Building a bigger clientele base for a trainer breaks down into two distinct areas — retention and acquisition.
Retention should be the number one method by building a larger clientele base. If a trainer can keep their clients and then slowly add to that through acquisition they will soon be full. Retention breaks down into five different areas — goal setting, testing, training, retesting and resetting goals. Goal setting is the single most important thing a trainer can do. Finding out what motivates a person is the basis for training that person. Testing gives you measurable benchmarks to show improvement and motivation for clients. The previous two areas makes designing a training program easy and more streamlined for that client to achieve those goals. Retesting shows how much improvement a client has made and allows clients to see that they are spending their money wisely with the trainer because of the results they are seeing. Once we have seen improvement and increases towards the goal, reassess the goal and figure out new goals the client can achieve towards improving their life. This does not mean a client should not stop training regularly, but it should mean that the trainer has succeeded in educating and progressing the client. This results in a satisfied customer, which should lead to referrals.
For all trainers acquisition is the second most important thing in developing a larger clientele base. Always accepting new clients and new challenges allows trainers to increase their book of business. Methods by which new clients can begin training are varied and listed below:
- New member orientations
- New referrals from existing clients
- New group training opportunities
- Leads from advertising around the club
- Specialty referrals
Regardless of how successful a trainer is, there will always be a certain level of attrition of clients (i.e. financial, moving, death). Because of this clients need avenues by which to fill those holes in their schedule with new clients.
Vic Spatola is the Director of Personal Training for Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club in Greenwood Village, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. Contact him at vics@greenwoodatc.com.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
