has a potential use for personal training services, part of your business plan is to define your key demographic. Knowing your target group will allow you to create the best description of your service and how people will benefit.

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How Do I Attract Gym-Goers to Try My Personal Training Service?

The key to getting someone to try your service is to convince them that you offer a benefit that they want passionately. The customer needs your personal training services for any number of reasons. Certainly, the purpose of this service is to improve health and body image. These are the features of the service. Customers buy services based on the benefits. Everyone has a deeper emotional drive that determines decisions that are made. What do they really want?

A person is not exercising just for the purpose of having a toned and athletic body. A customer may want to have a toned and athletic body as a way of appearing more attractive to the opposite sex. Whether the person is more interested in dating or finding a person to marry, that becomes the benefit of your service.

Another customer may wish to exercise to live a healthier lifestyle and to live longer. Digging deeper, the desire to live a long healthy life may be tied to a family member or to watching children grow up.

To find the real desire for each client, you will have to ask probing questions. The first question should be straightforward. Why are you here, or why do you want to exercise? If the answer is to look better or feel better, ask why that is important. When you are first speaking with a potential customer, you are trying to help create a workout plan for him or her to reach his or her end goal. Most will see it this way, and thus your questions will not be deemed unnecessary.

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How Do I Make the Connections That Will Convince People I Am a Trustworthy Personal Trainer?

Customers are more willing to buy from somebody they trust. They are more willing to trust somebody who has similar experiences. Customers don’t like to be sold.

If you play the sales role, they will immediately put up a wall. You are looking to convince the potential client that your services will help them reach the end-all goal. With this goal met, your client will be able to watch their children grow up and/or be more attractive to potential partners. Find the driver and convince that client that you are the resource they need to make this happen.

If you don’t like sales, don’t worry. You are not the best match for everyone. However, if you are open and genuine you will attract those clients who are drawn to your strengths and really want what you have to offer. You just have to be willing to look for connections and foster those opportunities.

What Do I Do After Telling People About the Benefits of My Personal Training Service?

After informing potential clients about the benefits of your services, the intent is to close the deal. Every client has their own personality traits and characteristics that drive how they make purchasing decisions. Closing the deal on the first interaction is ideal, but not always realistic.

You may decide to offer a limited time special if the client signs up for your services on that day or within the next week. This will give the customer a sense of urgency to make an important decision regarding their health.

Whether you are able to close the deal on the first interaction or not, it is important to define the next steps for the client. If they signed for your services, the next steps will be to arrange a schedule. Are they signing up for a meeting once per week, bi-weekly or monthly?

  • If the customer has not decided to move forward yet, schedule a follow-up or send a sample proposal.
  • Give the customer a business card with your contact information and advise him or her to call you with any questions. Find out when the best time to reach the potential customer.
  • Plan on giving the person a call back in 3-7 days. The purpose of this call is to show the potential customer that you value his or her business. The focus is on offering your knowledge and expertise to answer any questions the potential customer has regarding your services.

Even if that person doesn’t decide to use your services, your professional attitude may lead them to recommend you to someone else. Make the most of all your gym contacts. Be friendly, helpful, and a part of the community. This, more than anything, will help you to gain business.

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