Today is a BIG Day. Tomorrow is a BIGGER day. Yep...my wedding day. Sorry, no original blog post today. Today, I've got to run and make sure that every "t" is crossed and every "i" is dotted. Today is the day I make sure every vendor is all set and every detail is met. Saturday I will wed the woman who stole my heart.: the person who challenges me, comforts me, and accepts me for who I am.
Another installment in my Trainer Professionalism Provisions....
Looking People in the Eye
I meet many young eager trainers on a monthly basis.
My current intern does great with me. He sits with me for about 60 minutes a week and we go over exercise programming, communication, and client "handling". The other day, I had him go over some forms at the main desk--where the facility entrance is--and greet some of the members walking in. This was a chance to "open him up" and speak to strangers. I figured putting him in a position where he will see alot of foot traffic, will require him to get a little 'uncomfortable'. Again, my intern does a great job carrying out a conversation with me, but then again, personal training is also about building a "working" relationship with your client. That working relationship begins with EYE CONTACT. So this particular day was a lesson.
As I worked with my client, I kept my eye on my intern and watched him greet and speak to people walking in and out of the facility. With each person that spoke to him for more than 30 seconds, I noticed he had a hard time looking them in the eyes. He smiled, yes...occassionally glanced. But sometimes, as a person spoke to him, I noticed he kept looking down, around, and up. What could this mean?
It could mean alot of things. But let's put it into perspective as a professional fitness trainer. A customer likes to be looked at in the eyes. When one speaks and looks at another in the eyes, it is a sign of confidence, trust, and respect. Some salespeople are often deceptive as they will look at someone in the eye, until they say something that is untrue and they will look away for a VERY brief moment. Those moments are quick and go unnoticed. Some people just plainly suck and can't even look at other's in the eyes. Watch how many times this guys looks away and only looks at the person's eyes when he is being spoken to:
How does this translate to a personal trainer? Think back to how many times you have lost a sale and it probably had to do with not WHAT you said, but HOW you said it. If you neglect to make eye contact with a potential customer, the customer may sense BS. That BS may seem like lack of confidence, lack of respect, or overall, a lack of customer service. That customer may think you are not confident in helping them reach a particular goal and therefore, asking them for a fee of $500 is deceiving to them. You place DOUBT in your customer's mind. That doubt will lead that customer out the door--without the sale.
If it's confidence that is an issue--whether in exercise programming or sales--its time to address it. Read books and watch DVD's to learn as much as possible and once you learn all these new concepts; don't leave them bottled up inside your head---TRY THEM! Make yourself a guinea pig and try any new exercise concepts and learn how to make adjustments.
If sales are not your strong point, purchase some selling materials and practice in front of a mirror. My first few years, myself and fellow trainers would role-play in between clients to perfect our sales tactics. Sit across from one another and learn how to make your presentation. It is imperative that you are confident in what you do and can prove results. If not, your sales presentation is a complete hoax. So take your time and address your weak points. Once you master that, work on your communication skills. Addressing people by name, making eye contact, and building trust within the first few minutes of a meeting are essential to your business.
Where can you find more advice on this topic? Try here.
Read more...
I work with a number of clients that exhibit the same commonalities:
They sit for a majority of their day.
They are not as active as they want to be.
They like to play golf, yet don't train to play golf.
They complain of low back problems.
When I was young, I had a cousin who kept his hot rod car in one of my Dad's garages for storage. It was a beauty. It was a 1967 Chevy Impala. It was a monster and it had an engine in it that would roar. My cousin used to stop by the house every other week simply to start up the engine and give it some gas. He never took it anywhere, he just simply came over to turn it over and give it a quick shine. One day, he revved it up so much that the picture frames around the house would fall off the walls. One morning, I walked outside to talk to my cousin. He was about 12 years older than me, so he usually thought of me as his "lil' cuz". I asked him why he comes over once in a while to simply start his car and rev it up for a few minutes.
As he polished the hood, the engine purred like a huge wild lion. He looked at me and said, "...because I need to rev it up once in a while so the battery doesn't die."
Today, I think back to that simple statement. Many of the clients I see are like that old Chevy Impala sitting in the garage. They are sedentary for a huge portion of the day, and then they attempt to get up and play 18 holes of golf. When they attempt to "be active" they suffer injuries because they haven't "revved up their muscular system". Like the car that is stored, it's engine needs to be turned over once in a while to keep it running smoothly.
Back to Shatterproof Spine...I noticed alot of the low back issues I was encountering were mechanical issues that could be helped with simple stretching and auxiliary exercise work. With every client that I met that had no previous medical history of disc injuries, we did some direct muscular work on that area and within week's time, low back pain began to disappear. The more education that went into each session, a new found understanding for preventing low back pain formed. And those clients that did sit all day, were able to make the 1 o'clock tee off without any low back pain.
Arming exercisers and trainers with this experience and information (taken from Stuart McGill's book, Low Back Disorders) was the basis of an easy-to-understand resource for a very common--yet resolving condition.
Fitness Professional and Fitness Educator located in Hartford, CT.
Clients include general population clientele including golfers, tennis players, and swimmers. Certifed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a CPT and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES). Noted author of numerous online and printed articles, and the book "Secret Skills of Personal Training". More info at www.IZZOSTRENGTHtraining.com.
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Another installment in my Trainer Professionalism Provisions....
I work with a number of clients that exhibit the same commonalities:
Don't have time to workout at the gym? No problem. No gym is needed with the TRX Suspension System. Use your bodyweight to increase strength, balance, and coordination in your home, hotel, or basement! Trainers: Add this to your toolbox and you become the competition's nightmare! Click on the image for more information on this item.
