What Personal Training Taught Me About Customer Success

When I first became a personal trainer a couple of years ago, I figured it wouldn’t be so hard. Show up, tell the client to move some weights, and everything will be just fine! I was wrong.

I had no idea what was in store for me and what improvements I would have to make if I wanted to find success in my new role.

My nearly fatal flaw was my lack of customer focus. I was aloof to the blatant connection between customer success and professional success.

Let me walk you through some lessons in customer success that I learned to save my business.

Creating a Customer-Focused Experience

I quickly realized that if I was going to be successful as a personal trainer, I needed to recognize my services as the product. I had to own every aspect of the process; from the first moment until the last session!

Typically the client and I would begin with an assessment, discuss goals, set realistic expectations, and organize a workout regiment. Easier said than done.

If the closest resemblance of exercise history for the client is merely long walks to the fridge, I knew it was essential to put myself in my client’s shoes.

Anticipating My Client’s Needs

Eventually, I completely molded my business around the needs of my clients.

I focused my attention on producing results for my clients while remaining equally attentive to their emotional needs. People tend to be hypersensitive about their physical appearance, so I tried making each client feel safe and supported.

Nobody wants a robot.

Suppose the client wants to look like they were freshly peeled off a Muscle & Fitness magazine four weeks before spring break, and the previous three months they’ve been attending buffets religiously.

In that case, you must anticipate their expectations, delicately guide them to a more probable and healthier scenario while maintaining mutual respect.

Again I was the product that I was selling, and each client’s needs varied. Every interaction, complication, or progress report is the feedback I took into account as I improved my approach.

Takeaways from my Personal Training Experience

My two-year stint as a personal trainer was rife with professional lessons. Any success I attained in my PT career can be traced to the success of the customer. I became proactive, strategic, empathic, and, most notably, customer-centric.

Integrating these components doubled my business in less than a month. However, this is merely a side effect of genuinely caring about my clients.

When I started to care about my clients genuinely, I not only saved my business but changed the lives of others.