The Fitness Professional #3: Your first client

You love fitness. You want to share that love. You passed your fitness certification. Now for the hard part: how do you get people to pay you for your expertise.

How do you land your first client?

First off what are you selling?

People hire a trainer for 5 main reasons:

• Weight loss

• Improved Strength

• Improved movement

• Accountability

• Improved athletic performance

Which one of these problems can you solve? When I began my career I could solve 2.5 of these. I could not solve them particularly well, mind you, but well enough to add some value.

Now for some marketing 101. You can solve a fitness problem for people. How do you let them know this?

• Go to where clients are (a gym).

• Demonstrate yourself solving the problem.

I’m fit. No one approaches me in the street to ask about training. People frequently ask me about training in the gym setting.

They are more likely to ask me if:

• They see me work out in a way they aspire to.

• I am well dressed, polite, and smile a lot.

• I seem friendly.

The potential client HAS to approach you. Not the other way around. Unsolicited advice feels like criticism. You’ll alienate people approaching them with “advice”. Doesn’t matter how well intentioned, or right you are.

So go to your gym. A lot. Work out when the potential clients are working out (I’ve never understood gyms that prohibit trainers from prime time workouts). Be seen.

Let your body be your billboard. The people who hire you either want to look like you, or want to move like you. Show off, just don’t be ostentatious.

Show yourself solving their problem, while having fun, while dressed well and smiling.

Your clients will find you.