By Brandon J. Green, CMSS, RTSm, PTS
Founder Muscle System Specialist, Exercise Specialist
My name is Brandon Green. I’ve worked as a personal trainer for more than 18 years. For the past 10 years, I have owned and operated a personal training gym called Strata Internal Performance. Since becoming a gym owner, I have developed a passion for helping personal trainers to maximize their careers!
My career objectives are to help people have the healthiest bodies possible, and to help personal trainers have the career of their dreams. Whether you are just getting started or a seasoned veteran — there is always opportunity to IMPROVE.
The strategies I use help generate an income of six figures a year and more for myself, my staff, and students of my marketing mentorship program. I’m excited to be sharing a few of them with you here. Getting started is incredibly simple! If you’re interested in learning how to generate over $8000 per month or more, let’s go!
What Do You DO?
One day, one of my mentors — Tom Purvis of the Resistance Training Specialist program ® — threw this meta-question at me: “What do you do? What do you do as a personal trainer?”
Where do you begin to answer that question? The truth is, you do hundreds of things! You are a motivator. You are a chameleon communicator. You are able to design exercises and exercise programs for your demographic. You can customize the process to the best interests of each client while also satisfying their preferences.
You have to be good at what you do!
But, in the final analysis, we can sum up all that you do into two statements:
You provide an EXPERIENCE.
You provide RESULTS.
Your job is to provide an experience that is enjoyable and memorable. This doesn’t mean having the best jokes! This means providing a quality experience unrivalled by any other personal trainer. Everything goes into your experience!
Your job is to provide results. If the client really likes their time with you, but they realize none of the changes they’d hoped for, you’ll lose them.
Next time you’re with a client, ask yourself “How can I provide a better client experience?”
Your Brand
Generally speaking, brands are associated with popular trademarks like Nike and Apple. These companies have such a strong brand presence that a glance of their logo or mention of their name, and you are racing through their product images in your mind.
On a relative scale, you should be no different! When people in your circle of influence hear the words “personal trainer”, wouldn’t it be fabulous if they thought of you first?
There are different types of brands. Personal brands are typically associated with an individual. Some business professionals don’t believe personal brands are brands at all. And yet, look at all of the people using their personal brand to become YouTube influencers!
As personal trainers, we represent a service brand. Because we are selling a service, we are responsible for making sure our product and our experience (there’s that word again) is adequate and professional. Service brands provided by a specific individual are difficult to compare to one another. It’s not like comparing a Ford Mustang to a Dodge Challenger. Personality and communication styles are involved. Personal style, if you will.
Here’s why this is important to you. When you are working at a gym, everyone is watching! Especially if you are a personal trainer. Their eyes are on you. The way you represent yourself when you’re working with a client, personally exercising, communicating with members during off hours; These are all being observed by gym members and other clients. Your audience is continuously assessing your brand.
What an incredible opportunity for you to establish yourself as a professional!!! You already have a built-in audience.
If you were to snap your fingers and instantly become the highest and best version of your professional self, what would change? And, WHAT are you waiting for??
How would ‘new’ you dress, talk, wear your hair? What kind of things would you speak about with clients while on the gym floor?
I’ve been asking myself questions like this for the past 18 years. Every year, I make small improvements to myself to provide the most professional experience possible.
Reverse Engineering Exercise
I’d like to leave you with a practical exercise I would encourage you all to do.
Make a list of your active clients. At the end of one of their personal training sessions, present them with the following script:
“Hey (client), can I ask you a quick business question? I’m conducting a survey to help me work on my professional development. What three words would you use when describing my service with you?”
This single question helped ignite the practices of several of my students. We hope to hear things like professional, expert, well-informed, great communicator. However, many of our student trainers heard comments like really funny, nice guy, a joy to spend time with, and someone I can confide in.
While all of the above comments are fabulous, it’s when people describe us in professional terms that we develop a reputation that earns $100 per hour or more.
When you do this practical exercise, the invaluable feedback you get from your clients can help you reverse engineer your professional development — so you can make those improvements on your road to success.
Until next time,
Stay business savvy, Personal Trainers!
Learn more from Brandon at the 2023 CPTN Personal Trainer Online Summit. Register at www.cptn.com. Access to all sessions is now available.
