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The Art of Client Retention in Coaching

At Coach360, we understand the significance of client acquisition in driving new business. However, we also acknowledge that for your business to grow, retention is equally crucial. That’s why we have collaborated with ISSA to offer you a complete guide on the personal training customer journey. Additionally, we provide effective strategies to enhance the customer lifetime value (CLV) of your clients. Keep reading to discover the best practices that will help you comprehend why clients choose to stay with trainers and why they might decide to leave. By learning how to navigate objections and boost retention, you can take your business to new heights.

In a perfect world, every client would become a forever client. But this isn’t a reality. Instead, it’s more common to only work with a client for a certain period of time.

Understanding the average time that clients stay with personal trainers can help you see how you compare with other fitness professionals. It also helps you recognize if you might need to make changes to improve your ability to retain personal training clients longer.

How Long Do Clients Stay with Personal Trainers?

It’s often recommended that clients work with a personal trainer for at least three to six months. This provides a good foundation for their fitness journey. However, if you talk to personal trainers in the field, you’ll find that it’s uncommon for most clients to stick around longer than a few months. Some stop coming after one session.

The way that clients quit working with a personal trainer can vary. In some cases, they simply don’t renew their personal training package. Others fail to show up to a pre-scheduled session, either with or without notice.

No matter how they choose to end the client-personal trainer relationship, figuring out why clients leave is the first step to also considering how to make them want to stay.

Reasons Why Personal Training Clients Leave

There are several reasons why a person may choose to no longer work with a personal trainer. Some to consider include:

the exercise is too easy or hard for their fitness level
they don’t feel motivated by the trainer
they’ve been training for a while but still haven’t hit their fitness goal
they get injured during a training session
they don’t enjoy the workout routine
the fitness plan doesn’t align with their lifestyle
they aren’t getting the personalized attention they want
the trainer doesn’t act like a fitness professional
their personality clashes with that of the personal trainer
they can no longer afford personal training
other life events or situations have gotten in the way

Because these reasons are so varied, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to resolving personal training client retention problems. There are, however, consequences to not addressing this issue at all.

Impact of Poor Client Retention on a Personal Training Business

When you are unable to keep clients for a decent length of time, the likelihood of them reaching their fitness goals decreases. And if you become known as a trainer who doesn’t get clients results, you’re not likely to be in high demand. This reduces your client list, driving your income down with it.

Some people will take your poor client retention as a sign that you’re not a good personal trainer—even if this isn’t the case. They’ll question your ability to get them the results they want. If they believe that you can’t help them reach their goals, they’ll work with someone else.

Additionally, when clients only work with you for one or two sessions and don’t come back, it can reduce your morale. You may begin to wonder why you put so much effort into designing a training program only to have them quit. This can quickly lead to feelings of burnout and low job satisfaction. It may even make you want to stop personal training altogether.

That’s why it is so important to do what you can to make your clients want to continue the training relationship. Fortunately, many strategies can help provide this effect.

21 Ways to Improve the Longevity of Your Fitness Client Relationships

If a client is absolutely intent on no longer working with a personal trainer, there is nothing you can do. But there are several actions you can take to help keep them from getting to that point, increasing their desire to work with you for as long as they can. Here are some to consider.

Be professional, always. It’s easy to think of a client as a friend if you spend a lot of time training them. However, it’s important to remember that you are a fitness professional. Keep your professional hat on always so you don’t risk inadvertently offending or turning off a client by saying something to them that you’d ordinarily say to a friend, but they may take the wrong way.
Be clear about the type of fitness training you provide. This tells your client what to expect when working with you, also reducing the risk that they’ll quit because they didn’t understand what each session will entail. Tell them if you offer strength training, cardio, or both and the methods you use. You may even offer for them to sit in on a session with another client to see what your training is like.
Don’t promise results you can’t deliver. Clients come to you because they have certain goals. While you may want to play up your abilities, you never want to promise results that you can’t provide. This sets clients up for disappointment, potentially making them want to quit training.
Reinforce the value of working with a trainer. Some people stop working with a trainer because they don’t understand the true value that a trainer provides. Help them understand that you can help them get to their goals faster and more efficiently. Explain how you’re both a coach and cheerleader and there to provide support every step of their fitness journey.
Encourage clients to come to you if they’re not happy. Tell them you want to know if they’re dissatisfied with any aspect of their workout plan or personal training session. This shows that you care about them and that you’re also willing to listen if you’re doing something that isn’t sitting right with them or doesn’t feel good in any way.
Work with clients who are a good fit. Not every client and personal trainer are meant to work together. For increased client longevity, it’s helpful to find clients who are a good fit for your training programs and style. During your intake sessions, let clients know that being a good fit is just as important for them. It can go a long way if you’re also willing to refer them to another trainer who may align with their personality and goals better.
Devise individualized training programs. To provide better results, be ready to modify your ready-made training programs for individual clients based on their specific fitness levels and goals. Individualized training also involves making enough time for every client. If you have too many clients, you can’t tend to each the way you’d like—or the way that they deserve.
Connect the training to their goals. A good personal trainer knows that the best way to motivate clients is to connect what they do during each session to getting them one step closer to their goals. This requires learning their goals upfront, then reinforcing how each exercise you ask them to do helps them take a step toward it.
Ask clients about the physical activities they like and dislike. You can have the best program in the world, but if it involves a physical activity your clients don’t like doing, they’re not likely to stick with you for long. Take the time upfront to ask if there are any activities they enjoy and any that they’d rather avoid. This helps you create a program that makes them want to keep coming back for more.
Inquire how much time clients can dedicate to exercise. Even if you know that your client should work out with you three times a week, asking them to do so when they don’t have much free time may make them want to quit before they start. Work with the time parameters they set, then encourage them to exercise between sessions if they want to reach their goals faster.
Find out when clients like to work out. Does your client like to work out in the morning, midday, or at night? If they are a nighttime exerciser and you’re scheduling morning workouts, it’s just a matter of time before they’ll quit showing up.
Perform a fitness assessment on every client. An assessment helps establish a baseline for their fitness levels. It also gives you a measure you can use to show them that they’re making progress. Fitness assessments also help reduce injury risk by enabling you to assign exercises consistent with their current level.
Stress the importance of using proper form. One survey found that the most common injuries in training sessions are low back injuries, rotator cuff tears, shin splints, ankle sprains, and neck muscle strain. (1) Protect clients as much as possible from these injuries by stressing proper form.
Check in with clients regularly. Some clients will come to you when there’s an issue. Others will just walk away. To keep the latter from happening, check in with them often. Ask if the exercise program is too easy or hard. Use their feedback to make any changes needed so they enjoy their workouts more.
Talk about why regular training sessions are necessary. You can’t work out once or twice a week and expect to lose weight or gain muscle. Make sure clients understand this. Help them see that the more they show up in the gym, the better their results.
Track client results and adjust their training accordingly. Use fitness assessments and other tools, such as fat calipers or a measuring tape, to measure client results. If they’re not progressing as quickly as you’d like, modify their training plan. This helps them overcome training plateaus, improving your ability to retain that client long-term.
Give greater price discounts for longer training packages. If you want clients to stick with you longer, offer them an extended training package for a lower price. This might involve a discount if they sign up for six months instead of three, for instance. The length of your package should be consistent with how long it will take them to get their desired results.
Offer online personal training. Online training offers clients maximum convenience. This means fewer excuses as to why they can’t exercise. If you’re not already offering services as an online personal trainer, consider doing so. Online coaching also offers benefits for you, such as being able to train from the comfort of your home.
Be flexible with your training hours. If you only offer training Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., clients who work during the day are automatically shut out. Certainly, this flexibility is easier if you are an independent trainer than if you’re employed by a fitness center that gives you set hours. However, if you can offer training on different days and times, your clients may be more willing to stick with you due to working better for their schedule.
Provide different payment options. If you’re losing clients because of their financial situation, offering various payment options may help. Instead of charging $200 per month, for example, let them pay $50 per week. Or you might give them a discount if they pay upfront. The more options they have, the easier it becomes to fit your training services into their budget.
Ask clients to commit to their fitness routine in writing. There’s something about putting our commitments in writing that makes us stick with them longer. Before even working together, ask clients to sign a form committing to working toward their goals. Encourage them to look at that commitment whenever they feel like giving up to remind them of how strong their desire is to make positive changes in their lives.

International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) is the global leader in online fitness and wellness certifications. For more than 35 years, ISSA has been committed to delivering comprehensive, cognitive, and practical education grounded in industry research. Rooted in Certified Personal Training certifications, ISSA offers over 50 fitness and wellness certifications and specializations, including a Yoga Alliance-recognized Yoga 200-Hour Teacher Training Course, Certified Personal Training en Español, Health Coaching, Nutrition, and more. ISSA has educated nearly half a million trainers across 176 countries while driving toward their vision to connect 100 million people to the power of healthy living by 2030.

Networking and the Business of Coaching

In the coaching field, fostering relationships is essential. Coach360 values the power of networking and its impact on your business. That’s why we’ve joined forces with ISSA to offer you a complete networking blueprint. Being well-connected not only keeps you updated on industry insights and trends, but also establishes you as a leader in the community. Don’t wait – dive into our expert networking advice today.

Networking is an essential part of building a successful career in the fitness industry. Whether you’re a personal trainer, fitness instructor, or health coach, connecting with other professionals in your field can help you build your business, stay up-to-date on the latest trends and research, and find new clients.

However, networking can be challenging, especially if you’re not sure where to start or how to make meaningful connections. In this article, we’ll explore the best ways for fitness professionals to network and build their careers in the industry. From attending events to using social media, we’ll provide tips and strategies to help you establish valuable connections and advance your career in health and fitness.

Why is Networking Important for Health and Fitness Professionals?

Whether you’re a new trainer or health coach or you’ve been in your career for a while, networking is vital to creating and sustaining a healthy, successful career. Networking is essential for fitness professionals to build their businesses, expand their knowledge, and establish themselves as credible and trustworthy experts in their field.

Building relationships: Networking allows fitness professionals to build relationships with other professionals in their industry, which can lead to future collaborations, referrals, and business opportunities.
Staying up-to-date: By networking with other professionals, fitness professionals can stay up-to-date on the latest trends and research in the fitness industry. This can help them improve their knowledge and skills, which can ultimately benefit their clients.
Finding new clients: Networking can help fitness professionals find new clients through referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations. By building a strong network of professionals, they can tap into a wider pool of potential clients.
Enhancing credibility: Networking can also enhance a fitness professional’s credibility and reputation within the industry. By being well-connected and respected by other professionals, they can establish themselves as a trusted authority in their field.

The Most Effective Ways to Network as a Health and Fitness Professional

Not sure how to get started? Need fresh ideas on how to meet more clients and other health and fitness pros? Check out these networking tips and suggestions from founders, CEOs, and other business professionals.

Become a Guest on a Health Podcast

Podcasts are increasingly gaining traction in the health industry. Millions of consumers rely on podcast episodes to stay informed about their health and taboo topics that mainstream professionals may not disclose. But these episodes aren’t directed only at patients—medical professionals also listen in on the insights shared by colleagues in their industry.

As such, getting featured as a guest on a popular podcast is an excellent way to increase your brand awareness and establish professional relationships. It’s not uncommon for listeners to reach out to podcast guests on social media. If you’re intentional about building relationships, consider inviting your audience to connect with you on your social profiles afterward. You’re likely to land at least a few networking opportunities this way.

Stephan Baldwin, Founder, Assisted Living Center

Join Fitness Groups on Social Media Platforms

A great way to network with other professionals and health and fitness enthusiasts is by joining fitness groups and forums where health and fitness professionals discuss new studies, new findings, ask questions, and share important discoveries together. This can give you the space to get involved in discussions, offer your advice, and get to know others in the field.

John Gardner, Co-Founder and CEO, Kickoff

Build Genuine Relationships

One networking tip for health and fitness professionals, both in person and online, is to focus on building genuine relationships and providing value to others. To build genuine relationships, take the time to get to know other professionals in the industry by attending events, conferences, and networking opportunities. Listen to what they have to say, ask thoughtful questions, and follow up with them after the event.

In addition, focus on providing value to others by sharing your knowledge and expertise. You can do this by creating and sharing educational content, taking part in online forums and groups, and volunteering your time and services to help others in need.

By building genuine relationships and providing value to others, you can establish a strong reputation as a knowledgeable and trustworthy professional in your industry, which can lead to new opportunities and partnerships in the future.

Isaac Robertson, Fitness Trainer and Co-Founder, Total Shape

Collaborate With Other Professionals in Related Fields

One networking tip for health and fitness professionals is to seek opportunities to collaborate with other professionals in related fields. For example, a personal trainer could collaborate with a nutritionist to offer a comprehensive health and fitness program, or a yoga instructor could partner with a massage therapist to provide a holistic wellness experience.

By collaborating with professionals in related fields, health, and fitness professionals can expand their network, offer more value to their clients, and potentially gain new clients through referrals.

To find potential collaborators, health and fitness professionals can attend networking events, join online communities in related industries, or even reach out directly to professionals they admire and respect. Building mutually beneficial partnerships can help health and fitness professionals strengthen their position in the industry and create a unique offering for their clients.

Will Gill, Event Entertainer, DJ Will Gill

Build an Online Persona in Your Field

The first step to making connections within an industry is being recognized as part of it. To do so, it’s important to develop an online persona in your niche. You need to be known as a thought leader in your field, and a lot of that comes down to how you build your personal brand.

If you consistently post high-quality information and content in your industry (on social media or notable publications), you will develop a brand in that sphere. Once people recognize you as an expert, it will be easier to build partnerships with other people and businesses.

Brian Munce, Managing Director, Gestalt Brand Lab

Give Back to Your Local Community

One way to network as a health and fitness professional is through volunteering. Find a nearby organization with similar values to your own to support. Examples include a YMCA, a local food bank, or a youth sports league. You’ll build connections with the local community and other like-minded professionals. It’s a great way to grow your business and give back at the same time.

Kim Walls, CEO and Co-Founder, Furtuna Skin

Hand Out (or Email) Business Cards and Consult Coupons

Have business cards or even free consultation coupons on hand at all times. Give them out to people, but also be sure to get their information in return. Be proactive and make the first move to build a relationship with them; don’t expect them to follow up with you.

Email or call your contacts to check in and invite them to get together for lunch. Connecting with your fellow health and fitness professionals can lead to more clients, business opportunities, and insight from other like-minded individuals.

Dakota McDaniels, Chief Product Officer, Pluto

Introduce Yourself to Businesses in Your Area

One of the best ways to network as a health and fitness professional is to get to know the other health businesses in your area. Knowing what the needs are of the people in your local community can help you make connections that bring potential clients and expertise to your brand.

For example, if you connect with a gym owner, they may connect personal training clients with you. Working with a local school provides opportunities for training football or basketball athletes. Connecting with a health-focused grocery store gives you a place to send your clients. Fitness is a unique industry where it’s possible to share clients based on expertise, so making yourself known as a specialist or expert in a type of training may be all you need to help your brand grow.

Erny Peibst, Founder and CEO, Inside Bodybuilding

Be Judgment-free and Focus on Honest Conversations

Being a health and fitness professional can seem intimidating for many of your potential clients during networking events. When you talk about your profession, you may hear people say they are terrible at eating healthy or that they haven’t worked out in too long.

Give answers free of judgment and invite people to work with you to have a professional in their corner and see the results they deserve. Health and fitness professions are more than just not being overweight. It’s about connecting to your body and achieving personal goals. Tap into that in conversations instead of discussing the areas of your business that many people may find intimidating

Inbar Madar, Founder and Business Consultant, M.I. Business Consulting

Stay Consistent With Outreach Efforts

One networking tip for health and fitness professionals, both in person and online, is to be consistent with their outreach efforts. Connecting with potential clients or collaborators can be daunting, but establishing a consistent networking routine and sticking to it will ensure they are proactively reaching out and building relationships.

Make sure to also make the most of any networking opportunities you come across—whether it is attending conferences or online webinars, or engaging in social media.

Amy Lee, Medical Advisor, Nucific

Attend Conferences and Workshops

Networking is a fantastic way to connect with people of similar interests and help to expand your fitness career potential. After being in the fitness industry for over two decades, two of the most beneficial forms of networking for me have been attending national conferences and expanding my certifications with local workshops.

Attending conferences such as the World IDEA Convention are a great way to network with people worldwide. Not only can you gain continuing education credits for attending the various workshops offered, but they also allow you to meet people from other parts of the world. In addition, I learned what they might do differently to improve my technique while making lasting relationships that helped when I moved to a new state.

Another excellent networking opportunity is attending local workshops. This allows you to meet other fitness professionals within your community and opens up the potential for referrals and new job opportunities.

Katie Pierson, Group Fitness Instructor and Lead Writer, Girl Bike Love

Don’t Be Afraid to Approach People

For beginner coaches or trainers, it’s hard to put yourself out there and develop relationships. You might feel that your skills aren’t as good or that people just want nothing to do with you. While there are coaches and trainers who are like that, they are an exception.

In most cases, whether you reach out to someone online or go talk to them in person, giving them a compliment about their work, or saying that you would like to learn from them will spark their interest. Even if you think you can’t provide them with any value, treating them with respect will usually make people want to help you.

This article has been republished with permission. Original article was published as a blog post on ISSA online.

Top Sources of Passive Income for Personal Trainers

Here at Coach360, our main goal is to empower health, fitness, and wellness coaches with the knowledge they need to succeed. We understand the importance of diversifying your services and finding new ways to generate passive income. That’s why we’ve teamed up with ISSA to bring you an all-inclusive guide on passive income for Personal Trainers and coaches. Not only that, but we also provide valuable tips to ensure the success of these additional offerings. Let us help you take your coaching business to new heights!

As a health and fitness professional, you know that personal training is a fulfilling and rewarding career, but it often requires trading your time for money. However, there are a variety of opportunities to create passive income streams that can generate revenue even while you sleep.

In this article, we will explore various strategies, tips, and insights on how personal trainers can leverage their expertise and passion to build passive income streams, allowing you to expand your financial horizons and achieve greater freedom in your profession. Discover how you can turn your personal training business into a lucrative venture that works for you day and night.

Building streams of passive income is an excellent way for personal trainers to make more money as well as provide additional support and resources to their personal training clients. There are a variety of ways to create passive income. The following are some of our favorites.

1. Write an eBook

Do you have a special niche, extensive knowledge or experience in nutrition, or a unique perspective on a health and fitness topic? Maybe you have numerous recipes to share, a personal success story, or new techniques to share. Creating an eBook requires work on the front end, but once it is ready, you receive passive income every time someone buys your book online.

2. Create and Sell Pre-Made Workout Programs

There are often a handful of clients who want expertise from a fitness professional but don’t have the time, location, or resources to work with them one-on-one. Although some clients may want generic workouts, consider developing workouts for specific goals or niches. For example, create a program for new moms to help them get their body back after a baby. If you create solid workout programs that have great content, user-friendly access, that are fun, safe, and effective, you can sell them directly to consumers.

3. Create a Membership Website

Another way to create passive income is by creating a website that has membership access. You can charge a monthly or annual fee and provide access to a variety of recipes, fitness tips, workouts, resources, contests, and tools. It’s important to understand what the client’s want and need so you can create great content that they will want to access. It is possible that a membership platform will require some work throughout the process, however, because you will want to continue to add to the platform and create more value for your clients.

4. Hire Other Personal Trainers

If you own your own personal training business, you can scale your business by hiring other trainers to work underneath you. You can bring on independent contractors and negotiate a portion of their training fees in exchange for your support with their business (help them attract more clients, allow them to train clients in your fitness gym, etc.).

5. Promote a Product as a Brand Ambassador or With Affiliate Marketing

There are a variety of companies that like to partner with health and fitness professionals that have a wide audience (especially on social media). Is there a certain product that you love or a piece of fitness equipment you think is incredible? You may be able to connect with the company to help promote the product to earn royalties, flat payments, or free gear.

Love ISSA? Sign up here to become an ISSA Affiliate Partner! All you do is place your affiliate links on your website, blog, or social media pages. When customers make a purchase, you earn a commission for each valid transaction.

6. Write a Fitness Blog and Monetize It

Personal trainers and health and fitness professionals often have a wealth of knowledge. There are a variety of companies that will pay you to display banner ads on your blog. If you have great content and can build a solid following, the blog can also become a platform that you can promote some of your other streams of income (products, e-book, etc.).

7. Create a YouTube Channel and Monetize It

Although this one may take some time and requires you to have a solid base following before you can monetize it, a YouTube channel is another great way to make passive income. Whether you create workout videos, a cooking show, or a discussion on a particular topic, the internet is one of the main resources people use to find information. And, much like the blog, YouTube can become a platform to promote and sell your other products and services to your audience.

Top 5 Tips for Personal Training Passive Income Success

Creating a passive income stream is more than just setting up a Youtube channel and posting some videos. There are some keys things to consider that will help you successfully generate passive income.

1. Stay in Your Lane

One of the most important components of attracting awesome followers is having strong content. Stick to what you know. If you are going to create something that is not within your expertise, make sure you do your research and create content that is your own.

2. Keep Learning

The fitness industry is always growing and changing. There is always so much to learn. Make sure you are continuing to grow and learn so that you can communicate the information to your followers. That is one of the reasons they are following you!

3. Be Authentic

Be cautious about the products or companies that you promote. Promoting a product you don’t align with just to make passive income isn’t necessarily the route to go. Find products you use, love, and want to promote that are in alignment with your brand and your overall stance on health and fitness.

4. Measure Twice, Cut Once

Although passive income shouldn’t require much work to maintain, it may require work to create before it can become passive income. Your brand, products, and content are what will draw people in. But, if your content is poor or your platform isn’t user-friendly, you will likely lose your audience very quickly. Do the work and do it well the first time!

5. Practice Makes Perfect

If any of these are new routes for you, you likely won’t be perfect with them the first time you do them. But, keep in mind, that is true for everyone. Nobody starts at the top. If you want to take on an e-book, start writing. If you want to create a Youtube channel, start creating video content. You will get better by doing—gain the confidence you need and start to piece together the things that work to make your content successful.

There are clearly many ways to build streams of passive income! Whether you work towards one stream of passive income or build multiple revenue streams is up to you. So, if you are looking to build passive income, choose what resonates with you most and build from there.

This article has been republished with permission. Original article was published as a blog post on ISSA online.

Tips to Cross-Sell and Upsell to Increase Fitness Revenue

Are you a fitness coach or gym trainer looking to grow your business? Learning how to market and sell during client assessments is crucial for scaling your business. Developing a solid business strategy will help you create client programs that generate consistent revenue. Don’t forget to focus on retaining and engaging customers to encourage repeat business. Coach360 is committed to providing high quality content to help you expand your business and diversify your offerings, making it easier to upsell to current clients and attract new ones.

A personal trainer’s income is often based on commissions. When a current or new customer at the gym purchases a personal training package, the trainer earns a certain percentage of the per-session amount. If you want to increase your income beyond commissions derived from membership sales, two additional revenue strategies are cross-selling and upselling.

Cross-selling refers to selling an existing customer a complementary product or service to one they’ve already purchased. The purpose of this approach is to increase the number of items sold.
Upselling involves getting the customer to buy a higher-value product or service. Generally, this means getting them to purchase a similar product or service to the one they want but that is higher in cost.

Here we share an example of what cross-selling and upselling may look like when used by a personal trainer, along with its benefits. We follow this with successful upselling and cross-selling techniques to increase your fitness revenues. Finally, we’ll share which metrics to watch to determine the effectiveness of a marketing strategy that includes these approaches.

How Cross-Selling and Upselling Work: A Personal Training Example

Imagine that you are meeting with a personal training client. You’ve been training them for a while and they’re ready to buy more sessions.

Initially, they may have purchased a 4-week package to get them started. This time, you could upsell them by offering a similar package that is higher in cost. You might tell them how a 12-week package could really boost their results, for instance. It costs a bit more, but it also gets them even closer to their goals. This is considered an upsell.

So, what does cross-selling look like? During their training sessions, clients will likely want a water bottle and towel. You might offer these fitness products at a discounted price if they purchase them when buying their training package. Or you could throw in a nutrition plan at a lower cost if they buy it right then. This is cross-selling in action.

Benefits of Upselling and Cross-Selling in Your Fitness Business

Both upselling and cross-selling increase customer lifetime value. This requires considering not just how much clients spend with you at one time, but how much they buy from you throughout their relationship with you as a trainer.

For example, a typical client may buy a 12-week package when first working with you. However, if the average client purchases a total of five 12-week packages, their customer lifetime value is five times the cost of the package. The more they purchase in total, the greater their value.

Pro Tip: It can help to remember this when first meeting with a potential client. They aren’t just worth whatever it is you’re trying to sell (or upsell or cross-sell) to them right then. They are worth the cost of all the services and products they buy from you over time.

Each approach can also enhance the customer experience. You know that your fitness clients will get better results after 12 weeks versus training for four. By upselling a longer package, then, you are providing them the opportunity to get closer to their goals. The closer they get, the better their experience with you as a personal trainer.

Providing a positive experience helps inspire greater customer loyalty. A loyal customer not only stays with you longer term but also raves about you to their family and friends. This helps you grow your client list—giving you even more opportunities to increase your revenue with upselling and cross-selling!

Tips to Cross-Sell and Upsell to Increase Fitness Revenue

There are a few things you can do to create an effective upselling and cross-selling campaign.

Choose the right products. Think about what clients buy outside of memberships. If you have access, review their purchase history. Do their past purchases include protein shakes, branded apparel, or other fitness products? Once you have this information, make a “related product” list. These are products you could upsell or cross-sell.
Offer an additional service. Sometimes cross-selling involves giving clients an additional service versus an additional product. Maybe you are a personal trainer and nutrition coach. You could offer nutrition coaching as a cross-sell to your personal training clients or vice versa. To use it as an upsell, you could create a higher-cost package that includes both.
Focus on personalized recommendations. Before trying to cross-sell or upsell clients, think about their goals. What is it they are trying to achieve? Match your offers to their specific goals and it becomes easier to make the sale.
Time your offers appropriately. One of the best times to present a cross-sell offer is after clients have been with you for a while. This helps increase their trust in you. It also allows them to see some progress, making it easier to consider additional products and services. The same is true when it comes to an upsell offer. Allow them to start with a shorter training package. Then, when they’re ready to re-enroll, upsell them to a package with more sessions.
Stay aware of sell opportunities. Just because there’s a best time to make upsell and cross-sell offers, that doesn’t mean that other times won’t work too. Maybe you’re in the middle of a training session and a client asks about supplements. If you sell them, this is a good time to cross-sell these products. (That is, after you determine if supplements are right for them.)
Share success stories based on other upsells or cross-sells. Success stories serve as a form of social proof. It highlights what others have achieved with the same products or services. This can increase your clients’ desire for these things too.
Implement strategies in your social media campaigns. You don’t have to limit your upselling or cross-selling strategy to being in person. You can do both online too. If you write a blog about a particular product or service, include a link to related posts about a complementary product or service. Or you might talk about how the two things together can improve their results.

Potential Downsides of Cross-Selling and Upselling (And How to Avoid Them)

There are a couple of potential drawbacks to upselling and cross-selling. One is that you risk overwhelming clients with choices. To avoid this, don’t give them too many options at once. Marketing expert Neil Patel recommends giving just one choice at a time.

It’s also important that you don’t develop an upselling or cross-selling technique that comes across as pushy or aggressive. Remember that customer satisfaction is key. So, recommend additional products and services that could help your clients reach their goals faster, easier, etc. If they decide to not buy the upsell or cross-sell, that’s okay.

Measuring the Success of Your Cross-Selling and Upselling Efforts: Marketing Metrics to Consider

How do you know if you’re effectively upselling or cross-selling products? By watching your metrics.

Keep track of how many current members or clients purchase additional or higher-value products and services. Most larger gyms will have this information in their computer systems. If you are an independent trainer and have a website, Google Analytics provides online customer data as well.

Google Analytics will tell you how many people visit your website, which pages get the most views, how many conversions you have, and more. The more you learn about this data, the easier it becomes to see which marketing efforts are working and which may need to be tweaked a bit for better results.

Earn More as a Certified Personal Trainer

It can also boost your cross-selling and upselling efforts to earn your certification. The reason for this is that with certification comes greater authority. It signifies a higher level of knowledge in personal training, making you a more in-demand trainer.

If you aren’t already certified, ISSA offers Personal Trainer Certification. This course is completely online and enables you to earn your certification in a matter of weeks. It also covers several avenues for increasing your personal trainer revenue.

This article has been republished with permission. Original article was published as a blog post on ISSA online.