A few weeks ago I got asked if I was starting out again in the personal training industry what I would do differently. It's always a hard one to answer because I like where I am right know, however if I was starting out in the fitness industry today and had just qualified as a personal trainer then here is the advice I would give to myself.

Specialise

Don't be a jack of all trades personal trainer, be the trainer who specializes. Be the go to person in your gym for a specific demographic and specific result, hell even be the go to person in your town for this. You might think that by covering all the bases you will get more clients but the end result will be clients who are more of a headache than they are worth.

The sooner you can get out on your own and earning 100% of your own money from clients the better, rather than giving a percentage to a gym or paying high rents to work from a commercial gym.

Focusing on just one avatar (niche) means you will be able to charge more, it means you will work with only the people you want to work with. End result = More money and less stress and you will stay in love with your job.

Nothing will drain the life out of you more or make you hate the fitness industry and your job than working with people who you hate.

Don't be that guy posing in a shirtless selfie on you website unless your target market is you. People are not impresses by that shit, in fact they are intimidated by it and frankly it makes you look like a douche.

Be Approachable

Be approachable, be friendly, be honest and let people see your flaws. Let them see your failures as well as your successes. We are all human and none of us are perfect. Don't pretend to be someone you are not because people will see right through it.

Spend time with people who are more successful than you are and learn from them.

Spend less time with negative people and lose negative clients.

Give away your best stuff for free, provide massive value and aim to help people.

Build A List

Build an email list, start slowly and build it up by 5-10 new people a day. Email them at least 3 times a week with entertaining stories mixed with great advice to help them solve their biggest problem.

Price resistance is always down to you and never the person who is buying your services. If you are good enough you can always charge more, but you have to deliver. As a trainer you 100% change peoples lives for the better so don't you think you should charge what you are worth?

The more value you give to people then its only fair that you should earn more. It really is that simple. When you think that people wont pay more it's not really about them its more about you and whether or not you believe that your services are worth it.

Don't Sell on Price

Don't be the trainer who sells on discounts. Discounts attract the wrong type of clients. Clients who will move to the next trainer as soon as their prices are cheaper. There are also the clients who will moan and want more and more of your time and energy for less and less money.

If a client feels like a wrong fit for you, then pass them on to someone else. Taking a client on board just for the money will not work out for either of you.

Train at least one person for free who genuinely cant afford your services but who needs your help.

Invest in learning how to market and sell your services. It doesn't matter how many fitness qualifications you have if you don't know how to attract clients.

Don't waste your life on Facebook trying to impress other personal trainers with your knowledge. Other personal trainers do not pay your bills.

Find a mentor or a coach who has achieved what you want to achieve. This will literally save you years of trial and error and help you to reach your fitness business goals a lot faster than if you were to just go it alone. There are loads around especially in the fitness industry, but make sure you do your research first.

Don't pay too much attention to what other trainers are doing, just focus on your own business sand let other trainers focus on theirs.

Personal trainers on Facebook will rarely be as successful as they make out. Take multiple claims of 6 figures with a pinch of salt.

Outsource what you can and what costs you the least. The easiest thing to start with is to get a cleaner for a couple of hours a week. For £20 a week we have someone who comes in to clean our house for 2 hours a week on a Friday. I can earn that back in just 30 minutes of personal training. This is how you leverage your time by doing more of what make you more money and less of the things you can get other people to do for less than you earn.

Outsource

Get someone else to do your accounts / website / flyers / graphics. This will save you loads of time in the long run and allow you to focus on what you are great at. Training people and changing lives.