One of the most important things I look for when interviewing a personal trainer is their follow-up skills. Clients hire trainers not only as their instructor, but as their guide and coach to affect change in their lives. An essential skill to be able to do this is following up. Trainers should always follow up with their clients on a regular basis.
Following up can include; checking in after a hard workout; calling them after a night out to make sure they did not overeat; or sending a text to remind them to get in an extra bout of cardio during the weekend. A client places a great deal of trust and commitment into a trainer, and a trainer has to meet and exceed those expectations in order to retain a client.
So in an interview, one of the most important items I expect from candidates is a follow-up e-mail or phone call thanking me for the interview. Not only does it show a level of professionalism that I highly value, it tells me they are likely to follow up with their clients in a similar fashion. The follow up does not have to be a full page, but a simple acknowledgement thanking me for the interview and one that indicates the trainer is looking forward to the next step in the process.
Another way I test a trainer’s follow-up skills, is seeing how they treat a client. In a second interview, I let a trainer train a staff member. I ask to be CC’d on all e-mails, that way I can determine how the trainer communicates and follows up with a client. I also look for how long it takes for the interviewee to contact the potential client, and how long they take to send a post workout e-mail, to see how they feel.
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.
