Done!!!!! Sick and tired

[JimmyAlan]

I am BURNT OUT on personal training. My heart is not in it. It is the most frustrating career and has made me callused to EVER think I can control my future and the amount of money I make. It has made me feel like a successful career in ANY field is a game of luck or chance. I have poured COUNTLESS hours and money to try and grow a successful personal training business, and to no avail. I have researched and researched to the point that I could write a book on “what seems like a good idea” to generate leads. I am drained and out of ideas on “what works.” I spend more time trying to study the “business side” of it that I have nothing left to give my clients on the fitness side of it. I am exhausted.
I am tired of all the DRIVING too, and the time spent driving. 30 minutes here, 40 minutes back, later in the day 30 minutes again and 40 minutes to get back home. I spend well over two hours a day JUST DRIVING to sessions and blowing through gas. I have TRIED to group appointments together, just as soon as I get it down to a science, clients start switching on me and I am left with a 2-3 hour gap in my schedule again.
And the last minute cancellations! Just today, I get a call at 3:07 from a client cancelling who had a 4:30 appointment! And my 5:30 cancelled too! Last week, a client determined she had bone spurs and could not train for a while. Another client last week who was three days a week decided to drop to two days a week from now on. Another one is taking a “break” for the next two weeks because of a busy schedule, and when they come back they need a time that personally eats into my time with my family in the evenings. This is all MONEY OUT OF MY POCKET. And completely out of my control. I can’t do it anymore. After almost 6 years, I am THROWING IN THE TOWEL ALAS!! This is not a case of someone who hasn’t put in the time and hours or sweat and tears.
I have nothing left for myself when it comes to my own health. I am so burnt out that I care nothing about my own fitness. I am not lean and fit like I used to be—and I am SO UNMOTIVATED. Exercise is no longer MY favorite thing to do, I’d rather take a nap. I used to LOVE exercise, which was the initial desire of why I wanted to get into the industry. Now? It is a chore if I am even motivated enough to actually do it. People don’t look at me like they did a few years ago and say “Wow, what do you do?!” NO. Now I am the trainer who gets trampled on and clients think it is not a tinge of an inconvenience to cancel last minute—or it doesn’t affect my budget in any way for them to take off as they please.
Who am I kidding though? This is a luxury service. Of course the personal training would be the first to go if money or time is tight. I just never expected it to be this BAD. I don’t feel like I have a “career.” Or even a JOB half the time. I feel like I am just at the beckon call of clients. I am SUCKED DRY and DONE.
How many times have I said that last statement though? Oh probably about 100 as many trainers have. I go back and forth all the time. Once again though, after 6 years of constantly going back and forth and asking myself “Should I stay or should I go?,” I am ready to hang up the towel, get a big boy job of some the sort with a STEADY SCHEDULE AND STEADY PAYCHECK. And a schedule that doesn’t have me getting up at 4:30 AM to make a 6:00 AM appointment and having to train as late as 8:00 PM that night. Some people are cut out for all the marketing stress and living on the edge that comes with being a personal trainer or studio/gym owner. I maybe was the first half of the career. Now? NO THANKS.

[jalundah]

Personal training just isn't for everyone. Some people can put in all the time in the world trying to learn and get better, if you aren't a smart salesman, good at motivating people, and firm with your philosophy, then you will fail 9 times out of 10, no matter how dedicated you are.

Seems to me like you let your clients walk all over you. You could set up training packages to where you get paid per month or per week instead of per session. So even if they cancel, you still get paid.
Maybe your clients just suck. Or maybe you aren't showing them that your time is actually worth what they're paying. Who knows.

Anyways, thanks for posting this. It will get rid of some of these wannabes who just want to step in the industry and start training with NO background who just want to make a quick buck. For me, and I'm sure a few select others- thanks for the motivation.

[Endevorforever]

You have to do what works for you in this business. If you spent so much time making your business why haven't you accounted for client cancellations? Dude you are getting walked on like a gym trainer.

[MasterBench]

I am BURNT OUT on personal training. My heart is not in it. It is the most frustrating career and has made me callused to EVER think I can control my future and the amount of money I make. It has made me feel like a successful career in ANY field is a game of luck or chance. I have poured COUNTLESS hours and money to try and grow a successful personal training business, and to no avail. I have researched and researched to the point that I could write a book on “what seems like a good idea” to generate leads. I am drained and out of ideas on “what works.” I spend more time trying to study the “business side” of it that I have nothing left to give my clients on the fitness side of it. I am exhausted.
I am tired of all the DRIVING too, and the time spent driving. 30 minutes here, 40 minutes back, later in the day 30 minutes again and 40 minutes to get back home. I spend well over two hours a day JUST DRIVING to sessions and blowing through gas. I have TRIED to group appointments together, just as soon as I get it down to a science, clients start switching on me and I am left with a 2-3 hour gap in my schedule again.
And the last minute cancellations! Just today, I get a call at 3:07 from a client cancelling who had a 4:30 appointment! And my 5:30 cancelled too! Last week, a client determined she had bone spurs and could not train for a while. Another client last week who was three days a week decided to drop to two days a week from now on. Another one is taking a “break” for the next two weeks because of a busy schedule, and when they come back they need a time that personally eats into my time with my family in the evenings. This is all MONEY OUT OF MY POCKET. And completely out of my control. I can’t do it anymore. After almost 6 years, I am THROWING IN THE TOWEL ALAS!! This is not a case of someone who hasn’t put in the time and hours or sweat and tears.
I have nothing left for myself when it comes to my own health. I am so burnt out that I care nothing about my own fitness. I am not lean and fit like I used to be—and I am SO UNMOTIVATED. Exercise is no longer MY favorite thing to do, I’d rather take a nap. I used to LOVE exercise, which was the initial desire of why I wanted to get into the industry. Now? It is a chore if I am even motivated enough to actually do it. People don’t look at me like they did a few years ago and say “Wow, what do you do?!” NO. Now I am the trainer who gets trampled on and clients think it is not a tinge of an inconvenience to cancel last minute—or it doesn’t affect my budget in any way for them to take off as they please.
Who am I kidding though? This is a luxury service. Of course the personal training would be the first to go if money or time is tight. I just never expected it to be this BAD. I don’t feel like I have a “career.” Or even a JOB half the time. I feel like I am just at the beckon call of clients. I am SUCKED DRY and DONE.
How many times have I said that last statement though? Oh probably about 100 as many trainers have. I go back and forth all the time. Once again though, after 6 years of constantly going back and forth and asking myself “Should I stay or should I go?,” I am ready to hang up the towel, get a big boy job of some the sort with a STEADY SCHEDULE AND STEADY PAYCHECK. And a schedule that doesn’t have me getting up at 4:30 AM to make a 6:00 AM appointment and having to train as late as 8:00 PM that night. Some people are cut out for all the marketing stress and living on the edge that comes with being a personal trainer or studio/gym owner. I maybe was the first half of the career. Now? NO THANKS.

What do you have to offer clients? The people making the big bucks are
1. Extremely business savy
2. Figures in the fitness community
3. Highly educated (post grad education)

Look at guys like Alan Aragon who is an example of 3. While he isn't really a personal trainer, he works with clients and uses his knowledge as his selling point.
Look at layne norton who is 2 and 3. Extremely educated and he is a well know powerlifter and bb
Look at the poster (forget his name) who made the thread about asking a successful gym owner anything who owns sage fitness. Extremely business savy, knows his market well, great at marketing.

Not ever trainer is going to be like these people, maybe 1 percent will be. They go above and beyond in there fields to be successful. So what path do you want to go down to make your business work? If you are average in the above categories you are ony going to have an average business.

What are you doing outside simply training? Building a website, competing in a sport, going to college, etc are all ways to grow your business. If you aren't doing that don't blame the industry blame yourself

[Cassum]

Understandably I can see your frustrations. But like someone said you can't let your clients walk all over you. Everyone is human we all are busy so people will cancel on you that inevitable but you need to protect yourself. I have a 24 hour policy with my clients. If they cancel 24 hours before our session they forfeit it (they signed it in their contract) and it is also a two way street I explain to my clients if I have to cancel 24 hours before a session (which would be a very slim chance of that happening haha) I pay them double of what they would pay for a session. This way it is fair, clients are happy to make that commitment.

If you are concerned about all the un paid hours I would suggest working for someone else's business. You have over six years experience so would be a great person to higher and a higher payment.

Make sure you care and look after your body as you are your clients role model, you don't just train them because of your knowledge anyone can learn but you need to be living proof that your methods work.

[WoofieNugget]

You're letting your business manage you rather than managing your business. Many of your headaches could probably easily be cleared up with some simple management of your people and making some slight changes.

Obviously the last minute cancellation thing is easily addressed. If you aren't getting paid in advance and regularly, get that part taken care of. Location - if it takes you 30 minutes to get there and you have to do it twice a day either move closer or find a different facility to train clients out of. Or adjust your hours to work mornings one day and evenings the next, depending on when clients are heaviest. Stop killing yourself trying to generate leads and develop a quality product and you will have enough referrals, or simply market yourself more effectively. This business has a lot of ups and downs. Could you adjust your rates so that someone dropping sessions isn't as much of a financial hit? It might be hard for a couple of months but you will come out of it better off.

During tough times it is easy to panic and think about switching jobs. Just manage your business better (and yourself, from the sounds of it) and you will be fine. There is no excuse when you work at a gym to not be working out, but I actually have a membership at a separate gym just so I'll use it (because I pay for it) and I don't know anyone there so I can just get my stuff done - a way to detach from work.

I have been where you are - at least twice. I'm still around and run a successful business. Take some time, do some planning and tomorrow will be a better day.

[etherHATESether]

I currently get up at 4:00 AM to train people as early as 5 AM, drive two hours a day and don't finish until 8 PM, five days a week :P

[pottersbar]

sounds like a horribly managed business imo.

i work as a sub contractor on a rental basis. i have complete freedom over what i do. why are you travelling for hours all over the place? why not have all clients train in the same location?
I use the gym, if they're not gym members they train with me at my home gym, if they want outdoor training i use the same park at the end of my street, i don't get why you'd set it up so that you're moving around the place constantly? a gym doesn't sprout legs and move, therein people who want to train expect to travel to the location you set.....

I've only been in this new gym for a month and currently am taking home $600 cash a week working 15 thirty minute sessions. I'm aiming for 4 more clients (of which i have several requesting every few weeks) which would give me 12 more half hour sessions and another $360 cash a week. taking home close to $1,000 with only about 20-25 hours worked (assuming for each half hour session i give another half hour in prep/wo plans)

it's not that hard to find clients if you advertise and price yourself well and are good with dealing with people. i offer a complimentary first session privately and in-gym we give all new members a free session, gives me the chance to sell and quite a lot end up signing up to me.
i like to scare them a bit with science, about rep ranges, 1rm%'s etc and how it all reflects to different results, i constantly emphasis THEIR results and THEIR goals and make out they need specialised training to maximise/optimise results. a lot of people start to think they need you if they're going to get anywhere...

[katweb5454]

It doesn't matter what job you get, you will always have days like the one you had when you started this thread.

[SFT]

sounds like a horribly managed business imo.

i work as a sub contractor on a rental basis. i have complete freedom over what i do. why are you travelling for hours all over the place? why not have all clients train in the same location?
I use the gym, if they're not gym members they train with me at my home gym, if they want outdoor training i use the same park at the end of my street, i don't get why you'd set it up so that you're moving around the place constantly? a gym doesn't sprout legs and move, therein people who want to train expect to travel to the location you set.....

I've only been in this new gym for a month and currently am taking home $600 cash a week working 15 thirty minute sessions. I'm aiming for 4 more clients (of which i have several requesting every few weeks) which would give me 12 more half hour sessions and another $360 cash a week. taking home close to $1,000 with only about 20-25 hours worked (assuming for each half hour session i give another half hour in prep/wo plans)

it's not that hard to find clients if you advertise and price yourself well and are good with dealing with people. i offer a complimentary first session privately and in-gym we give all new members a free session, gives me the chance to sell and quite a lot end up signing up to me.
i like to scare them a bit with science, about rep ranges, 1rm%'s etc and how it all reflects to different results, i constantly emphasis THEIR results and THEIR goals and make out they need specialised training to maximise/optimise results. a lot of people start to think they need you if they're going to get anywhere...

So you're charging $40 per 30 minute session? If you're in the States, I'm assuming you're putting away 10-20% of each paycheck for taxes, or $60-120 per week?

There will always be the exception, but I will continue to suggest that it is very difficult to make a living personal training only. A couple of group fitness classes per day can stabilize your income, or even increase the amount of money you make per hour (if you get really busy). If you have 3 classes, 3 days per week, running with an average of 10 participants paying $10 session, that is approximately $40,000-45,000 a year in gross sales, depending on how many weeks off the program has per week. These are just random numbers I'm throwing out because you might have >10 participants, you might charge more or less than $10/hr, etc. This is income that you will get whether people show up or not.

Driving to clients' locations is also a bad deal. You have to run the numbers and be conservative. For example, I was thinking about doing home personal training and I figured:

>$50/hr for the session itself = $50
Assume 30 minutes of travel round trip at $50/hr = $25
10 minutes planning workouts (avg.) = $8.33

So, I would charge >$80/hr per session. This sounds high, but this is a premium luxury service. I haven't even added anything in for gas or car use, but I assume that a lot of that will be taken back through writing off mileage.

[SageFit]

If I said I wasn't stressed 95% of the time i'd be selling it short. This is a tough business, much tougher then you'd expect when getting into it. The clients are inconsistent, the employees are lazy (much of them at least) and the business itself is underappreciated.

This is why I always make sure that anyone looking to do this for a living understands the value of multiple revenue streams. People become close minded when it comes to the business of training and try to rely 100% on something that isn't 100%. No business is 100%, of course, but I feel a lot more comfortable with my eggs in many baskets rather then stuffing them all in one and hoping for the best. In essence all businesses are determined by inconsistent clients so don't get ahead of yourself and think that any other line of work is any different. Work in stocks and see how you feel when things crash, or a client pulls his money out, etc. It's the reason why you put money in multiple areas of the market, real estate, investment, etc. Throw it all into one and when it hurts it's going to hurt bad.

So what revenue streams do you add? That's for you to decide by researching your potential market and the type of people you already have access to. As a studio owner I have an advantage but I believe anyone can figure out something that works for them. Maybe go work in a small studio and then do your private training on the side, just as a start. Then you have consistency and bonus money which you'll be able to more easily control due to it not being a necessity. Not to mention you'll have access to a lot higher volume of people which means everything.

For myself i have revenue from:

Personal Training
Employees Personal Training
Group Classes
Full Nutrition Services
Meal Replacements
Protein Supplements
Referring people to a nutrisystem like company
Dividend Stocks
In the midst of getting into gym/spa management
Building computers once in a while - my clients are computer retarded
Beachbody coaching (multi level marketing- most trainers shy away from it but it works amazingly for me)

[SFT]

If I said I wasn't stressed 95% of the time i'd be selling it short. This is a tough business, much tougher then you'd expect when getting into it. The clients are inconsistent, the employees are lazy (much of them at least) and the business itself is underappreciated.

This is why I always make sure that anyone looking to do this for a living understands the value of multiple revenue streams. People become close minded when it comes to the business of training and try to rely 100% on something that isn't 100%. No business is 100%, of course, but I feel a lot more comfortable with my eggs in many baskets rather then stuffing them all in one and hoping for the best. In essence all businesses are determined by inconsistent clients so don't get ahead of yourself and think that any other line of work is any different. Work in stocks and see how you feel when things crash, or a client pulls his money out, etc. It's the reason why you put money in multiple areas of the market, real estate, investment, etc. Throw it all into one and when it hurts it's going to hurt bad.

So what revenue streams do you add? That's for you to decide by researching your potential market and the type of people you already have access to. As a studio owner I have an advantage but I believe anyone can figure out something that works for them. Maybe go work in a small studio and then do your private training on the side, just as a start. Then you have consistency and bonus money which you'll be able to more easily control due to it not being a necessity. Not to mention you'll have access to a lot higher volume of people which means everything.

For myself i have revenue from:

Personal Training
Employees Personal Training
Group Classes
Full Nutrition Services
Meal Replacements
Protein Supplements
Referring people to a nutrisystem like company
Dividend Stocks
In the midst of getting into gym/spa management
Building computers once in a while - my clients are computer retarded
Beachbody coaching (multi level marketing- most trainers shy away from it but it works amazingly for me)

Jordan has it right with the multiple income streams. Personal training should be one of multiple streams for your business. Most people don't open their eyes to the opportunities both within the fitness field, as well as other investment opportunities - stocks/bonds, real estate, local start-ups, etc. You won't win with every investment, but you should do alright over time if you are making wise decisions.

To the OP, don't give it up if you love the business. Not how it is now, but how fitness was growing up, or even how the business was a few years ago. We all lose it from time to time, but you have to think back to how it was. What made the fitness field so great for you? How can you share that with other people?

And don't be a pushover. I know it is tough because you think your clients are going to get pissed and leave, but if they do, they were ****ty clients anyways. Be selective in taking new clients. Scheduling poorly will kill both your sanity and your earnings per hour. I ask people if they want morning, afternoon, or evening sessions. From there, I tell them what I have available. If it doesn't work, then they can check in with a different trainer. I know it is hard when you are relying on the income, but that is exactly why personal training shouldn't be it. If you aren't teaching group classes, I suggest that you start. Even 1-2 classes, 3 days a week, could boost your income once you build them up.

[jalloggio]

I don't have six years of experience but I've dealt with almost every issue you mentioned.

Client cancelation is a big one when I worked at the gym clients either paid in full or were billed monthly. Either way I got paid if they cancelled and missed a session. On my own I never take a payment the day of the session. They are either set up on a monthly plan or buy their sessions in full if they cancel with less than 24 hrs they know they know they will lose that session

Also pt does not have to be a luxury with even decent marketing skills and careful planning you can offer your services for the price of a happy meal and still make good residual income. I won't get into details about that

Many people see dollar signs went they hear trainers make upwards of 50 dollars an hour so people think they can take a test and immediately start raking in major coin

You have shown them this is not the case and real income takes real work especially in a market that is flooded with trainers

[KyleAaron]

Sounds like the OP is not very discerning. Lots of people are unreliable. Most PTs get better at spotting them over time. I'm at work so I don't have the exact figures, but I was looking at them last night and realised some funny things. One was client retention, of my clients, how many do I have for at least 6 months? The people I got in the first year, it was something like 1/4 ended up lasting 6+ months. In the second year, 1/2. In the third year 2/3. I also realised I hadn't actually asked anyone to do PT since April or May last year, but I've increased my client load - people have contacted me online or sought me out in the gym. I actually have a couple of people going on holiday and either way would like a couple more, so I need to be more active again. But generally speaking, there comes a point where you're no longer frantically chasing up potential clients all the time, you keep your eyes open but are somewhat picky.

In the beginning you ask anyone and everyone to do PT, so you get everyone including the unreliable ones. Over time you get better at spotting who'll last. But don't we need even the ones who don't last? Well, not really - I wrote about this in the PT income and the 80/20 rule thread. When you look at it closely, you find something like I did, that half my clients made up 90% my income over each 12 months. Realistically you could ditch half your clients and only lose 10% your income. And the half giving you 10% your income, they give you around 90% your headaches - the last minute cancellations, ambushing you with injuries they got outside PT, not doing workouts or addressing their food and rest needs outside PT sessions, etc.

My feeling is that the OP should change professions. I think that the first 12 months tell you how the rest of your PT career will go. After 12 months you'll have roughly as many one-on-one clients as you'll ever have. You'll know what sort of people you best work with, whether weight loss or rehab or sports or whatever, you'll have some idea of courses you'd like to take in following years, and your training style will be well-established though of course it'll be refined over time. You'll be improving in your ability to spot the clients you won't be able to work well with, whether because you don't get along, or they're unreliable, or whatever. You'll know if you really enjoy the job.

Six years into the job no amount of advice or help is going to change your direction, is going to turn a successful PT into a failure or vice versa. Your course was set 5 years ago after your first 12 months, it's not changing now no matter what. Quit.

[Simmo0508]

Main thing that screams to me in your post is that you have a weak (or no) cancellation policy in place for your clients. You must address this ASAP, right in the consult process.

How was your screening? Do you have a selective mindset when working with clients, or do you just train anyone? Not everybody is suitable for a reliable PT week-by-week service.

You must be in charge. If your client feels they can take advantage of you, or walk all over you, they will. You must be firm, yet fair. Like the above's said, have a 24 hour cancellation policy at the very least. Have some paperwork signed off during that consult.

I suggest you revise your business plan in the short term, literally fire the ones that are not consistent in attendance since they're wasting your travel time and family time. Put more worth on what you offer. You must have the mindset of "they're here to learn from you, they're here to see you", not the other way around.

I understand with the travel issue. What i do is bunch sessions together, mornings and nights. I take the day times off to prevent burnout and to enjoy alone time and get chores done around the house and help my kids after school. If someone suggests a time you physically cannot do, you refer them on. Do not shift from your set working hours (as in, give yourself set hours in which you're available - mine are 6-10am & 5-8pm for PTs). During consults and making future PT bookings, ask whether they can do mornings or nights, and if there's any chance of disruptions getting in the way of those sessions (family, social events, work roster). So if they do cancel, it's on them 99% of the time since you already asked if there's gonna be potential disruptions. Offer your available slots, and let them choose (there's 5.30pm available, or 7pm, which one works better for you?).

Also another important note for job satisfaction in the fitness industry is liking the people you work with. Do you get on well with the people you train? When we talk about rapport, it's not just about how well they get on with US, but also how well we get on with THEM. Do you look forward to seeing them? Are they good people to be around? Are things light and fun, yet still professional and hard working? One of the biggest causes of burnout is not just overdoing your schedule (or not managing it correctly), but also being around too many people you don't enjoy training. It will not feel like a "job" if you have fun easy going people around you in the gym. So honestly, look at your client base and honestly ask yourself who you don't enjoy training. How does that affect your life and your work? If it affects your mood, your family, your own time, your other clients etc. then it's actually a smarter business decision moving forward, to cut them loose or refer them on to someone you think is better suited.

We've all gone through it man. Don't give up. You can turn it around if you want to. Again, ask yourself what started your passion in the first place. Refocus. Trim the fat (so to speak). Rebuild. Apply new policies. Don't be desperate for business. Enjoy the rewards of new clients and hard working existing clients.

What's your niche? Work with people and goals your passionate about (if you don't want to train little old ladies, then don't, make it clear).

[arian11]

Sounds like the OP is not very discerning. Lots of people are unreliable. Most PTs get better at spotting them over time. I'm at work so I don't have the exact figures, but I was looking at them last night and realised some funny things. One was client retention, of my clients, how many do I have for at least 6 months? The people I got in the first year, it was something like 1/4 ended up lasting 6+ months. In the second year, 1/2. In the third year 2/3. I also realised I hadn't actually asked anyone to do PT since April or May last year, but I've increased my client load - people have contacted me online or sought me out in the gym. I actually have a couple of people going on holiday and either way would like a couple more, so I need to be more active again. But generally speaking, there comes a point where you're no longer frantically chasing up potential clients all the time, you keep your eyes open but are somewhat picky.

In the beginning you ask anyone and everyone to do PT, so you get everyone including the unreliable ones. Over time you get better at spotting who'll last. But don't we need even the ones who don't last? Well, not really - I wrote about this in the PT income and the 80/20 rule thread. When you look at it closely, you find something like I did, that half my clients made up 90% my income over each 12 months. Realistically you could ditch half your clients and only lose 10% your income. And the half giving you 10% your income, they give you around 90% your headaches - the last minute cancellations, ambushing you with injuries they got outside PT, not doing workouts or addressing their food and rest needs outside PT sessions, etc.

My feeling is that the OP should change professions. I think that the first 12 months tell you how the rest of your PT career will go. After 12 months you'll have roughly as many one-on-one clients as you'll ever have. You'll know what sort of people you best work with, whether weight loss or rehab or sports or whatever, you'll have some idea of courses you'd like to take in following years, and your training style will be well-established though of course it'll be refined over time. You'll be improving in your ability to spot the clients you won't be able to work well with, whether because you don't get along, or they're unreliable, or whatever. You'll know if you really enjoy the job.

Six years into the job no amount of advice or help is going to change your direction, is going to turn a successful PT into a failure or vice versa. Your course was set 5 years ago after your first 12 months, it's not changing now no matter what. Quit.

This. Hopefully he doesn't try starting up any other business because they are all very similar. People are unreliable no matter the industry, especially when they didn't pay the money upfront and have nothing to lose. When I use to help my dad with his a/c & alarm business, there were some times we set up a consultation/estimate appointment with someone on a certain day and time. We'd drive all through the Miami, Florida traffic to get to the person's house and nobody was there; it was all for nothing. But, over time, you build enough of a client base and can try to weed out the potential new clients that seem unreliable. You learn which clients provide you the most income and the least headaches (80/20 rule), and you focus on keeping those and making them happy.

Also, I don't understand how OP can have clients cancel their 4:30 and 5:30 appointment but he trains as late as 8pm at night. If you get someone to cancel, you gotta learn to use that time more efficiently. Train yourself during that 1 hour off. Work on your business website during that time. Work on online advertising during that time. Etc. Etc.

[Muscle Mania Matt]

Sounds like the OP is not very discerning. Lots of people are unreliable. Most PTs get better at spotting them over time. I'm at work so I don't have the exact figures, but I was looking at them last night and realised some funny things. One was client retention, of my clients, how many do I have for at least 6 months? The people I got in the first year, it was something like 1/4 ended up lasting 6+ months. In the second year, 1/2. In the third year 2/3. I also realised I hadn't actually asked anyone to do PT since April or May last year, but I've increased my client load - people have contacted me online or sought me out in the gym. I actually have a couple of people going on holiday and either way would like a couple more, so I need to be more active again. But generally speaking, there comes a point where you're no longer frantically chasing up potential clients all the time, you keep your eyes open but are somewhat picky.

In the beginning you ask anyone and everyone to do PT, so you get everyone including the unreliable ones. Over time you get better at spotting who'll last. But don't we need even the ones who don't last? Well, not really - I wrote about this in the PT income and the 80/20 rule thread. When you look at it closely, you find something like I did, that half my clients made up 90% my income over each 12 months. Realistically you could ditch half your clients and only lose 10% your income. And the half giving you 10% your income, they give you around 90% your headaches - the last minute cancellations, ambushing you with injuries they got outside PT, not doing workouts or addressing their food and rest needs outside PT sessions, etc.

My feeling is that the OP should change professions. I think that the first 12 months tell you how the rest of your PT career will go. After 12 months you'll have roughly as many one-on-one clients as you'll ever have. You'll know what sort of people you best work with, whether weight loss or rehab or sports or whatever, you'll have some idea of courses you'd like to take in following years, and your training style will be well-established though of course it'll be refined over time. You'll be improving in your ability to spot the clients you won't be able to work well with, whether because you don't get along, or they're unreliable, or whatever. You'll know if you really enjoy the job.

Six years into the job no amount of advice or help is going to change your direction, is going to turn a successful PT into a failure or vice versa. Your course was set 5 years ago after your first 12 months, it's not changing now no matter what. Quit.

nailed it. I have turned down a lot of people right from the get go.

[Endevorforever]

Sounds like he was a gym trainer that went independent and kept the gym trainer mentality.

[OhSoFocus]

Sorry to hear OP. I'm new to the fitness industry so its good to hear these type of rants every once in a while...with every successful trainer I've spoken to during these past few months the tone was pretty much consistent across the board "you have to be not only a trainer but a business, a brand". Soaking the most you can out the game without losing site of your clients goals...insert balance here....

I must say out of that glob of words a few stuck out at me which may be of benefit to you...How bout writing a book/e-book of the experience you've accumulated. Title- "Personal Training, The good, bad, and ugly". With all that frustration pent up I bet it wouldn't take long to write, clean it up and dish it out. Then maybe you can start up a site or niche off the mistakes you've made or countless clients you've dealt with....Just sayin...every negative experience has a positive angle to it......

[jando]

Sorry to hear OP. I'm new to the fitness industry so its good to hear these type of rants every once in a while...with every successful trainer I've spoken to during these past few months the tone was pretty much consistent across the board "you have to be not only a trainer but a business, a brand". Soaking the most you can out the game without losing site of your clients goals...insert balance here....

I must say out of that glob of words a few stuck out at me which may be of benefit to you...How bout writing a book/e-book of the experience you've accumulated. Title- "Personal Training, The good, bad, and ugly". With all that frustration pent up I bet it wouldn't take long to write, clean it up and dish it out. Then maybe you can start up a site or niche off the mistakes you've made or countless clients you've dealt with....Just sayin...every negative experience has a positive angle to it......

Let's be honest here and look long term. Personal Training for primary income is a very poor career choice unless you're getting into management. Even with the best rules and policies there is far too much that's unpredictable. Not to mention the fact that if you do move you're basically starting from 0. I trained full time for 4 years and made "real income". My first year I made 50k at (not counting the first two months). My last year I made about 65k. I don't have to worry about moving away and starting all over or obsessing over training a specific number of sessions that day.


I took a stable 9 - 5 that pays 45k a year. I don't have to worry about clients now showing up, going on vacation or taking a break ect. I can basically train as much as I want for extra money. Typically about 20 sessions a week.

[El Elyon]

Some fantstic responses, hopefully i can add too.

I've been a PT for 18 months and i'll go through my progression.

When i was training to be a PT my head tutor told me that i will more than likely need a second job. Not because i was poor at it but because it will take the stess off of PT. I studied at a college for a year and my tutor had been a PT for 20 years. She said you have to work in all sorts of avenues, from outside classes to selling supplements. People for the most part are unreliable and their lives can change every week. You need some sort of stable income that will keep you afloat in the bad times.

As soon as i qualified i got a job with a company called Steiner working as a PT on cruise ships. But when i joined the academy i'd realise it was all commission based on selling sea weed supplements. I left and came home.

I got a job in a commercial gym where i dont pay rent but i work 15 hours a week cleaning equipment and doing classes, all for free.

For the first three months i had no stable clients. The odd few here and then but none stayed for long. I walked the floor, chatted away but i still rarely got anywhere (dont do free tasters, new pts need to filter the freebie hunters).

Then i got my first client. 4 days a week and paying me £300 every month. She still trains with me to this day. Then i got more clients. I didnt do anything different, it just snowballed. It was great but i hated the early mornings and late nights. I'd leave the house at 5:30am and train people from 6-9am have the odd one or two in the day then a few from 5-9pm. I eventually had weekends off. Because i don't drive and live 10 miles away i ended up staying at the gym all the time.

Then December hit and people started dropping out. I lost 8 regular sessions a week and was now down to 11. My paycheck was halfed. Clients getting injured, holidays away, saving money for christmas. It was ****. But i thought, January is round the corner. But when it arrived nothing changed for me. The gym got busier but people were full of motivation to do it on their own.

It's now picking back up for me. I've started a fat loss course outside the gym but it's had a slow start and i train professional dancers once a week at their studio. The gym has calmed down and soon the people that left will book their holidays then come back looking for help this time. I will be there waiting.

I'm 27 years old and will one day want a family and morgage. But i wont be doing that without a guarrenteed income. But i love this line of work and want to do something with it. I've recently been successful in being accepted to study a Strength and Conditioning Science degree in London. This will hopefully lead to a regular income job.

I never had too many problems with late cancellations as it was in our contract that you will be charged still. I also stuck to it. Never give anybody an inch.

It's a great industry but 14-16 hours at a gym everyday is a ball-ache sometimes.

[Endevorforever]

This whole thread is pathetic. No other business has messed up business models like personal training. Every other business makes people pay up front. If they don't use the product or are late are charged an additional fee or lose their spot. The whole per session mentality is dumb. Do you really think some one wants to pay you for a workout? When you sell your product like that it devalues it. The client starts to look at the session as the benefit, and the benefit is that you are an expert and able to get them a result they are looking for.

When you sell someone personal training you are selling them a plan to get to their fitness goal. What is a session going to do for them? Nothing! Nothing but give them an excuse not to follow through. They think to themselves: "As long as I have a few sessions on the book I don't have to pay again." Then they start canceling. You miss out on money, they miss out on results. With that kind of model you might as well line up next to fad diets, because that is about how effective you are.

The gyms designed this model because they could care less about trainers and clients. Break that gym trainer mentality and you will start to make real money.

[SageFit]

This whole thread is pathetic. No other business has messed up business models like personal training. You have to make sure you get paid. Every other business makes people pay up front and if they don't use the product or are late are charged an additional fee or lose their spot. The whole per session mentality is dumb. Do you really think some one wants to pay you for a workout? When you sell your product like that it devalues it. When you sell someone personal training you are selling them a plan. A road map if you will, to get to their fitness goal. What is a session going to do for them? Nothing! Nothing but give them an excuse not to follow through. The gyms designed this model because they could care less about trainers and clients. break that gym trainer mentality and you will start to make real money.

and this is why I make sure all packages are paid in full up front. I don't do any single sessions BS. 10 sessions minimum, 200 Max. You'd be amazed how many people buy 50-200 at a time. If you don't pay, we don't train. Period.

[arian11]

This whole thread is pathetic. No other business has messed up business models like personal training. You have to make sure you get paid. Every other business makes people pay up front and if they don't use the product or are late are charged an additional fee or lose their spot. The whole per session mentality is dumb. Do you really think some one wants to pay you for a workout? When you sell your product like that it devalues it. When you sell someone personal training you are selling them a plan. A road map if you will, to get to their fitness goal. What is a session going to do for them? Nothing! Nothing but give them an excuse not to follow through. The gyms designed this model because they could care less about trainers and clients. break that gym trainer mentality and you will start to make real money.

This thread does seem a bit silly because it seems like OP made an account on bb.com just to make this one post to vent and is never going to come back. So I doubt he'll read any of the helpful advice but hopefully someone else will come across it and thinks its useful. As for paying for services, there are services out there where you pay after the fact, its called payment in arrears. And just like they will use late fees or disconnecting services as a means to get you to pay, you can implement something similar into PTing. I definitely like your point on per session payments being a bit dumb. I like the idea of charging per training cycle or whatever else you want to call it and many other trainers like to do the same. If someone wants to be trained for 6 weeks for a powerlifting competition, then it would be good for both parties to come up with a pricing for the entire 6 weeks regardless of how many workouts the client is actually doing. That way programming is based on what is best for the client, and not trying to spend the most amount of time in the gym to siphon the most amount of money from the client. This is especially beneficial for training someone who doesn't have the technical aspect of the lifts down yet. The client might feel short changed if you charge them a high rate per session and the first few sessions is just teaching them how to fix their barbell squat. They'll probably feel they aren't getting a "workout" and think you are cheating them.

[Endevorforever]

and this is why I make sure all packages are paid in full up front. I don't do any single sessions BS. 10 sessions minimum, 200 Max. You'd be amazed how many people buy 50-200 at a time. If you don't pay, we don't train. Period.

With all due respect, I find that model to be limiting too. May I ask does every client need 10 sessions to get to their fitness goal? Do they need two sessions a week? Three?

[Endevorforever]

This thread does seem a bit silly because it seems like OP made an account on bb.com just to make this one post to vent and is never going to come back. So I doubt he'll read any of the helpful advice but hopefully someone else will come across it and thinks its useful. As for paying for services, there are services out there where you pay after the fact, its called payment in arrears. And just like they will use late fees or disconnecting services as a means to get you to pay, you can implement something similar into PTing. I definitely like your point on per session payments being a bit dumb.

I like the idea of charging per training cycle or whatever else you want to call it and many other trainers like to do the same. If someone wants to be trained for 6 weeks for a powerlifting competition, then it would be good for both parties to come up with a pricing for the entire 6 weeks regardless of how many workouts the client is actually doing. That way programming is based on what is best for the client, and not trying to spend the most amount of time in the gym to siphon the most amount of money from the client. This is especially beneficial for training someone who doesn't have the technical aspect of the lifts down yet. The client might feel short changed if you charge them a high rate per session and the first few sessions is just teaching them how to fix their barbell squat. They'll probably feel they aren't getting a "workout" and think you are cheating them.

+1 This

[SageFit]

With all due respect, I find that model to be limiting too. May I ask does every client need 10 sessions to get to their fitness goal? Do they need two sessions a week? Three?

Every client needs 10-200 or a lifetime of sessions at my facility or they can go somewhere else, that's my business model. It works. I didn't say what people need, I said what works for business.

The thought of making a time slot for someone in a very limited schedule, for them to come less then 10 times, seems wasteful.

[PeteratCastle]

Sounds like the OP is not very discerning. Lots of people are unreliable. Most PTs get better at spotting them over time. I'm at work so I don't have the exact figures, but I was looking at them last night and realised some funny things. One was client retention, of my clients, how many do I have for at least 6 months? The people I got in the first year, it was something like 1/4 ended up lasting 6+ months. In the second year, 1/2. In the third year 2/3. I also realised I hadn't actually asked anyone to do PT since April or May last year, but I've increased my client load - people have contacted me online or sought me out in the gym. I actually have a couple of people going on holiday and either way would like a couple more, so I need to be more active again. But generally speaking, there comes a point where you're no longer frantically chasing up potential clients all the time, you keep your eyes open but are somewhat picky.

In the beginning you ask anyone and everyone to do PT, so you get everyone including the unreliable ones. Over time you get better at spotting who'll last. But don't we need even the ones who don't last? Well, not really - I wrote about this in the PT income and the 80/20 rule thread. When you look at it closely, you find something like I did, that half my clients made up 90% my income over each 12 months. Realistically you could ditch half your clients and only lose 10% your income. And the half giving you 10% your income, they give you around 90% your headaches - the last minute cancellations, ambushing you with injuries they got outside PT, not doing workouts or addressing their food and rest needs outside PT sessions, etc.

My feeling is that the OP should change professions. I think that the first 12 months tell you how the rest of your PT career will go. After 12 months you'll have roughly as many one-on-one clients as you'll ever have. You'll know what sort of people you best work with, whether weight loss or rehab or sports or whatever, you'll have some idea of courses you'd like to take in following years, and your training style will be well-established though of course it'll be refined over time. You'll be improving in your ability to spot the clients you won't be able to work well with, whether because you don't get along, or they're unreliable, or whatever. You'll know if you really enjoy the job.

Six years into the job no amount of advice or help is going to change your direction, is going to turn a successful PT into a failure or vice versa. Your course was set 5 years ago after your first 12 months, it's not changing now no matter what. Quit.

A superb post Kyle.

[Ronin4help]

Where the f**k is the guy looking for advice???? One post??