How do gym members percieve trainers, what’s holding people back when choosing to work with a trainer, beside money.
I understand that once we get an opportunity to talk to a potential client we can put their mind at ease about the way a Trainer customizes a workout, but what about the average gym goer who may have some misconceptions about training on a one-on-one basis. Do potential clients talk themselves out of Training before we get that open discussion. What if potential clients feel they have to already be at a certain level of fitness before working with a trainer?
Do potential clients fear Trainers? Do they feel that the workout will be too difficult? How do we dispell the myth that Personal Trainers aren’t in the business of hurting people, Boot Camp style with all clients.
These are all great questions but every question already contains the answers.
Q: “Do potential clients talk themselves out of Training before we get that open discussion. What if potential clients feel they have to already be at a certain level of fitness before working with a trainer? Do potential clients fear Trainers? Do they feel that the workout will be too difficult?”
A: Yes. To all of the above.
Q: “How do we dispell the myth that Personal Trainers aren’t in the business of hurting people, Boot Camp style with all clients?”
A: Be active in the community of your current client base. If its at the gym or around town, If people see you drill instructing people then thats what they feel their training will be like. Don’t be afraid to put YOUR message out their. If your goal is to dispell this myth then start reaching people with that very message via literature, personal encounters, references, and so on.
How do personal trainers perceive themselves? If someone where to ask you to do a 30 second elevator pitch on the spot explaining what you do professionally, what would you say?
It’s easy to put a response on this portal now because we all can Google an acceptable answer.
I challenge you all to approach your peers and ask what does a personal trainer do and then post your perception on this thread.
It’s difficult to sell yourself if you don’t know what you do professionally. We must be able to clearly explain to prospective clients precisely what a personal trainer does so that they see our value. People don’t question the value of a physical therapist, a nurse or even the person who keeps the changing rooms clean at your local gym because they perceive the value of the service they offer.
I personally make it a point to help prospective clients see the value of my services so that they perceive they are purchasing the services of a professional.
I believe that this question is more generic at heart than you would think. If I have the means to purchase something yet choose not to, then it is usually because I do not perceive the value of it for myself.
This assessment can derive from a a multitude of reasons.
A person may not want to tie herself down to exercising at a certain pre-determined time and have a 24 hour cancellation policy on top.
S/he may have observed trainers and found their style not to their liking. This is particularly true if a trainer seems to approach all clients in a similar fashion.
New members get often three sessions with a personal trainer at a gym. I often observed that this results in the same exercise program for every single person. I would see no value in that for myself.
Sometimes trainers try to be spectacular, and they may even be lucky enough to have a client who wants that kind of training. If you cannot neutralize that style with a completely different one for another person, a portential client could get a wrong impression.
In addition to that, a person may have been warned of personal trainers. I know of physical therapists that do so, and I also know of trainers that deserve it. For a lay person, a personal trainer is a personal trainer. They don’t know the difference.
You can dispel many of those assessments by demonstrating that you can do better than that.
Q: “Do potential clients talk themselves out of Training before we get that open discussion”?
A: That depends on how comfortable the potential client may feel working one on one with a Personal Trainer.
Q: “What if potential clients feel they have to already be at a certain level of fitness before working with a trainer”?
A: Fitness Entry levels are different with all potential clients…no two people are alike.
Q: “Do potential clients fear Trainers”?
A: Maybe it isn’t really a factor of “fear”…could very well be the thought of unknown expectations.
Q: “Do they feel that the workout will be too difficult”?
A: More than likely this would be the biggest issue with a potential client.
Q: “How do we dispell the myth that Personal Trainers aren’t in the business of hurting people”?
A: I think if any Personal Trainer or Fitness Instructor had those motives…they would’nt have a job.
I think the best way for any potential client thinking about hiring a Personal Trainer is to simply “observe” ALL Personal Trainers in their club.
Notice how they interact with their clients, if they’re attentative to the client, if they are punctual, caring and courteous and most of all ask other members in the club as well as the clients they currently training or have trained in the past.
What achievements has the trainer accomplished, years in business, certifications and insurance. And can they provide some references of past clients and results, i.e websites, before/after photos etc.
Is the Personal Trainer willing to meet in person for a free consultation? Some Personal Trainers may not take on all potential clients they meet, rather refer them to someone with a better fit for the clients needs.