Your Personal Training Is NOT for Everyone

Let’s say you have a personal training client. She pays you a good chunk of change, maybe comes in 5 or 6 times a week for an hour or two.

The thing about this client is that she’s really difficult to work with. She grates your gears every time you train her.

Is her money worth the trouble?

Spoiler alert: It’s not. Here’s why.

 

It’s About Your Time, Not Their Money

You need to fire her.

I’ve been in this position. I know it sounds hard, but there’s a way to reframe the bad news to let the client off gently.

But first, you must realize that your life is not a test-run. This is the one life on this planet that you have.

They’re literally taking value and time out of your life that you could be spending with clients who appreciate you more, who bring you way less stress and add value to your life, who could be better sources of referrals…

They’re robbing you of time you could be spending with your wife and kids.

My point is, that time you could be spending getting three more clients a month, that extra hour, is being wasted. So it’s not an issue of income or money.

 

How Do You Break the News?

So how do you let her down easy?

You just have a talk with her, and you say, “Look Mrs. Jones, I really appreciate you training with me over the last 12 months. However, just based on the dynamics that our relationship is causing, I think we need to probably go our own separate ways. It’s nothing personal, I just really feel that training you is no longer an option for me. If you want, I can help you find another personal trainer locally. Otherwise, two weeks from now is your last session,”

Draw the line.

Give her a good two weeks, three weeks, a month, and that’s it. If she asks why, I would be very honest and tell her why, because odds are she is also causing angst in other people’s lives.

I would say, “Hey Mrs. Jones, you probably don’t even know that you’re doing this, but you actually kind of stress me out. I don’t sleep well at night.” Or whatever it is that she does.

“I would rather just walk our separate ways and stay friends, as opposed getting anxiety every time I train you.”

That’s when you take it upon yourself to let her down easily. “It’s not you, it’s me, because I don’t want to have anxiety. It affects my mindset.” Something like that.

 

A Blessing in Disguise?

And who knows? You might actually help her out, because you might be the third person who’s told her that. You might be that final straw that breaks the camel’s back and inspires change.

“Fuck, something’s wrong with me. I better see why people are telling me this.”

That’s it. You do her a favor, you save yourself a few headaches, and you free yourself up to get even more clients through your doors.

 

Committed to your success,

Bedros