Personal Training: Business Articles

career path b y A m a n d a Vo g e l , M A Taking a Good Headshot Discover why a remarkable professional photo matters--and how to get one. A A hot prospect is deciding whether to call you or your competitor for personal training services. He hasn't met either of you, so to help make the decision, he logs on to your respective websites. Your services and credentials are similar, but, alas, the...

Handle 21st century business challenges and run your company in a way that honors you and your clients. Reap What You Sow With so much to learn at IDEA conventions, how am I supposed to retain all that information? BY KAY L. CROSS, MEd I I think of being with my grandfather more than 30 years ago. My brother and I are peering out over our chainlink fence at 50 acres or so of farmland. We are w...

Sales By C. Noelle Brownson, with Gary Harvey For example, explain, "I like to think that my coaching services are available to people with a variety of budgets. I find that clients who are motivated and comfortable in the gym need a coaching session only once every week or two and then they can complete the rest of the workouts on their own, checking in with me for a new program at least once eve...

TRICKS OF THE TRADE "Did you create a business plan before starting your training business? How did having a plan--or not having one--impact your business?" I did create a business plan--several of them in fact. Breakeven, max capacity and QA & A wellthought-out business plan is an absolute must, even if you are an independent instructor. ...

IDEA Survey By Patricia Ryan, MS Personal Training When it comes to the number of trainers you have and the quantity of sessions they conduct, how does your facility stack up to others? Since 88% of the businesses included in the 2005 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey offer personal training, it's no surprise that trainers appear in virtually all facilities. Personal training businesses ha...

Training for Growth By Sherri McMillan, MSc, and Alex McMillan Get Centralized and Automated Streamline your operations and hit revenue goals. As consultants who travel around the world, we see many personal training businesses or departments that struggle with the same issues: I no personal training director or a director who trains 30...

Synergistic Systems By Kay L. Cross, MEd Wanted: Experienced Business/Life Manager Becoming a great self-manager takes practice and consistent discipline. How much fun did you have last month? Did you throw away what you didn't need, and get organized and motivated for a year of synergy? Now that the cleaning out and filing are behind you, we're on to the next step-- the search for a great busine...

Training for Growth By Sherri McMillan, MSc, and Alex McMillan Smart Cancellation Policies Establishing fair and consistent cancellation procedures is essential for business success. We've all been there. Your favorite client cancels 2 hours before her session because "something came up at work." You say, "No problem"--after all, you don't want to lose her business. The next day, another client s...

Synergistic Systems By Kay L. Cross, MEd Operation Organization Don't wait for spring to make a clean sweep of your working environment! If someone peered into your car, file cabinets, kitchen pantry, laundry room or closet, what would they assume about you? Would they guess that you are always in a hurry, loaded down with too much stuff and barely holding your act together in the public eye? Or ...

Technology By Joe Dysart Notebook Computer Buying Guide Learn the ABCs of these PCs to find a costeffective computer that meets your needs. Thanks to the "faster, cheaper" mantra that has driven computer sales ever since the products first appeared on store shelves, a perfectly acceptable, light-duty notebook PC can be had these days for as little as $400. Granted, you won't be able to launch the...