Do Your Personal Trainers Get a Fair Shake?

Chances are there are numerous personal trainers working at your club. Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club in Denver, Colorado, employs 25 personal trainers. Of that amount 16 are full-time personal trainers. In fact, personal training is one of the biggest sources of revenue for the club, aside from membership dues.

The club offers individual, two on one, three on one, four on one and then small group training. According to Vic Spatola, the director of personal training at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, almost 66 percent of its total business is from one-on-one sessions.

But with so many trainers on your roster, how do you ensure each one gets a fair shake? And additionally, how do you match each client with the perfect trainer?

Spatola explained the trainers at Greenwood are matched with each client based upon their needs. “We ask the potential client or member what their goals are, what activities do they partake in, when is their ideal time to workout and would they prefer a male or female trainer?,” said Spatola.

A personality match is also essential. The majority of your trainers will be able to help any client meet their goals since they are educated and experienced, but not all trainers and clients will get along. Sometimes personalities can clash.

“I try to speak with each potential client to determine personality matches or when we assign a new member to a trainer to do the initial evaluation, we ask these questions in their new member questionnaire,” said Spatola. “Also our member retention specialist will speak with members and refer a client-based on that conversation.”

As a club owner and operator, you want all of your trainers to be successful, but according to Spatola, your members should be the first priority. “We give each trainer the opportunity to sell themselves to new members through the new member orientation,” he added. “We ask the availability of trainers and try to match them with suitable clients at the client’s right times. We don’t allocate trainers based on ‘fairness’ as opposed to the needs of the client and suitable trainer for them.”