Getting Personal Trainer Clients.

J

James Fresh

So i am 23 years old and i failed my Personal Trainers Exam with 70% out of 80% Required.. I have a new exam 13 Juni and i figured out i need to start doing research on marketing and sales..


My goal is having 10 Clients a day 7 days a week for one year.. This is because i can earn around 22 Pounds a Session.. So 10 a day makes it 220 Pounds a day.

In a month that is 6200 Pounds.. And this is enough for me to be able to get a Loan, and purchase my first Real Estate for the purpose of renting out for profits.. And also a lot of deduction in taxes from this swell.

Anyone have some advice for me? I am just getting into the Sales thing, i had a job for one week trying to get customers to change electricity provide from what they have to those i represent.. people DID NOT WANT IT. But Personal Trainer is something most people dont have, but something most people actually need. I feel like i can be able to provide value, even tho i want their money at the same time... Instead of trying to get people to change a electricity provider which gets them nothing at all..

22 Pounds is what you earn at the start, then it goes up to 30Pounds.. and then 40 Pounds etc.. But i will also do some stuff outside of a gym.. (The gym takes a % out of the profits i make)


Thanks guys! this seems like a awesome forum
 

NewGardenStyle

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Jun 26, 2014
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Are you getting into this for the right reasons? A friend of mine qualified as a personal trainer some months ago and hasn't got many clients. She is a competitive fitness model who lives and breathes training. She supplements her client income by working at the gym. So you can probably forget about earning £6,200 a month anytime soon. And you won't be able to get a mortgage until you have several years of provable earnings.

On a practical level, to get you started perhaps you should train clients for free to gain some experience and get those all important customer recommendations.
 
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J

James Fresh

yeah i will be doing a lot of giving value to receive value kind of things.. Giving away free sessions to people etc. also I'm going to be working my ass off... the gym opens at 5. Closes at 11PM So i dont mind spending my entire day in the gym hustling
 
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Good luck with the venture.

I have a good friend who does PT and she makes a decent living. It can be done.

There's quite a churn though. Customers rarely stay customers for more than a few weeks or months so you have to get realistic about your capacity.

Where are you going to be training? Most gyms will either want to charge you a fortune for access to their facilities and probably won't want you touting for personal business at their place. You will probably need a range of venues as each client will need a different set of facilities. Some will be prepared to go running in the park, others not. Some will need resistance kit, others not. Etc.

Just travelling to each gig takes time and costs money so you must be realistic about your capacity to do all this, and do marketing and sales all at the same time.

For promotion you need a nice website, some Seo and some ppc advertising, some cards, a printed leaflet maybe, and some nice looking stationery for food diary etc. there is a lot to do.

Come on! Just 20 more business things to think about, you're on the last lap, 19, 18 one last push.....
 
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garyk

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Jun 14, 2006
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Lots of people getting into PT so its competitive and you need to stand out.

Are you going to start in a gym? If so you need to differentiate yourself, to me all gym PTs are much of a muchness.

I was lucky about 8 years ago I had a PT that I just got via a free session at Fitness First. Little did I know until I got to know him he was ambitious and him and his brother were spending alot of money travelling and going to seminars learning from the worlds best; think people like Charles Poliquin. Within a year they had left to start their own gym, fast forward to today and they have 3 gyms and they charge a big premium but have no shortage of clients.

Bottom line is you need to be doing it better than the rest.
 
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RPower

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Oct 15, 2012
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@James Fresh If you can fit in 10 a day, that's great... but have a think about your own physical capabilities!

Sales and marketing wise, get into Instagram, start using local hashtags as well as #ukfitfam, etc. Instagram is HUGE in the fitness community and showcasing what you can do is worth its weight in gold when it comes to marketing. Also get into Twitter, set up a Facebook page and ask all your friends to like it. Share fitness and nutrition tips, lots of pictures; my friend set herself up as a yoga teacher and crossfitter this way (she's super super fit and has passed all her exams) and watching videos of her doing pull ups the right way, etc, are a great way to showcase you know what you're doing!

Local advertising (on and offline) is another one to consider too. Best of luck with your exam!
 
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neils3

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Apr 17, 2014
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Have a friend doing fitness training and he's killing it. There's a lot you can do but I'd focus on one thing for now - GET PAYING CLIENTS and EXPERIENCE. Creating a website, social media, writing, will slow you down and can be done later. As you work within the gym, what better way to get clients.

You've set yourself some great goals so start working towards it and understand that you can tweak your goals as you learn about it more.
 
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J

James Fresh

I have been unemployed for around 4 years now... So i WANT To work my ass off.. 10 hours a day is not a problem.. I want to spend a year focusing on making money, so i can have more freedom later on.. Transitioning into a online coaching business is what i want to do..

Reading the Influence: Psychology of Persuasion.. Really good book.


To me when i am in a gym, i see personal trainers only when there are clients they are having... Never any PTs in the gym talking to people, hustling, giving..

Im thinking i should give people free Sessions to get them to see how awesome i am as a PT; and that they need me more then i need them etc.. Without seeming needy, and showing them what i can give them.. Without asking them for anything
 
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ethical PR

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  • Apr 20, 2009
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    I have been unemployed for around 4 years now... So i WANT To work my ass off.. 10 hours a day is not a problem.. I want to spend a year focusing on making money, so i can have more freedom later on.. Transitioning into a online coaching business is what i want to do..

    Reading the Influence: Psychology of Persuasion.. Really good book.


    To me when i am in a gym, i see personal trainers only when there are clients they are having... Never any PTs in the gym talking to people, hustling, giving..

    Im thinking i should give people free Sessions to get them to see how awesome i am as a PT; and that they need me more then i need them etc.. Without seeming needy, and showing them what i can give them.. Without asking them for anything


    I think you are being completely unrealistic - 70 hours running client sessions, when are you going to eat, shower, market your service, do your admin and finances, build your business.

    In the service industry you normally work on a 70/30 split 70% of your time providing a service and 30% to cover holidays, training, admin, finance, sickness, marketing etc

    How are you going to secure your 70 clients a week particularly when you will have a fast churn rate.

    Why do you want to 70 hours a week on a low rate, when you could be doing much fewer hours for much more money.

    You may want to spend a year making money, but I fear you will spend a year being a busy fool with not much to show for it.
     
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    AllUpHere

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    Jun 30, 2014
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    As @ethical PR so rightly points out, it's completely unrealistic to think you are going to bill that many hours. You say you want to be out 'hustling', but hustling time isn't payed for by anyone. You need to be realistic about billable hours from the start.

    You also need to be more realistic regarding what you are going to achieve, and when. You'd be hard pushed to find a mortgage company who'll lend to you after a year's self employment.
     
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    D

    Digital Resellers

    I'm not going to shatter anyone's dreams and ambitions, if this is what you want then go out and get it.

    However you need to be realistic, 10 clients a day is not going to happen if it is just you doing the sessions. Most PT sessions are 45 mins long giving you a 15 min break before your next client. There are only so many hours in the day and these potential clients are going to leave you in a week if your not energetic and motivating.
    No one wants a PT that is exhausted trying to train them.

    If you were realistic 5 clients a day is more achievable but even this is a huge ask for seasoned PTs.

    I use to be a PT many years ago and the majority of my clients were on weekends, during the week can be very slow.

    It sounds like your very motivated which is what a PT needs to be, just be realistic and plan it out. You simply cannot give 100% to your clients 10 sessions a day 7 days a week 365 days a year.
     
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    B

    boring-friday

    You don't have to look like you lift to be a good PT.

    Well clearly not, you just have to pass some ridiculous exam that sets you back £2-3k. In fairness one of the guys I like listening to on diet doesn't lift but it would certainly help OP in getting clients.
    Every man and their dog are PT these days, I know dozens of bodybuilders and fitness models who are PTs and 90% of them aren't even earning the 60k that op wants, the ones that are charge £50-100 a session and make most of their cash from online personal training.
    Even the guys being sponsored by big supplement brands are lucky to hit 6 figures a year. Theres far too many guys who look in good shape that want a job in the 'fitness industry' because they think its cool for OP to compete.
    Much better for OP to go and learn a trade or something like brick laying then that can help him with his 'first real estate' also
     
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    Gecko001

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    Apr 21, 2011
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    Well clearly not, you just have to pass some ridiculous exam that sets you back £2-3k. In fairness one of the guys I like listening to on diet doesn't lift but it would certainly help OP in getting clients.
    also

    There is a saying I have heard on this forum that goes something like: "The only people sure to make money in a gold rush are the people selling the shovels". So instead of being a personal trainer, why not run the courses.
     
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    My goal is having 10 Clients a day 7 days a week for one year.. This is because i can earn around 22 Pounds a Session.. So 10 a day makes it 220 Pounds a day.

    In a month that is 6200 Pounds.. And this is enough for me to be able to get a Loan, and purchase my first Real Estate for the purpose of renting out for profits.. And also a lot of deduction in taxes from this swell.

    You do sound like someone that has no work history and really does not know how things will work out when you try to convert your theory into practise, if it were as easy as you hope everyone would do it and there would be no money to be made.



    You think you will book 280 PT sessions in 1 month?

    You are going to work every day of the month?

    Anyone using PTs has a job so you need to contact them at home, problem is this is the time you will also need to be training people.

    You have no history or reputation which is massively important, i expect my PT to know his stuff and LOOK like he practises what he preaches

    Little or no sales experience
    You would do well to achieve a tenth of what you expect and when that happens you wont stick it as you are not committed.

    I used to help failing gyms, I do not think you have a cats chance in hell

    Have you even got a location set up? If so how much are they taking from you 22 quid?

    Your plan will not work unless you refine it a lot, that is something i can say with some certainty.

    I suggest you begin part time and try to fill up the the traditionally busy times i.e. evenings and weekends whilst holding down a morning job, use the afternoons for your marketing.


    In a month that is 6200 Pounds.. And this is enough for me to be able to get a Loan, and purchase my first Real Estate for the purpose of renting out for profits.. And also a lot of deduction in taxes from this swell.

    Then you are going to find a house at a good rate, find reliable tenants make profits (Somehow) and make swell deductions from taxes... I hope it is not just me that thinks this post was conceived on a bar mat.
     
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    Wow, Way to nock someones dreams guys, Amazing how many people bashed the guy for being ambitious, Yeah he may be a little ambitious but he is having ago.

    OP if you want to go out and work 70 hours a week knock yourself out mate, A lot of people are willing to risk 5 years for the rest of there lives. I do agree that you need to spread your self and getting a mortgage with 1 years worth of books will be hard, You will probably need 3 years so slow down a little and do things in a more manageable manner.

    Maybe hit the gym from 7 - 4 and then use 6 - 10 to make personal videos for instagram etc. Nothing wrong with that. it would give you enough hours to work and then have the weekends or a couple of days a week to recover. You would still earn the money but over a steadier time period which banks will like.

    I like your ambition and its good to see so do go out and hustle. Hustle your ass off but do it in a way that is with in the limitations of the world. I don't know your limitations so i wont say wether you can work 70 hours a week training. But i do no the limitations of the system and you need to work around these or pay a higher % on your mortgage which would end up wiping out that money you would make from rent.
     
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    MBE2017

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  • Feb 16, 2017
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    I am personal trainer in Toronto. It's not much easy as you are thinking. Free sessions are mandatory to have some reputation in the industry. So, if you want to become personal trainer, you should give free sessions and after some experience, you can make your own services provider website which can really help you to get client.
    This thread is over six years old, the OP hasn’t visited the forum in almost six and a half years.
     
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