Let’s face it.
You can’t grow your personal training business, you can’t make more money, and you can’t have the impact that you want in your community if you’re a one person show.
The truth of the matter is you need a team if you want to grow your fitness business to massive success. That’s what I’m going to help you with today.
Hiring on Skill Is NOT Enough
When I started off as a personal trainer I was doing a lot of one-on-one personal training myself. That’s great and all, but the truth of the matter is that you simply don’t have the freedom, you won’t make the kind of money you want, and you won’t make the impact that you want to make in the community.
I decided that I was going to open up my own gym, and I started hiring personal trainers. That’s when I discovered that hiring on skill alone is not enough.
True, we do want to hire talented and skilled personal trainers to work for us, but more than skill what you’re looking for is personality.
You want the type of personality that can build rapport, that gets along with others, that knows how to motivate others. What you really want is more than a personal trainer—you want a coach.
The Difference Between a Trainer and a Coach
There’s a big difference between a personal trainer and a coach.
In my mind’s eye, a personal trainer is someone who knows where the muscles originate and insert. They understand the posterior chain and they understand the ATP system. That makes them a great trainer.
But what makes someone a great coach?
A great coach is someone who cares, who knows how to motivate and inspire. They can make a workout so c
hallenging and yet so fun that the client, who doesn’t want to come in the next day, is still looking forward to coming back for more.
So look for someone with skill, and personality. Someone who can train and also entertain at the same time. You want that extroverted type A personality.
Those are the people who can and will move your business forward. That’s really the trick to finding a trainer who’s an amazing coach.
So if you’re looking into hiring a friend because they’ve been loyal to you, or you’re thinking of turning an existing client into a trainer or a coach, ask yourself this: yes, they can be great trainers, but are they great coaches too?
Do they know how to motivate someone who’s having a bad day?
Do they know how to get the biggest calorie burn out of a client who’s otherwise dogging it and not really interested in going through a hardcore workout that day?
If they know how to deliver that, then they’re going to make great coaches. So how do you develop a great coach?
How to Develop Amazing Coaches
Well you need someone who believes in personal development. All of the great coaches on this planet—whether it’s a money coach, a fitness coach, or a mindset coach— are the types of people who work heavily on personal development and self-esteem and personal growth.
Make sure that you don’t just hire someone who is motivated to do the personal growth work, because your job as the boss is to encourage them and help them grow professionally also.
That might mean going through a Martin Rooney workshop or a Todd Durkin workshop. That might mean going to different performance evolution events. A trainer gets certified to become a trainer, but to be come a coach you have to know how to connect with your clients.
Some of the best coaches I know can take someone who is not in the mood to work out and turn them into someone who leaves every ounce of calorie burn on the workout floor.
So the next time you’re interviewing for trainers, just ask yourself: are they just a trainer or a coach? If they’re going to be a good coach, invest in them, pay them well, and make sure you’re always working on their personal development so they can deliver the exceptional service that your clients want, need, and deserve.
Committed to your success,
Bedros