How To Sell Personal Training & Get More Clients

We get a lot of questions about how to sell personal training… How do I get new clients? How should I approach members at the gym? What should I say if they tell me they can’t afford it?

In this article – we walk you through the 8-step process for selling personal training that we teach in our online course. 

We’re a team of qualified personal trainers and fitness coaches with 15+ years of industry experience, so we know first-hand what works (and what doesn’t!). We’ve trained other fitness professionals in sales, marketing, and business growth, so our strategies are tried and tested.

Whether you’re a newly qualified PT, or veteran trainer, selling can be the most daunting and confusing aspect of the job.

No matter how much we know about fitness training, or how good we are at motivating others, earning a good salary is what will enable us to continue doing it. And to earn that salary, knowing how to selling personal training is essential.

Certification courses focus on fitness, nutrition, and programming, but often neglect the business aspect. Many newly qualified PTs tell us they feel totally unprepared for the client acquisition part of the job. They know physiology and training techniques inside-out, but have no idea where to start when it comes to getting clients. 

It’s no wonder that 90% of personal trainers quit within their first year…

How To Sell Personal Training

So, we put together a course that explains exactly how to sell personal training. Here are the steps we outline in it…

1. Transform your mindset
2. Identify your ideal client
3. Make your pricing persuasive
4. Establish a client base
5. Refine basic selling skills
6. Learn how to approach people confidently
7. Create effective testimonials
8. Know how to close the sale 

This handy infographic outlining the exact sales steps that we teach in our online course… Scroll down to learn more about each stage in the process. Happy selling!

Now let’s look at each of these steps individually…

#1 – Transform your mindset

If you find the idea of selling daunting, then step one is to transform your mindset. Some people won’t be worried by selling and if that’s you – awesome! Skip straight to step two.

But if you’re someone who feels a bit intimidated or anxious about sales, then we’ll need to work on our mindset first.

Selling personal training doesn’t need to be daunting if you have a blueprint to follow. And while there are old-school stereotypes about sleazy salespeople, the modern (and more effective) approach to selling fitness couldn’t be further from it.

If you don’t feel confident about selling, then we’ll help you identify your strengths. You don’t need to be an extrovert to be good as selling fitness training – in fact introverts are sometimes better at it! We’ll breakdown all the typical stereotypes and help you find your unique selling superpowers.

#2 – Identify your ideal client

Next you’ll need to identify your ideal client. Who do you want to sell your personal training services to?

Knowing exactly who your target market or ideal client is will make the rest of the sales process SO much easier. It’ll help you find and appeal to people who are ideally suited to the fitness training you’re offering (and have the disposable income to pay for it too).

Learn more… about identifying your ideal client as a personal trainer.

#3 – Make your pricing persuasive

Smart pricing is essential to successfully selling personal training. Get it wrong and you’ll face an uphill battle. But get it right and the entire sales process will be MUCH easier.

There are proven pricing strategies and packaging approaches that can help you convert more clients and sell more PT sessions. We’ll cover the most effective options so you’re set up for success from the start.

#4 – Establish a client base

So, how do you get your first personal training clients and get the ball rolling? Most PTs start with a small client base which has several benefits. It allows you to test processes and gain experience before scaling up your PT business.

To sell personal training in the early stages, tap into your existing network and utilise social media. Ask your friendship circles for help to find new clients. Speak to your existing connections before spending time and money on advertising.

#5 – Refine basic selling skills

Develop the basic skills that are fundamental to selling personal training successfully. Bonus tip – they’re useful for most social situations in general too!

Learn how to build rapport with prospective clients and use a consultative sales approach to identify their needs. When you explain your PT package options, don’t just talk about features like training programs and meal plans. Emphasise the advantages and benefits like saving time and feeling more confident.

#6 – Learn how to approach people confidently

If you find striking up a conversation with strangers daunting, then approaching people in the gym might feel hard. But it’s a really effective way of generating new business so it’s a vital sales skill for personal trainers.

Learn exactly who to approach, what to say, and how to generate leads from these interactions.

#7 – Create effective testimonials

Once you have your first few clients, it’s time to get some testimonials. Why? Because 20-50% of all purchases are driven by testimonials and word of mouth.

So if you don’t have persuasive testimonials then you’re likely missing out on a lot of revenue. Plus, they’re very effective for addressing client objections too!

#8 – Know how to close the sale 

Have a process for pitching your personal training services to clients. That way you’ll always know exactly what to say in a sales situation.

In our online course, How To Sell Personal Training, we teach a 4-step method for closing the sale that’ll maximise your customers and revenue.

How To Sell Personal Training – The Complete Course

Interested in learning about selling personal training in more depth? Then you might like our online course. In it, you’ll learn the key elements to get more clients and increase your income including…

• Why you are cut out for selling (even if you think you aren’t)
• The exact steps to identifying your ideal client
• Profitable PT pricing strategies
• How to establish a client base from zero
• Essential selling skills for an ethical fitness professional
• How to network and confidently approach people
• The secrets to creating really effective testimonials
• Practical techniques for closing the sale and handling objections

The course is broken up into 8 modules that guide you step by step through the process. Each module has bite-size video lessons, so you can watch them on your laptop or ipad, on your mobile between client sessions, or on the go.

It balances theory and practical… so every time we teach you a concept, we also explain how to apply it in your everyday work life or PT business. The course includes activities, downloadable worksheets, and scripts to help you put the theory into practice.

If you’d like to learn more, then visit the course page to see the full curriculum and watch some preview videos. We’ll see you on the inside!