How to Shine as a Personal Trainer

There’s so much competition! Why would anyone want me to be their trainer?

Maybe working on your communication skills, emotional and social intelligence might just be the key.

Not all Personal trainers are equal

However, successful personal trainers all have certain traits in common. It isn’t hard to picture this person. They are ALWAYS smiling (with fabulous, perfect teeth to show off). Positivity oozes from every pore (I think they live in a house with inspirational quotes plastered over their walls). Their Instagram account has 2,000 followers (at least). They never have a bad hair day (I think their partner must be a hairdresser).

How do I compete?

To think like this is actually damaging to your own self esteem. The thing is, most successful personal trainers may APPEAR like this but they have the same doubts and worries as everyone else. Traits that make them stand out isn’t much to do with personal grooming anyway but more to do with social intelligence.

Social Intelligence? That sounds daunting!

You’re right, it’s a huge subject! Let’s just try and focus on one aspect.

What can you do to begin to develop long term, successful relationships with your clients or prospects?

Start to take a genuine interest in other people. Stop talking about yourself and take your attention outward. Just simply by asking how someone’s day is going, you are making a connection. Giving your smile freely and abundantly, you are brightening someone’s day. By taking the attention away from yourself you unleash your incredible power to lift another person by just simply being nice.

How does this relate to Personal Training?

An average PT will create a work out plan. A great PT will understand & learn about their client. How they tick, what their motivations are. An inspirational PT will constantly relate their client’s long and short term goals to every single exercise. They will remember important occasions, ask how their client is feeling, what is preventing them from reaching their goals, how their cats are. You can ask anything and everything to gain trust and loyalty from your client. Anyone can download a progressive workout plan from the internet. There are thousands of YouTube clips showing people exercising. What those free resources can’t give someone is support, accountability, a human connection.

Be value for money.

You are expecting your clients to invest their hard earned cash with you on a regular basis to do something that they could essentially find for free on the internet. How are you going to keep them coming back? It sounds cheesy but be the change you want to inspire in them! If you are genuinely interested in their goals, their needs, their insecurities, it might just distract you from your own nagging doubts. If you are able to maintain your curiosity and interest in other people in spite of the disasters going on in your life it will help you to maintain your own equilibrium and positivity.

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