FPL002: How to Get Paid What You Are Worth

Fit Pro Lifestyle Podcast

Kaizen Outdoor Fitness - Bootcamp Workout Ideas for Personal Trainers

90% of all the money in the fitness industry is earned by just 10% of fitness professionals.

That skewed income distribution curve means that the majority of us end up slogging it out for scraps.

In this episode you will discover 3 fatal mistakes made by fitness trainers and how you can join the elite and feast at the top table.

Shownotes

01’01” 3 reasons you are not getting paid what you’re worth
01’40” Why you should never tell anyone you’re a personal trainer
02’20” Are you slitting your own throat making this dreadful mistake?
03’40” What really puts most fitpros out of business?
04’22” Every potential client’s biggest fear
05’17” Creating a group training program that guarantees results
06’43” The top 5 civilian fitness goals
07’22” How to design a group training program to meet these goals
09’36” 5 habits that will help you get paid what you’re worth
14’10” Actionable steps for success

Hi it’s Garry Robinson here. Welcome to the Fitpro Lifestyle Podcast.

In today’s episode we are to cut straight to the chase and talk about how to earn more money for working less hours – while at the same time delivering extraordinary fitness results for the good folks of your local community.
That’s exactly what a Fit Pro Lifestyle is all about.

So I’ll start by reminding you that the fitness industry is messed up compared to other professions.
In our business, you will not get fairly rewarded merely for having talent and expertise. You have to create value in other ways. The good news is, by listening to this podcast you’ll get to learn those uncommon strategies.

There are 3 main reasons why you’re probably not getting paid what you’re worth, and you may be surprised to learn that it’s got nothing to do with your ability as a trainer.
In fact, there are some very ordinary trainers out there earning way more than you and you are probably wondering how they manage to get away with it.

Here’s what’s going on…

1.You’ve got to differentiate yourself

90% of all the money in the fitness industry is earned by the top 10% of fitpros. That skewed income distribution curve means that the majority of us end up scrapping for the 10% of what’s left. You must do what it takes to get into that top 10%.

You’ll know if you are in the majority of low-earners if someone asks you what you do and you say “Oh, I’m a personal trainer”. Whenever I hear someone say that I know for a fact that they are not getting paid what they’re worth.

See, without a clear point of difference or ‘unique selling proposition’ (USP), you are left with a commodity. And since the only differentiator between commodities is price, the cheapest wins – or rather, loses.
This might make you uncomfortable, but one sure sign that you have nothing special to offer is if you introduce yourself as merely a ‘personal trainer’ or you concern yourself with what other trainers in your area are charging.

Another mistake made by the majority of poor trainers is

2.Selling ‘training sessions’ instead of results.

If you offer ‘casual drop-in sessions’ for your fitness group or if you sell ’10-session packs’ then you may as well be slitting your own throat. Most folks don’t want to buy ‘personal training’ or ‘bootcamp sessions’- but they will pay handsomely for a specific outcome or result.

Don’t ever assume that your clients understand the benefits of hiring a trainer – or even of exercising in general. When you sell ‘training sessions’ they have to connect the dots themselves – and hope that what you offer will give them what they really want.

Smart trainers know that to charge more, you must promise a specific outcome (such as fat loss, increased energy levels or a better body shape).
That’s a far more valuable proposition than selling a ’10-pack training deal’.

The third reason is that

3.You are not charging enough!

Most fitness professionals don’t charge anywhere near what they are really worth.
The biggest excuse for this I hear from talking to literally hundreds of personal trainers regularly is that they are afraid that their clients won’t pay more.

They see other trainers undercutting them on price and they feel like unless they compete, they will lose clients – or that they will price themselves out of business.

But actually, the opposite is true. Because being too cheap is actually what puts most fitpros out of business…

Listen. When it comes to our health & wellbeing, cheap is never good.
People will buy cheap cars, cheap clothes and even cheap food. But nobody – not even those on a low income – will risk being cheap with their health.

For example, if you need a major operation, would you seek out the cheapest surgeon you can find?
No way! The cheapest surgeon NEVER has the best reputation.
In fact the more expensive they are the better you feel about your choice, right? If they are expensive, they must be good.
It’s the same with personal training.

The cost of training is never the main consideration once someone has made the decision to do something about their health.
In fact, let me tell you the biggest fear that every potential client of yours has right now. And it’s not “I can’t afford it” or “it’s too expensive”.

It’s “What if it doesn’t work?”

Sure, losing hard earned money on something that doesn’t pay off will hurt.
…But much worse for them is taking massive action to make major lifestyle changes over several months – only to find that is doesn’t deliver results.

The best surgeons are the ones with the best success rate. That’s why they command the highest fees.
If you want to charge more, you must make sure that your group training program has the best success rate too.

But you can’t just go and put up your rates and hope people pay up.
No. Here’s what you do:

You must make a compelling, irresistible offer that your ideal client cannot resist by promising a specific result or outcome instead of just selling training sessions. Oh, and you backup that promise with a money-back guarantee
In other words,

Offer a Group Fitness Program That Guarantees Results
Stand behind your offer with a money-back guarantee and you instantly remove your client’s biggest fear – and they will happily pay a premium for that.

For example,

What would getting rid of chronic back pain be worth to a self-employed tradesperson?

How much would losing 10kg of body fat be worth to an executive who has just been told they are pre-diabetic?

What would a busy soccer mum pay to have more energy and feel good about her body again?

See what I mean?

Promising relevant results to a specific type of person backed up by money-back guarantees is one of the best and easiest ways to get into that top 10% of earners and finally get paid what you are worth.

Of course, you have to be sure that your training program actually delivers on your promise first.
That’s why I invested so much time and money in developing the Kaizen Outdoor Fitness Bootcamp Workouts that you can download for free from www.kaizenoutdoorfitness.com

Fitness Bootcamp Programs That Guarantee Results

So let’s talk a little bit about creating Fitness Bootcamp Programs That Guarantee Results. I am going to go really deep on this subject in future episodes but for now let’s take a high level view to set the scene.

Here are the top 5 civilian fitness goals today, taken from the health screening questionnaires of over 400 bootcamp clients:

1. Lose weight / body fat
2. Have more energy
3. Feel good
4. Reduce or eliminate joint pain
5. Stress relief

And here’s how a well-structured group fitness program will deliver on all 5 of those goals.

1. Fat loss

Your program will include high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts – a modality proven to regulate metabolism and thyroid function. It’s common knowledge that HIIT is especially effective for fat loss.

2. Have more energy

There must also be dedicated endurance workouts. Training your clients to resist fatigue will give them more energy to cope with the demands of their busy modern life.

3. Feel Good

Lower intensity, aerobic workouts are proven to release endorphins that make us feel good. So don’t ‘go hard or go home’ every single workout if you want to improve your client’s mood permanently.

4. Reduce or eliminate joint pain

Workouts that employ a high resistance for low rep ranges strengthen bones and muscles. It will improve your client’s posture and significantly reduce or eliminate most common joint problems such as lower back pain and arthritis.

5. Stress Relief

You’ll want to include interval training at a moderate intensity because it has a hormone stabalisation effect that lowers stress. Fitness Boxing is a great modality for stress relief and also makes training fun and enjoyable.

Plan this very carefully and design your programs, workouts and drills based on the results your clients expect.

That way, you’ll be able to offer a money-back results guarantee with confidence, increase your prices and finally get paid what you’re worth.

You will also eliminate your competition by making them irrelevant.

What else can you do to get paid what you’re worth?

Well, after years of speaking to bootcamp operators and outdoor PTs nearly every day, I’ve noticed 5 behaviours that separate the successful trainers from those who struggle to get by.

If you want to do considerably better than your competition, then you must stop acting like them and model the behaviours of the top 10%.

Success in the fitness industry is not at all about how hard you work, it’s about what you do and who you become while doing it.
Adopting the following 5 habits will make you more successful, no doubt about it.

#1 Always Deliver An Amazing Fitness Experience

You simply cannot afford to turn up with a vague bunch of exercise ideas that you got from Youtube or some random internet page the night before.

Throwing together random drills and games haphazardly will not deliver sustained results in the long term. That’s what the majority of low paid group trainers do. They desperately search the internet for cute workout ideas that are only useful in the context of a well-designed program.

So put some serious thought into it. Plan out programs well in advance and create engaging workouts that actually contribute to the objectives of your training plan.

This is the single biggest difference between clients making genuine gains (and referring their friends) or simply going through the motions, becoming bored and leaving.

If you are not currently investing at least as much time preparing and reviewing training sessions as you are delivering them, then you are doing your clients and your business a huge disservice.

Only successful trainers make the commitment to do this properly. You will be miles ahead of your competitors by getting this one thing right.

In fact, why not save yourself hours of work each week by signing up for my free, done-for-you group workout program? If you’re listening to this on iTunes, just follow the link to website at www.fitprolifestyle.com

#2 Be a Role Model

You’ve got to actually live out the change that you wish to see in others.

In other words, train hard.

Get results for yourself.

Enter fun runs.

Train outside when it’s raining.

Eat clean.

You will inspire others to change far more readily by becoming the person they want to be rather than just talking about it.

Be mindful that you are a leader of fitness in your community. How do you imagine such a person would behave and treat their own body? That’s how you act at all times, right?

#3 Invest In Your Education

The third habit I see successful fitpro’s doing is investing in themselves.

The fact is, PT certs and qualifications will not teach you what you need to know – and you absolutely must understand the science behind creating and delivering fitness programs for groups.

Different exercise modalities do different things to your body

By understanding energy systems and some basic principles of general physical preparedness, you will be able to create purposeful workout programs that far exceed the results of those “what can I throw at them today” trainers.
Leading on from this, it’s crucial that you actually

#4 Implement What You Know

“To know and not to do is not to know.”
- Stephen Covey (from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

It’s not enough to read a book or attend a seminar. You actually have to act on that information.

By reading just one book a month and applying one principle each time, you will make enormous progress and stand head and shoulders above other trainers who simply can’t be bothered.

Time is going to pass anyway and if you are not moving forward you will be left behind.

Actually doing what you know is the difference that’s makes a difference.
Sadly, not enough personal trainers take enough of the right action.

The fifth behaviour is simply to

#5 Add massive value

Under-promise and over-deliver to achieve long term success. Again, this about what you actually do rather than what you say you do.
Your income is a function of how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

It is too easy to shout “we are the best” on Facebook. It’s amazing how many trainers try this and wonder why no one believes them.

Here’s why: it’s also easy to show us the ‘social proof’ of your work!

So get going and pour your energy into creating something of genuine value.

Your clients will do the shouting for you when you get it right (or wrong).

That’s about it for today
I hope this episode has given you some ideas and inspiration.
See, you’ve got to know the rules of the game before you start playing.
There is huge income gap between being a personal trainer and being a true fitness professional.

Fitpros will generally earn a very nice, full-time income working only part time hours while many personal trainers and gym instructors slog it out and eventually burn out swapping their time for money in health clubs.

Here are your action steps from today’s episode:

1. Differentiate yourself by offering a specific outcome for a specific person

2. Stop selling individual training sessions and 10-session packs

3. Put in place a professional group training program that guarantees results. Use the top-5 civilian fitness goals to guide you to create a program that actually contributes to the objectives of your clients

4. Be a role model. Live and breathe what you do. Other professions often do not get the opportunity to get paid to do what they truly love. This is an awesome benefit of working in the fitness industry.

5. Invest in your education and implement what you know (join Kaizen Outdoor Fitness membership and you’ll get both in one hit)

6. Add massive value under-promise and over-deliver. Surprise and delight your clients by delivering an amazing fitness experience every single time

If you like the fitpro lifestyle podcast and find it valuable, please pass on these tips to your colleagues, students and anyone you meet who is interested in pursuing a career in fitness.
And please leave a positive review in the itunes store before you rush off to implement my advice.

See you next time

Garry Robinson
www.kaizenoutdoorfitness.com

Fitness Career Lifestyle

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· Enjoy free time to do the things they love
· Have confidence to charge what they are worth
· Are highly valued by their clients
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