I am lucky to be part of a private Facebook group for Paul Mort’s Mastermind Coaching Group. There are a number of really smart young (and a little older) entrepreneurs out there who are very talented as fitness professionals, but also have some great ideas for building businesses.
One of the questions on the board related to personal training fees and wanting to increase their fees to make the PT side of their business more upscale compared to their bootcamp program.
This guy was charging just £30 an hour.
I have now become accustomed to the surprisingly low rates that trainers will pay to get more PT clients, but because of the talent that many trainers have, you can really approach your pricing in a very different way.
- If you’re getting proven results, you can do things differently
- If you’re doing more than just counting reps, you can do things differently
- If you’re making changes to your clients’ bodies AND minds, you should be doing things differently.
- If you’re doing the above things consistently as part of a proven training system, then it’s time to change your pricing strategy.
The first thing you need to do is STOP charging by the hour. If you charge by the hour, you are immediately opening up your workout to compare it to any other personal trainer in your gym, your local community, or city. And if you are truly making a difference to your customers, then you need to STOP any form of apples-to-apples comparison.
Instead of the hourly rate, it is better to create premium packages. For example:
12 weeks of “coaching” to achieve the desired result, which includes evaluation, kinetic chain evaluation, soft tissue manipulation, life coaching sessions, nutritional consultations and advice, physical training sessions, telephone and email availability , unannounced bonuses like books, DVDs, monthly newsletters, all delivered to your home by mail, maybe access to a secure online members area with more content.
This type of package probably isn’t too far removed from all the things you already do for your one-on-one clients, but the strength is in the package.
For the 12-week program, you would charge a flat rate, a lump sum payment, or a three-part payment. No discounts, no groupon deals. This is your premium package for exclusive access to YOU and your BEST stuff, so price accordingly.
As soon as I changed my price on my website to a one-time payment of €2,400 for 12-week programs, the perception of my services changed and I gained a very different type of client.
It was immediately seen to deliver RESULTS and NOT training sessions. Big difference don’t you think?