Trainers Talking Shop

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101

[quote]Wayland wrote:
He won’t let me do what i deem fit for his athletes and appears to have somewhat of a god complex and thus won’t relinquish responsibilities. What worse is this isn’t the first time ive met coaches with control complex! I was curious as to how you’ve dealt with difficult or awkward coaching staff?
[/quote]

Fortunately (I guess), I’ve never been in this situation.

If there’s any chance you’re on speaking terms with the guy you replaced, I’d try to talk to him about it.

Or you could have a sit-down chat (maybe a professional lunch, so it seems important, but relaxed) and explain that you do want the best for the team, but you need to be allowed the leeway to get the results.

Worst comes to worst, talk to the guy who brought you in in the first place (I presume it wasn’t the problematic coach), and tell him what’s going on. They might get the coach to back off, but it’ll be a tense work atmosphere.

Good luck in any case.

102

I was brought in by a governing club committee, Seems theres rumblings that the coach may end up being replaced!!!

103

so my paperwork went through and im starting training for PT in early August.

ive wondered what are some good ways to get clientel outside of the gym? im going to grab some business cards and start passing them out like demo tapes. itll probaly end up getting me some ass too…just saying. but im thinking about some more unconventional ways too. like i talked to one person i knew and said for every person you get me to sign up ill throw you 20 bucks. that might be a little too much i havent worked out the numbers to see if itd balance out. so yea, whats some of your best methods for attracting new clientele?

104

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
so yea, whats some of your best methods for attracting new clientele?[/quote]

not looking to get ass out of it would probably be a good start.

heads up though, business cards won’t help. People buy training on emotion, no one wants a trainer, they want the end result.

105

Referrals are the single best thing you’d ever get.

106

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
so yea, whats some of your best methods for attracting new clientele?

not looking to get ass out of it would probably be a good start.

heads up though, business cards won’t help. People buy training on emotion, no one wants a trainer, they want the end result.[/quote]

really? i want to look progessional with my business cards =(

its hard to get refferals when youre just starting out though. but i do know one of the sales people there who sits down and goes over the contract and asks about training so the guy i know said hed refer everyone he gets to sign up to me for personal training.

Edit- i meant to say “professional” but progressional sounds kinda better lol.

107

[quote]Wayland wrote:
I was brought in by a governing club committee, Seems theres rumblings that the coach may end up being replaced!!!

[/quote]

Ha, problem solved then. Let us know how everything turns out, whether he gets replaced, or how you two end up getting along.

108

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
so my paperwork went through and im starting training for PT in early August.[/quote]
Congrats. Keep us in the loop about how it goes.

Eric Ruth and Jim Labadie are two of the top fitness marketing guys around. Recently, Ruth has transitioned a bit more to focus solely on internet marketing, but Labadie is all-around the man. http://www.trainandgrowrich.com/

Business cards, in the traditional sense, are pretty bland and easily overlooked. You need to have some kind of incentive there that makes it worthwhile for the person to re-contact you. I like to use a little free report/e-book. They e-mail you, you send them a .pdf or Word document. That way:

A - You have a concrete contact address for them (an e-mail address you can re-use.) As Eric Ruth has said, once you capture someone’s contact info (either e-mail or snail mail), they should be receiving something from you every month or so until they either make a purchase or you drop dead and stop sending them.

and

B - They get concrete evidence that you know your stuff (presuming the free report has solid content worth reading, which it should. If you’re not a writer, there are generic free reports you can use. I’d personally be wary of them, but they’re out there.)

So yeah, business cards with an incentive and, as has been said, word-of-mouth referrals are key.

Joint Ventures are another decent method, but requires you to befriend a local businessperson in your community (fitness-related would be even better. A chiropractor, a spa/massage studio, a mom-pop vitamin store). Basically, you two agree to forward clients to each other. Not bad, but it takes a bit more work and trust.

Behold… the wonder that is commercial gym politics. This is a big issue (positive or negative depends on how you fit into it.) Sales people usually have their “favorite” trainer, or the trainer they drink with at happy hour, or the trainer that slips the $50 a week, or the trainer they’re sleeping with, and it can all factor into who gets new members pushed their way.

109

[quote]weib wrote:
Referrals are the single best thing you’d ever get.

[/quote]

Especially for someone just starting out, this is where those free sessions training your buddies come in. You train someone for a less-than-ideal amount of money (zero dollars being, of course, less-than-ideal), and the progress they make gets noticed by their co-workers, their family, neighbors, whomever.

And when asked why they’re looking in such better shape (or hitting the tennis ball harder, or whatever) the client - since you’ve pre-instructed them to do so - will reply “My trainer Live has me on a new routine that I’m loving. Here’s his number if you want to talk to him.”

Done and done.

110

Well my brother just signed up to my gym out of nowhere and one of my other friends is most likely going to follow suit.

for what its worth i also know a lot of the strong/big guys at the gym. a few football players, a few massive big guys, a couple intermediates, and some older guys too that are still in great shape. i think itll probaly help me in some respect that i can walk into the weight room and genuinley greet a bunch of people in there who at least look like they know what theyre doing.

111

hows the atmosphere in California? it seems that over there theyre really into fitness and all that.

my aunt lives out there and says that she had to quit smoking just because of the social pressure. she said people look at you like youre a rapist or something if you smoke.

i also noticed that celeberity trainers make a shitload of money and theyre all in LA or Hollywood and make rediculous money and half the time they dont even know shit, so i was thinking maybe if i really want to get into this i could head out with my aunt for a little bit til i can get my own spot and probaly just make a shit town of money training people out there.

112

Yes i agree with Chris.
I watched some of Ryan Lee’s stuff and listen to labadie.

It makes sense, most of the time name cards are just dumped into your pocket to be thrown out later.

Your clients and people who work with you are the ones that are getting your name out there. They’re your walking billboards that their friends, family and co worker will know your services.

Results is king in this industry, and nothing else matters.

113

im worried that using a BBing training method, clients will begin to question why im having them do the same movements for 4 weeks straight then start questioning if they really need me.

i havent actually trained anyone yet because im still doing posistion training.

i guess i could switch things up every 4 weeks or so, or just make manute changes like sets/rest or whatever.

its just that i want to employ BBing methods regardless of objectives since i obviously feel BBing is the superior style to achieve almost any goal.

the thing is i want to keep as much of my soul as possible. by this i mean i want to take in these people and train in methods that ID use myself and not just fad training style of the week that will bear no results.

114

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
hows the atmosphere in California? it seems that over there theyre really into fitness and all that …
i also noticed that celeberity trainers make a shitload of money and theyre all in LA or Hollywood and make rediculous money and half the time they dont even know shit[/quote]
Have you read the interview with Jessica Biel’s trainer? Interesting stuff you might want to take a look at.

Also, I don’t remember if it was mentioned in this thread before, but Cosgrove and Ferruggia’s piece on The Business is considered by many to be a great and honest look into, um, the business.
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/business.htm

That could work, but you don’t have to travel half way across the country. Any major metropolitan area will have plenty of opportunities, it’s all about who you’re comfortable and capable of reaching. If money is your primary concern, you’d focus your advertising on attracting wealthier clients, no trick there.

Accountants, lawyers, doctors, etc. usually have plenty of expendable income, and many won’t mind hiring a trainer to keep them good-looking enough to attract girls half their age.

But it’s definitely a step-by-step process. Let’s get you your first paying client, then we’ll make the move to earning triple-digits per hour.

115

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
im worried that using a BBing training method, clients will begin to question why im having them do the same movements for 4 weeks straight then start questioning if they really need me.[/quote]

That’s why you need to give an overview of your plan at the beginning. “So you know, we’re going to be training with these moves and really working them hard. But after a few weeks, I’ll re-evaluate and make some changes to the routine according to your progress.”

Cardinal Sin of Coaching #1: Putting your needs and preferences ahead of the client. Boooo. The high school wide receiver who needs to improve his running speed gets trained with bodybuilding?

The 30-year old mother of 1-year old twins who can only get to the gym for two sessions a week with you gets trained with bodybuilding? Or the 72-year old retired cop who hired you because he thinks you’re funny and just wants to keep his heart healthy?

I see you said “almost any goal,” but I’d say that traditional bodybuilding (and actually, we might have different definitions of that) is ideal only for building muscle mass, given the proper available time.

That’s an awesome way of putting it, and I understand where you’re coming from.

I agree 108%, you shouldn’t compromise your beliefs or values as a professional. You can and should hold true to your core principles, but part of being a professional is being open-minded enough to use all available resources. I believe Cosgrove said it best:

“Bruce Lee once said, ‘Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless.’ My approach to training is the same. Why do I have to be a functional training guy? Or an Olympic lifting guy or a Westside guy? Am I a HIT guy? No. Does that mean I’m a low intensity guy then? Absolutely not. I’m all of those and I’m none of those. I’m a results guy.”

116

i think me saying that id use a bodybuilding style regardless of objectives came out really wrong because its two really broad things being compared, BBing training (which theres 9zillion methods of) and whatever the goal may be.

i just mean i think training with tried and proven methods that provide strength and muscle gains will be the cornerstone of my training.

we did a group thing as part of my company(ballys) training and the guy they made me train said afterwards that i was really good at brining the intensity, he told me that he wouldve quit a while ago and im just really good.

the only thing he reccomended was that i emplore more of the gym “toys” if it were a different client, like give them the hard shit and then throw some B.S. inbetween so they have fun or whatever.

ive just never seen lifting as something “fun” ive just seen it as something i need to do. fun for me is the anabolic rush you get after deadlifting 400lbs or the feeling you get after someone makes a positive comment about your body, but going to the gym, 5-6 days aint fun, its brutal. …idk maybe im masochistic?

117

Just bumping to see how the brothers-in-arms are doing. Any situations need dealing with?

Tip of the week:
Fitness Riches - http://www.fitness-riches-book.com/ - If you guys don’t have it, get it pronto. It’ll overload your brain with enough info to build your training business to redonkulous levels, whether you work in a gym or on your own.

17 of the best of the best (Cosgrove, Ballantyne, Ruth, Hartman, Mohr, and a dozen others) each have their own full chapter to explain their advice. It’s a killer read, and I still skim it once a month or so as a refresher.

118

I’ll probably pick it up

Anyone else feeling the pinch of the economy. I’ll make it through OK I feel, but I’m only make 1/2 what I was 4 months ago before shit really started to hit the fan. It’s enough to get by, but I’m not putting much money towards my retirement and investments as I had planned earlier in the year.

Anyone ever have a situation where the money slowed and either went back to school because they have the extra time or they got a 2nd job?

One of the best things about being a trainer is that if you’re not training you have a lot of down time to get your other stuff done, whether it’s trying to bring in more business or catch up on some of those training books you’ve been letting collect dust for a couple of months.

119

Anyone have an idea of what liability insurance for trainers is going for nowadays?

120

$160-180 is a decent rate