You’ve just finished your course and you are now a fully qualified PT, but how do you start making real money?

1. Communicate – talk to people
2. Keep learning new skills
3. Be Flexible with your Pricing and Packages
4. Get reviews

But, before we dive in and explore some of the secrets of success you should be aware that being successful and making money will first and foremost take a lot of grind. It won’t come easily and you will have to work hard, but apply our tips and you will be on your way to financial success.

Communicate - Talk to people

How on earth are you going to expand your client base if you aren’t going to talk to people. You may have all the knowledge, wisdom and skills in the world, but who’s going to know just by looking at you? By talking to people, they get to see how friendly and approachable you are as well as knowledgeable. Think of it this way, assume most people in the gym do want a Personal Trainer but don’t know where to start or are too nervous to ask or approach you. You can burst through that barrier by breaking the ice and saying hello. You might not gain a client that day, but they will come to you when they are ready.

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Consider group training

Walking up to people in the gym is one way to talk to potential new clients. But running a group exercise session is another way of getting in front of a captive audience. Now this could take a few forms. Firstly, you can go bootcamp style, gathering lots of people together for a pretty grueling session. This can take some planning as you will need an appropriate space and equipment. But it is an attractive option as it puts you in front of multiple people who might be open to 1-1 sessions as well.

Secondly you could take a group fitness class in a gym. If you have the qualifications you could run a HIIT class, indoor cycling or a circuit training session. While the pay may not be as great as a PT session, anyone who attends your class could be looking for 1-1 options at some point. This is a great way to get some exposure, add a bit of variety to your schedule and meet potential new clients.

Keep Learning New Skills

We say it all the time; as a PT you should always be looking to learn more skills and techniques.  Put yourself in the client’s shoes for a second; would you rather train with a PT who has learnt many skills by attending lots of courses such as kettlebell, Pilates, massage, Olympic lifting, suspension training (the list goes on) or with a PT who has their basic qualification and not much else? We thought the first one looked more attractive too. It isn’t just a case of seeming knowledgeable either. Knowledge will enable you to work with the widest range of clients possible, good times!

Related Material: Check out our range of fitness courses

Be Flexible with your Pricing and Packages

Tight budgets or short on time, ‘no problem’ we hear you say. Develop packages that appeal to everyone. Only have 45 minutes to spare, more than enough time to put a good session in. Can’t afford the standard hourly rate, offer a cheaper bulk package. Don’t want to do 12 weeks but would like a 4-week plan, no problem. Of course, we want clients to sign up for the longer term and to pay full whack, but offering lots of differently priced and sized packages is a great way to stay busy, bring in money and spread the word about just how adaptable you are. It will keep you busy.

Get reviews, referrals and testimonials

At this point it’s probably a good idea to seriously consider setting up your website, or to at least have somewhere for reviews to be left. Think like Amazon, customers leave reviews and those reviews will shape another customer’s buying practices. If you have a page of 5 star reviews and a couple of positive testimonials you are more likely to win business than if you don’t. You are not the only PT looking to attract more business. Stand out from the crowd with some lovely feedback from your clients.

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