 |
How to start your Personal Training empire Setting up your business Firstly, it is important that you are registered with REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals). REPs is a well recognised organisation within the fitness industry that provides information about the teaching status and level of expertise of its members. REPs profile and awareness is also growing with the general public. If you wish to train clients in their own homes, don't be surprised if they ask if you’re registered, in the same way that most people would ask a heating engineer if he or she were ‘corgi’ registered. Secondly, you need to take out Public Liability Insurance. There are lots of good deals around, but the amount you need to pay may vary depending on the service you offer. It is your responsibility to source and investigate the best options for your requirements and you should be fully insured by the time you undertake your first home visit or gym session. Here are some other tips that will help you get started:
Getting Clients Starting up a client base is one of the most important tasks in personal training. Start by collecting names and email addresses of people you meet within the health and fitness industry, be it at shows, fitness weekends or other events. Over time, this list will build up into a most valuable asset. Kate Howard, a tutor for Future Fit Training, says: ‘The best way to get new clients is to gain as much experience as possible working through a wide range of clients and from there, the best advertising for you will be word of mouth. You need to talk to people and once they realise you are a personal trainer they will start talking to you about their diet and fitness and you can offer them snippets of advice to get their interest. Very often they will ask for your card there and then.’
Another important area is the marketing of you as a personal trainer. This is paramount and you should never underestimate the power of marketing. If you don’t market yourself, then no one will know you exist. You’re letting the client know that you’re there to serve them. There are many ways of doing this. Start by focussing on offline and online marketing. Offline techniques include leaflets, brochures, postcards and advertising, while online techniques utilise the power of the internet. You could also work on some PR for yourself, as this can really spread the word about your business. A simple starting point is writing a ‘press release’, a success story is a popular angle that local newspapers may run for you. You could perhaps contact your local newspaper and place an advert (check out their different rates) offering to provide a half-price session to readers who contact you by a certain date. It goes without saying, if your product or service is not different from the others, you don’t have a unique selling point (USP). Try to develop yours so that you stand head and shoulders above the rest. It could be something as simple as your character or your tone of voice. You may want to focus on one particular area of fitness and build up a reputation as being the expert in that area. Always put the client first. Pay strict attention to their wants and needs. The ‘client is King’ ideology should always prevail. Never stop learning. Ensure that you are up to date with the latest research and techniques. You will gain this knowledge by attending fitness weekends. These annual events serve the fitness industry by providing training, workshops, lectures and masterclasses. Attend them and talk to other people. Find out what they want. You should look at any situation from more than one direction. As they say, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. May we take this opportunity to wish you luck and success in your new business! For more information why not visit our online guides or call one of our experienced Careers Advisors on 01329 829444
|
You might want to
make yourself available to local gyms to teach classes at short notice. You can earn about £25 per one-hour class. Also, many health clubs have a shortage of staff and you may find yourself being called in regularly to take classes. Plus, if you build a relationship with local health clubs in the area, this will give you access to their members, who may need a personal trainer. Otherwise, if you can produce a ‘Special Report’ in your specific field of expertise, you’ll be able to offer it ‘free of charge’ in exchange for the details. Remember also, that this list or database of people will be highly targeted, and therefore a little niche area at which to direct your offers. |