clients. While I will demonstrate
various exercises to ensure correct
execution, I am not there to work
up a sweat. I give personal
attention to each client, getting ‘in
their face’ and making sure their
form is A1.
• I know every person in my session.
I have their phone number and
email address. I build anticipation
to the session. I monitor their
progress and drive them toward
success. We correspond between
sessions. I also know who is
booked in, and if I notice a regular
is not signed up then I get on the
phone to keep them accountable.
• I actively recruit clients to my
sessions. I don’t ask people to
attend, I tell certain people ‘you
should train with me’ or ‘you need
to train with me’. Again, this builds
prestige, noticing people that need
extra attention or to take their
training up a gear.
Selling the experience
As a manager I occasionally need to
challenge our coaches when sessions
are not performing to their full potential.
I always ask the coach what they
think would assist in maximising their
sessions. The usual response refers
to marketing: ‘Well maybe a poster or
a flyer, and if the trainers could talk
about it on the floor...’ Wrong answer!
A good coach should be able to drive
the session, keep clients accountable
and actively recruit new clients through
their interactions.
The fact is, SGT sessions should
be an ‘easy sell’. The product is
phenomenal: you are essentially
offering personal training at a
significantly reduced rate. Again, it is
all in the approach. If we approach it
with the mindset of an instructor we
will have transient accountability. On
the other hand, if we approach it as a
coach, we will command prospective
clients’ attention, drive motivation and
maximise participation.
When members are presented with
the range of organised exercise options
available at a facility, it can be easy for
them to erroneously believe that SGT is
a group exercise class. This happens
when the first option they are told
about is the group exercise timetable.
As such, the prospect sees a nice array
of classes and then another timetable
of ‘sessions’ that you pay for. Let’s flip
that and first present personal training
as their best training platform. You then
talk about price and come to a financial
objection. No problem, you can then
provide small group training as a more
cost-effective alternative that still
features personalised attention. By
presenting them in this order, the first
option is perceived as an added cost
(and for some, of course, this is still
appealing), whereas the second option
is perceived as offering a saving.
Along with the language and delivery
differentiations, this approach clearly
separates SGT from group exercise.
The key to driving the success of
The 30-second article
• The differences in physical set-up
alone are not enough to differentiate
SGT from group exercise classes
• To build prestige and justify an
additional cost for sessions, you need
to focus on the difference in the
experience for participants
• Subtle differences in language used
in relation to SGT will differentiate it
from group exercise
• The delivery of SGT must be more
akin to personal training sessions,
with more personalised interaction,
attention to individual form and
accountability.
SGT is to clearly establish its points
of difference from group exercise. The
set-up, language and delivery of the
session are imperative to its success.
If your coaches, sales team and
instructors are not clear about these
differences, the message will be diluted
and the value of the ‘session’ lost,
minimising your capacity to capitalise
on an excellent