The fitness industry is constantly changing, just as attitudes towards exercise and health change. There are always new technologies, research statistics, and fitness fads that come and go, which keeps the personal trainer industry in a constant state of evolution.
Fitness professionals are naturally driven to improve their client service and their specific spin on personal training in order to be a better personal trainer. It’s not always easy being a busy personal trainer. Indeed it can be difficult to take time to review your skills, learn new skills, network with other fitness professionals, and keep your clients happy while also building your business.
As such, it is essential to stay on top of the latest trends and constantly reflect on your skills as a personal trainer to ensure your clients remain engaged and achieve their health goals. So, how can you balance your current personal training duties with your professional growth and personal training development as a personal trainer? Well, it’s all about achieving a fine balance between organisation and prioritisation, with a small amount of elbow grease for good measure. Here are the top personal trainer tips for professional development and improvement for personal trainers.
1. Prioritise professional development and growth
Professional development starts with you sitting down to create a list of everything you think you could improve on or learn more about. Perhaps you don’t feel as confident with programming or assessments. Maybe you are interested in learning more about blogging, social media marketing, or business networking. You might also want to add additional certifications to enhance your formal personal trainer qualifications.
Now that you have your list for personal trainer professional development, you can get out your calendar and for each week set aside time for your own self-development. Don’t just write it down as something you might do; because “might” can very easily turn into “might not”. On the other hand, you will benefit from dedicating a portion of each week to your professional learning and development.
Do everything you can to keep time aside for you own personal training development in order to be a better personal trainer. You will find yourself slipping behind in your professional development if you don’t make it a priority – something that you certainly will want to avoid.
2. Ask your clients for feedback at every opportunity
The key to success is to avoid getting complacent. It’s important to never stop learning and networking in your quest to grow as a personal trainer and business owner. Client feedback is the best motivation for keeping you moving forward. Your clients are the ones who have experienced the services you offer, and this gives them the ideal perspective to give you suggestions or constructive criticism. It will be in your interest to listen and learn from what your existing customers are saying about your personal trainer services.
Asking your clients for feedback is a key part of refining your personal training business. You have two options here: anonymous customer surveys, and just straight up asking clients for their honest feedback.
If you choose to conduct an anonymous survey, you may consider using a platform such as SurveyMonkey, which makes it easy to get feedback from your personal trainer clients.
3. Directly asking clients for feedback
The other option for obtaining valuable feedback about your personal trainer business and services is to simply ask clients directly if they enjoy the training experience you provide. This can be awkward with current clients; as such, only use this method if you have a strong trainer-client relationship – one that is rooted in open communication.
You can also email former clients who have ceased using your personal training services. This removes some of the pressure and awkwardness placed on existing clients to give you feedback. Also, emphasise that negative responses won’t be taken personally.
Many people will be happy to share their opinions if asked, so don’t get upset or angry if you receive negative feedback. It’s all an opportunity to learn and improve your personal trainer services. And remember that embracing customer feedback can be one of the more effective ways to improve your personal training business. This is valuable feedback for your business – these responses can be used to help you determine what areas of your business you should address first to make sure your clients have the same experience.
4. Learn something new every day
At times it can feel impossible to keep up with all the changes and breakthroughs in personal training, but it can be done by incorporating a little bit of learning into your daily routine. This doesn’t replace your ongoing self-development time; rather, it adds to it.
Most of this learning can be done while you are doing other tasks. Here are four easy ways to add some learning to your day, every day.
- Listen to a podcast about health and fitness while you shower, pack your lunches, and commute to work each morning.
- You can subscribe to the e-newsletters of your favourite health or fitness publications, and you can browse the articles while waiting in line for your morning smoothie or coffee.
- For quick learning, join online forums and groups for personal trainers or nutritionists to keep up with the latest industry trends.
- Each night finish your day by reading one article or study (with the TV off) before going to bed.
It goes without saying that it is critically important to balance your work life and your personal life. Never forget to allow yourself some downtime each day to disconnect completely and take a mental break. Little knowledge hacks such as this can help you become a better trainer and feed your professional development.
If you feel like you are falling behind or getting stuck in a rut, don’t despair. Remember that the more knowledge you have, the more helpful you will be to your clients. And when that happens, your satisfied customers will talk about the amazing results your personal training classes have given them, which will only lead to more new business enquiries for your business.
5. Do I need business insurance for my personal training business?
As a personal trainer with your own personal trainer business you may benefit from reducing your risk via personal trainer insurance. Personal trainer insurance is a selection of business insurance products that together can help personal trainers reduce their risk. Personal trainer insurance may include the following insurance products:
Professional Indemnity insurance: Protects your business from losses incurred as a result of claims of actual or alleged negligent acts or omissions in the provision of your professional service or advice to your clients.
Public Liability insurance: Provides protection for you and your business in the event a customer, supplier, or a member of the public is injured or sustains property damage as a result of your negligent business activities.
Business insurance: Provides cover for your business’ premises and contents, against loss, damage or theft, also offering protection against financial loss experienced from an insured interruption to your business.
Personal Accident and Illness insurance: Covers you for loss of income if you were unable to work as a result of an injury or illness. The cover is generally available regardless of whether or not you sustain injury or develop an illness due to your work.
Compare competitive personal trainer insurance quotes for your personal training small business, get covered in only 10 minutes, and get back to building your business. If you prefer to speak with us, you can reach our friendly team on 1300 920 867.
This information is general only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be relied upon as advice. As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording.
© 2022 BizCover Pty Limited, all rights reserved. ABN 68 127 707 975; AFSL 501769
ABN 68 127 707 975; AFSL 501769
