Leaving your job shortly after your started.

[BrooklynFit]

Whats good my fellow PTs,

I got a situation I'd like your opinion on. I recently left my job at a front desk to work at a gym. I worked at a gym about 2-3 years ago, and that lasted for about a year and a half. Regardless, I've been training on the side for the past 4 years. So, since I missed the gym atmosphere of training, I figured why not give it a shot? Previously, I was discouraged about selling, reaching quotas, juggling school at the same time and all the other hardships we gotta face, but I definitely wanted to give it another shot. I've been working at this new studio in the city for the past couple weeks. The gym itself is nice, but the bosses do not seem cool at all. If a client looks the same for months, they'll ridicule you in front of the whole staff during meetings. I felt embarrassed for some trainers honestly. Don't get me wrong, I know these guys gotta be in your face and aggressive not just with potential members, but with staff to bring financial results.

On the flipside, you don't sell anything, they do the selling and booking of appointments. You just gotta pretty much help market yourself. What I'm not feeling is the fact that you gotta call the night before to see if you are training anybody. How I look at it, is that I pretty much can't plan my days during the week until I find out the night before if I come in or not. Honestly, I think that's lame and makes it hard for me when I gotta take care of my mother who's sick, or help babysit my niece, study for tests, plan out on a date with my girl, etc...I feel stuff like scheduling should be left to the trainer and the client.

I hate to seem like a quitter, which I'm sure most of you will conclude, but if I'm not comfortable in a work setting, why go through the misery? I have enough side clients to not worry if I lose the job or not, but I'm still weighing my options. Plus I have a potential new gig teaching classes to the disabled that has set hours and such. It also pays better and gives me huge experience dealing with diverse populations.

Long read, but thanks for your time. I'd love your opinion, but if not, thanks BB for letting me vent.

=]

[BarbellJester]

Don't focus so much on a snapshot of a bigger picture. The studio job is a few weeks out of a career you'll spend years in. If the situation comes up explain it as it is: they couldn't offer you a set schedule at a time when school was a priority and a set schedule was necessary.

Plus, let your client referrals speak for you, not your work history. You know training is all about the results. Who you work for is just the method. As long as you're getting results, who cares if that's in a parking lot or Gold's Gym Venice?

[BrooklynFit]

Don't focus so much on a snapshot of a bigger picture. The studio job is a few weeks out of a career you'll spend years in. If the situation comes up explain it as it is: they couldn't offer you a set schedule at a time when school was a priority and a set schedule was necessary.

Plus, let your client referrals speak for you, not your work history. You know training is all about the results. Who you work for is just the method. As long as you're getting results, who cares if that's in a parking lot or Gold's Gym Venice?

Yeah, thanks for the response man. Sounds right. Honestly, I'm really starting to think about just working harder on getting more clients on the side where I can set my own schedule and obviously bring more revenue to myself.

[BC02]

you know training is all about the results.

nope

[BrooklynFit]

nope

Care to explain..?

[BC02]

care to explain..?

its all how you market yourself/how you get marketed. Training is all about how many sessions one can get a client to buy from you and thats based on how good you are at convincing someone to buy something they otherwise wouldnt. Resuts can be part of it but the ones who usually make the cash are the flashy trendy trainers not the ones having the client bust their ass in the gym

[BrooklynFit]

its all how you market yourself/how you get marketed. Training is all about how many sessions one can get a client to buy from you and thats based on how good you are at convincing someone to buy something they otherwise wouldnt. Resuts can be part of it but the ones who usually make the cash are the flashy trendy trainers not the ones having the client bust their ass in the gym

Yeah, I agree. I'd say knowing how to train has little to do with getting clients on the floor. If you're an excellent salesman, all you gotta do is give a person arm exercises, some crunches, do a little jumping jacks in between exercises and BOOM! - you're a top notch trainer.

[BabyFaceAssasin]

I think it should be a combination of both. Get results for the client and also be able to sell yourself well, build a connection and make the workouts fun.

It's really tough to get good at all of that but why do something unless you want to become great.

If you have a stable set of clients on the side and the job helping the disabled which pays way more I would scrap the gym. From the way you described it, bosses yelling and chewing you out for clients looking the same seems off. You can give great training but it's up to the client to do the work, eat right, etc... Whenever someone gets mad it indicates a lack of intelligence and self control.

I don't know your situation at all so this is just my own opinion. I would:
1) Secure the higher paying job with disabled people.
2) Quit the gym. (ONLY WHEN OTHER JOB IS SECURE!)
3) Focus all my attention on getting more clients independently.

That way you're making $$ with the job and also pushing to get more clients on the side.

Good luck. I'm sure things will work out for you.

[fast40]

The gym situation you are referring to leaves you without any control and under their thumb. Not a good place to be and I dare say, you would not make it long term there. Not because of you, because of them. They are in it for the quick buck and its all about them and not about the client or employee.

The quicker in your career you control your own destiny, the better your life will be. Be your own boss and life will be so much better. Build a reputation as a highly sought after trainer and they'll wish they still had you!

[BrooklynFit]

I think it should be a combination of both. Get results for the client and also be able to sell yourself well, build a connection and make the workouts fun.

It's really tough to get good at all of that but why do something unless you want to become great.

If you have a stable set of clients on the side and the job helping the disabled which pays way more I would scrap the gym. From the way you described it, bosses yelling and chewing you out for clients looking the same seems off. You can give great training but it's up to the client to do the work, eat right, etc... Whenever someone gets mad it indicates a lack of intelligence and self control.

I don't know your situation at all so this is just my own opinion. I would:
1) Secure the higher paying job with disabled people.
2) Quit the gym. (ONLY WHEN OTHER JOB IS SECURE!)
3) Focus all my attention on getting more clients independently.

That way you're making $$ with the job and also pushing to get more clients on the side.

Good luck. I'm sure things will work out for you.

Funny you mentioned it, because the boss was complaining about seeing clients going to the pastry shop and eating cakes, why they're looking the same after so many months, etc...and pretty much making it seem like we failed them.

I plan to leave, I just don't know when and how to go about doing it.

So, thanks for the much needed advice.

[BrooklynFit]

The gym situation you are referring to leaves you without any control and under their thumb. Not a good place to be and I dare say, you would not make it long term there. Not because of you, because of them. They are in it for the quick buck and its all about them and not about the client or employee.

The quicker in your career you control your own destiny, the better your life will be. Be your own boss and life will be so much better. Build a reputation as a highly sought after trainer and they'll wish they still had you!

Yeah, I like to have some autonomy. Even when I've been in other commercial gyms, the scheduling has always been between the trainer and client. But with this, it's like the client has the freedom to schedule at their sole convenience, which is awesome for them, but that also leaves a burden for me when I may have to take care of my nephew, drive my father to doctor's visits, or even when scheduling my own side clients.

I wish I would've known about this during the interview/hiring process, because this definitely is not working for me.

[BC02]

i think it should be a combination of both. Get results for the client and also be able to sell yourself well, build a connection and make the workouts fun.

i disagree. The workouts should be hell, with the "fun" being the results from the workouts. Does a strength coach worry about making a workout fun? No. He wants to do whatever gets his/her athletes in the best shape for his/her sport. Imo a pers. Trainer should think the same way as a strength coach in that regard, and not whether or not the client is "having fun". The client should do whatever in his/her power to help his/her client reach their goal.

[BrooklynFit]

i disagree. The workouts should be hell, with the "fun" being the results from the workouts. Does a strength coach worry about making a workout fun? No. He wants to do whatever gets his/her athletes in the best shape for his/her sport. Imo a pers. Trainer should think the same way as a strength coach in that regard, and not whether or not the client is "having fun". The client should do whatever in his/her power to help his/her client reach their goal.

So what about the clients who are looking for trainers, don't like training much to begin with but know it has to be done, and need some incentive to workout? This is why I feel Lifestyle Questionnaires are typically resourceful for trainers looking to retain clients. It gives you a sense of what obstacles the clients face, and from there it's up to the trainer to detain them in some way - whether it be through motivation, exercise, nutritional guidance, etc..

[BC02]

the incentive is the results

[BrooklynFit]

the incentive is the results

Well unless those results are instant, there's going to be some clients that are going to need some type of motivation to see a trainer.

And if anybody cared, I ended up leaving the job. Definite burden off my shoulders.

[BarbellJester]

Well unless those results are instant, there's going to be some clients that are going to need some type of motivation to see a trainer.

And if anybody cared, I ended up leaving the job. Definite burden off my shoulders.

Good for you. (seriously)