How to Boost Personal Training Sales

Guest blog by Tara Sampson, PT Sales Manager, Gainesville Health and Fitness

A young lady comes in wanting to lose 50 pounds before her brother’s wedding this summer. A trainer shows her a price sheet and she chooses the 1-month option. It is the cheapest, and she thinks it will be a great way to “get started.”

This is the typical scenario in the personal training industry.

A few observations…
The client feels great because they chose the most affordable option and escaped an uncomfortable sales experience: this creates Revenue Roadblock #1.

The trainer takes a HUGE sigh of relief because the dreaded “money talk” is over, and they get to start training: this creates Revenue Roadblock #2.

The client does not have a package reflective of their needs. They will not see the expected results in that short of a time frame, so they will not refer friends, and they will not re-sign: this becomes Revenue Roadblock #3.

Revenue Roadblock #1: People love to buy, but hate to be sold.
Develop a process that guides your buyer to make a decision to change the rest of their life. If they feel “sold,” you’ve lost them. If they ”decide to buy,” you’ve won.

At Gainesville Health and Fitness we have three, full time Personal Training Consultants that specialize in Personal Training sales. They are branded and regarded as fitness experts. The PT Consultants align themselves with the prospects to collaboratively come up with the best training option.

We create an exceptional client experience from the very first engagement with a clearly defined brand and compelling marketing, following through with the personal interaction with the consultant, the prospect session with a trainer and then signing on the dotted line. We could not do this with sales people; we accomplish this with consultants.

Revenue Roadblock #2: Trainers love to be sold, but hate to sell.
Trainers historically hate selling, which coincidentally makes them terrible sales people. While this seems an obvious observation, the industry is dominated by training departments who count on their trainers to drive their revenue.

We overcame this roadblock by forming an important partnership between our trainers and our consultants. We work very hard to make sure that the trainer stays the trainer, and that their training recommendation for the client is based purely on fitness, and not on price, this then allows the consultant to seal the deal.

Revenue roadblock #3: Clients want the quick fix, but need the long-haul.
Clients should be offered options consistent with their goals. They are working with you because they need help and guidance.

Using the example above, we know that one month will not obtain the results our client is looking for. In this case, the trainer is unhappy. The client is unhappy. The client does not re-sign. The client does not refer friends. The trainer has to make another sale to fill the open space.

We believe, and our revenue reflects, that making honest recommendations to our prospects allows us to close long-term sales, keep more clients, and build our business.

The Proof

The Personal Training Department at Gainesville Health and Fitness has existed within our organization for well over a decade, but two years ago a specialized marketing and sales team was brought on board.

We will end our year close to $300,000 above our annual revenue goal of $2.1 Million.

For more information, and a detailed plan of action to drive your PT Sales, please come see Tara Sampson and John Carmean present at IHRSA in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 15th at 10:00 a.m.