The Sales Mistake That Is Killing Your Personal Training Business

Fit pros, you’re leaving money on the table…

A lot of money.

Why? Because you’re selling the wrong thing.

Your sales strategy, or lack of strategy, is the problem. (We’ll dive deeper on that in a minute…)

We get it. You’ve got everything a potential client could ask for:

Killer equipment? Check. Who doesn’t love Jacobs Ladders, Peloton bikes and treads, and the latest and greatest lifting platforms?

Game-changing technology? Of course; your gym is outfitted with group heart rate tracking, a top-notch body composition analyzer, and TVs in every corner.

And let’s not forget your program design. You can whip something up for all kinds of clients. That’s why you pay big bucks to learn from industry icons at the world’s best continuing education seminars (Perform Better, anyone?).

From equipment to workouts, you’ve got it all. So, what’s the problem?

The problem is this: You’re using equipment, technology, and workouts as your sales pitch… aren’t you?

Cool? Sure.

Enough to earn someone’s money? At times.

Enough to ensure that same someone achieves their goals? Not a chance.

If you’re in the business of transforming lives, you need to… well, transform lives.

Think about it. Your pitch is no different than your competitors. The good news is we’re going to help you fix that in just a minute.

Auditing Your Sales Pitch: It’s Not About You

Your current sales pitch is backward. It’s about you — not the prospect.

Let me explain…

As someone who lives and breathes fitness, new-age equipment, the latest programming principles, and fitness-business technology trends are right up your alley.

But do those things speak to your typical personal training prospect?

You know, the client who has purchased more memberships than he/she knows what to do with?

The business owner who can’t seem to stick to a consistent schedule?

The man/woman who has started — and stopped — losing that extra 20 pounds countless times?

The overwhelmed parent trying to balance work and family life, while somehow squeezing in a little time to exercise?

The frustrated individual who every trainer in town has had little luck with?

And the overweight person who finally worked up the courage to step foot in a fitness facility?

The answer is no. 6 for 6.

With more than one-third of U.S. adults categorized as obese, your usual personal training client has a different set of needs and desires than you.

The pitch you’re using is for the people who don’t necessarily need personal training – the people who already have some level of commitment to their health. And the people who will find a way to get to the gym often enough to live healthy and happy.

Frankly, your pitch is for people like you and me.

The first step to fixing your pitch is understanding your perfect prospect.

Your Perfect Prospect Doesn’t Want Workouts

Tell me about your perfect prospect…

It’s someone who is wholeheartedly committed to your services, right? Someone who overlooks excuses for their “why?” Someone who is so driven to make a change, that he/she will never miss a workout or skip their “homework?”

You know, the kind of person who transforms into a testimonial you can tout for life and an ongoing referral machine.

For more of a visual, your perfect prospect is likely the 2-3 people plastered on your website right now to showcase your skills.

You want need more of those clients.

So, stop selling workouts.

Stop selling equipment. And stop selling technology.

The perfect prospect we just defined needs one thing more than anything else…

Accountability.

While gym owners should invest in equipment refreshes, technology that can benefit the client experience, and continuing education, it’s accountability that puts your services over the top.

Stop Selling Features — Start Selling Accountability

The one mistake every fitness professional needs to stop making? We just addressed it: Selling features like equipment, technology, and workouts, instead of selling the benefits of accountability.

Most of your clients don’t need anything complex. In fact, most of them already know what they need to do. Being active and eating right doesn’t take a rocket scientist.

The problem is they’re just not doing it with any consistency.

Would you rather have a client that takes your TRX, kettlebell, and tire-flipping routine seriously the 2 times per month he/she shows up for a session, or a client who is getting some sort of exercise and building healthy habits nearly every day of the month (or better yet, year).

We’ll take the latter every time.

That client has accountability. And that accountability is a solution that comes from a fitness professional.

A fitness professional like you.

So, stop selling workouts and start selling accountability.

We’re willing to bet this shift in your sales strategy will pay huge dividends.

Amazing Statistics That Prove Accountability Works

More than three quarters of U.S. adults care about being in shape and looking good, but only 31% make exercise a regular habit.

The solution to ensuring clients commit to consistent exercise? The following studies point to accountability.

• • A 2018 Stanford University study put accountability to the test by comparing the exercise habits of those who received an accountability phone call and those who were left with no form of accountability for 12 months. The group that received accountability phone calls exercised an average of 78% more minutes per week than when they started. The control group that did not receive accountability calls exceeded their original minutes-per-week by only 18-28%.

• • An Indiana University study measured accountability by comparing married couples who worked out together versus singles who worked out alone. The singles had a 43% dropout rate over the course of a year, while the couples who hit the gym together had  only a 6.3 percent dropout rate.

• • Social support, dietary intervention, and supervision each have a significant impact on the adherence of weight loss programs. Programs without the aforementioned attributes have lower adherence rates, which means more dropouts and poorer results.

• The effect of accountability has even been measured on digital weight-loss communities, with a study finding social support plays a “prominent role” in participants’ weight loss efforts. In fact, the study identified “encouragement” and “motivation” as two components of social support that members valued most.

The bottom line is exercise adherence and accountability go hand-in-hand, and accountability is your golden ticket to new clients, increased client retention, and improved client adherence and success.

Final Word on Accountability

Client success has a direct correlation with accountability. If you want to increase your income by closing more sales, retaining your personal training clients, maximizing frequency of sessions, and, of course, transforming lives (who doesn’t need more high-quality testimonials?), you need to start selling accountability and stop selling workouts.  

From phone calls and text messages to emails and push notifications, there are myriad ways to hold your clients accountable away from the gym. Looking for a simple, scalable solution for amazing client accountability?

Drop us a line. Accountability is what we’re built on.