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In an industry fueled by transformations and self-achievement, being a personal trainer means constantly striving to meet the ever-changing needs of your clients. To say this is demanding would be an understatement, but calling it rewarding may be the perfect description. Being a personal trainer is more than just changing someone’s physique; it’s about transforming lives.
But at the end of the day, you are just one person, and the workload is often neverending. There will be many hurdles to overcome on your road to success, but sacrificing your ambitions and business goals should not be one of them.
In the digital era, leveraging technology to streamline operations and enhance client engagement becomes paramount. We want you to stay ahead of the pack, so let’s cover some of the best ways to grow your personal training business with Trafft.
Biggest Challenges Personal Trainers Face
There are many challenges personal trainers face in their pursuit of success, most regarding client retention and time management.
Retaining a loyal client base means building relationships and investing time and effort to make them thrive. Your clients want to feel seen, heard, and appreciated, even though you may have ten others to train that same day. Having a packed schedule doesn’t mean you can brush them off and overlook their training session. Put in the work and constantly revise their workout routine so it better fits their fitness goals, and you are on the good road to converting someone who showed up only a few times into a client who will be coming back for years to come.
As for time management, we understand it can be tricky to balance everything out. Trying to grow your clientele, focusing on current clients, continuous education, marketing efforts, and administration will all take a toll on your free time. And while maintaining a work-life balance can be hard, it should be a priority so you don’t head down the burnout road.
Trafft – a booking software that lets you enjoy your free time
Trafft is a free booking software made specifically for personal trainers looking to streamline their operations and grow their revenue.
In its essence, Trafft simplifies appointment scheduling for your clients, makes a schedule that works for you, and boosts overall efficiency. If you are looking for software that can lessen the administrative burden of running your own personal training business, look no further than Trafft.
How Can You Utilize Trafft to Build a Thriving Personal Training Business?
Building a successful business is an end goal, but how can a booking solution help you get there? Well, in many different ways, actually!
Trafft has numerous integrations that will handle every aspect of your business, leaving you time to focus on your clients. In continuation, we will cover just a few you can utilize if you want to see a significant difference in your business growth and profitability.
Make your brand unique
Differentiating your business from some other personal trainer is essential if you want to stand out. The fitness industry is overcrowded, and with so many choices available, it’s crucial to ensure people are going to choose your services. But how can you do that? Well, create a brand that resonates with clients, speaks to them, and understands their issues. A strong brand communicates professionalism, credibility, and expertise, which are essential factors that potential clients consider when choosing a personal trainer.
Trafft lets you completely customize your booking page so it fits your brand. But if you already have a website that you use and love, you can easily embed a booking form into it in just two clicks. With a variety of templates, custom domains, customizable booking forms, and labels, you can ensure everything fits your vision perfectly.
Launch an online course
As people are working more than ever, time for a proper gym session may be hard to find. So, what’s the best way to cater to this busy clientele? Launch an online course people can sign up for and attend at their own pace.
With its Zoom and Google Meet integrations, Trafft will help you easily handle this transition into the online world. Once your clients schedule a workout, the link will be sent automatically, so you don’t have to worry about anything.
These classes can even be recorded so your clients can do them in their own free time. If they need help perfecting their form, offering on-demand sessions can be a great source of revenue for you.
Be available 24/7
Nobody wants to answer their phone and schedule sessions in the middle of the night; that’s a given, but being available for booking anytime, day or night, can bring in many new clients. Did you ever have a sudden burst of motivation and want to change something about your life that instant? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. Many people decide on a whim that now is a perfect time to start working on that summer body, and they want to book a session with a personal trainer. So, what if you don’t pick up their call? In that case, they will likely go elsewhere.
However, by utilizing Trafft, your clients can book, cancel, or reschedule a session at their convenience without ever needing to call you. Even when you are asleep, Trafft works tirelessly to bring in new business while also optimizing your schedule.
Introduce online payments
Fewer and fewer people are carrying cash around, and giving clients a choice to pay for a session in advance online can make them more likely to actually attend.
Trafft offers PayPal, Mollie, Stripe, and Authorize.net integrations, so the payments can be done seamlessly using the customer’s preferred payment platform. This flexibility will help you cater to wider audiences, which is always a plus.
Upon booking a session, the client will select if they prefer to pay online or onsite. And if they choose to pay in advance, they can settle a bill in full or make a deposit payment while settling the rest once they come in for their training. With no need to carry a POS terminal around, these payments also provide a more stable income and better usage of your time.
Allow group booking
Starting a fitness journey can be scary, and many prefer not to do it alone. Bringing a friend or two for a session can make some clients more likely to show up. Even if your focus is one-on-one training, working with a small group can benefit both you and the client. These sessions can have a slightly lower price (but ultimately bring more money as more slots are available) and provide a supportive community to motivate your clients.
With Trafft, you can accommodate these group bookings just by defining the minimum and maximum available slots for a session. Now, your clients can book a few slots while also bringing in a few referrals. Not all your sessions need to be in a group setting; it’s up to you to set up your offerings however you see fit.
Set up more locations
Is there a specific gym chain you have a partnership with? If the answer is yes, and they have more locations across town, consider offering sessions in a few of them or even all. On the other hand, if such a partnership doesn’t exist, try to negotiate some terms with a few different gyms and offer your session there.
People are more likely to go to the gym if it’s convenient and close to their homes. You, as a personal trainer, should accommodate this if you are looking to retain as many of your clients as possible. While it may be really demanding, it is possible to make a schedule that also works for you.
Upon booking a session, Trafft lets your clients pick a location that suits them best, and it can even provide you with some buffer time needed for travel to the next location. By blocking out time in this way, there is no fear of being late for your next appointment or looking unprofessional.
Nonetheless, it’s up to you to see if you prefer to dedicate one day to working in one facility and the next day to working in another. All this can be customized in your Trafft account so your clients know exactly where they are headed. Additionally, don’t forget to add “online” as one of the location options so those who will attend via Zoom or Google Meet can easily schedule a training session.
Get to know your clients
Successful client retention lies in building good relationships with your clients. So, why not get started on this even before they come for their first session? The sooner you start learning about them and their preferred exercises, health concerns, or restrictions, the better you’ll be equipped to create a personalized meal and workout plan. However, with an hour-long session and almost no time to chat, asking any personal questions may have to be postponed.
Yet, utilizing the Trafft custom fields feature can help you learn the basics you need to know. Intake forms are completely customizable, and we recommend you don’t miss a chance to ask about a gender, age, preferred exercise type, and fitness goals.
Minimize No shows and Boost Client Satisfaction with Trafft
Scheduling an appointment and deciding not to show up is the biggest pain point for any personal trainer. Clients value their own time, but sometimes they carelessly waste yours. You could have spent it coming up with a new exercise regime or squeezing in your own session, but instead, you wait, contemplating whether they will show up at some point. When it happens once, it’s not such a big deal, but multiple times a month will significantly impact your revenue.
As it turns out, you are not so hopeless while this is happening to you. There are ways you can minimize the number of missed sessions and boost the overall client satisfaction. You just need the right tool, and that’s Trafft.
Send appointment reminders
Life often gets busy, and we forget about the commitments we made. Most people miss their session not out of spite of you but because they just forget about it. Calling one by one and pointing out their upcoming appointments is a huge task and is often not possible with back-to-back sessions. Hiring additional help is generally not an option, and if it is, it’ll surely be a costly one.
But, with Trafft’s reminders feature, all this can be done automatically. You just need to select the channel (Email, SMS, or both), and the software will handle the rest. Focus only on your client, and Trafft will make sure the next one shows up.
Ask for feedback
Client feedback is one of the best sources of information, and collecting it can tell you a lot about your business. But once again, printing a million questionnaires can be costly, and only a few people will remember to bring them back. If you are trying to weigh out the pros and cons, this extra source of information is always a good idea. A satisfied client is the client that will come back and maybe even bring a friend along.
With Trafft, you can collect all the feedback without any effort from your side or spending any extra money. After someone experienced your services firsthand a few times, Trafft will send them an email asking for their evaluation.
After all this info is gathered, see if there is something many people have noticed or has been bothering them, and adjust your approach accordingly. An additional benefit is that you will show your clients that you care about their opinions, which will make them feel valued and respected, resulting in enhanced loyalty.
Reward loyal clients
When we mention loyalty, there are many things you can do to foster it once this relationship is established. Offering exclusive discounts or special promotions are just a few of the ways in which you’ll demonstrate appreciation and encourage ongoing commitment. If someone has been with you for a long time and truly acknowledges your expertise and the quality of service you offer, why not reward them?
Trafft can help you do just that with its coupon feature that lets you easily create, distribute, and track the usage of your coupons. Like all others, this feature is completely automated, and once your clients book a certain number of sessions, the coupon will be sent to their email address instantly. On the other hand, you can also create a few exclusive vouchers and send them to your hand-picked clientele if that’s what you prefer.
Final Words on How to Grow Your Personal Training Business With Trafft
In the competitive landscape of personal training, true success lies not only in transforming bodies but also in building and maintaining lasting relationships. And with so much to focus on, maximizing efficiency becomes a cornerstone for achieving sustainable growth and client satisfaction.
Whether it’s creating a unique brand identity, expanding service offerings with online courses, or ensuring seamless online payments, Trafft equips personal trainers with all the tools needed to stay ahead. With features like automated appointment reminders, feedback collection, and coupons for the most committed clients, Trafft not only minimizes no-shows but also fosters client loyalty.
Sign up for Trafft today and transform everyday challenges into opportunities for growth while focusing on what you love – coaching others.
Lastly, many personal trainers struggle with pricing their services. Just to be sure you are not overcharging or selling yourself short, here is our guide on how much to charge as a personal trainer. If your focus is the online realm, here’s how much you should charge for online training.
