How much do you guys charge?

[distantarray]

One thing I can never understand is how personal trainers figure out what they want to charge, in my area the prices are a bit too erratic, from $65 an hour to $120.

[unauthorized]

One thing I can never understand is how personal trainers figure out what they want to charge, in my area the prices are a bit too erratic, from $65 an hour to $120.

Well trainers like to see what other trainers are making and they will charge the same.
If mr joe who got certified yesterday found out that mr mike who has been training for 10 years is making $75/hr, then mr joe will feel he should be making that much too, so he'll charge the same.

As someone once said "charge what you feel what you're worth". Sadly enuff, it doesnt work that way, because it's all about the $$$

This brings me too, in personal training do you get what you paid for? HECK NO you don't,
Because if mr joe who just got certified yesterday, has zero experience, and charges you $75/hr, do you feel that he is worth it?

[trance__dreamer]

hmm...i've been wondering about this myself, actually.

since i'm new, i probably wouldn't be able to charge as much as the experienced trainers in vancouver.

however, i also don't wanna short-change myself/dumb myself down/whatever it's called.

if i were to charge less, it may be a dis-service to the other trainers in vancouver. i.e.: everyone may start charging less to keep up...unless they have a strong client base & don't need to.

see, this is what i want. i want to (eventually) have a stong client base. but for starting out, err...i may even have to go the fitness world (branch chain gym) route. =S

what i'm worth is also a good question. i think i should find the lower end in vancouver & the higher end in vancouver, & then meet in the middle; eh?

[distantarray]

I didn't know the prices varied so much, and for what is what I wondered. Probably the most qualified trainer in my area is Won Huh. It's not too uncommon to see people even wearing shirts that says "body by Won" in local downtown areas. Not only does he have 25+ years of experience and was Mr. Korea in 1982, his son Jason Huh is 5'9 at 270 lbs (winner of Teen National Championship in 2004). He has experiences in all aspects of bodybuilding and diverse amounts of knowledge in all areas of bodybuilding. Knowing his prices are set at $65 an hour. I think I would feel guilty for trying to charge anymore.

Yet I see people who aren't half as qualified charging much more for what? I really don't get the pricing game in personal training, but then I think some trainers are encouraged to charge more from the gym itself.

[jules_d1]

charge more than average. you will attract the right type of clients (ie people with money and who want the best).

Charge cheap rates, your gonna get cheap clients.

Dont play the price game. someone will ALWAYS undercut you

[notgumbel]

One thing I'd read when I was in business for myself as an IT consult was to take what you want to make annually and divide by 1000.

That reflects 50 weeks at 20 billable hours per week -- not exactly the same as a 52-week year, of course.

So if you want to make $75K, set your rate at $75K.

This, of course, is subject to prevailing rates in your area!

[Sicshift]

Because it takes time for results, I push the 30 session package hard. I'd say 90% off all sales are 30/session packages and most resign once more. Some just keep going forever.

Sell only 30 session packages with few exceptions. $65/hour which is 1950.00. 5% discount if paid in cash. Always pay up front although I may let them pay half after 2 weeks to allow for paychecks to come in. Includes a hike and a grocery store trip.

20 sessions are 70 minus the extras.

10 are 80/hr

In-Home varies but starts at $90-100 hr. Extra if they live more than 10 min away.

Of course, I'm retired now. That's what I charged when I was working at a private gym. I got sick of working hard to sell, then having to train. Watched my gf who was in sales sell something then she was done. Moving on the next sale. I'm pretty much done with PT except for an occasional client here and there to train at parks etc.

[Synergy_P.E.S]

$60 an hour
$40 half an hour

In home +$15

[unauthorized]

Yet I see people who aren't half as qualified charging much more for what?

Because they heard mr mike making this much, so why not? For many trainers, it's all about making money, because they heard mr mike is making $$$, so they feel they should charge the same.

One of the reasons people see us as a joke. They once paid mr bob $60/hr and got nowhere, so why would they pay mr joe $60/hr? What makes mr joe any different from mr bob

[unauthorized]

charge more than average. you will attract the right type of clients (ie people with money and who want the best).

Charge cheap rates, your gonna get cheap clients.

Dont play the price game. someone will ALWAYS undercut you

Try living in california

[3kgtjunkie]

for my in-home business, i go a dollar minute if they're paying for an individual session and then I give them package deals to where if they buy 10 sessions up front they save like 50 bucks. It works for me bc i do this for leisure money since i'm lucky enough to have parents paying for my school and rent etc.

alot of pricing is also about how you market yourself and who you market to. For instance i started getting clients by working at dick's as their fitness trainer, telling about my side business, 2 free sessions for every client they refer to me, and it just took off. Now, I dont charge 1000/hour but at a dollar a minute, i have enough clients to satisfy myself. I also do consultations where I basically make someone a 90 day workout for 100 bucks.. just my thing

[loxleynew]

So basically i'm just starting here trying to switch from my FT job of IT at the moment. I'm charging only $15 p/h right now but only for the next few months to try build client base up so I can switch over more permanently. Id obviously raise my rates then and obviously i'm not selling more than 20 session packages.

Has anyone else done this and does it work? I'm not relying on this personal training money atm since I have another fulltime job.

[trance__dreamer]

So basically i'm just starting here trying to switch from my FT job of IT at the moment. I'm charging only $15 p/h right now but only for the next few months to try build client base up so I can switch over more permanently. Id obviously raise my rates then and obviously i'm not selling more than 20 session packages.

Has anyone else done this and does it work? I'm not relying on this personal training money atm since I have another fulltime job.

hmm...i can't see this working. my reasoning: "well...you charged me $15 last time!1!!11!"

charge more than average. you will attract the right type of clients (ie people with money and who want the best).

Charge cheap rates, your gonna get cheap clients.

Dont play the price game. someone will ALWAYS undercut you

^^ interesting. i'd like to give this a try once i'm done. we'll see if it works in my city. =) vancouver is an interesting place, though. it's mostly asians who are already really skinny. but we have a few large rich areas (kits, davie, downtown, & north van.) i want to target these areas, obviously. but i want to be helping out obese women, teenage girls, & young adult women my age'ish. (there's also a few piss-poor areas, including some in the suburbs, who need more help just by looking @ 'em. but they clearly aren't able to afford our luxury services. so, i shant be advertising heavily there.)

& it'd make sense to charge more for my clients, since they'll be able to afford it just fine. =P

example of undercutting: craigslist.com trainers. eek! o__O

[trance__dreamer]

Because it takes time for results, I push the 30 session package hard. I'd say 90% off all sales are 30/session packages and most resign once more. Some just keep going forever.

Sell only 30 session packages with few exceptions. $65/hour which is 1950.00. 5% discount if paid in cash. Always pay up front although I may let them pay half after 2 weeks to allow for paychecks to come in. Includes a hike and a grocery store trip.

20 sessions are 70 minus the extras.

10 are 80/hr

In-Home varies but starts at $90-100 hr. Extra if they live more than 10 min away.

One thing I'd read when I was in business for myself as an IT consult was to take what you want to make annually and divide by 1000.

That reflects 50 weeks at 20 billable hours per week -- not exactly the same as a 52-week year, of course.

So if you want to make $75K, set your rate at $75K.

This, of course, is subject to prevailing rates in your area!

for my in-home business, i go a dollar minute if they're paying for an individual session and then I give them package deals to where if they buy 10 sessions up front they save like 50 bucks. It works for me bc i do this for leisure money since i'm lucky enough to have parents paying for my school and rent etc.

alot of pricing is also about how you market yourself and who you market to. For instance i started getting clients by working at dick's as their fitness trainer, telling about my side business, 2 free sessions for every client they refer to me, and it just took off. Now, I dont charge 1000/hour but at a dollar a minute, i have enough clients to satisfy myself. I also do consultations where I basically make someone a 90 day workout for 100 bucks.. just my thing

^^ brilliant ideas!
i'll be doing this (HELPING PPLE TURN THEIR LIVES AROUND LIKE I DID TO MINE) as my long-term career. i don't want to do anything else. but i don't live a very expensive lifestyle. i don't pay rent, i shop @ supertore (canadians will get this ), i don't wear *********/makeup/hair stuff/etc. so, my cost of living is low. (cell phone, internet, food, concerts...that's it. =S) i still want to make sure i get what i'm worth, though. but it's not a dire need to make serious cash a.s.a.p. w/ me. =)

[Sicshift]

^^ brilliant ideas!
i'll be doing this (HELPING PPLE TURN THEIR LIVES AROUND LIKE I DID TO MINE) as my long-term career. i don't want to do anything else. but i don't live a very expensive lifestyle. i don't pay rent, i shop @ supertore (canadians will get this ), i don't wear *********/makeup/hair stuff/etc. so, my cost of living is low. (cell phone, internet, food, concerts...that's it. =S) i still want to make sure i get what i'm worth, though. but it's not a dire need to make serious cash a.s.a.p. w/ me. =)

OP, think of this.

Personal training is entirely word of mouth based. The better results you get people, the more referrals you get. I used to often donate 5 free sessions to charity auctions. People who attend these usually have money and it's usually the wives that bid. From one 5 session auction that cost me nothing but 5 hours of my time, I made over $10,000.00 in referrals.

The big problem with someone paying per session is that there is a: no commitment, and B: if they flake on you, you can't charge them for no-showing. I hated that.

With a large package like 30 sessions, they are guaranteed to see results if they stick to it. Their friends will ask what they did and you will have new clients. A 5 session package isn't going to change a person much. Get someone to spend $2k on you, train them 30 times, maybe take them hiking so you can get them excited about outdoor training and spend a few of those sessions on nutrition, and you'll see some huge changes.

I made the 30 session package such a better deal by throwing in extras, that it made the 10 and 20 session packages just not worth it. Like I said, if they cancel with less than 24 hours notice, you can just deduct a session. You must learn to do this or you'll get taken advantage of all the time. I usually gave them one freebee.

Also know your value. Know that you are worth it, that the results you are going to bring the client will change their lives. Here's an example:

I was sitting in a cigar lounge chilling out with a book and a cigar. A guy and his buddies come in talking about movie producing etc. They were around 30 but flaunted money a little. I got into a conversation with them, they asked what I did and I told them I had a private training business. I also specialized in training models. (not a good idea. Yes, they're fun to look at but flakey as all hell)

Anyway, this is how the conversation went: Wow, you're a personal trainer eh? And you work at a private gym? Me: Yes. Guy: Are you good at what you do? Me: I'm the best. (with a grin) Him: Are you expensive? Me: Very.

He came in the very next day, paid $3,500.00 in cash for him and his girlfriend, ended up spending about $8,000 over the long run. The point I'm trying to make is become good at what you do. Figure out the image you want to project and project it. Don't undervalue yourself. So many trainers will discount themselves immediately.

I can't tell you how many times I gave someone a discount when I was new to the private scene and offered someone the 30 session package at $50.00 per hour and they didn't argue one bit and signed on the spot. I knew that second that I could have charged $75.00 an hour for those 30 sessions and it wouldn't have mattered to them at all.

Just remember that when you are training them, they are paying a lot of money and make sure that you make it worth it. Ask yourself if you feel you earned your hourly fee. Be ethical, but be ambitious.

This was a bit off topic, but I hope this helped out a bit. I'm not in the business anymore, but sometimes I wish I was. Maybe If I wasn't a chubby bastard right now, I'd be back in it.

[2020Wellness]

Sicshift: Repped!

[notgumbel]

I'm not in the business anymore, but sometimes I wish I was. Maybe If I wasn't a chubby bastard right now, I'd be back in it.

Hey, don't discourage us chubby bastards who are just getting into things! LOL

[MarkTrainer]

I think SicShift was right on a lot of levels.
What I don't get is the bitching about what someone else is making. If they can find people to pay them, good for them!!
The money spent on trainers doesn't necessarily effect other trainers. If you are good at what you do, people will reward you for it.
The bottom line is results, and those take time. But each success is another walking advertisement for you, and a little higher up the pay scale if you so choose.

[kserajuddin]

Always keep in mind all of the little overhead costs that are eating away at your bottom line. I ran a busy studio for a couple of years and had no liquid assets. I closed it down and did things on my own, charged as high rates as I could get justify, always inching them up when I could, and that's when I was able to actual put something away.

The real numbers or real economics get ignored too much in PT, and pretty much all business in general but especially here, and that leads to a lot of the problems trainer's have with their businesses.

I'm always knocking how the big gyms rape their employees, but they kind of get this, and that's why they run the splits and have the quotas they do -

[Al Shades]

One thing I can never understand is how personal trainers figure out what they want to charge, in my area the prices are a bit too erratic, from $65 an hour to $120.

Whatever the market will bear.