Getting clients....

[Merrida]

Sort of off topic, sort of not.

To the PT's.

How do you get your clients. Yes, we have referrals, people who see us train and are interested. Mingling helps.

Curious how other PT's get their clients cold.

[.V.]

Word of mouth and referrals.

I'm not a real trainer and don't charge anyone in my town to work with them. But I keep getting more and more people who I have to make diet and workout plans for. It's all from the results that my "clients" are getting and others want the results too. So I guess I should have said, word of mouth, referrals, good results, and work for free. I'm either going to have to start saying no or finish up the cert class and start charging.

[Merrida]

Oh I do all that too, and most of my client base actually does come from referrals. But the club has now imposed a quota with,- trying to finish school drops me to part time. They expect me to work more for free to get clients above my base now. When my schedule was packed I got referrals from the manager because he/she knew I was particular good with the high maintenance people. I wouldn't have people with me.....the longest is 9 years now,....if what I was doing wasn't working.

But being in the club less (he says be in the club more,...).....

So not going with referrals (though I still get them that way), I'm looking for other ways to pick up clients. I actually spoke to a woman who was complaining she's been with a trainer 4 months and sees no results, feels no results,....and I watched what she was doing and KNEW the FM hooked her up with one of our Level One trainers to help them build their business. I offered to help, give her my card if she has questions, and the most common reply is: I think my trainer would be mad if I went to someone else!

I thought we were there help people realize their goal.

I had a meeting yesterday where I was told I have to hit and maintain quota now according to the new company policy. The quota is irrelevent. But since they instituted this policy, I am one of the only 4 remaining original veteran trainers out of 25 trainers on payroll. They pitched all the experienced trainers for the cheaper, less expensive trainers to do floor hours and free help,....the same stuff they're having me with half a dozen certs,.....

Can't tell you how MANY people have approached me saying how good it was for them to see a familiar face at the club that all these new trainers (who are all between 18-21 and most w/o certifications, many doing it "for fun") are "off-putting" to the long term members. But the club seems to care more about the new members, getting new numbers, clearing out the trainers who cost more despite what we represent,.....

I'm on a roll, and confused.

[ajarvis]

For clubs the new members is where the money is. My gym is somewhat like that. There is only one trainer I will use. The rest just put you through "pre-determined" workouts. Nothing personalized at all (really what is the point of that?), but that is how the "club" gets their members with "free" personal training.

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by ajarvis

For clubs the new members is where the money is. My gym is somewhat like that. There is only one trainer I will use. The rest just put you through "pre-determined" workouts. Nothing personalized at all (really what is the point of that?), but that is how the "club" gets their members with "free" personal training.

This is the first club I've ever worked at that offered a "free initial personal training session when you join." Big mistake. It devalues us as a group as well as individually. A free orientation, sure. We'll address a few areas, sure. But the wording by the consultants as a "training session" the members almost always ask the impossible: "Just write me up a routine, and I'll do it on my own,...I'll ask you later on if I have any questions."

Then we spend the rest of our "free session" explaining how it's impossible to customize some type of perfect workout routine that they believe will be the only one they'll need for life, not to mention addressing their form and technique. Free anything, big mistake. It's a short sighted selling tool.

I think I'm going to cozy up to our membership consultants. That gets tough because our club is so competitive that virtually every year, the entire staff changes in every department, and people either quit or get fired, making my veteran status something of a rarity. If the club realized people like to see the same faces, and seeing high turnover signals instability and unhappy employees.

Why is it they can't that global view?

[ajarvis]

The free session don't usually work out well for the trainers. At my gym they actually give 3 sessions free. Which IMO is even worse for the trainers as many people won't continue afterwards.

[Dan C]

I'm in a different situation than you Merrida, I have a home studio I train people out of. I interviewed, and got offered positions at all the clubs around here, but I got a glimpse of the things you mentioned and knew it wasn't for me.

One thing is consistant though and that seems that most clients come from referrals and word of mouth.

I have a website, a 2x2 in the Yellowpages, I'm a listed trainer on several websites, blah, blah, blah... but the majority of my business has still come by word of mouth.

To get clients I just keep doing my thing. I train. I compete. I coach. I seek coaching. I give presentations at clinics. I attend presentations at clinics. I buy equipment. I sell equipment. I put on both impromptu and planned strength shows.

I do all these things because that's what I do. When I first thought about being a trainer, I knew these things would help me build credibility. I don't know if I started doing these things because I wanted to be a trainer, or started to want to be a trainer because these were the things I was doing.

[Merrida]

Dan, I'm also listed on the web, and I have a decent schedule as it is, and I'd say most of my clients come from referrals. Yesterday I got a phone call from a woman about 20 miles south of me because she heard of me through someone I never trained, but I worked with him, who lives about 30 miles north of me. I also do a lot of post-op and what I can only call medical training. I work through a hospital in Boston and get referrals from their neuro-oncology department, so I work with people who are dying a great deal of the time. Getting referrals from one of the most respected hospitals in Boston is something I'm very proud of. Guess how that happened? A referral. One of my brain cancer patients was there in treatment and getting better results with me than physical therapy,....and from there it went.

I have a studio at home where I train out of (In fact the referral I got yesterday is coming to my home). I train more people outside of the gym.

However, I do not want to lose this club status as well. Yes of course I make more money with my home clients, but the club is where I can make constant contacts, many which have led to home referrals. Also the club I work at has a great reputation (we train the Bruins, the Sox, <and hey, no comments on cleveland) some Pats train there,....and while I don't train athletes, it puts me in with some good company for meeting new people.

As much as I enjoy what I'm doing outside of the gym, there must be something I'm missing inside the gym as well. We never had these quotas before (I quite frankly trained in the club enough to make a name and used the majority of my training time to go outside and make money,....trainers,...man for what we do they sure don't pay accordingly!)

Anyway, there-in lies the conundrum.


PS: Dan, also remember, I'm a single 5'1" female walking into strangers homes -- NON-referrals, or people who heard of me through the yellow pages,....not my cup o' tea.

Too bad trainerty hasn't been around lately as I'm sure he would have a good post on this subject.

I would think that wearing a t-shirt with a form of advertising would be a good idea. It would get my attention seeing a fit & chiseled athlete-looking type wearing a t-shirt advertising (in a soft and subtle way) with a website address and/or cell telephone number.

If I was in the market for a PT, I'd probably approach that person and say "hey, you gotta minute?".

edit: oh, and rumor has it that offering to write an article for the Discuss Fitness newsletter is a sure thing to lots of new clients.

[Merrida]

Pierini, one thing is I need to up my client base even higher at the club. Get this: You go through 4 levels. Level 1, you can't train, but must work 40 hours a week for 3 months. (yeah right). Level 2, you work 35 hours and can train 5 people And so forth, for four levels. Then there are two levels of pro and then a master trainer (like me). When I came to that club I already had almost 20 years under my belt and still had to do the grunt work, so I feel like I have so much invested to walk away and grunt it elsewhere.

And while I may be over-reacting, getting home clients I have to be careful,....I don't know many female trainers (especially if you're petite -- it isn't like I'm 5'10 or something), do not necessarily feel comfortable just going to someone's house you don't know, who wasn't by referral.

We wear uniforms at work that say "personal trainer" or "master trainer" on the back.

We never had a quota before in the club so I (admittedly) didn't advertise myself a lot because I was doing enough to get referrals outside of the club (where the real money is).

This new role-out came with a new VP. All levels from Level 1-4 (they're called "red shirts" believe it or not,...God I feel like this is a Star Trek or Galaxy Quest comment now) and the three after have our "advertisement" on the back while we train. After red shirt levels, you get your own clients. You're given 3 months to maintain your quota. If you dip even one below, your pay grade is cut by 10% and you're given 3 more months "probation" to get your quota up.

So I'm good at getting the home clients, but I suck (being honest) at that whole sales bit. Probably 80% of trainers say the same thing and it's the other 20% that kick butt and make it work. But I quite frankly don't have a clue given the circumstances.

Your new club structure (level 1-4 red shirt stuff, blah, blah, blah) sounds so complicated and typical-east coast Bostonian, old-money way of life. I suggest you come to California and find a club where you can strut around in a pair of spankies and flaunt your fitness and chisel and watch new clients trip trying to get to you first.

On a serious note, you just need some sales training and experiences so you get better at it. Remember to sell benefits, not the product. Take a lesson from the cosmetic industry and sell hope, that is what people want.

Step outside your comfort zone of not liking to sell and start selling some hope. I know you can adapt and like it and probably be very good at it.

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by pierini

Step outside your comfort zone of not liking to sell and start selling some hope. I know you can adapt and like it and probably be very good at it.

I swear if someone tells me that one more time I'll pull a V-move on them and garotte their throat.

Yeah, yeah, my comfort zone. What sucks is when you've been doing something for over 20 years and it's worked just dandy, and you're sprung with this "new method" and 3 months to make it,....it blows.

I know why they do it -- they're slowly bumping off master trainers (who get paid the highest), the pro trainers (2nd highest), and keep the red shirts (who are required to work for $8/hour near full time w/o taking clients, so the members feel like they're getting "free training.")

The club wants to keep payout low, membership up - it's easy.

Our number one top master trainer was pulling in over $100 grand/year he trained so many clients,....he gave his notice with this role-out because it was crap. Yes he made quota, but God f orbid his family got sick, or they took an extended vacation, he'd get bumped.

It's all about the buck.

The worst part is,....I really like the club because I love my people, my clients, all of them, like family, and that's probably my biggest mistake: That is not a business mindset. But after 7 years with some of the same people, 4 years at this club with the same people,...you can't help it.

Sometimes friendships just sort of,...........come out of nowhere,....when you least expect it.