Personal Trainer Salary Tips To Boost Your Income

Want to earn a good income? Of course you do. Take a look at these 7 tips from Alex Hendrick, Course Crusader at the Australian Institute of Fitness SA/NT.

1. Getting more clients

This may sound incredibly obvious, but it is one of the most powerful business enhancing tools a Personal Trainer can use. By talking to people, you let potential clients know you exist as they get to see how friendly, approachable and knowledgeable you are. Most people want a PT, they just don’t know where to start. Break down those barriers, and introduce yourself to someone new. You may not sign them up on the spot, but when they realise they are not getting the results they desire, you will be their first port of call.

2. Group Training

I lot of trainers think about it, but few actually delve into the world of group training. Whether it is running your own boot camp or running an exercise class from the gym, group training can be very profitable for a PT.

Creating your own bootcamp can take a bit of effort to get started. Things like finding a venue, bringing all your contacts and clients together, gathering equipment, creating your brand/logo and implementing marketing strategies can all be a bit of a challenge. However, if you are able to assemble 15 people to your bootcamp and you charge them $15 per head, that equates to $225 per session – some seriously good money.

Running group classes is not as instantly profitable as a boot camp, but it can reap rewards. You may only make $30-40 per class, however you become known to people. This is powerful business for a PT. Run a great class, then let them know you are also a Personal Trainer and you’ll have clients knocking at your door in no time.

3. Referrals and Relationships

Create relationships with other businesses. Make contact with allied health professionals such as Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, GPs, Osteopaths, Nutritionists, Dietitians, Massage Therapists, Podiatrists, etc. You can refer your clients on to them to help with anything outside your scope of practice and perhaps they will refer their clients on to you. A ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’ approach is a great way to build up business, while also potentially learning from other professionals.

4. How to be a better personal trainer

If you want to stay in the game, you have to keep up with the times. A Personal Trainer who doesn’t look to continually improve themselves professionally is dead in the water. Consider this, who would you rather train with? A PT who has just a Certificate IV in Fitness? Or a PT who is further qualified with a Diploma of Massage, Sports and Conditioning Level 1, 2 or 3, Pre/Post natal, Boxing, Suspension training, Kettlebells… Plus has done numerous nutrition, flexibility, weight loss, strength and rehab courses? Not only does continuous learning and upskilling make you a more viable trainer for potential clients, it also keeps you fresh and motivated in the industry. Your clients and business will only improve if you upskill yourself.

5. Loyalty in Personal Training

Successful PTs are able to build and retain their client base. To earn a good income, you need to have a steady stream of clients who reliably turn up for their sessions. Developing loyalty in clients means doing that little bit extra, such as remembering birthdays, celebrating achievements, displaying excellent interpersonal skills, small gifts or sign up packages. Genuinely look after and care for your clients. They’ll keep coming back, and you’ll make more money!

6. Personal Training Options

Tight budgets and lack of time are the two major reasons why a client wouldn’t sign up for personal training. It is important that you are able to offer more options than just a 45-minute session for $60. Consider reducing prices slightly when sessions are bought in bulk. You may have special rates for concession holders. Perhaps offering 30-minute PT sessions can help with people who lack time. There are many different options, and it’s about finding the right one for you and your client.

7. Connecting with clients

A Personal Trainer needs to be able to sell their training methods. We all know the benefits to exercise, but do your clients? It’s important that your clients believe by training with you they will reach their goals faster than if training alone. Many Personal Trainers get stuck or are not comfortable when it comes to convincing someone to sign up. A great technique to use is the ‘Yes’ method. At the end of a first session, simply get your clients to say “yes”.

Trainer: “Did you enjoy that session?”

Client: “Yes”

Trainer: “Can you see how beneficial those exercises are for your goals?”

Client: “Yes”

If your client is answering “yes” to these questions, they will start to realise all the benefits in training with you. Thus ‘Yes!’ will become the natural answer to the question, “Would you like to sign up for some training sessions?”. Converting someone into a client takes practice, so don’t get dejected if they don’t sign up. Evaluate where you went wrong and look to do better next time. Practise selling, and you’ll train more clients and make more income!

• Bio

AIF

The Australian Institute of Fitness

The Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF) is the largest and longest established fitness training organisation in Australia, with dynamic training methods and expert course coaches nationwide - spanning fitness, massage and nutrition. The AIF qualifies more fitness professionals than any other provider in Australia, as well as offering a broad range of continuing education courses (CEC), upskilling resources and partnership programs for existing industry.