If you want to:
... it’s worth giving this question some thought.
(If you don’t want any of those things … are you sure you’re in the right profession?)
Figuring out the answer is your foundation towards providing people with greater return on their investment in your coaching.
My (simplified) view is that a product/process/program’s value is determined by how well it achieves the intended objective, and what the experience was like in achieving it.
Or: VALUE = RESULTS + PROCESS
Bizarrely — unlike any other professional coaching relationship — you can actually get a few half-decent results as a PT without having a clue what you’re doing.
If you can create a process that your clients enjoy with fun and engaging sessions, they’ll often stick to it.
Any experienced trainer will tell you that adherence is the key factor to making progress, for most of the population. If they’re not making progress, it’s often less about what they’re doing, and more about how accurately and consistently they’re (not) doing it.
Some activity is better than no activity. And a scientifically-sound program is useless if the client never shows up for it.
You’ll often see coaches saying how they make fitness “fun” or “accessible”. In itself, there’s immense value to this, because many of the general population actually hate working out – and the idea of doing so presents a major barrier to overcome every day they’re ‘supposed’ to exercise.
But, hang on - isn’t that achieved by a lot of group classes too?
Sure, some clients will prefer the privacy and personal attention of a 1-1 session with you. But the value proposition (‘fun’) isn’t a great deal different.
Plus, group classes are much cheaper. In most markets, you can get (at least) several group classes for the cost of one good 1-1 PT session.
So, fun and entertainment alone are a low-value offering for a personal trainer.
To justify a price point that is significantly higher than a group class, our value proposition needs to be significantly different.
We can’t just make fitness fun. We have to be problem solvers, too.
Problem solvers are thinkers. But people who spend all their time thinking aren’t often much fun.
(Are you the life of the party when you’ve got something on your mind?)
Mental and physical tools are important to address the problem that needs solving. The more experienced you are in approaching problems using these tools – the less thought that needs to go into using them, as it becomes second-nature to your approach.
And when we’re thinking less, we’re focused on the person in front of us - and can turn on the charm, lighten the mood, and make fitness both fun and effective.
And so, here's our answer:
A high-value PT is a highly-skilled, well-versed professional who can solve complex problems through an approachable and effective process that creates a fun, client-focused environment.
Simple — right?