8 Rules of C.U.S.T.O.M.E.R. Service for Personal Trainers

Personal training centers have the potential to be big profit centers, if you provide unsurpassed customer service to your members. The following eight rules give personal trainers some guidelines on how to create a loyal following of members.

Concentrate on listening
Avoid engaging in dueling monologues, pouncing on any brief silence to recite your pre-determined sales pitch or exercise program guidelines. The most important aspect of customer service is actually listening to what your client has to say.

Understand a member’s uniqueness
Personal training is appealing because it is just that: personal. Good personal trainers design exercise programs for each client. Great personal trainers seek to know every person, not just the bodies they’re training, to determine their clients needs and how they want their needs to be fulfilled.

Say what you are going to do and do it
When you actually do what you say you’re going to do, you will, in the words of Mark Twain, gratify some people and astonish the rest.

Take the time to learn more
New research on exercise comes out every day, and it’s impossible to stay at the top of the profession without reading almost constantly. Attend continuing education classes and conferences regularly. Employers may pay your tuition or bring in experts to conduct inservice programs.

Omit the tendency to play doctor
Most states have laws against the unauthorized practice of medicine and, in many states, it’s a felony. There is also the issue of liability. Crunch Fitness is currently facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit over the death of a 37-year-old mother of two who took ephedra on the recommendation of her trainer. Clubs should have clear written policies against personal trainers dispensing or even recommending supplements or medications (even over-the-counter ones).

Motivate with enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is contagious: Be a carrier. The glassy-eyed stare and robotic counting seen in some trainers shows that they are bored with their clients, bored with exercise and maybe bored with life itself. Their clients won’t be fired up about their sessions, and may eventually stop paying for exercise sessions.

Excellence is the goal
Much more energy and persistence will be brought to a project after making a genuine commitment, rather that just engaging in an entertaining fantasy. Unsurpassed customer service is ultimately about the continuing pursuit of excellence, of continuing to ask the all-important question: How good do you want to be?

Return phone calls promptly
Show others that they are important by returning their phone calls promptly. You can make mistakes on a lot of things and get another chance, but you must be consistent and prompt in your dealings with members and clients. Personal trainers are in a service industry; they exist to serve their clients. The difference between success and failure is understanding and always keeping that objective in mind.

Body Design University is offering a unique, 1-Day Specialized Workshop for Personal Trainers on Sales & Marketing. We strongly recommend you join us if you’re looking to generate new business leads and have a higher closing rate when presenting your services to potential clients. For more information or to reserve your spot, click here.