Year 1 of my training career:
The most successful trainer at the gym was Louis, older gentlemen in his 60s.
All of his clients were wealthy retirees. Everyone bought 20-30 sessions at a time. Full schedule daily
He was master salesman, because he didn’t sell…
He had cultivated a reputation that preceded him
Any potential new client,
- he’d talk to them for at least a half hour
- Did a lengthy assessment
- Wrote everything down with pen in an American Express notebook folder
- End of assessment, he’d given estimated timeframe… 3 months minimum to improve to XYZ level of health, 6 months to reach ABC level etc
- Each issue was given a timetable to be solved in,
- Minimum number of hours necessary, preferred hours each to get their faster
- Then he’d ask the person which option worked best for them
Watching him was a mind-melt compared to the usual sales process that happens in gyms.
Gyms are constantly desperate for new members, trainers are constantly desperate for clients.
How he presented himself, positioned his service, and got investment from people…
It was more akin to luxury brand, or an investing partnership.
“Here is what I can do for you. What would you like to do?”
And he had the obvious results to back everything up. His clients trusted him completely, rarely missed sessions.
He told me something that always stuck out to me
“If you want to be successful at this, ignore what everyone else does”