I first got into personal training because I enjoy helping clients and I enjoy the lifestyle. But if you want to be successful, you need to run your personal training outfit as a business, and sometimes that can be tricky.
You have to manage and store client details, schedule sessions and classes, process payments, send reminders to clients, build and send workout and nutritional plans, keep track of expenses, track sales and manage your website, keep your social media pages up to date and much more.
I used to get so frustrated having to spend half my week on admin tasks instead of training clients. And then I discovered business management software designed specifically for personal trainers.
Personal training software literally transformed my business and my life. Let me tell you how.
1. Spend more time with your clients and less on admin
By reducing spreadsheet-induced headaches and gaining more time getting paid to actually train clients, my income increased overnight.
2. Reduce no-shows and lost revenue
The PTminder software sends automatic SMS and email reminders to the client prior to their session, which significantly reduces no-shows.
Also, before I discovered PTminder, I was taking payments in cash. When a client didn't turn up, I didn't get paid, and banking the money every few days was a nightmare. With the software, I could schedule an appointment and my customer could pay online in seconds. No more lost revenue from no-shows and my customers loved the fact they didn't have to go to the ATM before every session!
3. Improve organization with accurate scheduling
There are a thousand calendar apps out there, but having one that integrates into my website and allows me to schedule sessions and classes and assign them to clients has been a godsend! Everything links together and this has saved me so much time. I just open my app in the morning and have my whole schedule laid out for me.
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4. Create and assign workout and nutritional plans
This was a big one for me. Prior to using the software, I was building my clients’ workout programs and nutritional plans in a spreadsheet, then manually sending it to them. In hindsight, I can't believe how unprofessional and inefficient that was.
Now I can build a workout program in minutes using PTminder's Workout Planner and assign it to any client I like in seconds. The client can view the entire workout and see a description, images and a video of the exercise. My clients absolutely love it, and I spend way less time explaining how to perform certain exercises.
The same goes for the Nutrition Planner. I can build and assign a complete nutritional plan for my clients in minutes, and it even gives me a breakdown of the macro-nutrients as I build it, so I can tailor it to my clients’ needs.
5. Measure, track and record client assessments
One of my biggest issues with retaining clients was proving to them that they should continue to work with me and to sign up for a monthly package. With PTminder, I am now able to measure my clients’ bio-metrics, such as their body fat percentage, then produce progress graphs to show to my clients and prove to them that the sessions are helping them make progress. Up-selling my monthly packages is now far easier!
6. Keep clients coming back with recurring monthly membership packages
For my first few years as a personal trainer, I only ever booked in single or blocks of five or 10 personal training sessions. This meant that I had to continuously find new clients and convince my existing clients to purchase more sessions. With PTminder, I am able to create membership packages with automated monthly payments. This has been a game changer. My average customer lifetime value has gone from around $300 to nearly $1,200. Instead of charging customers $60 a session, I charge them $199 per month, which offers incredible value and gives me a steady stream of revenue.
I provide one-on-one sessions for the first week, then I allow the software to manage their account and their payments. I can quickly and easily monitor their progress and adjust their training and nutritional plans. I still check in on clients regularly, but it’s not as time consuming, meaning I can now take on more clients.
7. Personal training software that scales with your business
This step isn't for everyone, but for those looking to scale their personal training business, software becomes an invaluable tool. With PTminder, you can add as many trainers as you like to your account. As your client base grows, you can enlist the help of other PTs and manage everything from your account. You can assign clients to specific trainers and monitor their performance and sales figures.
8. Track and manage sales
As the old saying goes, 'what gets measured, gets managed' and I have certainly found this to be true. Without lifting a finger, I am able to track my sales, keep an eye on my expenses and even view my projected earnings. Checking in on performance every week and seeing my projected earnings gradually increase has been fantastic.
9. No more tax headaches
Like any business, you are liable for managing and paying your own tax. This is something you don't want to get wrong, and it can be a massive headache. PTminder helps you to track all of your payments, sales and expenses, so when it comes to tax time, you don't have to spend countless hours trying to piece together an entire years’ worth of data.
10. Choose the pricing plan that best suits your needs
From a free 14 day trial through to an unlimited plan for over 200 clients, you’ll find a pricing plan that works best for your budget. Flexibility in pricing is important because it means you can switch up or down depending on what’s happening with your business.
See how you can leverage your PT software with an effective growth strategy plan.
Keen to see how personal training software can benefit your business? Try PTminder free for 14 days.
