By Sarah-Beth Cleaves
I spent some time analysing and
reviewing his business in detail. He made
solid training and nutrition plans with
clients, he held them accountable, he
had a good relationship with them… so
what was going wrong?
they still need some level of support,
guidance or motivation then it’s your job
to offer a plan where you can provide
that support.
I could see why Rob was so confused… I
was confused too!
1. POSITIONING
It wasn’t until I sitting down with Rob
to plan his next business quarter that I
realised the mistake that was costing him
thousands of dollars. Rob’s clients were
leaving him because they achieved their
goals.
This was a hard
one for me to
initially take on
board, but if you
are running a
business then
releasing your
ego is critical for
longevity with your
clients.
THE $22,800
When I told Rob this was why, he
laughed at me. He said, “Sarah, are you
saying I have to stop letting clients hit
their goals?”
MISTAKE
Of course I wasn’t suggesting that. The
reason they were leaving was because
he hadn’t redefined what the next
phase of their health and fitness looked
like. Rob’s clients lost motivation because
they no longer had a goal and as such,
they decided to stop training with him.
THAT MOST PTS
ARE MAKING RIGHT NOW
S
arah-Beth Cleaves
reveals the costly
mistake that many
personal trainers are
making right now.
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Get this wrong and it will cost you
thousands. As a fitness industry
professional or business owner you
cannot afford to be making this mistake.
I met Rob (not his real name) a few years
ago. He was passionate about changing
people’s lives and had built a reputation
as a trainer who got results. He had three
personal trainers working for him and
lots of photos and stories of clients who
he’d helped lose significant amounts of
weight. Rob walked the walk and talked
the talk.
From the outside Rob’s business looked
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2015
Complacency is pretty common. Being
too comfortable is a common reason for
some overweight or unfit people being in
that boat in the first place.
pretty good. There was one big problem
though: his clients didn’t stay with him.
His longest client had stayed for eight
months.
It didn’t make sense. Rob got results, his
clients hit their goals and he had a great
relationship with them.
Personal trainers hold a lot of power;
they have a certain level of responsibility
to their clients. Whilst achieving initial
goals can be satisfying and worth
celebrating it is important, as a trainer
that you also look ahead for your clients.
I am not suggesting that you should
never let a client go. But it is your
responsibility to sit down and work out
what the best option is for your client’s
future health. If they are okay to go
it alone then great. But if you believe
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2015
Here are my top three tips for increasing
the lifetime value of your clients:
This is critical and usually overlooked
by most personal trainers. Clients will
go through an emotional rollercoaster
while working with you so it’s your job to
be a few steps ahead of their journey.
I recommend a positioning session
before you start training your clients,
just to let them know about the peaks
and troughs they’ll experience. This is
also a good time for you to talk through
what they may feel when they reach
their target weight or goal, and what
they can expect to happen after this
accomplishment.
2. QUANTIFY RESULTS
A very common mistake among trainers
is that they do not always apply the
clients’ results to real life. So, you have a
client who successfully lost 15kg. That’s
tangible and it’s great. But the real result
is in what that actually means to them.
For example, this could be confidence
in their body shape and ability, which
can lead them to having the confidence
to apply for a job promotion. Successful
PTs will keep notes and regularly check
in with their clients about what the real
result is for them.
3. LET YOUR EGO GO
This was a hard one for me to initially
take on board, but if you are running
a business then releasing your ego is
critical for longevity with your clients.
After working with one client for a long
period of time, it’s not uncommon for
accountability or standards to slip a
little; that complacency we mentioned
earlier can rear its head. If you have a
few trainers who work with you, then one
strategy if a client is thinking of leaving,
is to offer them a new trainer. A fresh set
of eyes can be the kickstart they need
for your long terms clients t o start training
hard again.
It can be a tough pill to swallow but if
you let your ego go and put the needs
of the clients’ first, then sometimes giving
that client to another trainer in your
network is the best thing for that client
and, therefore, the business.
SPECIAL OFFER
Sarah is offering What’s New In Fitness
readers a complimentary business
valuation or assessment. To find out more
visit designandconstructcoaching.com.au
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