Pump Up Your Gym’s Personal Training Sales

For many health clubs, particularly fitness-only gyms, success of a strong personal training program can be the difference between long-term success and struggling to pay the bills.

OK that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but by most accounts personal training can add about 10 percent to your overall revenues and that is nothing to be ignored. However, too many health clubs are ignoring this vital ancillary profit center. They expect their trainers to walk the floor and have people flock to them with their wallets in hand.

Sure, your fitness department head may work hard at setting appointments for trainers, holding seminars, and more. However, one person cannot do it alone. It is vital to the success of your program that not only is your training staff top-notch fitness pros, but also top-notch salespeople.

Here are some things to keep in mind to shape up your gym’s personal training sales.

Make your trainers famous.

From YouTube videos to in-club profiles, make sure that your members and prospective members know not only what personal training can do to help them reach their goals, but that your health club’s personal training staff is made up of superstars that can get them there better than anyone. Allow the trainers to shine.

Train your trainers.

Sure, your trainers know fitness. But unless they can sell, all that knowledge might go to waste. Once you find the best way to sell personal training at your gym, why not use it. Scripted sales presentations can be the difference between success or failure when it comes to your gym’s personal training department’s success. Develop an entire sales approach that your personal training staff can follow, and regularly measure it and make adjustments needed to reach goals.

Spice it up

This goes for both your marketing and your program offerings. Too often gym owners become complacent and do the “same old same old” because that’s how they’ve always done it.

Doing what you’ve always done has probably served you well and gotten you to where you are; however, to get beyond where you are you may need to try a new route.

If you have always marketed your personal training by hanging in-club signs, perhaps try promoting it on social media by using videos to show off your trainers doing what they do best. If you’ve always sold training in one-hour segments, try 30-minutes to entice members that may not be as committed or ready to train for an hour. Also, take advantage of the bootcamp craze by not only selling them as part of your training department’s offering, but by packaging individual sessions at a discount for bootcamp participants that want a more personalized fitness training experience. Have your trainers host an online webinar [Facebook live makes this very easy] so they can share information on topics and show their expertise—offer a personal training promo code for all attendees.

Don’t leave it all to the trainers

While selling memberships is the primary job for your sales staff, everything in the club should be on the table for them to sell and profit from. During the membership sign-up process go one step beyond having an orientation or free personal training session. Offer a new member package that the membership representative can offer while the new member is excited and has his or her credit card out. Even if you don’t offer an intro package, offer your sales staff a bonus for having them sign up for and do the complimentary sessions with the trainer. This small bonus can do wonders for getting more people in front of your trainers who can use that time to sell a package.

With some planning, creativity and perhaps a change of direction there is a good chance to pump up your health club’s personal training profits and make it a shining star in your gym.