17 Random Personal Training Business Tips

I love lists.  Bullet points.  They just fit with the way that I think.  I’m not much of a fiction reader – but I plow through 2-3 non-fiction books each and every week.  I guess it’s because I enjoy facts… not fantasy. So when I was thinking of some personal training business tips to share with you, I decided to do it in bullet point format.  I can just jump from one thing to the next without screwing up the flow of the entire post and you can pull out the ones you like (and will take action on) and pass on the rest.

So, let’s get started.

17 random personal training business tips:

• I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve gotten a follow-up letter or card or call from anybody I’ve spent money with over the past year.  It just never happens. And this was the best kind: thank you + sales pitch. There’s a very simple formula for you. Send thank you cards and make an offer or ask for a referral.
• At whatever point(s) you have one on one contact with clients in your business, there ought to be an upsell or a request for a referral… unless you already make too much money.
• I just did an entire post on this here… but very few businesses ever become great without knowing who they are really trying to serve. So if you haven’t figured it out yet, decide who you are for fast.

• I just read quite a bit about Sam Adams beer.  Fascinating.  They tell people right out of the gate ‘We’re not a beginner’s beer.’ Perfect.  They’re not for the masses.  People aspire to get beyond being a beginner.  Kinda like the trainers we work with vs health clubs. Not that our people won’t help beginners – but they’re not for tire kickers or gimmick seekers.  They’re for people who are serious about getting results and willing to do the work. Big box health clubs – they couldn’t care less.
• You want better clients that refer more?  Educate them.  Hold workshops like crazy.  The ones who ‘buy in’ will become your biggest advocates.
• If I were starting out, I’d be sure to narrow what I’m known for or at least build a business-within-my-business that is very specialized.  It’s the easiest way to become a market leader.

• Time is life. We all have less of it today that we did yesterday. So quit wasting days doing things that aren’t getting you closer to where you want to be.  Otherwise you’ll look up and a decade will have passed and it will be even harder to make big changes.
• At least weekly I get asked variations of this question: “How do I get to 100 campers / $10,000 a month / 50 semi-private clients?” The answer is this: “Get one today.  Get another tomorrow. Get another the day after that.”  That is the best answer no one wants to hear.  They’d rather spend the next 3 months looking for a magic way to get 100 campers than simply get one a day for those same 3 months.  Which do you think will work better?
• On that same note – you have 2 jobs and 2 jobs only: 1. Deliver a GREAT experience. 2. Make sure that EVERY DAY more people to try your experience.  Do those 2 things daily and you’ll be all set.
• One of the biggest reasons people fail is poor follow-through. They don’t get things done.  It doesn’t take much to be an ‘idea guy’ or start something.  But you get paid for done.
• Another reason people don’t reach their goals is that there is an absence of value in what they offer in their fitness business.  They get so caught up in the marketing or selling of their services or product – but they forget that long term relationships come by delivering extraordinary value. These are the people we often call ‘slimeballs.’
• One of the best personal training business tips is what I told a coaching client the other day: Don’t worry about the market being saturated.  There is always room for someone to come in and be great… but the market never needs more average providers.
• Along those same lines, I only had a couple great college professors – and one of them really stood out.  He told me that ‘you can become a millionaire by doing anything… as long as you’re willing to be better than everyone else at it.’  I agree 100%, but most people won’t do what it takes to be better than everyone else.  That’s your opportunity.

• Set deadlines for everything.  I was just talking to one of our Mastermind Members who always gets a LOT done, B.J. Bliffert, and he’s told me that he’s become MUCH more efficient knowing that he and his wife / boss  Kori are heading to Russia in a few days.  If you treat every work day like you’re going on vacation tomorrow – imagine how productive you’d be.
• You should always remember- you are not just getting paid for the workout you provide. You are getting paid for the relationship the client has with you or feels they have with you and your business and with that relationship comes responsibility. You need to remember who’s signing your paycheck, and what they are really paying you for.
• Success isn’t hard – You just have to find ways to organize, discipline and motivate yourself to get more done, faster. Not more started. More done.
• Remember this Dan Kennedy phrase: “Why should your prospect choose to do business with you vs. any and every other option available to them?”

If you can’t definitively answer that, you can’t ever be a great business.

So there are 17 Random Personal Training Business Tips.  Not your typical blog post – more personal training business philosophy than anything else. However, they’re things I think are crucial to your success.  What about you?  Were any of them valuable?  Helpful?  Tell me below.

Dedicated to your success,

Pat

Related posts:

1. 21 Tips For A Better Personal Training Business
2. Personal Training Business Productivity Tips
3. 8 Tips For More Personal Training Profits
4. Three Personal Training Business Tips
5. 13 Random Fitness Business Insights