I am interested in Month to Month training. Do you allow your clients to reschedule their timely cancelled sessions?
I have my own personal training business. I am interested in switching over to month to month training. I want to avoid training packages that go on an on forever due to cancellations. My question is although you may offer month to month training, if a client gives say 24 hours notice would you allow them to reschedule their session? I would still make them pay the set cost month to month, but allow them to schedule their make up session another day and time, in addition to their set training day(s). Also, thinking about an expiration date on when they can make their missed up by.
If I was doing monthly sessions, where they get 2 or 3 a week, they pay a flat fee, if they miss one, they know they have another one later that week and that’s it. To me, that’s their benefit of having monthly sessions, is that they get training (perhaps) at a discount as compared to a package deal, but if they miss, they miss. Like a gym membership. This is how a friend of mine does it. It also is a “guaranteed” income stream for you as the trainer. Set it up as a monthly membership, where they are given you at X time/day each week. Allow make ups within that same week if you like. But I wouldn’t drag out carryovers on a monthly program.
My clients are also very respectful of packages, and I haven’t had anyone drag out their sessions on a regular package deal. Since I do 10 packs of sessions, we usually schedule them out at least a month in advance (which uses most, if not all of the sessions), and if they miss one, we make it up within a few days.
The way our accounting system works, they pay month to month, which allows for 1, 2 or 3 sessions per week. Each week, that number of sessions is released (made available for access) to the client. As soon as a session is released for use, it has a 6 month expiry. Sessions are used on a first-in, first-out basis.
So, if a client gets ill or goes on a week’s vacation, sessions keep becoming available while they’re away. They can catch up whenever they want within 6 months.
Hi Gina,
I think 24 hours is reasonable time to give notice (sometimes less, like an illness). It does help to have a written policy in place with regard to both cancellations and make-ups. That way there are no surprises.
Like Harris, I have pretty respectful clients for the most part and I’m rather flexible, so for me it’s rarely an issue. Expiration dates are always a good idea!
Christine
Hi Gina,
Putting an expiration date on your sessions would be very helpful. Having it as part of your policies would also help your clients understand to what their options are and how you like to operate with your sessions. Most of my clients are pretty good in making up their missed sessions in a reasonable time so I don’t have a system like this in place. I try to keep my packages short, this way I have a better control of the sessions sold.
Best,
Harris