As we’ve previously discussed, maintaining a positive relationship with your clients is vital should you want to retain them as long as possible. But another major part of retaining clients is understanding or at least spotting the signs that they might be losing interest in their training, which means they’re losing interest in you.
So how can you spot these signs and what can you do to prevent them leaving you? Let’s take a look:
1. Failing to show up
If clients are simply not turning up for training, only to offer pitiful excuses, like they lost their keys or “forgot” about the appointment, there’s something wrong. If it happens once every few months, then don’t worry about it, but if it’s happening every week, you need to address the situation. Approach them in a non-confrontational way and try and find out why they’re not turning up for training. It could be lack of motivation, which means they’re probably not getting the results they were looking for, or it could be a number of reasons. Either way it’s bad for business, so try and find out why they’re not showing up. Remember, you’re running a business too, so if they just don’t want to train anymore, move on and try to find another client that will fill that gap in your timetable.
2. They’re not following a diet plan that you provided
If your client doesn’t see results, they won’t want to pay you for your time. You should be able to spot whether your client seems to be following the diet plan that you have set out, and any good personal trainer knows when someone is eating more than they tell you. If they’re not following a diet plan or listening to your advice, they might not see the value in what you’re trying to do. Again, you should address this sooner rather than later and try to motivate them. Once they see results, they’ll be eager to keep up the good work.
3. They start complaining about money
As a personal trainer, chances are at some point you’ll become the agony aunt to your client. Of course you need to be attentive when they’re complaining about their cat dying or next door neighbour cooking too much, but when they start talking about finances, alarm bells should start ringing. Everyone struggles with their finances at some point in life, but if your client is constantly talking about money, they could be trying to alert you that they can’t afford your services anymore. A great way to combat this would be to offer your services on a group basis, this means that they could bring a friend and pay less than they would normally, which means you’re still getting the same income and they’re more likely to attend class.
4. Clients aren’t interested in trying new things
As part of your training regime for your client, you will inevitably have to change things up every now and then. This helps motivate people as they start to use muscles in a different way and feel a different “burn” but also shows that you’re trying new things to get better results. If your client is resistant to new exercises or changing their workout plan, chances are they’ve lost interest in what’s happening. Could this be that things are working really well, or could this be down to the fact they don’t see the value in your sessions, and therefore you? Keeping lines of communication open and addressing any issues like this in a friendly manner really helps retain clients. Are you the root cause of the problem? Is your workout too difficult? These are some questions you need to ask as well, because at the end of the day it’s your client that needs to benefit, not you.
5. They’re complaining of pain all the time
There is a major difference between pain and the burn. Fail to see the difference between these two aspects and you’re going to lose your client. If your client is injured whilst working out they might be out of action for a few weeks, and worst of all it might be your fault. If you push your clients too hard, they won’t enjoy training with you. Yes, push them to their limits, but understand where those limits are or you just become an angry shouting person that they no longer want to hand money over to.
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