screening potential clients

[mrgeecue]

i work for a corporate gym so it's a little more easier to attain clients than being an independent contract trainer. new members are passed along from sales counselors to trainers as free "fitness assessments" and thats the time to try and attain potential clients.

several times now I've had the unfortunate event where the member comes in for the meeting, I talk to them, ask them questions, what their goal is, blah blah blah. I build up value in training and write them up a plan on how many sessions they need to hit their goal and they're all gung ho about it.

Then I say I say do you want to start that up? They say yes and I go ahead and start up the paper work and then I ask them, how do you want to pay for it. They look at me surprised and shocked at the fact that I am asking them to pay for these sessions. And then it automatically goes back to I'll think about it and they leave.

So its unbelievable to me that people think I will train them for free. At that point I don't know what to do or say.

cliff notes:
-members get free fitness assessment
-screen them for goals
-they agree and are happy about their plan
-start signing them up. i ask for their payment and they're shocked to find out they have to pay for the training
-what do i do at that point?

[jules_d1]

i think you need to make it clear at the very start that this session is a free session but the personal sessions after that have a cost associated. no one has told them it will cost anything and the gym is paying you so thats what they assume. Make them understand that this first one is part of their new membership.

also show them how much more they will get from the PT sessions compared to this fitness assessment.

[Tr0ublesome]

Even I have noticed that with personal trainers. They talk around the price forever and eventually you can't help but think that its free. But I'm not that stupid as to get into paper work.

[jdmalm123]

start signing them up. i ask for their payment and they're shocked to find out they have to pay for the training
-what do i do at that point?

if you sufficiently demonstrated in the eval that they know crap about fitness, then ask them what their health is worth to them and if they think they can do it on their own.

if they say they can do it on their own, start asking them to explain how to deadlift properly or energy systems or nutrition basics, ask them what tabata is, ask them what the valsalva maneuver is, etc....demonstrate that while fitness is critical, just like driving a car, etc, you have to know what you're doing...

of course, be gentle and not belittling...

[Sikk]

if you sufficiently demonstrated in the eval that they know crap about fitness, then ask them what their health is worth to them and if they think they can do it on their own.

if they say they can do it on their own, start asking them to explain how to deadlift properly or energy systems or nutrition basics, ask them what tabata is, ask them what the valsalva maneuver is, etc....demonstrate that while fitness is critical, just like driving a car, etc, you have to know what you're doing...

of course, be gentle and not belittling...

I would find that most ppl would be offended by questions like that.

the last thing most ppl want to hear is a trainer beating his ego by saying a bunch of fancy words that in the big picture mean jack ****.

Like said above, explain to them when you sit down that the initial session is free but after that they are not, explain the single session price and offer a package discount before they sit and stew over the single session fee (ppl like hearing about discounts)

[alikaeos]

I mention the price/ session range during the first 5 min of the eval usually say it and say we will duscuss it further at the end. Give them a service that is worth that price (not what the gym pays you) . If they think it is free they proabably will take the whole eval/training session for granted.

[kserajuddin]

i work for a corporate gym so it's a little more easier to attain clients than being an independent contract trainer. new members are passed along from sales counselors to trainers as free "fitness assessments" and thats the time to try and attain potential clients.

several times now I've had the unfortunate event where the member comes in for the meeting, I talk to them, ask them questions, what their goal is, blah blah blah. I build up value in training and write them up a plan on how many sessions they need to hit their goal and they're all gung ho about it.

Then I say I say do you want to start that up? They say yes and I go ahead and start up the paper work and then I ask them, how do you want to pay for it. They look at me surprised and shocked at the fact that I am asking them to pay for these sessions. And then it automatically goes back to I'll think about it and they leave.

So its unbelievable to me that people think I will train them for free. At that point I don't know what to do or say.

cliff notes:
-members get free fitness assessment
-screen them for goals
-they agree and are happy about their plan
-start signing them up. i ask for their payment and they're shocked to find out they have to pay for the training
-what do i do at that point?

this entire system is inherently flawed - it can't be salvaged -

[konkapot]

Just a thought...no hate...not a PT.

My guess is that the act of joining a gym and putting out some money taps a lot of people out.

They just did something that to them was a Big Step...they joined a gym.

Then they just dropped some/a lot of cash to buy a membership.

It seems that this would be the hardest time to land a client...they already did two Big Things.

Plus, they think they can "do it" all by themselves, and therefore don't need a PT.

Maybe a "new member followup" after 30 days would be a better time.

IF they're still coming to the gym, they'll now realize that they're doing it wrong/doing too much/don't know what they're doing etc and might welcome some guidance.....and would, at this point, place a $ value on that guidance.

My two cents worth. Maybe one cent.

[John Prophet]

i work for a corporate gym so it's a little more easier to attain clients than being an independent contract trainer. new members are passed along from sales counselors to trainers as free "fitness assessments" and thats the time to try and attain potential clients.

several times now I've had the unfortunate event where the member comes in for the meeting, I talk to them, ask them questions, what their goal is, blah blah blah. I build up value in training and write them up a plan on how many sessions they need to hit their goal and they're all gung ho about it.

Then I say I say do you want to start that up? They say yes and I go ahead and start up the paper work and then I ask them, how do you want to pay for it. They look at me surprised and shocked at the fact that I am asking them to pay for these sessions. And then it automatically goes back to I'll think about it and they leave.

So its unbelievable to me that people think I will train them for free. At that point I don't know what to do or say.

cliff notes:
-members get free fitness assessment
-screen them for goals
-they agree and are happy about their plan
-start signing them up. i ask for their payment and they're shocked to find out they have to pay for the training
-what do i do at that point?

one thing id definitely do is go back to the sales counselers and make SURE they are giving the right message. It might make THEIR job easier for them to imply somehow that the trainers are free...but its not helping you any.

in the newspaper ads the gyms tend to list traienrs as a benefit of the gym...but they dont mention they r not free, lol.

like this:

indoor pool
suana
100,000 lbs free weights
trainers to help u get started
running track


lol..just thrown in like a freeby



We have all been thru the same thing though or variations of it. its funny how "gung ho" doesnt seem to last very long somehow

[partsRheavy]

I'm not a trainer - just a regular gym-goer.

If a trainer asked me these questions, I'd run, not walk, away. Why? Because it's a sort of intimidation technique. Your average person joins a gym to try to improve their health - not to defend a Ph. D. dissertation.

The best policy is to be up-front and open about the first session being free and the costs associated with the subsequent sessions, along with policies (e.g. cancellations) and other expectations (e.g. diet). The client needs to know these things before they sign on the dotted line.










if you sufficiently demonstrated in the eval that they know crap about fitness, then ask them what their health is worth to them and if they think they can do it on their own.

if they say they can do it on their own, start asking them to explain how to deadlift properly or energy systems or nutrition basics, ask them what tabata is, ask them what the valsalva maneuver is, etc....demonstrate that while fitness is critical, just like driving a car, etc, you have to know what you're doing...

of course, be gentle and not belittling...

[AussieMike]

Just a thought...no hate...not a PT.

My guess is that the act of joining a gym and putting out some money taps a lot of people out.

They just did something that to them was a Big Step...they joined a gym.

Then they just dropped some/a lot of cash to buy a membership.

It seems that this would be the hardest time to land a client...they already did two Big Things.

Plus, they think they can "do it" all by themselves, and therefore don't need a PT.

Maybe a "new member followup" after 30 days would be a better time.

IF they're still coming to the gym, they'll now realize that they're doing it wrong/doing too much/don't know what they're doing etc and might welcome some guidance.....and would, at this point, place a $ value on that guidance.

My two cents worth. Maybe one cent.

Very good point.

I find that the easiest clients to attain are the ones who have been members for a while and find that they are not getting results.