Devin Parrick, the founder of TrainerMetrics, shares how a simple standard operating procedure can turbocharge your personal training sales.
What is the top priority for your personal training teams? One could argue it’s to sell personal training sessions. Delivering a high level of service is simply the best way in which this is done.
But how do you deliver that high level of service when so many of your trainers are young and inexperienced? Many veteran trainers left the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. New hires lack experience in training and sales in general.
The best way is to look past the pressure to sell and to instead focus on the process of building the client/trainer relationship. This starts with making sure each client folder contains all the information needed to build a success plan, effectively track progress and keep everyone accountable including club management.
There are five straight forward steps to this sales strategy:
Client Intake Forms
The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) is essential, but it doesn’t drive client engagement. A simple client questionnaire defining their goals, lifestyle, and overall preferences can provide the basis for the trainer and the client to begin a meaningful conversation about the training program and how it will work.
Initial Assessment
There are only two types of information that really need to be recorded here. The first is weight and ideally some sort of body composition assessment. Body scanners are a great way to accomplish both but a scale and tape measure work just as well.
The second is a mobility screen. NASM’s Overhead Squat Assessment (OHSA) is ideally suited for this. It’s quick and easy to perform, provides a total body perspective and provides comprehensive programming that can be immediately applied to great effect.
SMART Goals
Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) goals need to be documented and re-visited on a regular basis. The client and the trainer both need to keep in mind why they’re doing what they’ve committed to doing. The data collected from the initial assessment provides a great starting point for this process.
Progress Reports
The expectation of regular progress reports creates shared accountability among the client, trainer and managers. Clients need to know their progress toward goals is being documented. Trainers need to know they’re expected to document progress for their clients and for their sales meetings with their managers.
Starting with the initial assessment, the client and trainer should come to an agreement about how frequently their statistics and goals should be updated.
Sales Coaching
Every one-on-one between your trainers and managers should start with a progress report on each client with an upcoming re-sign date. A well-documented client profile provides your managers with the information they need to properly coach their trainers on how to deliver results and retain that client.
Summary
Everybody knows this is how it’s supposed to work but in today’s noisy world it’s easy to overlook the basics. With new trainers, new locations and pressure to increase revenue, maybe it’s time to go back to what works.
