Introduction: In the fitness industry, being a personal trainer requires you to be more than just an exercise guru. You can have the best exercise programs or be the fit person in the gym, but that is just a small portion for success in the personal training business. Being a great personal trainer requires interpersonal skills, sales skills, and communication skills.
Interpersonal Skills:
In order to increase your clientele, for your personal training business, it is important to understand how to interact with people. Being in the personal training business requires you to work one on one with clients. One thing that has helped me understand people more was studying psychology. Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior. It is important to understand and pay attention to the body language and tone of voice, which can dictate up to 90% of all communications.
When you understand how the human mind and behavior works, you will be more confident when it comes to communicating or approaching another human being. This skill is not only important for the fitness industry, but for any social setting. As important as it is to understand other people, the most important lesson would be to understand you. If we understand ourselves, then it would be easier for us to empathize with others. Being genuine and understanding will help you build a long lasting relationship with your clients, which can lead to long term success.
Sales Skills: In the personal training industry, the sales portion is most often overlooked. This is the skill that can separate a good trainer from a great trainer. When it comes to building a solid portfolio, you must be able to sell your services. Being able to sell is just like any other skill. It is an attribute that can be worked on with the right fundamentals.
One method I was taught that helped improve my sales skill was Agree, Pause, Overcome, Close. This means you want to first agree with someone’s point of view, that way it doesn’t become an argument. You accept and understand what they have said. The Pause is to process what they expressed, and to show that you were listening and not thinking of a rebuttal while they were talking. The rebuttal, which is the meat of your counterpoint, is the solution that can help you overcome the objection.
The close is the most important aspect of this method. You can have a great pitch but if you aren’t able to close then it becomes an ongoing conversation or a long boring gibberish. Closing gives the other person a chance to either agree to the sale, or give another objection for you to overcome.
Without sales skills, it would be tough for trainers to gain clientele. This is where most trainers fail to add more names into their portfolio.
Communication Skills: What good is knowledge if we are not able to input the information onto our clients? Communication is key for a good teacher to pupil relationship. We are experts in our fields and it is important for us to get our idea and lesson across efficiently as possible. Being able to enunciate and articulate your words can be a source for efficient communication. Our words should be tools that can assist our clients to the right poses or motion. Having great communication skills can only add to your professionalism.
Conclusion: When it comes to building clientele, it takes great interpersonal skills, sales skills, and communication skills. These are the three fundamentals of improving your personal training business. Most trainers who fail to succeed in the personal training industry fail to meet their expectations because they lack one of these essential traits. The passion and exercise knowledge sparks a personal trainer’s career, but failing to be business savvy will hinder success.
