Having an organized set up for online personal training will 100% guarantee an easier rode to success! In my previous blog post, I told you how I built my successful personal training business using 7 of the most beneficial websites(98% of them being free!). These tips will help you get your online personal training business started. Once you do that, you need to ensure you stay on top of your game to keep your business running successfully. Below are a few ways I stay organized and ensure the best service for my personal training clients.
A Nice Workplace
There is a quote that you will hear me reference quit often in my blogs “Dress To Impress”! I know this is usually a term used for your physical appearance but it should be used for everything
- As an independent personal trainer it is still imperative to maintain professionalism through your daily attire. Even if it is just workout leggings and a sports bra make sure it looks good! Often times clients are hiring you because they want something similar to what you have physically.
- When you build your website, dress to impress, meaning make sure it looks good! As stated in previous blogs 99% of my clients when asked why they hired me said it was because they were impressed with how clean cut and well put together my website was.
- If you are conducting online/live personal training sessions it is also imperative that your workplace looks nice. Your clients are paying for you train them online it’s only fair to make sure what they are paying for looks great. I have also found that the more attractive your spot looks the more motivated your clients will be and they will take the training seriously.
Appearance plays a huge role in personal training. When you are training clients live via direct video link, you need to make sure your setup looks nice. Your clients may have no option but to train in the dirty corner of their basement, but your setup needs to look professional. Make sure you pick a spot to train your clients that is free of distraction in the background. Giving your clients a view of your messy kitchen counter or dirty clothes lying on the floor does not make you look professional.
Also try to find a spot that has great natural lighting. If you can’t manage that, invest in some lighting equipment (You can get affordable lighting equipment on Amazon. You want your clients to be able to see you clearly so they can follow along with any exercise moves you demonstrate for them. Remember with your great video set up don’t show up for an online personal training session looking like you just rolled out of bed. Make sure you have a clean, kept appearance. Avoid clothing that is too revealing or looks old and tattered. As a personal trainer, YOU ARE YOUR BRAND. You want to be sure you are sending the right signals to your clients about who you are.
TrueCoach 2.0
In my previous blog post one of the websites/apps I mentioned was TrueCoach and when I wrote about this website I had only scratched the surface of it’s potential. I have been using TrueCoach for a few months now and have discovered that this website alone can make a successful personal trainer for online and in person. Not only is it beneficial for you but clients also love it because it’s simple to use and keeps them organized. This website can do EVERYTHING!
The break down
- You pay for Truecoach monthly and the price depends on how many clients you have(very affordable and worth it) Your clients download an app. for free which gives them access to everything.
- Clients will be able to log their weight, before/after photos, food log, fitness goals, etc. They will also have access to a calendar which will show the workouts you have programmed for them, video examples of certain exercise movements, a way to contact you through the app., programs and challenges you have, and they can even contact you through there if need be.
I’ve found it to be totally worth the cost for how much it’s helped me grow my business and stay organized. I think a website like this is a must-have for any online personal training business and even useful for in person personal training.
Stay on Top of Your Finances
Running a personal training business means you’re self-employed. There are awesome benefits to working for yourself, but one of the downfalls is having to keep track of your finances. Things can get a little tricky and confusing when you first start out, especially come tax season. To avoid running into any accounting issues, invest in accounting software to help you run your online personal training business. As with any business, you’ll have start-up fees and expenses that need to be tracked and organized. Accounting software will help you see how much you are taking in each month versus how much is going out. You want to make sure you are handling customer payments or refunds in an efficient and timely manner. Accounting software will walk you through the steps of how to keep your business clean and organized in the books. It can also help you keep track of any write-offs you might have when it comes time to pay your taxes.
Schedule a Time for Correspondence
Part of being a good personal trainer is staying connected with your clients. Your clients want to feel like you’re invested in them and not just another paycheck for you. Sending them messages to remind them of their upcoming sessions or checking in on whether they tried that foam roller you suggested lets them know they are in your thoughts.
Additionally, staying on top of your correspondence with new clients is just as important. Responding to would-be clients in a timely manner is key to securing their business. Keeping up with your messages can be time consuming and sometimes hard to keep track of. My best advice is to set aside a certain amount of time every day to check in with and respond to your clients’ messages. Make it part of your daily schedule so that you don’t forget to do it, set an alarm on your phone if you need to. Being consistent in your correspondence efforts will translate professionalism and sincerity to your clients.
Create an Email Marketing Plan
Sending regular emails to your clients will help you stay in touch and fresh in your clients’ thoughts. Send weekly or monthly emails to let your clients know about important updates, specials your offering, or even motivational fitness tips. An email can prompt existing clients to book more sessions with you or forward them to their friends and generate more business. Free email marketing tools can help you create and send emails to your clients. My suggestion would be to take some time and create at least a month’s worth of emails at a time. You can then choose an email scheduling tool to send your emails automatically for you. This will save you a lot of time and help you stay consistent. If writing is not your thing, or you’re simply too busy running your personal training business, consider outsourcing the work. Fiverr is a great online platform for hiring freelance professionals who do just about anything. Hire someone to write your emails for you. It will cost you more money, but it will be worth it if it saves you time to focus on other business tasks.
Create A System
My final, and maybe most important tip for running your online personal training business, is to create a system for running things. This may take a lot of time initially, but it will help streamline your business going forward. Maybe you have a set of guidelines or information you like to send to new clients that sign up with you. Create these documents ahead of time and save them on your computer so you can easily send them out to new clients. If you have payment contracts or any other important documents related to your business, make sure you have a system set in place to keep track of them. Being organized will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Trust me, it’s no fun frantically scrambling to find important documents or trying to decide what tasks need to be done next. To be a successful online personal training business, you must be a planner. Plan your work, work your plan, and you’ll be well on your way to running a successful online personal training business.
