Two Peas in a Pod

Pairing can be a tricky thing in life, whether it’s with two ingredients in a recipe or placing entertainers together on the stage. If they don’t fit, the results won’t be pretty — or tasty.

When it comes to pairing one’s personal trainer with a member, it can be quite a delicate maneuver, as the result will leave a taste in your member’s mouth, good or bad.

So, how do you ensure a member and a trainer are paired correctly? It all begins with a conversation. “First, I talk to the member about what they want to accomplish,” said Vic Spatola, the director of personal training at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club in Greenwood Village, Colorado. “What do they want to get out of with the trainer? Second, we look at just some fundamental basics: the best time that client can train and what, if any, particular goals do they have to set for?”

Spatola said in usually 15 to 20 minutes he can get a sense of not just what the member wants, but also their personality. “I really want to spend some time and listen to how they speak and watch their body movement,” he said.

Then Spatola looks to his pool of personal trainers, matching personalities. After pairing the member and trainer, he will follow-up in four weeks to see if the match is working. In fact, Spatola said physically calling the member is also a sign of good customer service.

Plus, if the director or manager of personal training builds a rapport with members, when personal trainers leave, the clients are more likely to stay with the club. “If the managers can reach out to those clients and keep the clients at the club not with the trainer, that will keep revenue coming in for the club and also keep the member loyal to the club, not loyal to just the trainer,” said Spatola.

However, a good match goes beyond fulfilling a member’s desires. “The biggest thing I try to impart to my trainers is give the client what they want, give them what they need,” he said. “They have to do both.”

Bottom line: It’s all about helping the members. As personal trainers, said Spatola, that’s their job. “If people are out there wanting our help, we need to give them help at any level, whatever that is,” he said.

Frankly, Spatola noted, it helps the business and the club’s reputation if members have a good personal training experience.

Hopefully, by following these pieces of advice, your trainers and their clients will act like two peas in a pod.