Should I Give Complimentary Sessions?
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By Sal | October 7, 2009
Some believe that complimentary sessions will generate new business. I do not subscribe to this point of view. Complimentary sessions should be given to existing clients as a way of express gratitude or as an inducement/reward for successful referrals, and not given to prospects in the hope of having them become customers.
For the hesitant prospect there are preferable options to complimentary sessions that can be used to close the sale. Personal trainers should have a reference network set up through which prospects can talk to existing clients. Trainers who have a roster of happy clients should have no problem getting these folks to sing their praises to prospects. As a matter of fact, you’re better off giving members of your reference network free sessions as a” thanks” than you are giving it to a hesitant prospect.
How much work can you get done in one session with a person that you know nothing about? I have found, and have heard from other personal trainers, that these kind of “one-and-done” auditions are actually detrimental. If a prospect wants a crushing workout, you’d be derelict in your duty if you delivered on this expectation, and by doing the right thing you run the risk of turning off the prospect by conducting a basic session.
There’s not a reasonable way to give personalized service given the time constraints and the nature of personal training.
Personal trainers need to explain their philosophy – develop a concise handout in a bullet-point format to reinforce the in-person pitch – and let the prospect observe training sessions.
Personal trainers who work in a gym that uses complimentary sessions to reel in clients should concentrate on the hands-on approach rather than running prospect through machines. Putting prospects through a gauntlet of machines does nothing to illustrate how a using a personal trainer can be a unique and valuable experience.
Trainers who work in a full-service gym should be approachable and available to answer questions about machines, equipment and/or exercises and a reliable source of information. There's nothing wrong with giving people a tiny bit of great info and leaving them wanting more. If people only needed one, 30-minute session with a trainer there'd be no need for trainers.
Save complimentary sessions for existing clients and you will make much better use of your valuable time.
Remember that if you do participate in complimentary training sessions to treat them as your own clients and maintain your professionalism. Beginners will often look for a short cut to losing weight and getting in shape and might ask you about various supplements and multivitamins. It's important that if you're not qualified to make nutritional recommendations that you point the client in the right direction, even if it's just a one time session.
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Topics: Personal Trainer Coaching, Sales and Marketing | 3 Comments »
3 Responses to “Should I Give Complimentary Sessions?”
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9:06 am on October 19th, 2009
Personally I don’t give them because my #1 lead generator now is client referal, so people arrive ready to start.
So I hear you Sal, but if someone is starting out, there is a way of doing them that can lead to building their client base fast. That’s the key. There is an art to doing them!
2:58 pm on October 19th, 2009
There absolutely is an art to them. And IMHO, even when starting out you just can’t give free sessions out to any and every prospect who comes your way.
6:52 pm on February 6th, 2010
This was one of the best strategy I stumbled on during my years as a trainer:
“Personal trainers who work in a gym that uses complimentary sessions to reel in clients should concentrate on the hands-on approach rather than running prospect through machines. Putting prospects through a gauntlet of machines does nothing to illustrate how a using a personal trainer can be a unique and valuable experience.”
Prospective clients were mystified and impressed when I told them I was getting the workout I was designing from their body not from a cheat sheet!