Category Archives: Personal

It does not matter what Health Care Bill gets passed because they are forgetting an important component!

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I have one word that hardly ever gets mentioned when politicians talk about “Health Care Reform” and that is prevention. Now, I do not agree at all with President Barack Obama’s proposal and the democrats push for a public plan, but I will say that when they mention prevention being a  big part of the reform they get my attention. You see, I strongly believe that if we are ever going to change the “Health Care” in America then we need to change what our primary mission and message should be. Instead of each political party worrying about their special interest groups we need to make the message and mission to be all about prevention. 

 Our leaders talk about the fact that the issue of health reform has been being talked about for years and nothing has been done. Well, I am sorry to inform them but there has been good legislation (WHIP Act and PHIT Act) that has been introduced by IHRSA (International Health Racquet and Sport Association) and has had members of both parties sign on to the bill but the frustrating part is every time it is introduced it gets stripped out. You have to be kidding me. These pieces of legislation will help start us on a path to making exercise a key component in the changing of our health in America, so don’t me that nothing has been done because if these two bills would have been passed we would be a lot further along in putting prevention as a key reform element.

Also, let me make this clear, prevention is not a Democrat or Republican issue, prevention is something that every American can get on board with and if Americans are concerned about their health then they need to change their mindset and think of prevention as the key in this whole Health Care debate.

Finally, my take home point for you as a  fitness professional is that you need to learn more about the two legislative bills I mentioned earlier and write your congressmen and tell them to support it. Also, if you are looking to get more personal training clients you need to create relationships with physicians. I have started to see a shift in the medical industry and have noticed doctors prescribing exercise as a way to treat some of these preventable diseases. Start figuring out how you can make whatever Health Care Bill comes out of Congress, profitable for your business. Remember, I do not care what Health Care Bill they pass, real change is going to come from fitness professionals providing lifestyle changes for Americans.

Stay the path!

Coach Dave

It is Lonely at the Top

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The first two weeks of the college football season is over and my team is still atop the national rankings. I know a lot of my friends will give me a hard time for the teams we played the last two weeks but regardless of who we played there are always going to be people who will be naysayers or will try to bring you down. You need to avoid these people like the plague. And if you have personal training clients that do nothing but bring your enthusiasm or passion down every time you meet with them it is a must to cut ties immediately. In all the years that I have been involved in managing personal trainers I have never seen a positive outcome occur when a personal trainer has a client that does not connect with them. I know it is difficult to turn down a paid personal training session but let me tell you that in the long run you will come out ahead if you sever the relationship before it gets out of control.  So, the take away from this post is that there is going to be a time when you encounter someone who is going to try and take you down and if that occurs stand up and be a leader. Tell the personal training client that you can no longer work with them and move on. Trust me you will stay on top if you listen to me!

 

Coach D

Times are a Changing

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Have you noticed the changing of the sun in relationship to the sky? Every year there comes a day when I walk outside and say, “Oh, fall is coming, the shadows are different.” Okay, you are probably like my wife and say, “really?” Well, maybe she is right and it is not as obvious to everyone else but one thing I am certain of and that is times are a changing. Hurricane season, back to school, and football is here and that means you need to be done with the lazy days of summer and start planning for the rest of the year. Here is what you need to do to go along with these changing times.

1.) Revisit your goals that you set back for yourself in January and see which ones still seem relavant and important to accomplish this year.  

2.) Go back to your client list and start making calls to get more people back into your personal training schedule. (You do have a list, right?) 

3.) Decide whether or not you are going to raise your rates now or wait till January. Yes, even in a recession you can raise your rates.

4.) Get motivated again. Summer can be a really depressing time for personal trainers because clients are of town for a month and business is slow, so pick up a book that is motivational and start reading.

So the question now is will you go with these changing times or will you stand still and wait for things to happen. I hope you will go with the times and create the success you deserve. By the way I love the fall so you can expect more of these of the cuff posts. Until the next one, go get em!

Coach D

Do you really want to be a personal trainer?

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I get asked this question all the time. Dave, did you always know that you wanted to be a personal trainer? My answer is No. When I was going to school personal training as a career was not something that schools either had a curriculm for or it was not looked upon as a career profession. The perception was that all you needed to be a personal trainer was a great physique and a certification. Not so anymore. Today, personal training is looked upon as a viable profession and is earning the respect it deserves. Okay, I have that off my chest and what I really want to talk to you today about is whether or not personal training is for you?

     As I mentioned above I did not always know I wanted to be a trainer and one of the most common questions I get is “How did you know that you wanted to be a personal trainer?” Well, I tell them it took 33 years and the passing of my father from a massive heart attack to realize that my purpose in life was to help people with their health and wellness. Let me tell you I struggled early on with being a personal trainer. It was not easy making $18 that first paycheck but somehow I just kept pushing through and my constant push to improve myself has led me to where I am today. So, now I am going to ask you, ” Do you really want to be a personal trainer?”

 

If you can answer yes to the following questions then you might just have found the right career for you.

Can you take rejection from people whom you know need your help but choose to do it on their own?

Can you be positive and upbeat one session after another?

Can you work early mornings and late evenings to build up a clientele? 

Can you work off of 100% commission? 

Are you committed to constant learning?

Well, if you answered yes to all these questions above you are the right path to being able to say personal training is for me. Now, if you are still unsure about being a trainer and you have a passion for health and fitness don’t give up because passion and commitment can ultimately win out. You just need to know that the path can be challenging and I wanted you to know a little bit of what it takes to be a successful personal trainer. 

Coach Dave

You need to build this in order to get more personal training clients

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One of the biggest and most beneficial ways to get more sales and more personal training clients is to build rapport with current clients and prospects. Follow these five tips to build the relationship and friendship with your client.

1.) Be Real – If you put on an act or try to fake who you are then you are guaranteed to lose the client. People are not as dumb as you may think. They are already timid and have their guard up because they have been burned before, so the worst thing you can do is start to fake who you are. Also, a key point to being yourself is you will attract personal training clients who are like you and have things in common. Remember, you should not be everything to everyone. Use your personality and characteristics to attract people whom you fit in with.

2.) Quit being serious – It is important to build credibility but enough with all the serious stone face attitude. In the mind of the client personal training is already hard enough and the last thing they need or want is to have a personal trainer that is ALL business. Now, I know what your thinking and it is okay to be disciplined and consistent with your client but lighten up and show them you are human!

3.) Let your passion shine – If you love what you do and you show enthusiasm when you are with your clients then your clients will keep coming back to you. People are attracted to positive and energetic people and trainers that show this at every session gain the most clients.

4.) Listen and recall – It is so important that you listen to what your client says and talks about. You need to find out what profession they are in, if they are married, how many kids, birthday and etc… Make sure when you see them you recall things that they have told you. If you have a hard time remembering write them done, put them in notebook, set up reminders on a service like www.birthdayalarm.com.  

5.) Be honest and truthful – Do not sugar coat the relationship. You need to be honest and truthful about what you tell your personal training clients. Don’t lie and tell a prospect something that isn’t true just to get them to buy more personal training sessions. This will come back to haunt you one day and you will be sorry you lied and didn’t stay honest from the beginning. 

Building rapport takes work but if you follow these five tips then you will put yourself in a great position to build a long solid relationship with your client that can lead to endless opportunities.