How To Sell Personal Training On The Gym Floor 

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As a personal trainer, you need to be consistently selling and marketing yourself. Bringing in clients is key to growing your business, and there are more resources at your disposal than you might realize. If you’re working at a gym, then there’s a great opportunity for networking at your fingertips. If you’re wondering how to sell personal training on the gym floor, then there are nine points you can keep in mind. These tips and tricks can help you bring in more clientele from your own gym. While selling personal training services in person can seem daunting, following these points can help. 

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Add Value

If you’re working as a personal trainer through a gym then you’re running into plenty of people who are already paying for fitness services. In order to get them to pay for your sessions too, you need to add value to their fitness regime. This is all about being able to understand and help with both short and long term goals. The average person you see at the gym may just be doing some basic workouts, with no real goal in mind. You need to be able to offer valuable insight if you want to recruit clients in the gym. When it comes to how to sell personal training, whether in the gym or online, adding value is one of the most important aspects. However, you don’t need to worry about this point too much. If you’ve already been hired to work in the gym then you’ve already shown how valuable you are. 

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Establish Rapport

Establishing rapport with gym-goers should be one of your first steps in selling personal training to new clients. It’s one of the easiest ways to attract potential clients. Make friendly conversation with those you see around the gym. Get to know who they are, and why they’re at the gym. They may be looking to get in shape or train for an event. This is the perfect time to share your expertise, and maybe even offer a free consultation.  Establishing rapport within the gym you work with is a great way to network and make connections, both with potential clients and other fitness trainers.

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Create an Email List

While the gym you work for might collect the emails of members that use the facility, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to access it. Some gyms might let you access this information, but others won’t. Since email lists are so vital to any kind of business, you should come up with another way to collect emails and contact information if your gym isn’t able to share it. You can leave your own email sign up at the front desk, with information about the kind of personal training services you offer. Once you have an email, it will be easier to bring in clients. These lists can be used to share information about session discounts, training tips, or anything else that might draw people to your business.

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Offer Coupons for Free Consultations

You don’t have to approach people on the gym floor in order to sell personal training sessions to them. A good way to get to know people in your gym, while potentially bringing in new clients, you can offers coupons for a free consultation. There are creative ways to advertise these coupons in the gym itself. You can put up posters or flyers, or leave a stack of coupons at the front desk. If you do feel comfortable approaching people for conversation, you can walk around and hand a few out. Make sure to talk to your employer before hanging up any kind of flyers, as they might not be okay with it. 

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Focus Less on the Sale

Of course, you’ll need to be focused on the final sale when selling your personal business training, but you don’t have to be focused on it all the time. There are plenty of opportunities to be kind to gym members just for the sake of being time. Potential clients can tell when all you want to do is make a sale off of them, or when you are being genuinely kind. You should be willing to give sometimes, without expecting anything in return. This can show gym members that your personal training sessions are about more than just money, they’re about really helping people. 

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Look For Nonmembers

It’s common to want to focus on gym members when selling personal training on the gym floor. However, a lot of people who frequent the gym aren’t actually members. They may not stop by enough to warrant a membership, or they may just not be interested. Whatever the reason is, nonmembers in the gym can make up a large percentage of your potential clientele. There are also plenty of non-members at the gym who aren’t there to specifically work out. This includes the front desk workers, marketing employees, or the people working behind the snack bar. All of these people could potentially be interested in hiring you as a personal fitness instructor, and they should not be ignored. 

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Offer A Health Assessment Day 

Some gyms will have personal trainers who offer health assessment days. People can pay a small amount, maybe between five and ten dollars, to have you give them a professional health assessment, and go over their exercise habits. This typically includes a few basic tests, such as blood pressure and blood glucose. You can even offer some quick tips or advice. This is a great way to promote your personal training business and bring in potential clients. 

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Consider Your Environment

Before you start trying to sell your personal training business on the gym floor, you need to be considering your environment. Different gyms will have different atmospheres, even different sections could seem completely different. You should feel it out before approaching someone and try to zero in on a person that looks ready and able to have a conversation. If you notice a gym-goer in the middle of an intense workout, or you see they have headphones, they might not be the best clientele to approach. Going up to gym members who seem ready to learn about your business will be your best bet. Keep in mind, that many people go to the gym with the mindset of getting in and getting out. Not everyone will be open to hearing you out.

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Be Personable and Kind

When you start out trying to sell personal training sessions, one of the most important points to remember is always be personable and kind. This will get you a lot further than coming across as standoffish or rude, and it will certainly get you further than not approaching anyone at all. People are more likely to respond positively to you if you’re being genuinely nice and seem to care about what they have to say. Everybody wants to be treated with kindness, and even if it doesn’t land you that particular client, they might end up referring you to someone they know.

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Why These Points Work

The reason that many of these points work is because of how simple and straightforward they are. You don’t need to rely on major marketing strategies, or complex campaigns to bring in clients. All you have to do is focus on being the fitness training you already are. Even gathering and utilizing an email list doesn’t require any major technological savvy. These nine points are devised to be simple and effective and play to the strengths you already have as an instructor. You’re able to get in the gym and focus on what your business is really about; personal training.

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In Conclusion

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When you put these nine points into practice you’ll find your clientele will grow. By getting in the gym, being personable and approachable, and offering help when you can are guaranteed ways to attract people to you and your personal training business. 

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Are you new to personal training? Read these articles to get started on growing your business:

• How to price your online training
• How To Attract Clients as a Personal Trainer
• How to write a memorable and professional fitness bio

About the Author:

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Cory McKane

Cory is a huge fan of fitness - and an even bigger fan of helping you with your fitness. He's started on his journey with WeStrive back in 2015 and has been building it ever since.