Let’s face it: the one-on-one personal training model is a great model, and I’m a big fan of it. In fact, I used to own five one-on-one personal training studios back in the day.
The reality is that with all the employees that I had to manage my one-on-one clients, even though I was making a lot of money, I was still only taking home a very tiny amount.
When I switched over to the group training model, and then ultimately to the boot camp model, I was able to deliver similar results AND keep clients longer. The cost of personal training went from $800 a month to right around $200 (or sometimes less) per month.
I was pumped because more people in my community could afford my services.
I can already tell what’s running through your mind: “How do I switch from one-on-one personal training to group training or boot camp without pissing off my clients?”
Well, I’ve got your answer for you right here. It really is a simple process.
Listen, people hate change. You know it, and I know it. Everybody hates change.
What they do like is saving money. They like something new if it’s for a short period of time.
So here’s how you explain this change to your clients…
You say, “Hey Mr. and Mrs. Jones. I found a better way to get you in shape faster. I’m going to get you in shape quicker and more efficiently, and it’s going to cost you less.”
“Best of all, we’re only going to try it for the next 30 days.”
You want to introduce group training or boot camp as a temporary program at first. Then, of course, they’re going to like it and love it so much, they’ll want to keep it.
So you’ll approach all your clients and let them know about this change either face-to-face, via an email, through Facebook, or even through a well-crafted text message, or a combination of everything.
You can do the same thing in email, but the message is this: starting the first of the month, we’re going to switch to a new format in training. This is going to allow more time slots for clients who have different desires and want to come in during the mornings on some days, evenings on some days.
This is going to reduce the cost of personal training. Best of all, it’s going to give you better results because you’re going to have a community and camaraderie and people to compete against in a positive way. That’s the message you’re going to deliver.
You’re going to say, “Moving forward as of the first, we’re going to switch away from one on one personal training to group training or boot camp. Folks, we’re only going to do this for the next 30 days because I want you to try it out. “
“Let me know what you think about it, and if it’s something that we love and want to stick with, we will, and if not, we’ll figure something else out.”
When you deliver the message that way, everybody is willing to listen to you and give you a chance on something that’s short term.
Now of course, your job is to deliver such killer and amazing boot camp workouts that they’re going to fall in love with it and never want to go back to one-on-one personal training. Doesn’t that make sense?
The biggest benefit to you is that you’re going to be able to leverage time and money. You’re not going to burn out anymore. You’re going to be able to scale your business faster and increase your profits because you can train more people in the same amount of time.
A lot more people can afford $200 a month instead of $800 a month, right?
You can imagine my payroll when I used to have 12 to 15 personal trainers per gym, per personal training studio that I owned. My overhead cost was through the roof.
Even though I was making a lot of money, I was hardly taking any of it home.
At the end of the day, you want to have money AND meaning. There’s no better way to train people in a group environment than a boot camp or a group-training program.
To make that switch away from one-on-one personal training, you have to remind clients that it’s a new and better way to train and that they’re going to pay less, and of course, they’re going to get better results. Remind them that it’s only for a short period of time, but if they like the program, you’re going to stick with it and change the format.
Remember, your clients love you. They know that you’re the expert. They trust you, and so they put their health and fitness goals in your hands.
If you say this with passion, purpose, and authority, and you assume the sale, they will do it. If you ask for their permission, they’re going to start giving you some resistance and push back.
Now, make no mistake about it: you are going to get some resistance and push back from some clients. They’ll likely have to just detach and go and work with another personal trainer because they want to stick to one-on-one personal training.
Most of your clients will convert to group training and boot camp, and that’s going to open up more time for you to bring on more clients—double, triple, quadruple the number of clients you have in your groups and your boot camps now.
Before you know it, you’re making more money while working less. You’re keeping more of that money for yourself and your family.