Clarify your goals before you start the “selection process”. Since you are looking for trainers for clients in your gym, get away from your personal goals. Focus on why others seek the help of the trainers. Is it just about building muscles or do a lot of women who are primarily trying to lose weight come to your fitness centre? Try to be versatile and connect with people who are not just focused on building muscle but who are overall fit. And avoid that your clients get stuck with coaches who don't meet their needs. This can happen, for example, when the client wants to improve in classic fitness, but the coach loves CrossFit, so he leads the client in that direction.
One of the ways to find a quality coach is the internet. Today, most fitness centers, gyms, and other sports facilities have personal trainers on their website that are independent and can train in your gym as well. All you need to do is to go through fitness centers sites in the area and choose the trainers that match your gym goals based on their resumes and references. Trainers databases are also available. Foreign databases are so sophisticated that by using algorithms you can find suitable trainers by location, specialization, services offered, prices and more.
We also recommend using social networks to find trainers. For example, on Instagram, you can see how the trainer is presenting himself/herself, what exactly he/she is focusing on, track his or her achievements (for example in fitness and sport competitions, client achievements, etc.) and see the reactions of others (via likes or comments).
Your client's recommendations can also help you with your successful search. Do not hesitate to contact them and ask about their references and experience with trainers from competing fitness centers, or if maybe some of their friends is a trainer. It is also possible that you will find a quality coach directly among the visitors of your gym. In some cases, it is even worthwhile to offer the job of a trainer to a person who does not officially make a living but who obviously understands it, enjoys it and is an inspiration to others. It pays off to invest in such a person. Believe that such an investment will return.
Once you find the right candidates, check them out during the training. Watch their expertise, but also how they treat your visitors in the gym. After the training, talk openly and ask for feedback from trainer and those who have trained with them. If you have more trainers in your gym, set the same rules for everyone, do not encourage them to compete with each other. Coherence is important for successful functioning. Every gym is actually a community and your job is to make it work the best.
It is clear that a better workout experience leads to higher retention. Hospitality is a great example. The hospitality industry is all about experiences that keep retention high. They think about all the aspects of the customers’ journey, including the smell of the shampoo and the music in the lobby. Have you thought about your music as well? It's quite important.
Marketing is most of the time focused outside the gym, and most of the budget is spent on member acquisition. And I totally understand why, you need to hit the new members' KPIs. But acquisition is just the beginning of the funnel, not the end, and some of the budget should be spent on engagement and retention.
It’s almost January and your gym will be flooded with new members again. You’ll probably experience a flow of different groups with different characters, your music should change to fit the group(s) currently in your gym.
