elitefts™ Sunday edition

Six Things to Do After Closing the Personal Training Sale

Most personal trainers want to do one thing as soon as someone hands them money for personal training—run! They’re so afraid their new client will change his or her mind that they would do just about anything to get the heck out of there. However, as you’ll discover in this brief article, there is much left to do once the sale has been closed and money has exchanged hands.

Here are the six things every personal trainer should do as soon as their prospect has become a paying client.

  1. If you haven’t already, ask your clients if they're on your e-newsletter list. Just because they've become a client doesn’t mean it’s time to stop marketing to them. And an e-newsletter is an easy way to stay in touch with clients about other services and products that you may offer.It’s also a terrific way to show your clients other client testimonials. These are an extremely powerful way to not only motivate your client but to retain them as well.
  2. Explain to your clients what they can expect in their first training session. Get them excited. Let them know whether or not they will need to warm up on their own. Go over what they are expected to wear. Never assume your client knows what is expected of them. Explaining everything beforehand will do wonders for starting this business relationship out on the right foot.
  3. Discuss face-to-face how your cancellation policy works. Don’t just give your clients a piece of paper that explains it because you’re too afraid to explain it to them in person. Your new client needs to be educated on how your entire business works. That includes how you handle cancellations. Doing it face-to-face leaves nothing to chance. Nothing will upset a client more than being charged for missing a session and not understanding why.
  4. Educate your new clients on referrals. Let them know that your business is a word-of-mouth business and that you thrive on referrals. Briefly describe your referral reward policy and explain the type of clients that your business works with. The more they know about what to look for in a referral, the more likely they are to deliver some.
  5. Give your clients one last chance to back out. If your clients are going to have buyer’s remorse, it will ruin your sale. There is the chance that they haven’t had all of their questions answered and were only being polite by agreeing to sign on. If they call back and decide they have changed their mind, it’s too late for you to do anything. Right before they leave, ask them if they are 100 percent certain that they’re committed to this decision. It gives you the very best chance of saving your sale.
  6. Send a thank you card as soon as your client leaves. It seems so obvious, but so few businesses do it. Thank you cards go a million miles in the eyes of clients. Don’t skip this step.

Jim Labadie is a fitness entrepreneur, personal training sales expert, and speaker. Download a free copy of his e-book, 63 Must Have Sales Tips for Personal Trainers at www.ptsalestips.com.