Business advice
Hi Louis. For your mobile training I would add, definitely have a good cancellation policy since you will be traveling to clients’ homes and want to cover your expenses for that if/when the occasional LATE client cancellation occurs. Also, I would add, make sure that you account for the fact that each client hour you train is actually more like 1.5 to 2 hours of your time since you’ll need to add travel time – make sure that you account for that in some way in your fees.
I hope that this helps.
LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
[email protected]
I took my business on the road last year: Here’s what I have learned:
Figure out how to fill “down time”: there will be times that you find yourself with 3 hours to kill due to unforeseen circumstances! This doesn’t happen all the time but it only takes a few times for it to get old..
Schedule your clients by address/distances rather than days/times
You are in their home, their turf, so it’s different than them coming to you in a gym or elsewhere.
Be respectful of their home in all regards: no dirty shoes, clothing etc. Try not to use their restroom, and don’t go into other rooms of the house without them. Do not comment on their decorating style and when they have conversations with other people in the home that you are privy to, don’t voice an opinion!
I have a 5 minute rule for traffic and my clients know that: allow for time but realize you may hit a construction zone or delays that are out of your control.
Make sure your workout environment is safe:some clients leave shoes and newspapers lying around which could be an accident waiting to happen.
Discuss distractions: if their phone rings can they answer? if someone comes to the door, what is your policy?
Log your miles: keep track of gasoline:
Figure out what you can transport easily: I use a carry on roll bag:
I also do mobile training and I must echo a lot of the things Susan said regarding scheduling of clients, travel delays and logging miles.
A few other things that I find are crucial:
A company policy covering everything you could possibly think of (attire, cancellation policy, late arrivals, etc). Because you’re working in someone’s home, a lot of more personal conversations and interactions can occur.
Decide where you’ll train. In their home, outside on a nice day or a local park. I like to change things up and will usually tell the client a day or two in advance where to meet me if its a change from our normal location.
A great lawyer! You’ll need an assumption of risk waiver and an in-home training liability waiver in case anything should break or injury occur in their home.
Review your home owners policy and your personal training insurance. There are some overlaps. See who covers your equipment if you take it to another location and something happens.
Document everything! Not just how the session went (reps & weight, etc), but where you trained, conversations, etc. You never know what might come back to haunt you.
Most of all. Be professional. I’ve had people meet me and say “what kind of workout could you give me out of my home?” Implying that it could not be anywhere near as hard as a “gym” workouit. I tell them to give me a chance. I just need 20minutes.
Oh, and keep your car clean! I can’t tell you how many times clients have followed me out to my car to ask me one last question or to grab a copy of an article or whatever. You want you car to convey that professional appearance as well.
Good luck to you!
