How do I go about cold approaching potential clients at a Starbucks and/or public place?
I am currently a personal trainer at 2 gyms and I work front desk at one of the gyms. As of right now, I am in a major financial crisis where I barely have enough to pay rent. All of my money from both jobs as a trainer and front desk barely give me enough to only pay rent. I am in the process of training clients at their gym (24 Hour Fitness, City Sport, etc.) and was wondering if it’s ever a good idea to look for clients via cold approach (striking a conversation with someone that I don’t know and then selling Personal Training).
It’s tough but I’ve found an easy way to do it. LET OTHERS APPROACH YOU! I always wear a Tshirt when I’m doing admin work at starbucks with my company and sometime even name tag. My shirt clearly says personal trainer on there, so everyone knows that I am one.
PUT Personal trainer decals on your laptop, bags, etc. I bought those from Amazon, you can also find them at Cafe Press
Basically, putting yourself out there and letting EVERYONE know that you are a personal trainer. A lot of strangers have started conversations with me because they see all my signs that are on my laptop, shirts etc.
I do this quite simple trick, I try to look depart by wearing something that says I’m a personal trainer. I even have my license plate FRAME says it, my laptop has a decal that says, “Trust me, I’m a personal trainer.” Be a walking billboard that way other people can choose to talk to you about your profession. I purposefully go to public places to do work on my computer. People often start conversations with me because they see the decal on my laptop.
Leave a random business card. Often I’ll also leave a random business card on a starbucks table or other public places. Someone will either pick it up or throw it away. Use Facebook, I love Facebook. Find the Facebook page for the community that you live in and post a blurb about yourself.
Louben,
https://www.repkefitness.com/louben-repke
Best of luck and also everything I see mentioned above are great tips.
Your best bet would be to make connections at the gyms you are currently working at. Offer free sessions and assessments and try to ask for referrals from your current clients. As for places like Starbucks or other public locations you can always put up some flyers or business cards with your information and hopefully you will pick up some new private clients. I hope this helps.
It is not a bad idea at all. You need to present yourself professionally, politely, confidently, and helpfully. I would start by offering assistance to members while they work out. Monitor for improper form, offer assistance, and give guidance as part of your normal duties. Offering free seminars at your gym is a great way to generate interest in PT. Also, don’t overlook offering specialty group PT classes (ie: 4 week beginner weight loss or advanced weight training, whatever you feel confident doing). Building a PT business requires that you establish yourself as an expert, portray yourself in a professional manner, and build relationships with potential client markets.
Good luck!
What inspired you to get into fitness? Tell your story to everyone you meet. If you can inspire them with your personal story, of how you came to be a trainer, then giving them a card with a special offer or a call to action will be much easier. Wearing fitness attire (with a visible logo for your gym or brand is perfect, especially a shirt that says trainer or coach) that accentuates your physique is your best billboard. It says look at me, I can make you look like this without saying a word. Make sure you smile and make eye contact with every person. Get to know the people at your local Starbucks and ask for referrals. You want people to feel comfortable approaching you if they have a question or are curious, or know someone who needs to lose weight. Smiling lets people know that you are approachable. Do not cross your arms while you are standing. Keep your arms open and body language confident.
When I was first starting out and whenever I would relocate, I usually got a back up job to pay the bills while I was setting up my business/studio. It was a necessary part of making ends meet while I was getting going. If I were in your shoes, I would consolidate all of my Personal Training time to make it easier to accept a job offer. Getting all your clients into morning or evening time slots is one way to do that. Then find a position that you can work when you aren’t training clients. If I hadn’t done this, I would have had no money for advertising at all. And would have had to make other sacrifices to pull off my business plans. It can be a drag, but there were a lot of bonuses to having a steady predictable income until things got going.