Be predictable. Perhaps seemingly counterintuitive advice in a world where everyone’s social media is trying ever wilder ways to catch your attention…but the reality is that on the client’s side, taking the first step to reach out to a new gym/trainer/fitness group often involves overcoming a lot of barriers.
“Barriers? What barriers? I’m a friendly coach!”
Yes, even though we may be very approachable individuals, clients come to us with a whole lifetime of experience that we don’t know about. They may be unfamiliar with the software we use, or nervous about discussing an old injury, or had a bad previous experience in a toxic gym environment, or just plain uncomfortable with facing the prospect of the awkwardness of learning something new. By being predictable, we can reduce some of those barriers by giving clients confidence that they know what to expect when they sign up.
Here are three things you can do today to make your client’s sign up experience more predictable:
- Post a virtual tour of what a coaching session with you actually looks like. Whether your coaching is virtual or in person, you can share a step by step of what that looks like and help build client confidence.
- Explicitly state what kind of coaching you offer. For example, “I provide weight-neutral, kickboxing classes for beginner to intermediate athletes.”
- Make it easy to find and understand your pricing. It can be scary to put numbers out there, but hiding what you cost is a quick way to irritate potential clients. Bonus – sharing your pricing is a great way to let potential clients know if you offer sliding scale and/or bartering options!
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