There are many different milestones that you will progress through as a fitness business owner but one of the most challenging is the moment that you decide to grow your team.

Normally it looks a little bit like this…

You have been rocking out with your clients now for anything between six months and a year. You have been getting increasingly good results with your clients and your diary has been getting more and more crowded.You are so busy that you are leaving home before dark and not returning home in time to watch The Biggest Loser. The middle of your day is full of house-keeping jobs like client contact, program writing, new client follow up and the odd half hour to surf Facebook and stalk your competition (that’s right, Big Brother is watching).

Anyway, business is great but you are starting become a little warn down and you know that if you take a holiday that your income will come to a screeching halt. You don’t want that to happen right now because you have busted your butt to build it up and you don’t want anyone to leave.

What’s the solution?

As much as it may freak you out, now is the time to start building your own team of trainers. In fact, the day that a client tries to book in with you and they can’t get their preferred time is the green light you need to move forward with this.

Any later and you will be saying no to clients and leaving money on the table L

While most trainers who reach this stage have a good understanding that this is the direction that they need to go, it doesn’t change the fact that their business as they know it is about to change.

Many trainers have considerable resistance to this next stage of business and hide in a “I don’t know how to do it” mentality. I don’t buy into that crap so I decided to put together a few simple steps to follow to help you build your own team of awesome trainers (so you can go on that holiday you deserve).

In this post, I am only going to touch briefly on each of the four steps and if you would like to know more information about any of them just flick me a question in the comments section.

Here are the four steps that I see as essential when building a solid team for your business…

Step 1: Systemise your service so your team have a clear path to follow

One of the biggest fears people have when building their team is that their normally high level of client service will be diluted. Using some simple systems you can not only avoid this but also promote new trainers strengths.

1. Decide on the preferred role of your team member (do you want them to just be a trainer or have other roles like admin or sales) and identify how you want to employ them (sub-contractor, employee ect).
2. Using the roles outlined in step 1, outline what aspects of the role you want to systemise to ensure your business standards are always met.
3. For one week, simple record exactly what you do to complete each role in dot point form (include confirmation call, session planning, set-up, service delivery, after session ect).
4. Combine these process and put them together in one operation manual for your team to follow.

Tip: Your basic operations manual and system is always an evolving document so don’t strive for perfect on draft one but be open to regular reviews and refinements.

Step 2: Test out a recruitment strategy

Due to the rapidly increasing numbers of new trainers that are graduating from their certification courses, you would think that finding a new trainer for your team would be a breeze. Unfortunately it is not so because you are searching for quality not just quantity. Here are some simple tips to build your dream team…

1. Find new trainers through associations with cert 3 and 4 providers, traditional recruitment websites, Facebook and some fitness industry specific recruiting firms.
2. Alternatively, you can also find good trainers by hiring from within your business or exploring your immediate network.
3. Initial screening and interview process is the most important part of the process. Use a solid screening process to find you your deserve.
4. Use employee contracts, trail periods and KPI’s to ensure your service standards are upheld.

Tip: You can teach skills but you can’t change someone’s personality, passion or commitment. Choose wisely…

Step 3: Initial and ongoing management and training for your team

Hiring a new team member is only the first part of the puzzle – you must now ensure that they feel supported and have an opportunity to develop as a trainer. Here are a few simple things to consider when thinking about developing your team..

1. How intensive do you make the initial training program? 1 day, 1 week, shadowing…
2. How do you measure their development and success (KPI’s, client feedback, trainer feedback)?
3. How often to you need to have meetings and on-going training sessions?
4. What to do when things go bad?

Tip: Building a successful team member is a two-way street – so both parties need to be physically and emotional invested in the process. If this is not the case, you could have a battle of your hands.

Step 4: Empowering your team and building loyalty

Staff turnover is one of the biggest pains a business owner can have, so it is important you have a strategy to build a strong and loyal team that cares about your business. Think about what you can provide them to assist them to grow within your business. Here are a few starting points…

1. Providing additional responsibilities – working to their strengths and passions and
2. Incentive scheme (increased pay rate for time spent in business)
3. Staff benefits (discounted courses, bringing in professionals to speak)
4. Tribe building: social events, physical events, birthday presents.

Tip: A committed and loyal team member is literally worth their weight in gold, so please do not skip over this part. Have a strategy to ensure your crew remain tight and with a strong focus.

Hopefully these tips can help you find a way through the maze that is building your team. Personally I think it is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a business owner and it means that you have the opportunity to get your hands on a little bit of leverage.

Speaking of team building… I have a BIG announcement to make.

As of the first of May, I am expanding my business team and am really excited to announce that Brisbane personal training veteran (and all-round legend) Barton McGuckin will be my new partner in crime.

Barton brings nearly ten years of personal training business success to the table and with a range of personal training experience (and currently running two killer personal training businesses), he is one serious asset and I am stoked to welcome him as my business partner.

What does this mean for you?

It just means that as a team, we will be able to provide you with a broader scope of experience to continue to help you start, build and enjoy your fitness business. So stay tuned for some really cool stuff on the blog over the next couple of months.

Ok – that’s me for this week. Keep fighting the good fight and we will speak again soon.

Rick

The other day I was talking to Pete Tansley from Priority 1 Fitness about what makes a quality trainer. Pete had some really cool things to say about what he looks for when he is adding a new member to his team, so I asked him to put them into a post for you.

Over to you Pete….

There are certain traits that successful personal trainers share, and if you want to join the top 5% of PT’s then you too will need these skills.

For years I struggled to find good trainers. I would get so desperate for a new trainer that hire I would take the first person through the door with a qualification. Nowadays it’s much different, and I’ve learnt what to look for and have a structured recruitment process.

However I’ve noticed one thing… The great trainers (the one’s who are earning 6 figures and are booked solid) share 5 skills that they use day-in, day-out to separate themselves from the masses.

Here they are…

1. Attitude

Every day you see another “poor PT” who has been beaten up, chewed up and left behind. What a load of rubbish.

You’ll never succeed in this industry if you have this attitude. When I speak to PT’s who are looking to get more clients, it amazes me how many of them have a victim’s point of view.

They blame anyone and everyone for where they are. They will have a reason (which is simply the grown up word for excuse) why they are struggling. If this is you, you will never have the attitude it takes to join the top.

The truth is only you can make a difference to your career. The blaming, making excuses and playing the victim has got to stop.

If you want to transform your career, you must be responsible for where you are today and where you will be 1, 6 and 12 months from now.

2. KARE

K.A.R.E stands for Kindness, Appreciation, Respect and Enthusiasm. All successful trainers I know show KARE to their clients.

Our team all show KARE to our prospects, clients, staff, neighbors, suppliers and cleaners. Virtually everybody we deal with, no matter what his or her mood or attitude is, we deal with KARE. It’s amazing watching the flow on affect in everybody’s life – it affects a lot more people than those in Priority 1 Fitness.

3. Extra mile

Do you think it’s hard to stand out in today’s market with good customer service?

Sadly it’s not.

Every day I deal with people who don’t return my calls, who are consistently late to appointments, and who never smile or even greet me. And these are people who I pay for their service!

Unfortunately this is what we all put up with and have gotten used to.

To stand out you need to do the basics plus 1%. That’s what I call the extra mile – it doesn’t mean you give away so much that you make no profit – you simply add “that little bit more”

You have to be willing to do the extra 1% to retain A-grade clients (remember that A-grade clients rarely ask for discounts, are a pleasure to deal with, and refer more A-grade clients).

What are you doing daily, monthly and annually for your clients? How do you go the extra-mile to show you appreciate their business?

Here are some of the extra-mile stories that have happened at Priority 1 Fitness:

• A trainer dropping honey and herbal tea to a client who was at home with the flu
• When the client came to purchase her regular flavor of protein, the admin manager drove to a supplement store during the clients session to purchase and then sold at a loss to the client.
• Hand delivering a clients jacket to him that he left in the studio
• A simple phone call on key dates such as wedding anniversary’s, children’s birthdays, and important meetings or interviews

With service, even if you perform nothing more than what you said you would, you’re still doing better than most companies. By going the extra 1% you can ensure you stand out and attract A-grade clients (check out my previous post about building raving fans to explain exactly how to do this).

4. More, more, more.

To put it bluntly, if you’re not growing you’re dying. If you’re not getting better you’re getting worse.

Sadly, when trainers think they know it all, their career is declining. Too many “experienced” trainers think that their learning stopped the day they became qualified. Nothing could be further from the truth.

With so many advancements in our industry, trainers must stay updated. Try blocking out 30 mins per day to read or research the latest trends.

Don’t limit your learning to just the technical stuff. Our soft skills (such as communication, sales and influence) are even more important.

The 6-figure trainers I know don’t all have PhD’s in physiology… but they are ALL exceptional salespeople and communicators.

5. Passion

This one might sound obvious, but there aren’t enough passionate trainers in our industry.

Guys, think about this for a second…

Where else can you:

• Change someone’s life?
• Empower somebody to exercise on their own?
• Save a person from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other high-risk conditions?
• Educate people on proper eating?
• Prevent the childhood obesity epidemic worsening?
• Help keen athletes turn professional?
• Give couple’s back their libido and possible save their marriage?
• Help mothers lose weight who are attempting to fall pregnant?
• Help somebody lose weight to allow them skydive on their 8^0th birthday?
• Get supplements at wholesale?
• Go to the beach at midday… during the week?
• Learn inside secrets on fat-loss and disease prevention?
• And get paid to exercise?

Personal training is truly one of the greatest jobs in the world.

To re-ignite your passion for the industry, think back to why you started, and read a few of your past clients testimonials.

If that doesn’t keep you passionate, you might want to look at Saturday’s career section in the paper. All successful trainers love what they do and in shows in how they train their clients.

To reach the top 5% of PT’s, start developing these 5 skills. Give yourself a score out of 10 in each category, and reassess at the end of the month.

Good luck,

Pete

About the author: Pete Tansley has been coaching and training individuals for weight loss, sports performance, general health, and corporate wellness on the Gold Coast since 2002. He also runs Priority 1 Fitness, one of the Gold Coast’s top personal training facilities in Burleigh Heads. His passion for helping people achieve their goals started after watching his mum coach elite and recreational swimmers from a very young age.

Photo Credit: Melbourne Group Fitness & Personal Training

A Guest Post By Pete Tansley

For many years I really struggled with the whole “team” concept. I always thought that I was the only one who could do things properly, and would try to control how things were done. But I was always let down. The team weren’t committed… they would turn up late… and they would leave early.

It wasn’t until I read a book that shared a simple motto: you get the people you deserve. It was then that I realized the team around me was a direct reflection on my skills as a business owner and manager.

From that day on, I have spent a lot of my time and energy building my team. Yes I said building and not hiring… you must train your team to be great, and not expect to find them by placing an ad in the paper.

So here are my top 12 tips for you to find and build your team.

1.      Consider your team part of your family. If you were to treat your team members like family, how differently would they respond? Would they enjoy work more? Would the “feel” of the business be different? Would your clients get better results? When I changed my attitude from “employees” to team members, the entire business benefited.

2.      Sell the dream. You must have a purpose to inspire your team. What are the businesses mission? What are its core values? Where are you heading over the next 1, 3 and 10 years? People will always be inspired if their business is going somewhere and striving for excellence.

3.      Never get desperate. I used to only hire when I needed to. BIG mistake. When you need somebody in a hurry, your judgment is clouded and you’ll take just about anybody. The best time to recruit? Is when you don’t need it.

4.      Be specific. If you’re going to advertise the position, list the exact qualities and key skills you’re looking for. My ad looks something like this….

If you’re the personal trainer we’re looking for… You’ll be…

Friendly, passionate and  enthusiastic… You’d have high standards and be described as hard working, mature, courteous and a team player…

You’ll be responsible for 3 main roles within Priority 1 Fitness at our Burleigh Heads studio – Getting your clients results, keeping your existing clients, and growing your client base…

You’ll be well presented, trustworthy, punctual, and love working with people from all walks of life. You’ll be eager to take this opportunity to learn, grow and achieve well above average results and remuneration and to build a career in the fitness industry.

You’ll apply the skills you already have in the fitness industry. These skills are desired, but not 100% essential.

If you believe this is you, be ready to show me why when you call before 5pm this Friday on 07 55 764 054… in fact just call me NOW…

5.      Expect calls… a lot of them. My last advertisement for a PT had 46 calls in just 2 days. Expect this – there are a lot of PT’s looking for work. My advice is to either be willing to sit by your phone, pay somebody to sit by your phone, or have a designated phone line with an answering machine ready to take the calls.

6.      Listen. When the applicants first respond to the ad, make some notes. Were they smiling? What was your first impression of them? Did they sound passionate? Make notes early to make your final decision much easier.

7.      Get some help. When I recruit, I ask my entire team to assist in hiring. After all… they will be working alongside them in the studio so I want to make sure they have a say in the hiring process. At the initial group interview all team members use the following score sheet for each applicant. You can check out my score-sheet here.

8.      Look beyond skill. Although the experience and skill levels of an applicant are important, I feel they are overrated. My theory is that I can teach the trainer about programming, nutrition or exercise technique, but I can’t teach the other parts – such as communication and rapport building skills – as easily.

9.     Will they fit? Try to imagine the applicant already working in the business…. Do they fit your culture? Will their personality style clash with any body else’s? How would your typical client respond to them?

10.   Let people know the outcome. After you have consulted with your team and made the decision, let the applicants know. This includes the one’s who weren’t successful as well. I use scripts for all of these and get our office manager to make the phone calls.

11.    Set the rules. The new applicant needs to know what is accepted… and what is not. Make sure you have your “rules” published somewhere so the entire team know what the rules are. Can you imagine a tennis game where nobody knew the rules? People need to know what’s allowed.

12.   Train, train, train. Once the decision is made, you need some kind of induction or systemized training to begin. Even if your trainers pay rent, in my opinion this still needs to be done. For me, it’s 4 weeks of training before they go near a client. I implemented this after reading that holiday employees at Disney theme parks undertake an 8-week training course… and they are only employed for 6 weeks! I realized the importance of getting everybody on the same page with programming, culture, nutrition and our “extra mile” attitude. This is the area that is missing in our industry… we must mentor new trainers so they can continue to learn and grow.

So there you have it… my 12 tips to build a winning team. The best advice I have ever got from a close mentor was this…. “Look after your team… and they will look after your business.”

Got a question? Fire away…

Pete Tansley

About the author: Pete Tansley has been coaching and training individuals for weight loss, sports performance, general health, and corporate wellness on the Gold Coast since 2002. He also runs Priority 1 Fitness, one of the Gold Coast’s top personal training facilities in Burleigh Heads. His passion for helping people achieve their goals started after watching his mum coach elite and recreational swimmers from a very young age.

I am going to come right out and say it: finding good staff drives me crazy.

Ok, its out and I feel better now. I couldn’t write this post without letting you know that and while no-one is ever going to run your business like you do there are some things that you can try right from the start to not go completely mental when finding the right person.

As you progress a little further down the path of running your own personal training business and your client base quickly swells, you may be struck by an epiphany.  From out of no-where, you will be think to yourself, “Holy crap, I actually can’t take any more bookings – I am full.” Now that is a good day in your business, but it is also a day that presents a whole new set of challenges (it’s time to put your boss hat on).

So today I want to give you my insiders tips on how to build your team of trainers so you get to leverage your time and sleep in work on your business. To do that, I am going to show you where to find the best trainers and how to interview them to ensure you get the best for your business. Not the most exciting information you will ever read, but bloody important to know so you don’t get burnt in this important growth phase.

Step 1: How To Find Great Trainers

In my years as a personal training business owner, I tried so many ways to find the perfect trainer. After going down the conventional route of placing newspaper ads (only to be confronted with people who WANTED to be a trainer), I tried the certification schools (they were enthusiastic but inexperienced), I knew a guy who knew a guy and I even tired poaching some top level trainers from other businesses (I know, bloody shameful).

None of these methods delivered me with the type of trainer I was looking for and honestly, if my hiring process was built around poaching trainers I was in a world of hurt.

Then a little angle fell out of the sky – his name was Dennis Hosking and we had previously worked for the same corporate health company in Melbourne. He had noticed that PT business owners (like me) really struggled to find specific staff for their specific needs using  the traditional methods. So Dennis put together a business called Healthy People which is a recruitment service specifically for the fitness industry (trainers looking for jobs and businesses looking for trainers).

His service is so special because not only does he use traditional methods of marketing to get potential trainers to apply for your job (like putting an ad on seek.com) but he also has a massive database of trainers looking for work. So it is a one-stop-shop for finding lots of potentially great trainers to apply for your job. Check out what Healthy People can offer you as a trainer or business owner (I have been using them for over 5 years now):

Now just to make things clear, this is how I have found new trainers the easiest and most effective way. Other people in the industry form relationships with certification course providers to be able to hire graduates, some use Facebook and others just rely on word of mouth. Each to their own but for me it’s Healthy People all the way.

Step 2: How To Interview Them So You Don’t Pick The Wrong One

So you have placed an ad with Dennis on Healthy People and you now have 30 resumes sitting in your Inbox, all eager to work in your amazing business. What now? How do you choose the right person for your business? This step is really important and one that you really want to get right (or else you will hire someone, train them up and they will end up not being right for the position which is a massive pain in the arse).

To minimize the potential risk of going back to the well and wasting all your time, money and potential income, I have three stages that any employee must fulfill before they join my business:

Stage 1: Resume reviews and phone qualification.

Resumes are generally a complete waste of time as they are one persons glowing report of themselves (along with some referee’s which are just people who have been lined-up to say nice things). The only two things a resume is good for is to assess the computer skills of an applicant and to assess there personal training experience – all the rest of the fluff can be ignored. For me, it comes down to the person not the resume.

Jump in and review every resume that you have received, shortlisting the ones that catch your eye based on experience alone. Now the fun begins…..

The final part of stage one is get on the phone with each applicant and ask them one of two really basic questions. For example, “what makes you a good personal trainer?” or “what is the most important quality of a personal trainer?” Now what you are looking for in their answer is there personality, their passion, there ability to make you feel comfortable. Not so much the content of what they say, but more about how they make you feel. I know this probably sounds strange but I am a massive advocate for hiring staff based on personality and passion (and obviously they must know there shit). If they can make you feel comfortable and bring a smile to your face then that is going to also be reflected to your clients.

Out of all your applicants you let 3-4 of the best ones (the trainers with the best personality and passion) know that they have made it into the second round of one-on-one interviews. The downside of this is that you then have to tell the other 26 applicants that they are not the right fit for your business; welcome to the joys of hiring staff :-)

Stage 2: The face to face interviews.

This is my favorite part as this process allows you to watch the cream rise to the top. The funny thing about interviews is that a large percentage of people answering questions tell you the answer that they think you want hear, rather than what they really think (does that make sense?).

So when interviewing personal trainers, I like to “go deep” with the answers that they give and cut through the superficial crap that they often serve up. This process involves either asking them for more information or asking another question based on their answer. Sometimes I will ask three questions about the one initial answer just to find out whether they really know what they are talking about.

Now this may sound harsh but as the business owner, if you don’t respect the interview process and work as hard as you can to find the right person for your team then you are simply not doing your job. This is no place to be everybodies friend or to have a joke (even though I am a fan of in-formal interviews); you must find out as much as you can about these people in a very short period of time.

Once you have asked the tough questions and really found out whether your applicants have professionalism, personality and passion you are in a much better position to make the right choice. After you have interviewed your top three of four, send them home and sleep on it. Come back to work and pick your top two to move to the next stage.

Stage 3: Training the boss practical session.

Because you are not hiring a PA here it would be wrong of you not to get the top two trainers to run you through a session. They may be super-professional, passionate and full of personality but if they cant effectively communicate how to do a body-weight squat then Houston, we have a problem.

In the practical session I would be looking for how relaxed they made me feel, session flow, exercise prescription, injury management, appropriate intensity and time. After your top two have run your through your paces, you should have a clear picture of who is going to be Australia’s next Master Chef your new trainer.

But it doesn’t end there. I think it is always wise to put new employees on a three month trial basis that gives both parties a good look at each other before fully committing. Now I know that this sounds like a laborious, drawn out process but there is a direct correlation with the amount of work you put in to the quality of trainer that you will end up with. If at the end of the process there is still no-one that you think is going to suit your business (and more importantly your clients) then you have no choice but to start all over. Hiring someone in the hope that they will get “good” is a disaster waiting to happen.

But What Do Other Business Owners Think?

As part of this post, I wrote on my Facebook wall for any of my friends to share there trainer-hiring secrets and the best response came from Kaz Muddell from Mind Body Motion Fitness. From her experience, Kaz recommends:

• Hire a trainer that suits your client base. If you are training clients that are in the 40-60 age bracket it is very unlikely that they will want a 21 year old trainer, fresh out of fitness school.

• Make sure that you pay your trainers well otherwise you will not build loyalty and build retention. If you have a number of trainers make sure that you hold regular meetings and make everyone part of the team.

• Be sure you give them a test run. Have them participate in a class to see if they look the part, are fit and healthy, have good posture during their exercise routine and generally look like they know what they are doing.

Thanks Kaz – some great points there, especially about choosing trainers to fit your business.

Now Kaz has got the ball rolling, I would love to know what your number one tip on hiring a great trainers is?

Hopefully my guide today will help you steer clear of those trainers who will take your clients and leave you in the doghouse. Instead you will find yourself surrounded with a team of awesome people who are just as excited to build your business as you are (more on how to do that very soon).

Don’t forget to leave your number one hiring tip,

Cheers

Rick :-)

About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, swearing personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches, writes books, runs an online community and holds live workshops for personal trainers but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read, subscribe to blog here and get your weekly dose of goodness delivered straight to your Inbox.

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