Managing a Team of Personal Trainers Wendy Sweet Reg Nurse/B.PhEd./P.G. Cert Health Promotion

1. Strategies & Tools To Increase Profits Through Personal Training Managing a Team of Personal Trainers Wendy Sweet Reg Nurse/B.PhEd./P.G. Cert Health Promotion

2. Why have Personal Training in Your Club? • To  new member RETENTION over first 90 days • To  new member RESULTS over first 90 days • To  CUSTOMER SERVICE within your club • To  additional PRODUCTSto your existing line • To  bottom-line REVENUE

3. RETENTION revenue if you have contractors • SESSION revenue if you have employee P.T.’s • DECREASES REQUIREMENT for large numbers of gym instructors • NEW MEMBER SIGN-ON's through P.T.’s and/or casual rate revenue • PRODUCT SALES through trainers How Will Having Personal Trainers  Club Revenue?

4. What Does a Trainer “Need”from a Club? • A distinction between the gym instructor product and the personal training product • Assistance with obtaining client leads • A great facility, with good equipment • Commitment to the product from Management • A supportive, positive personal training environment with clearly defined contracts/boundaries

5. What Does a Club “Need”from a Trainer? • Positive, enthusiastic, professional approach/attitude to personal training • A trainer who gets great RESULTS • A trainer who SELF-GENERATES their client base • A trainer who is financially SUCCESSFUL, therefore commits to rental payments • A trainer who is LOYALto the club & promotes other club services

6. Employees Vs. Contractors - The Issues Employees • Who are also gym instructors may cause “ product confusion” • Often don’t have the same “hunger” to reach financial targets • May cause fluctuations in PT revenue due to motivational issues; days off; etc Contractors • Provide rental revenue consistency • Allow for “Healthy” competition

7. Hiring QUALITYtrainers & a quality PT Manager (how do you define this?) • Commitment towards providingYOURmembers with an excellent product • Retaining“OWNERSHIP”of the product i.e. having great training, assessment and performance measurement systems in place i.e. trainer accountability • Product DIFFERENTIATION Developing A Successful Personal Training Programme

8. Sales & Reception staff who UNDERSTANDthe objectives of the PT product for the de-conditioned market • Strategic plan for growing the team  $ • A strong “BELIEF” that the PT product, managed properly, will add value to your club & promote member retention • Ongoing promotional, marketing plan Developing A Successful Personal Training Programme

9. So that members know what they are paying for! • WHY? Product Differentiation WHATEVER YOUR VISION FOR PERSONAL TRAINING IN YOUR CLUB, THE ACTUAL PRODUCT DELIVERED BY YOUR TRAINERS MUST REFLECT THIS Personal Training Unique Qualities Gym Instructor Unique Qualities

10. Decide on the “TYPE”of trainer who will best represent your member market • Check out what courses in exercise prescription your local education facilities offer - work with them! • Look WITHIN, before you look “outside” - turn great staff into greater trainers! • Maintain a professional approach to recruiting, interviewing & practically assessing new trainers…….. Start as you mean them to continue! Your Hiring/Recruitment Programme for New Trainers

11. Training New Trainers • Everything about the products/services of your club, (inc. the “history”) • Sales system, membership structures etc. • New member induction - programming, customer service, retention system • Product differentiation expectations • Goal setting & selling strategies for retaining new clients • Your performance expectations - contractual issues • What do they need to know

12. Management of your new trainers PROBLEMS • May not understand the needs of your new member market • Might lack confidence in selling to & retaining clients • Most probably are over-programming, and not fully understanding the Adaptation Response for new members • May perform like gym instructors out on the floor! • Rely on the ongoing client leads generated through P.O.S. - WHY?

13. Ongoing ManagementSOLUTIONS • Induction & management programme set by the club – what? • Measurement of Performance • New trainers = weekly for 6-8 weeks • then quarterly • then 6 monthly • Contract renewal requirements • Member client surveys

14. Areas for New Trainer Management • Assessing their progress with programming for & retaining your new members • Assessing their goal-setting/selling skills • Identifying & trouble-shooting time-management issues • Assessing their “product” out on the floor, i.e. client interaction • Assessing their knowledge of your clubs other products

15. Heart Rate Time Performance Time The PT Sales Tool-Box Heart Rate Response to Exercise Stress Adaptation Curve The Staircase Approach to Goal Setting

16. Planning for Business Performance • Financial Planning / Business Plan • Setting out your fee schedule / packages available. • Determining your cancellation policy • Stationery requirements • ‘Welcome Letter’

17. Weekly PT Planning Sheet • Number of clients booked  • Does this meet my target YES / NO • How many more clients are needed  • # of cancellations re-booked from last week?  • # of sales lead calls made this week?  • What does next week look like for bookings?

18. Example of 6 Week Follow-Up Programme • WEEK ONE:Programme review; track their retention/ sales from new client leads given to them • WEEK TWO:Programme review; problem-solving; tracking sheet

19. Example of 6 Week Follow-Up Programme • WEEK THREE:Programme review; retention/ follow-up strategies; setting of self-marketing initiatives (in & outside gym) • WEEK FOUR:Programme review; time-management issues; tracking of retention; observation of a practical session

20. Example of 6 Week Follow-Up Programme • WEEK SIX:To review the trainer’s overall performance & give feedback (review #1) • to assess their product & facility knowledge • to set them goals to achieve for next month review • WEEK FIVE:Problem solving; review of marketing initiatives; review of their business systems; tracking sheet

21. Reception / Sales SystemFOR MANAGING LEADS • What is happening @ the P.O.S? • What/ Who are sales team selling? (Product Differentiation) • What is your system for new members contacted within 24hrs of signing-up? • How do existing members sign-up with a Personal Trainer?

22. Ongoing Issues to Address • Performance Assessments – Quality Service Delivery • Trainers NOT meeting expectations • Renewal of contracts – how? • Moving trainers towards ‘Senior’ Trainers • Trainer Retention Strategy – minimum of 2 yrs…..

23. The Future of PT in NZ …. • Ensuring that PT continues to be a quality driven product… what are your members paying for really?? • Effective PT Managers who are able to understand about leadership development issues for trainers • Focussing on keeping great, knowledgable, successful PT’s who you want as ‘benchmarks’ of excellence in your clubs • A commitment from Club Owners/ Managers to a vibrant, energetic, effective product that meets the unique needs of your members

24. The Final Word…. • “The difference between a great PT manager and an average PT manager, is that the great PT Manager knows what the PT product is supposed to look like, and pursues this relentlessly!” (Wendy!)