Personal Training is dEAD! Or is it bROKEN? The Service that Must be Fixed! by Bob & Jolyn Esquerre

Fitness Professionals, Senior Club Executives, Club Owners and Fitness Equipment Vendors who remember me from my “trench warfare” days at Equinox in New York City, know me as a passionate Personal Training subject-matter-expert! As of the date of this blog, I still have 3 current & accredited Personal Training Certifications: NSCA, NASM & ACE. I still deliver 15 one-on-one personal training programs per week, teach 2 Spinning Classes per week and teach 1 fee-based TRX Group Training Program per week when I’m not providing business solution consulting services domestically and internationally.

Given that I am actively providing business solutions to our industry, it may seem odd to some readers that I believe that Personal Training is “dEAD” in some cases and/or “bROKEN” in other instances?
As a programming concept, personal training has the potential of both reinforcing a club’s value proposition to its members and making a strong net income contribution to the bottom line. If these occur, as a bare minimum,…personal training is indeed alive and well!

Reality Check 101.
Based on my experiences in the trenches, I can identify for the readers 3 types of Personal Training Programs: Type #1 Programs are those that are comprehensively successful; Type #2: are those Programs that are totally a failure [“dEAD”];
Type #3 Programs are those that are in between both extremes-partially successful & partially a failure, these are, however, “bROKEN”!
Based on how they are currently being developed, launched and managed, most of the Personal Training Programs are either “dEAD” in some case or are “bROKEN” in other cases! These Clubs fall into both the Type #2 & Type #3 categories. What is the difference between being “alive” & “well” and ‘dEAD” or “bROKEN”?

Type #1 Clubs: Personal Training-Alive & Well:
In August, 2009 IHRSA’s Guide to Personal Training was published. Sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, this reference document is a reference document that establishes and quantifies some of the best Personal Training practices in our industry. This document also identifies the “How-To’s” in generating incremental profits and improve member satisfaction. Kudos to IHRSA & ACE for publishing these best practices!

However, what is missing from this reference document is why & how most clubs fail to consistently develop a Type #1 Personal Training Program.

Type #2 & Type #3 Clubs: Personal Training-‘dEAD” &/or “Broken”.
The clubs in these 2 categories (1) have opted to create their personal training programs solely as a source of incremental revenue as opposed to positioning personal training as a tool to enhance the overall member experience; (2) have created a selling-at-all-costs internal culture at the cost of nurturing a service focused culture; (3) has positioned their personal training programs as a “stand-alone” programming option that does not have a goal of integrating club members into the entire positive club experience; (4) the personal training work group has been hired to function in a segmented, one-dimensional way that is focused to drive the sale and not drive/stimulate the total club experience; and have (5) created a business model that focuses on short term financial gains instead of supporting long term strategic financial growth for the club.

The following 13 outcomes are typically associated with category #2 & category #3 Personal Training Programs:
1.The Programs only achieved an increase in gross income for the club but
2.Did not increase the profit margin to the club for fee-based programming [i.e. Increase in net income];
3.Did not stabilize &/or decrease the club member attrition rate;
4.Did not increase the referral rate from satisfied members;
5.The penetration rate for personal training services did increase;
6.Income per club member had increased;
7.The value of the club’s brand [i.e. the club’s value proposition] did not increase dramatically;
8.The creation of narrowly focused, non-effective fee-based programming options did occur;
9.A percentage increase of non-dues revenue did occur;
10.The synergy between all club programs did not occur;
11.The club’s competitive-points-of- difference were not strengthened;
12.The club’s customer relationship program was not strengthened; and
13.A reduction in fitness professional turnover did not occur.
These 13 limited outcomes occur because the clubs in these 2 categories are all looking for a “short-term” fix as opposed to a “long term” strategic business solution that is designed to reinforce each club’s value proposition.

The following quote in the March, 2007 issue of Fitness Management Magazine, Tharrett & Peterson had nicely re-stated the major problem in the Fitness Industry:
………“Changing from a sales-and-attrition model to a retention-and-service model requires new skills, a new mindset and a new center of influence. For most operators, this step involves entering uncharted territory. As a result, they tend to feel intimidated, out of control and on unfamiliar ground. One of the consequences of such feelings is to resist change and to try to find loopholes that can help avoid change. In reality, if fitness centers want to win the “retention battle,” they must recognize their limitations in this key aspect of operations, and change accordingly.”

If we do not address the retention & service business model by developing “member-specific” programming that keeps the member fully integrated into the club experience, we will continue to lose the retention battle. If we continue not to have the member experience proactively managed by our customer-centric fitness professionals, we will continue to lose the retention battle! 

ALIVE, dEAD or bROKEN? How would you rate your Personal Training Program?
If you would like to find out which of the three (3) Categories your Personal Training Program is in, please request our PT Program Questionnaire by activating the link below.

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If you want a sample copy of a Personal Training Questionnaire

that quantifies your Program Classification, please leave your name

and email address at the bottom of this blog.

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