9 essential tips for boosting PT client retention

Increasing your PT
client retention can be challenging when you’re new to personal training.
There’s much to consider, from building rapport with your clients to setting up
your pricing structure.

With the right
advice, you can optimise your behaviour and business structure to improve
client relationships and keep them invested in your training.

Here we cover 9 essential tips for boosting personal trainer client retention, so you can improve your career prospects and increase your guaranteed income.

1. Always use their name 

Frequently using
someone’s name establishes that you’re invested in them personally. 

Human behaviour
expert Dale Carnegie said ‘remember that a person’s name is to that
person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.’

Using someone’s name
in a conversation means you’re creating an individual message and goes a long
way to motivate them. 

It causes their
brain to release dopamine and serotonin, the ‘feel good’ hormones, and
associate this with your interaction. 

It’s a simple but
effective trick for boosting PT client retention that you should use in
conversations and when encouraging them to push that bicep curl again.

Related: 7 ways for building rapport as a personal trainer

2. Listen to their goals 

This sounds simple,
but discovering exactly why your client has come to you for advice is vital to
creating that all-important relationship. 

A study by the International Journal of Listening
found that ‘active listening responses in initial interactions increase the recipient’s
perception of feeling understood compared with other response strategies.’

Finding out their
goals early on and continuing to check how they’re progressing means your
clients will feel as though you value their opinion. 

It shows you’re
dedicated to their progress and prepared to adapt their training based on their
desired outcome rather than the one you think they should aim for. 

For example, your
client’s main goal might be to build muscle in their legs rather than lose
excess weight. You should keep this in mind when creating their workout
programme. 

Not only is this
your duty as their personal trainer, but it also means they’ll achieve the
results they’re paying to see and be much more likely to continue working with
you. 

If you have a lot of clients, it’s easy to try a one-size-fits-all approach, but that won’t work. You won’t see much PT client retention if your clients don’t feel you’re actively trying to help them achieve their goals. 

3. Make your sessions exciting 

We don’t mean
jumping around like a puppy or talking so much that you look like you’ve taken
too much pre-workout. We mean being excited about training with the person and
their progress.

Positive energy
creates more positive energy. Chances are you’ll have to act as a therapist
often with your clients, so turn negatives into positives and create an
exciting atmosphere for them.

It’s a good chance
they’ll be unhappy about their current physical health, so they’ll be looking
to you for motivation to get excited about making a change.

Keep them on their
toes by changing up your sessions together as they progress. Much of PT client
retention relies on your clients feeling empowered and having fun.

Related: 6 essential legal forms for your personal training business

4. Know your stuff 

Make sure you know
how best to get results for your clients and use that knowledge to help them.

Have they heard
about a new weight loss regime or training program? You need to be all over
that with your critique and let them know what you’re planning for them is
safer and gets better results.

Be the go-to expert
in your field, not just in the gym but online too. Start a blog to discuss the
best way to achieve results and critique the latest fads.

Chances are, when
someone compliments your client, they’ll refer that person to your blog or
social media page, so it pays off to ensure you’re seen as a good knowledge
base.

Good personal trainer client retention is impossible to maintain if you’re seen as someone who isn’t speaking from a perspective of authority.

5. Draw attention to the future 

When it comes to PT
client retention, one of the most important elements is always focusing on the
future.

This instils the
idea that your value to them will never become obsolete and that you’ll always
be able to help them progress, even if they hit the initial goals they set out
to achieve.

For example, say
you’ve been working with your client for six months, and they’ve lost most of
the excess weight they were hoping to lose.

You can increase
your chances of PT client retention here by saying something like, ‘now that
we’ve almost hit your weight loss goal, it’s time to start thinking about how
we can improve your strength and body composition’.

Or you could say,
‘in two weeks, we’ll change your diet to accommodate your goals more
aggressively to avoid a plateau in your training.’

Planning ahead opens
your clients up to new goals and lets them know they need you to help them stay
on track to achieve them.

Related: How to use PT testimonials to boost your business

6. Track their progress 

Your clients will be
keeping tabs on how they are improving, but you need to be all over it.

You could use an app
such as Trainerize to
visualise their progress through graphs and charts and even upload progress
photos to refer to every few weeks.

Emphasising the
value you’re adding to your client’s lives is important for PT client
retention.

Not only does it
show them how far they’ve come thanks to working with you, but it demonstrates
the possibility of exceeding their expectations.

Once they realise they’re making more progress than heading to the gym alone, they’ll likely continue their fitness journey with you.

7. Always be available 

Every client wants
to feel like you are tuned into their progress, so constant contact helps build
a strong relationship and lets them know that you care.

Go easy on the ‘how
is the dog feeling’ texts but send them a message now and then to let them know
that you’re pumped for the next session or to offer good advice on some new
supplements that may help them.

In addition, being
available when they text you helps strengthen PT client retention rates, as
they now have access to advice when you aren’t around.

Related: How much should I charge as a personal trainer?

8. Go the extra mile 

There’s one surefire
way to prevent your clients from leaving you for another trainer—always strive
to go above and beyond their expectations of you.

Treating them to a
coffee after your session, buying them a token gift on their birthday, or
gifting them helpful recipe books to keep them motivated will allow them to see
how thoughtful you are and help you to stand out.

Next time their
friend mentions how their personal training sessions are a little monotonous,
they’ll make a mental comparison and realise how fortunate they are to have
picked you.

If you’re lucky, they might even make some referrals.

9. Re-visit your payment structure 

One of the biggest
mistakes for increasing PT client retention is signing new recruits up through
block payments.

These are one-off
payments that sell personal training through a set period of weeks rather than
through a monthly payment plan.

For example, you may
sell a 12-week training programme with three weekly sessions to a client for
£799.

But the issue here
is that once this initial period is over, the client has little incentive to
continue training with you—they’ll expect to get into shape during this time
and no longer require a personal trainer.

The solution is
switching to a monthly payment structure instead, where clients sign up for
your services indefinitely:

As you can see, this
option works similarly to the average gym pricing structure.

It provides you with
at least six months of guaranteed income rather than just a few weeks. It also
makes it much more likely for your clients to stick with you, as they’re
unlikely to cancel if they begin with the intention of working with you over a
long time.

This is one of the lesser-known methods for increasing your PT client retention and gaining more new clients, and you can learn more in our complete guide to designing PT packages.

Growing your
personal trainer business is exciting, but as with all ventures, accidents can
still happen.

With
Insure4Sport’s specialist personal
trainer insurance, you’ll receive up
to £10m of Public Liability and £1m of Professional Indemnity cover to protect
yourself against client claims.

You can also choose
unlimited Equipment Cover against theft, loss, or damage (with a maximum value
for one item of £2,500), so you can have peace of mind when investing in your
business.

Learn more about your options here, or click the button below to get an instant online quote.