Stretching and Improving Flexibility: Everything Personal Trainers Need to Know
Flexibility training is comprised of many stretching approaches and should be an integral part of a complete exercise program designed by a skillful personal trainer. Stretching properly is an effective means of preventing injury and enhancing athletic performance by making the body more adaptable to the demands imposed upon it.
Bodyweight Training 101: Returning to Basics Can Propel You Forward
As we head into 2014, leading experts have predicted that one of the hottest trends on the horizon seems to be a throwback to the days before elite clubs and high-tech fitness centers populated every corner. We are poised on the brink of embracing body weight exercises as one of the most effective ways to […]
Personal Training Online Marketing Marathon
The idea of building a strong online presence for your fitness business is exciting, but the actual task seems intimidating. Don’t worry. This isn’t a sprint- it’s a marathon. If you are training a client for a marathon would you set the treadmill to 26.4 miles on the first day? I hope not. Well, I won’t do that to you either. But, just like when training for a marathon, visualizing the end goal at the beginning helps keep all the little things you do in perspective.
How to Start a Personal Training Blog
Now, that you’ve created your website and have taken the plunge into the world of social media, you’re ready to take it one step further. You’re ready to start a personal training blog.
Generate Leads with Personal Training Gift Cards
Gift cards aren’t just for birthdays and holidays anymore. Now, in the world of personal training they are for generating leads.
Just about every trainer has tried the old trick of offering “the first training session free” to draw in new clients. The problem is, the success rate isn’t that high. With a “free session” promotion coupon there are only two outcomes. Either they use it or they don’t. Unfortunately, for every 100 free sessions you offer, only a handful of people are likely to respond.
The Power of Focus
The personal training industry has evolved dramatically since it formally began over 25 years ago. It originally was based on, and had its roots in, body building. Now, personal trainers have their choice of specialties and niche markets. For example, there are sport-specific training, medical exercise, seniors, over 40 baby boomers, etc. This has created numerous opportunities for trainers, which didn’t exist 20 years ago.
Many trainers have taken advantage of this, and have been successful at building a lucrative training business. Unfortunately, the majority of trainers have not been able to seize these opportunities to create a profitable business for themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary of a trainer is between $30 – $40k per year. There are many factors that contribute to this which are out of our control. But there are many other factors that are within our control. With a little bit of business know-how, marketing basics, common sense, and most importantly a plan, a trainer can easily generate a six figure income.
I have owned my own personal training business since 2001. I have done in-home training and have worked at numerous health clubs for years before deciding to take the plunge and open my studio. I have seen it all, and have made every mistake a business owner can make. Starting out, like most trainers, I had a lot of enthusiasm, but very little guidance. I have the scars on my back to prove it! My goal is to help trainers avoid the mistakes that I’ve made over the years, such as two of the most common I illustrate below.
In addition to the specialties and niche markets I mentioned earlier, there is also a wide variety of equipment and modalities to choose from to train clients. One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was to try and take advantage of ALL of this, and try to create my own “new and unique” workout experience for ALL of my clients. EVERYBODY got to use the Bosu and do walking lunges. I departed from what I consider to be the “new” #1 rule of growing a training business in this current environment – it’s called the ability to FOCUS!
The above example illustrates two common mistakes. One is assuming that one modality, or training system, is appropriate for everyone. Two, is focusing on more than one client demographic. Focusing on one or two client demographics, such as women over 40, or overweight teens, has several advantages. For example, marketing to a specific group is much easier and effective than taking a shotgun approach and marketing to everyone with two arms and two legs!! In this environment, where competition is fierce, it is imperative to focus and become an expert in a particular market or demographic. Without it, your business will not grow.
The personal training industry continues to grow and can help you achieve your financial goals. But it will take a new approach and new strategies.
How Personal Trainers Can Leverage Groupon
This week we are going to try something a little different. Let’s explore daily deal websites in an effort to increase your referrals. Other trainers have done this and found a great deal of success. If you aren’t familiar with daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social they offer goods and services at discounted […]
NFPT Interviews the 2013 Personal Trainer of the Year, Valorie Ness
We are so excited to be able to bring to all of our NFPT personal trainers and fans an exclusive interview with this year’s PFP Trainer of the Year, Valorie Ness. NFPT: Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you and ask a couple of questions. First, we’d love to hear how […]
Marketing to Your Most Important Audience
Every Monday we give some marketing tips for personal trainers. How to market yourself, where to market yourself, who to market to, what to say. Today, I want to give you a special piece of advice that I think will go a long way. Marketing to your most important audience is that piece of advice. […]
Defining Marketing For Personal Trainers
Fitness enthusiasts have changed. You now must go after these more elusive customers who have been overwhelmed by every conceivable advertisement, infomercial and sales pitch promising fast and simple physique transformations. You are now looking to attract a potential client who has been conditioned to look for the quick fix. They have been led to […]