Personal Trainer Policies

Late Again ?*#*$?

Many Personal Trainers have a Training Not Business Mentality

It is safe to say that most people do not become a personal trainer with a business first mentality. If you are looking to make millions of dollars, there are hundreds of jobs which are better than being a personal trainer.

Since fitness training for a good personal trainer is all about helping clients achieve the best results possible, there is not enough education and/or discussion about the business end of the client-trainer relationship.

Most personal trainers make their living working with multiple clients. Regardless how tight a ship they may seem to run, every trainer is bound to work with undependable, chronically late, or no-showing clients at one point or another.

Since a big part of being a personal trainer has to deal with the client-trainer relationship, problem clients can be very tough for some personal trainers to deal with.  Late notice and breaking the cancellation policy can create an awkward situation between a personal trainer and a client.

Most of the time the trainer-client relationship is closer to a friendship than a business relationship.  This is why it is often difficult for a personal trainer to stick to their policies.

Many personal trainers may find it a difficult decision to charge a short or long term client for a missed training session.  The client may ask the trainer not to charge them which really creates an awkward situation.

The client should realize that this is the personal trainer’s livelihood.  Personal trainers usually get paid per training session.  If the hour is empty there is no money to pay rent or bills.  A client asking to bypass the cancellation policy is like giving the personal trainer a pay cut.

Personal Trainer Contract

This whole Predicament can Prevented with a Good Contract

A client does not pay a personal trainer for personal training sessions.  The contract should make it clear that the client is paying for appointments.

If they break the rules, they have to pay for the time which could have had a scheduled training session.

Besides a good and clear contract, the personal trainer must set clear boundaries from the beginning of the each client’s sessions.

It should be a priority to enforce the rules with every client in the same manner.  Letting a client cancel late for a training session without charging them for the appointment is just asking for it to happen again.

Even though you may not need the money or you may sympathize with your client’s excuse, your job is a personal trainer and that’s how you pay the bills.  No matter how much you think you’re not a business person you must stick to your personal trainer policies in order to thrive in the business of being personal trainers.