When push comes to shove, your priority as a Personal Trainer is to attract clients, and then retain them. It doesn’t matter how many followers you have, or if you have a branded uniform. If you don’t have clients you don’t have a business.
This article builds on our previous features on the skills you can use as a PT and where you can build your career, and is all about ways that you can attract clients, regardless of whether you are a face to face, group or online Personal Trainer.
We take it back to basics and give you the best tips for beginning your business.
Approach people on the gym floor
This is an old school Personal Training tip, and if you’ve spoken to any established Trainers they will definitely have a few stories to tell about their time on the gym floor, good and bad. However, the key to chatting to members is to be approachable. Remember, the gym can be an intimidating place for many and being approached by a Trainer could be overwhelming.
When talking to someone, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
Be a friendly face, a smile goes a long way
Avoid jargon terminology that they may not understand
Don’t try and sell straight away, offer free advice
Choose a good time, don’t approach someone whilst they’re training
If you want to sign up a client then you need to build a rapport with them first, and the gym floor is the perfect place for this. If you are welcoming and knowledgeable each time an individual sees you, you will be their first point of call when they need help.
Hold free taster sessions
Recently there has been a lot of stigma around working for free, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices such as this for it to work out in the long run.
Asking a client to sign up to your services without any prior knowledge of you is a big ask. Therefore, a free taster session is a great way for them to get to know you and your coaching style. This is your chance to show clients what you can do to help them, not how much knowledge you have. Although sometimes you may get ‘time-wasters’ that are looking for free sessions without any intentions, this is a pitfall of the trade that you have to accept.
Don’t forget though, it works both ways. Doing a free taster/consultation gives you the opportunity to see if the client is a good fit for you. Whether or not you get on and if their goals are suited to your niche.
Use social media to attract clients
You don’t need a social media account to gain clients, but it certainly helps. Social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook give you a free platform to create a brand and build a following. The most important thing when it comes to sharing your business on social media platforms to be consistent. Provide content for a specific audience and keep all of your branding homogenous across platforms. You are providing free content to attract your ideal client, so think about what you want to show them.
Remember, you don’t need a large social media following to build a successful Personal Training business. You only need a handful of clients to make a great business and therefore you should be trying to target that handful of people on social media, not the masses.
To be a great Personal Trainer you need to be a good coach, but you also need to have some knowledge of business and marketing yourself. On our Level 3 Personal Training course, we provide you with the tools to build your business so that you can begin attracting clients from the get to. To find out more about our Level 3 course, get in touch today.
