How to get a Fast Start as a personal Trainer Part 1

Building a client base from scratch in a gym

I’ve seen so many trainers come and go. I’ve seen fast starts and I’ve seen slow starts.  I’ve seen trainers rise to the top and out sell the average and I’ve also seen trainers who try and try, but just can’t get it together.

I always tell new trainers something that has worked for me in my business as well as many others I have managed:

What you lack in skill you can make up in volume.
What you lack in talent you can do in quantity.

Do free sessions and do a lot of them.  Do a ton of fitness orientations, kickstarts and/or assessments.  Practice by doing.  Role playing isn’t a complete waste of time, but it will only get you so far.  You need to work with real live people.

Share your passion confidently, exceed service expectations and care about the person you are helping.

Do this a 100 times (free sessions) and you will get 10 clients.  If you’re truly passionate about helping people through fitness you’ll have about 25 new clients.  If you’re good at sales you’ll have 40-50 new clients. If you’re good at prequalifying your prospects, passionate about fitness and are good at sales you’ll have even more.

As a side note, if you can’t sell 10 out of 100 you should quit.

It’s really that simple. Any questions?

Where am I going to find 100 people?
What about the overhead squat assessment?
How do I do a sales presentation?
How do I sign someone up?
How do I make a client folder?

There are some obvious basics that need to be addressed, but I won’t address them here.  I’m assuming you’ve been taught the basic systems and processes at the gym you work at.  If you have, it’s all but a matter of doing.

By reading this article alone, you’re proving yourself to be a good hiring decision.

Chances are you probably know a lot more than you realize.  Trust me when I say, you won’t really know how much you know until you are tested out in the field.

Do a “free session” with a prospect, do your best to do what I’ve noted above and report back to other experienced trainers and your manager for what you could’ve done better.

You will learn faster and build your business much more quickly.

“Life is great because it gives you the test first and the lesson after words.”