What does Walmart have to do with personal training? Actually quite a bit. Keep reading and I'll tell you…
It’s late in the afternoon as I write this and I just returned from Walmart. As I walked up to the cashier, I greeted him as normal by asking how he was doing. I never say to people “How ya doin”, which people say these days more out of habit than anything else. I try to be different. Regardless it was the person’s reply that got my attention. As he was handing me back my change, he said something to me but all I heard was a low pitched, mumble, mumble mumble… I couldn’t hear a word he was saying! Also, he never made eye contact with me; he just gave me my change and moved to the next person in line.
I know the cashier was probably very tired. Still, it would have been nice to at least hear “thanks for coming to Walmart, Have a nice day” (which I guess is what he was saying to me?).
As I waked home, I got to thinking about how many times I've seen personal trainers doing almost the same thing – personal trainers walking around the fitness area, not paying attention to the members. Often I see personal trainers gathering together at their central front desk, talking to each other. Sometimes they talk to the front desk staff, again neglecting the members of the gym.
It’s hard to be a personal trainer who works at a gym. I know this because I've done it myself. Often times the hours are long and gyms don’t pay trainers much. Heck, sometimes health clubs don’t pay a personal trainer unless he /she is doing personal training. In other words, personal trainers may not get paid an hourly rate. This adds up to boredom and frustration on the part of the personal trainer, which invariably, diffuses through to others.
I think that’s a recipe for disaster. Remember this fact: Every person in the health club notices the personal trainers. Every time a personal trainer walks through the gym, they are seen. People watch for a number of reasons. Sometimes they watch because they want to see if they can pick up some free advice; sometimes they watch because they want to see how the personal trainer conducts him or herself in public (to see if they want to hire the trainer); sometimes they want to seek the personal trainer’s advice about an exercise they are doing. Sometimes also, they want to make eye contact so they can just to have a friendly conversation between sets.
When members see a personal trainer not making eye contact with anyone or who looks like he/she isn’t paying attention to people or their surroundings, they remember it and THAT has a direct bearing on how the personal trainer is persevered –and how much that personal trainer can make! Because of this, personal trainers always have to have their “A Game” on.
People often don’t to go Walmart to see the cashers but sometimes people do to gyms and health clubs to see the personal trainers and other staff. I can tell you this is very true because in the months after my mom and dad died from cancer, I was a wreck. I felt alone and depressed. I really appreciated the gym; it was full of friendly, healthy people and was the complete opposite of what I was dealing with in my life. Gong to the gym helped me recharge my batteries and forget for a little while, the bad stuff that was going on in my life at that time.
Everybody likes to feel special and appreciated. This is true at the gym, at Walmart and in life. Personal trainers need to remember that even if being nice to somebody doesn’t immediately get them a new client, what they give of themselves in that brief moment might impact the lives of others for years to come and in ways that they can not imagine. When you think about it, isn’t that what being a personal trainer is all about?
It’s late in the afternoon as I write this and I just returned from Walmart. As I walked up to the cashier, I greeted him as normal by asking how he was doing. I never say to people “How ya doin”, which people say these days more out of habit than anything else. I try to be different. Regardless it was the person’s reply that got my attention. As he was handing me back my change, he said something to me but all I heard was a low pitched, mumble, mumble mumble… I couldn’t hear a word he was saying! Also, he never made eye contact with me; he just gave me my change and moved to the next person in line.
I know the cashier was probably very tired. Still, it would have been nice to at least hear “thanks for coming to Walmart, Have a nice day” (which I guess is what he was saying to me?).
As I waked home, I got to thinking about how many times I've seen personal trainers doing almost the same thing – personal trainers walking around the fitness area, not paying attention to the members. Often I see personal trainers gathering together at their central front desk, talking to each other. Sometimes they talk to the front desk staff, again neglecting the members of the gym.
It’s hard to be a personal trainer who works at a gym. I know this because I've done it myself. Often times the hours are long and gyms don’t pay trainers much. Heck, sometimes health clubs don’t pay a personal trainer unless he /she is doing personal training. In other words, personal trainers may not get paid an hourly rate. This adds up to boredom and frustration on the part of the personal trainer, which invariably, diffuses through to others.
I think that’s a recipe for disaster. Remember this fact: Every person in the health club notices the personal trainers. Every time a personal trainer walks through the gym, they are seen. People watch for a number of reasons. Sometimes they watch because they want to see if they can pick up some free advice; sometimes they watch because they want to see how the personal trainer conducts him or herself in public (to see if they want to hire the trainer); sometimes they want to seek the personal trainer’s advice about an exercise they are doing. Sometimes also, they want to make eye contact so they can just to have a friendly conversation between sets.
When members see a personal trainer not making eye contact with anyone or who looks like he/she isn’t paying attention to people or their surroundings, they remember it and THAT has a direct bearing on how the personal trainer is persevered –and how much that personal trainer can make! Because of this, personal trainers always have to have their “A Game” on.
People often don’t to go Walmart to see the cashers but sometimes people do to gyms and health clubs to see the personal trainers and other staff. I can tell you this is very true because in the months after my mom and dad died from cancer, I was a wreck. I felt alone and depressed. I really appreciated the gym; it was full of friendly, healthy people and was the complete opposite of what I was dealing with in my life. Gong to the gym helped me recharge my batteries and forget for a little while, the bad stuff that was going on in my life at that time.
Everybody likes to feel special and appreciated. This is true at the gym, at Walmart and in life. Personal trainers need to remember that even if being nice to somebody doesn’t immediately get them a new client, what they give of themselves in that brief moment might impact the lives of others for years to come and in ways that they can not imagine. When you think about it, isn’t that what being a personal trainer is all about?
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Hey Joe love your blog! I have to say I agree with you, I know a trainer or two that will walk around with there heads down. Its just not professional or attractive. Now I'll have to disagree because I am the friendliest person and trainer you will meet at my gym (and I am not just tooting my own horn - people tell me this regularly). I have quite a fan club. After 3 yrs. I know everyone by name and quite frankly I have become the gym psychologist. I ask about the family, recent problems, and why they havent been in in a while (they love that one - they feel missed). People talk to me about everything from marraige and kids to surgery and deaths! So here's my problem Joe; Why do I have 3 clients a week? I'm not saying I will stop loving people, but I have to say it hasn't had any great impact on my career.........
ReplyDeleteHey Lyn I think your taking the right approach to things and eventually its going to pay off. If you are working in a gym here are some suggestions:
ReplyDelete1. Do some in-the-gym presentations so that people know you are more than a friendly face. just 10 min presentations on something members would be interested in.
2. If the health club has a newsletter, write an article for it. its great exposure!
3. If you teach classes (spinning etc), mention in passing to the class how you helped various people with your personal training.
4. When working with clients in the gym, incorporate some exercises that are new, that you dont see anybody else (including trainers) at the gym doing (assuming they are safe for the client of course). When members seeing you doing something nobody else is, they get curious and want to learn more :)
Joe