The Only ACE CPT Exam Study Resource You’ll Ever Need (infographic)

Bonus: 4 week and 8 Week Timeline for Studying for your NASM CPT Exam

The ACE CPT exam is known to be one of the most difficult in the fitness industry. With 150 questions in 180 minutes, you’d better know your stuff if you’re going to pass this one the first time around.

When you sign up, the study materials you get from ACE include a book, some basic online materials and a “good luck” pat on the back. It is no wonder that nearly one third of all ACE CPT test takers fail.

But, you’re smart and you’re found this great resource that will help you be one of the two-thirds who passes and starts an awesome career path in personal training.

The following recommendations have been put together by me, a college professor responsible for helping 1,000s of students get their personal trainer certifications. In my many years of experience I have figured out the best study materials and have even created a few of the best ones on the market. I also have many leather bound books and my walls smell of mahogany.

Without further ado, here is an infographic on my recommendations for studying for the ACE CPT.

Download infographic

Here’s our take on the study resources tips from the infographic:

TEXTBOOK

American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual, 5th Edition Textbook:

Trust me when I say that this textbook will be your best study tool as all the information you’ll find in the final exam is contained in the book.

At the time of this writing, the fifth edition is the most up-to-date version of the book. Here, you’ll find the key concepts and terms that you’ll need to prepare yourself for the exam and to become a solid personal trainer.

You’ll also find the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® Model, insight on managing a personal training business, and technical standards adopted and developed by ACE.

From the authors:

In addition to new technical standards for cardiorespiratory, functional and resistance training, the manual also features new information about managing a personal training business, engaging graphics that identify key concepts and terms, and essential exercise science information.

Although some chapters are more important than others, you’ll likely find that questions are pulled from every chapter, so it is important to read each chapter and understand its concepts.

The Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals text is also a good asset to read and understand as it covers foundational exercise science, human anatomy, exercise physiology, fundamentals of applied kinesiology, nutrition basics, and the physiology of training.

Appendices A-C are also very important and will contain a few test questions, namely from the ACE Code of Ethics.

ONLINE TOOLS

ACE provides a few online study tools that you will want to utilize as part of their ACE Academy Elite 2018 interactive study platform. This platform includes video lessons, progress tracking, and practice quizzes to help you reduce the time you need to study.

The ACE Study Center on Facebook is a dedicated social page that allows you to connect with others preparing for the exam as well as help you find tips from candidates who have taken the exam.

STUDY GUIDES

There are numerous study guides that I have found to be useful, however, the Fitness Mentors team created most of them.

Within the ACE book, the Exam Content Outline located in the back of the book is a helpful resource.

Fitness Mentors has created a Free ACE CPT Study Guide that includes a chapter-by-chapter resource. The Fitness Mentors Premium Study Guide for the ACE CPT Exam provides you with all the specific topics that are covered on the exam, puts you through tried and true learning methodologies, and ensures you learn the topics from lots of different angles.

APPS

When looking through the App Store, whether Android or Apple, there are a total of 4 apps that aim to assist students in passing their ACE CPT Exam. Most of these are just test questions and/or flashcards created from or taken from older versions of the material. The subjects don’t change a whole lot as far as the information, but the questions from the actual exam change significantly. That being said, utilizing these tools to improve your test taking ability and question comprehension can be useful to someone who struggles at test taking in general.

Perform a simple search for “ACE CPT” and you’ll see a wide range of apps from free to $10. While I do like these apps for improving test taking ability and comprehension of concepts, I caution you to not allow the apps to build too much confidence. Reason being, ACE will do their best to alter the questions so that they are not the same ones that are littered around the internet.

The takeaway is that apps can help you prepare, but you won’t rely on them as if they are the exact test questions you’ll see on the exam. This is why it is so important to not only practice test taking, but to also ensure you understand the concepts of the book so you can interpret different styles of questions.

AUDIO LECTURES

Imagine getting ready in the shower to an extremely good-looking professor going over all the important concepts to study in for the ACE CPT exam. With the Fitness Mentors’ Audio Lectures for the ACE Certified Personal Trainer Exam, that is exactly what you get.

Why ACE has not created something like this boggles my mind. People tend to learn best when an actual human breaks down concepts in a simple to digest way they can understand and learn to apply.

For example, when you are reading the text you’ll come across ventilatory thresholds. Broken down into VT1 and VT2, the VT is the ‘point of transition between predominantly aerobic energy production to anaerobic energy production.’

Blah, blah, blah most of you will scratch your head and wonder what that even means; or if you do get the definition, applying it may be difficult.In the audio lectures, I’ll just say something like, “they are a way to measure a client’s intensity during exercise.” Here’s some further breakdown of VT1 and VT2 that is intended to be a bit more practical and applicable:

The Audio Lectures can be used similarly to the Study Guide, as you study for the first time chapter by chapter (recommended 2 months of studying), or after you have read you go back and review the material in a different light (recommended 2 weeks to 1 month of studying).When you combine the explanation of Audio Lectures with the further comprehension of the Study Guide, you get a study package set up for true understanding and success. As a teacher and continuous student of all things fitness, it is easy to stand by the 99% pass rate as a measure of effectiveness. Click here (shameless plug) to learn more about the Audio Lectures for the ACE CPT.

PRACTICE TESTS

Practice tests are an excellent way to test your knowledge and measure yourself against a clock. ACE provides two, 150-question practice tests as part of their study packages that you’ll definitely want to check out.

I’ve shared my feelings towards apps — they are good for improving test taking ability and comprehension of concepts, but I would not rely on them for memorizing similar questions on the exam.

For the most up-to-date questions that are updated based on actual test-taker feedback, you’ll want to check out the Practice Tests for the ACE CPT from Fitness Mentors. With over 400 ACE CPT questions based off of specific test topics, and organized in quiz form for every chapter as well as two final exams, they are the best test-taking resource on the web.

The Practice Tests should be used after completing your reading and other study materials on a chapter-by-chapter basis or at the finish of all studying. Once again, if you test yourself before you know anything it might not do much good. The Practice Tests for the ACE CPT should be used anywhere from 1-3 days before the exam, to 2 months prior if you choose to test yourself after each chapter you complete.

8 WEEK AND 4 WEEK STUDY TIMELINE

With ACE, you have six months from the time you buy your study materials (from them) to schedule your exam (but you can take it within nine months). While you could just read the book within that time frame and take the test, I’ve found that most students don’t have a lot of success this way.

As life tends to get in the way of studying and we can’t all remember everything we read forever, we have created a 8 and 4 Week Study Timeline. This is especially helpful for those of you that want to dive right in and complete your certification ASAP, or for those who may have struggled and have limited time left.

Of course, study timelines are not always enough if you leave it to the last minute to cram, and in this case, you’d be better suited using our practice tests, study guides and audio lectures to get up to speed.

You can also call us anytime if you have a special scenario so we can point you in the right direction and tailor a specific study program that fits your needs (424) 675-0476. Complete the form below to access the 8 and 4 Week Study Timelines for the ACE CPT Exam.

Download your FREE 4 and 8 week study timeline for the ACE CPT exam.

ONLINE COURSE

This may sounds like another shameless plug, but we are confident in our products and have worked really hard making them the best ACE study materials out there.

The Fitness Mentors’ Online Course for the ACE CPT Exam includes all the stuff we’ve discussed above — practice tests, study guides, audio lectures — plus a bunch of bonus stuff we only offer in this package: PowerPoint Presentations, PowerPoint Lectures, Study Guide Answers, and a Final Exam Review. We are so confident in it we even offer a pass guarantee.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call us or feel free to leave a comment below.

Five Secrets to Passing your ACE-CPT Exam

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ACE CPT Review 2023 | Pass Rates, Study Guides & More

ACE Personal Trainer Certification Review

Considering getting your CPT with the American Council on Exercise (ACE)? Here’s an ACE CPT review to help you decide if this certification is right for you.

First and foremost, ACE is NCCA accredited, meaning the National Commission for Certifying Agencies has identified their coursework as reputable and meets the criteria for what is considered a high-quality program within the personal training industry. This also means that this CPT gives you a high likelihood of getting you a job within a gym.

It is also one of the most popular of the personal trainer certifications, with our research indicating that there are over 13,100 tests taken each year, second only to NASM. Like NASM, the cost of ACE’s study materials and test are a bit higher than most. The cheapest study package and test sits at $599, whereas some of the other CPTs fall around the $500 range.

While slightly more expensive up front, ACE looks to be a good investment as the average income of an ACE personal trainer is amongst the best in the industry. ACE personal trainers, on average, make $41,546 per year, second to only NASM trainers. Of course, there are a lot of other factors that allow a trainer to earn more, and we recommend this online course for learning many of them.

ACE also has modest continuing education (CEU) requirements. Trainers are required to take 20 hours of CEUs and the current cost is $129 to recertify every 2 years.

The exam is comprised of 150 questions, and a 62.5% or higher gets you an ACE CPT. The focus of ACE’s education is Program Design, Implementation, and Modification, meaning you’ll learn how to design programs for your clients, help them achieve success within them, and modify them as necessary as their skillsets improve.

General Consensus on Difficulty of the ACE CPT Exam

In our analysis of personal trainer exam pass rates we found that ACE was sort of middle of the road at 65%. The exam with the highest pass rate is ISSA at 89.9%, but that exam is open book.

The consensus we have heard about the exam from actual test takers is that the questions are subjective and there always seems to be more than one right answer. Another thing we frequently hear is that the ACE study materials are somewhat inconsistent with the information that is provided on the exam, making some feel inadequately prepared after solely relying on these.

This is why we recommend learning how to study for the ACE CPT but also what to study to ensure you pass the first time. The Fitness Mentors’ free ACE Study Guide will help you along your path. If you really want to get serious, check out our Premium Study Guide that focuses on the subjects that are most important to pass the ACE CPT.

Five Secrets to Passing your ACE-CPT Exam

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ACE vs NASM: What’s the Best CPT for You?

You’ve made the wise decision to pursue a career in personal training. Fantastic!

Now, on to the next major decision. Which certification should I pursue, ACE or NASM?

I’ll detail some very important factors regarding ACE vs NASM, and by the end of this post you’ll be able to determine which CPT is right for you. It should also preface that I have a certification in both, so I can provide realistic views of which cert may be better for who.

NASM vs ACE Video Review

ACE VS NASM CPT Overview

Before you make a decision on your CPT, it pays to know a little bit about what makes each organization unique.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) was founded in 1985 under the name IDEA Foundation, with the goal of becoming one of the first major fitness education bodies with national credibility. ACE places a strong commitment to create global impact and “facilitate partnerships with policymakers, fitness industry leaders, community organizations and the Healthcare Industry.”

The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the younger of the two at its 30th year, is a global leader in fitness certifications with recognition all over the world. They focus their health and fitness solutions on evidence and research that they use to craft their training and knowledge programs. NASM boasts that their certifications “require the most comprehensive knowledge of human movement science, functional anatomy, physiology and kinesiology, as well as functional assessment and program design.”

Both organizations are NCCA-certified, the gold standard for fitness certifications.

ACE vs NASM: An Objective Look into Other CPT Considerations

Price of ACE & NASM Study Packages and Exam

We did some research into the cost of the cheapest study package and test. Here’s what we found:

ACE is the cheaper of the two CPTs, coming in at $599*. (Click here for 30% Off) Their most basic package includes:

ACE Personal Trainer Manual
ACE Personal Trainer Manual Study Companion
ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals
ACE Academy Elite 2018 (Interactive Study Platform)
Access to Personal Trainer Resources
ACE certification exam
ACE Personal Trainer Manual eBook

NASM comes in at $799 (Click here for 30% Off) and is the most expensive of all CPTs that we evaluated in our initial best personal trainer certification analysis. This cost includes:

NCCA Accredited Exam
Textbook (hard copy and PDF)
Lectures Videos
Exercise Library
Cueing Library
Practice Exams
Quizzes
Study Guide

*Note: these prices are subject to change and sale prices may reflect different numbers.

Winner: ACE

Pass Rate of ACE & NASM Exam

Both ACE and NASM are known for having somewhat difficult exams that require extensive study, as well as knowledge, on challenging topics such as anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. While there are tests with significantly higher pass rates in the industry (ISSA’s pass rate is 89.9%), these certification bodies ensure you obtain the knowledge necessary to become a stellar trainer.

The focus of education:

ACE: Program Design, Implementation, and Modification
NASM: Exercise technique and training instruction

NASM Exam Pass Rate: 64.3%

ACE Exam Pass Rate: 65%

Winner: Tie

Number of Test Questions on the ACE & NASM Exam

NASM has the fewest test questions in the industry as a whole, whereas ACE has amongst the most. If you are the type of test taker who’s mind goes blank due to testing anxiety, you may want to consider a shorter test.

Below: Number of test questions / total test time / minimum passing score

NASM: 120 questions / 120 minutes/ 70% or higher is passing

ACE: 150 questions / 180 minutes / 62.5% or higher is passing. 800 points available based on scaled questions 500 points needed to pass

Winner: NASM

CEU Requirements for ACE & NASM

Maintaining your certification via continuing education is required by both ACE and NASM as well as all other personal trainer certification bodies. The more CEU hours you need to get within a certification period, the more time and money you have to spend.

Fortunately, both ACE and NASM have similar recertification requirements as well as similar costs.

NASM: 20 hours of CEUs and $99 to recertify every 2 years

ACE: 20 hours of CEUs and $129 to recertify every 2 years

Winner: Tie

Certification Popularity for ACE & NASM

This factor is based on the number of trainers with a given certification, something to consider if you are looking for evidence as to what other trainers are doing in the industry.

Unfortunately, when we called NASM they said they don’t publish numbers on how many trainers have earned their CPT. They did, however, mention that they have twice as many as their competitors combined. We do have data on ACE that showcases they have about 45,000 trainers certified.

Without throwing out some unverifiable number, let’s just say NASM has 50,000 trainers with their CPT.

Winner: NASM

Average Income of ACE or NASM Personal Trainers

How much will I make as an ACE trainer? How much will I make as a NASM trainer?

These are common answers that I get that I have an answer for! While ACE and NASM don’t publish this information I was able to extrapolate it from self-reported data on reputable websites such as payscale.com. These incomes are averages of 30+ different people holding the same certification currently working as fitness professionals.

To me, this consideration may outweigh some of the others — study materials cost, pass rate, CEUs, etc. — because an upfront investment can pay dividends down the road.

Unsurprisingly, NASM and ACE are at the top tiers of average incomes for personal trainers.

NASM average income: $41,598

ACE average income: $41,546

Winner: Tie

It should be noted that the mere acquisition of a NASM or ACE CPT doesn’t mean you’ll make $41k, nor does it mean you’ll be limited by that income amount. Your success as a personal trainer is dependent on a lot of other factors including your business acumen, how you market yourself as a trainer, and other factors like geography and approach.

Which CPT is Better ACE or NASM?

Now you have some objective (and subjective) data for which to make a decision about moving forward with an ACE or NASM CPT. Based on the above data, NASM gets a slight nod based on the popularity of the certification. However, this factor can be considered subjective, and is unlikely to affect your ability to get a job or train.

That said, these certifications are both fairly even in the areas of exam difficulty, CEU requirements, and average income.

The bottom line is that you need to identify which factors are the most important to you and determine how the career path you want to follow necessitates one CPT over the other.

ACE vs NASM: Thoughts from a trainer with both certifications

When considering either certification it is first important that you check with the employer you’d like to work for to ensure they accept one or both of the certifications, as that can provide the direction you need.

As stated above, both certifications are nationally accredited which will get your foot in the door almost anywhere. What truly matters is what elements from above have the biggest impact on you? Cost, test-length, income, popularity/reputation? They both require abundant study time and are difficult to pass. (If it’s grasping the material is a concern we have you covered as we provide the best study tools to help you easily pass either test and become a successful personal trainer.)

My final thought would be that NASM provides an easier to use programming model (the OPT Model) that is great for new trainers, while ACE focuses their education on working to assist clients in optimizing their behaviors. If you feel you would struggle with the coaching of clients and want to improve in that area, go with ACE. If you feel you want to have more knowledge of how to design an effective workout program, go with NASM. For more information on how to become a personal trainer, check out our post on that topic.

Feel free to give us a call and we can always help point you in the right direction (424) 675-0476.

Reviews of our ACE & NASM Study Materials

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Personal Trainer Career Roadmap

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How to Become a Personal Trainer in 5 Simple Steps

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The 5 Hardest ACE CPT Test Questions (and Answers)

The 5 Hardest ACE CPT Test Questions
(and Answers)

The ACE CPT Exam is known for being one of the most difficult personal training certifications to pass. Out of the almost 800-page textbook they select 150 questions that need to be completed in a three hour time limit.

This can cause major anxiety as knowing what to study can be hard to determine. Not to mention most of the questions come from a single sentence hidden deep within each chapter [our Audio Lectures and Study Guide help to point these out].

Through teaching the ACE CPT Certification materials at a college level for over 5 years and testing multiple times, we have selected what we believe to be the 5 hardest ACE CPT test questions and have coupled them with the answer and detailed explanation. (This has been updated to reflect the newest version of the ACE CPT Exam, Edition 5)

BONUS!

If you want the head instructor Eddie Lester to text you Free ACE Test questions, study materials and bonus tips:

TEXT “ACE Questions” to 31996.

A 44-year-old man name Roger comes to you wanting to exercise. After a thorough health-risk appraisal, you learn than his father had diabetes and smoked cigarettes. He quit smoking one year ago and he alternates between exercising on the stationary bike and treadmill 3 days per week for 30-45 minutes per session during his lunch break at work. He has a BMI of 31, Systolic Blood Pressure of 142 mmHg, Diastolic Blood Pressure of 88 mmHg, and a total serum cholesterol of 187 mg/dl. What risk classification is Roger and how many risk factors does he have if any according to ACSM guidelines?
1. High risk, 4 factors
2. Moderate risk, 4 factors
3. Moderate risk, 2 factors
4. Low risk, 2 factors

You memorized all of the positive risk factors and classifications right!? It can be a lot to know every single risk factor, as most of the risk factors have more that one component. His father smoked cigarettes which means nothing. He smoked cigarettes but quit one year ago. What was the timeline again for quitting smoking? Six months which means it is not a positive risk factor for Roger. He works out 3 days per week for more than 30 minutes which means he is not sedentary, so no positive risk factor there. He has a BMI of 31, which is over the limit of 30 and is considered a positive risk factor. His systolic blood pressure is 142 which is above the cutoff of 140 so there is another positive risk factor. His total cholesterol is 188 mg/dl which is below the 200 mg/dl cutoff, so no risk factor there. This means there is a total of 2 risk factors. Did you memorize how many risk factors are associated with each risk classification? Well Low Risk is less than two so its not low risk. Moderate Risk is greater than or equal to 2 so that becomes Roger’s risk classification.

Correct Answer: C

Memorize all positive risk factors and their and their determining values including: Age, Family History, Cigarettes, Sedentary, Obesity, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Prediabetes and the one negative risk factor High HDL Cholesterol.

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What is the rate of strength loss associated with reversibility?
1. A client who stops working out will lose strength at one-quarter the rate that it was gained.
2. A client who stops working out will lose strength at one-half the rate that it was gained.
3. A client who stops working out will lose strength at the same rate that it was gained.
4. A client who stops working out will lose strength at twice the rate that it was gained.

Remember that one statistic, from that from that sentence, in that one paragraph on reversibility? Reversibility discusses how the body loses muscle and strength when no resistance training is being performed. A basic resistance training routine can maintain muscle through aging as well as increase the amount of muscle by 3lbs in three months. Based on Faigenbaum et al., strength is lost at about one-half the rate that it was gained. It is easy for ACE to pick a question like this as it is very relevant to the field, but the likelihood of you memorizing it is low.

Correct Answer: B

What is the rate of resistance increase for progressing a client with the goal of muscular strength?
1. Once the client reaches the terminal number of repetitions increase the load by 5%.
2. Once the client reaches the terminal number of repetitions increase the load by 8%.
3. Once the client reaches the terminal number of repetitions increase the load by 10%.
4. Once the client reaches the terminal number of repetitions increase the load by 15%.

Chapter 10 focuses on teaching you how to develop and progress a training program. Did you happen to memorize how to progress each goal of training? Probably not. It is much easier to memorize information when it is organized in a chart or table, but on the ACE CPT Exam they like to find go into the middle of a paragraph and choose a statistic. Out of 800 pages the ability to find and memorize this specific of information is trying. (That’s why we recommend grabbing our Study Guide for the ACE CPT Exam as we point out what is most important to pass the exam)

Correct Answer: A

Choose the list of muscles that all externally rotate the shoulder.
1. Rhomboid major, Upper trapezius, Posterior deltoid
2. Infraspinatus, Subscapularis, Teres major
3. Latissimus dorsi, Pectoralis Minor, Teres minor
4. Infraspinatus, Teres minor, Posterior deltoid

In our opinion, ACE does not do a good job of showing you what muscles perform what movements. This can be disheartening when the ask questions like this on the exam. The text briefly discusses the rotator cuff and the internal and external rotation test, which when put together can provide the necessary information to get this right. We highly recommend utilizing another resource to learn specific kinesiology, the muscles and their functions, as multiple questions come up around muscular actions and joint motions.

Correct Answer: D

What is the exercise intensity recommended for a client with hypertension?
1. 70-80% of Maximal HR
2. 40-50% of VO2 Max
3. RPE of 9-13
4. 40-60% of VT2

The first thought on this type of question is did you memorize the suggested intensity for each of the Special Populations? Did you memorize the suggested intensity for any of the Special Populations? The second thought is what method of intensity should be used for a client with hypertension? The above question has four different methods for measuring intensity: Max HR, VO2 Max, RPE and VT2. These methods are covered in the Cardiorespiratory Training chapter and can all be used to measure intensity, but the special populations chapter tells you which method to use. The RPE scale is the recommended way to measure intensity for most of the special populations and holds true for hypertension as well.

Correct Answer: C

Alright guys. 5 questions down, 145 to go.

ACE can pull questions from any sentence in the book which makes the 800+ pages daunting for the unmotivated reader (Our Audio Lectures take you page by page through the text and explain everything to make this process easier). Check out more of our tips and tricks to passing the exam by signing up to receive the “5 Secrets to Passing Your ACE CPT Exam”. Also if you need more help we have some great premium materials, like our Practice Tests for the NASM CPT Exam that make this test a breeze. Check them out here. (If you can score above a 136 out of 150 on both of our practice final exams you are ready to test.) Also feel free to give us a call with any questions about your upcoming test (424) 675-0476.

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Online Personal Trainer Certification: 5 Tips to Get Certified in 2 Months

You’d probably agree with me when I say:

There are no shortcuts to fast and credible personal trainer certifications.

Or, are there?

As it turns out, there are some great ways to get a personal trainer certification, fast. And I’m not talking about those crappy, fake certifications you may have come across from the vast stretches of the interwebs.

I’m talking about a real, accredited, personal trainer certification that will get you a job at most gyms and into a personal training career that you love.

1 Get Your Prerequisites in Order

Before you can tap into the personal training field you’ll need to get some things in order that most online personal trainer certification bodies require. For most of these agencies, you’ll need to check off the following three things:

18 years or older
High school diploma or GED
CPR/AED certification

More companies are requiring the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Certification along with the Emergency Cardiac Care (CPR), but these certifications are usually given together. American Red Cross is one of the primary providers of these courses and you can find a CPR/AED class near you to satisfy this necessary requirement.

Note that you don’t always have to have CPR/AED certifications to purchase most online personal trainer packages (to start your studies), you’ll just need it to become official once you do sit for the final exam.

2 Choose the Best Online Personal Trainer Certification for You

In a previous post of mine on the “best personal trainer certification” I conclude the blog post with a note that the decision is very subjective and there are certain certifications that may be better-suited for certain individuals. The major factors I find that influence which online personal training certification you go with includes:

Accreditation
Price
CEU requirements
Pass rate
Average income of trainers

At the time I wrote that post, there was one option that I did not include because it did not yet exist. That option is the Fitness Mentors’ Online Personal Trainer Certification. As you’ll learn, it is actually the only truly and fully online, accredited online personal trainer cert. More on why this is important in tip three.

3 Choose a Course that is Truly Available Online from Start to Finish

If you have begun to look at your available options for a CPT, you probably understand that you can begin to order study materials and start gaining the knowledge you need to pass the final exam with the swipe of your credit card.

What you may not be aware of, however, is that once you are ready to schedule the exam, you have to take the following, sometimes inconvenient, steps:

Register for an exam
Wait for the next available exam slot
Drive to the physical exam location

This is not even taking into consideration what happens if you try to reschedule an exam, if you are an international student, or if you fail the exam.

The long and short of understanding all the above is this:

You want the fastest, most convenient route to becoming a certified personal trainer.

Anything that detracts from that — such as having to attend anything away from the comfort of your home — can significantly delay how quickly you are able to become certified. This is partly why the Fitness Mentors Online CPT was created; the fitness industry needed an accredited, purely online option for aspiring trainers to get certified with.

4 Ensure You are Fully Prepared with Appropriate Study Guides, Practice Exams, and other Study Aids

If you are going to go through the trouble of getting a CPR/AED and buying personal trainer certification books or study materials, you might as well ensure that you pass the exam the first time around (some personal training certs charge as much as $435 to retake an exam).

For example, Fitness Mentors has created a wealth of study materials ranging from free study guides, premium study guides, audio lectures, and even practice tests to help students prepare themselves the best way possible for their exams.

Study materials that are created by previous exam takers are always helpful. There are usually a wealth of blogs online that feature stories of how people prepared for their personal trainer exam and what questions threw them into a frenzy. I encourage you to read up on these types of blogs and to look into some premium study materials that make studying and learning the material easier, and most importantly, quicker to digest.

5 Set Up a Study Schedule to Retain as Much Information as Possible as Quickly as Possible

If you are setting out to study, take, and pass your online personal trainer certification course in two months, be honest with yourself in terms of how much time you can actually give yourself to studying each day.

Personal trainer certs are not made to be walks in the park; there is a lot of complex biological, programming, and business application information to learn. Truth be told, it can be pretty hard but only if you don’t study and prepare yourself the right way.

But you’re not going to have that problem are you?

As a former college professor who helped students study and prepare for their CPT, I’ve found that a dedicated student can begin studying and be prepared to take (and pass) the CPT in as little as two months.

Here is a basic outline of the strategy you can use to accomplish the same.

How to get a CPT in 2 months:

Dedicate yourself to reading 1-2 hours per day
Create your own chapter-by-chapter notes from the book/coursework
Use study guides to review hand-picked topics for reference
Use audio lectures to review the information (while driving/working out/during down time)
Take practice tests of each chapter
Quiz yourself on 5-10 chapters of the book at a time every few weeks
Reread study guides as you get deeper into the book
Quiz yourself and document the questions you miss; revisit the sections of the book of the topics you’ve missed
Quiz yourself lots leading up to the final week of study
Take a entire practice exam and write down questions you missed; revisit topics you’ve missed
Take official certification exam once you consistently get 85% passing score on practice exams

Get Your Online Personal Trainer Certification Started Today

There is no better time than now to get started on your personal training career. Personal trainers are consistently marked as professionals with exceptional work/life balance, with jobs that have flexible working hours, have growth potential of 13% by 2022, and just generally are more fun careers to begin with.

If you have any questions about the best online personal trainer certification option for you, your experience studying online, or anything else related to online CPTs, please let me know in the comments.

How to Create a Lead Magnet to Grow Your Online Fitness Business

Ever wonder how to get people to your website and on your email list to land your first client and grow your online fitness business?

Search the depths of the Internet for answers, and you’ll probably dig up a million different ways to do this. But there’s a key feature to include on your website that can help you bring in leads, build authority as an online personal trainer, and grow your fitness business.

Turn prospects into clients with a lead magnet

Know what it is? A lead magnet is a marketing term for a document designed to generate interest, engage prospects, and start a conversation that can turn information seekers into paying clients.

Even if you haven’t created a lead magnet before, chances are pretty good that you’ve signed up and downloaded your fair share. Check out the online fitness business gurus and personal trainers who have been in the game a little longer, and you’ll see what I mean.

For example, transformation specialist and online personal trainer Ryan Spiteri created the Fat Loss Cheat Sheet as a lead magnet to connect with prospects. When someone signs up, they download this free PDF via email, get added to his email list, and receive weekly messages that provide useful information about things like working out, dieting, and fitness goals. And mixed in with those emails are opportunities to purchase a training program.

Create your own lead magnet for your fitness business

Now that you know what a lead magnet is and how it works to help build your online fitness business, you can create your own. But I’m not a writer, or designer? Don’t worry. It’s not as hard to create a lead magnet as you might think.

By following a few simple steps, you can create a lead magnet for your fitness business to connect with the type of clients you want to work with.

1 Identify your niche

There was a time when the average personal trainer was in high-demand, had a solid book of business, and trained everybody from athlete to new mom, overweight or obese adults, and senior citizens. But online personal training has changed the game. It’s a lot harder to be successful as a general personal trainer when you’re running an online fitness business.

Here’s the reason. When people decide they want to get in shape, lose weight, train for a race, or even enter a bodybuilding competition, the Internet is typically one of the first places they look to find answers. Specializing in a specific area or niche, greatly increases your chances of being found when someone searches for, “weight loss coach,” for example.

Specializing is how online personal trainer Dave Smith found his niche helping new moms and women with weight loss, dieting, and fitness goals.

2 Do your research

Take the time to figure your target audience or niche, and you’re one step closer to creating a lead magnet that converts. Once you know your niche, you can dig a little deeper to find out more about their goals, interests and concerns, and what your niche audience is looking for help with online.

Here are some questions to think about to help you develop a topic idea for your lead magnet.

Where do your ideal clients hang out online? (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)
What are their concerns, issues, pain points about health and fitness?
What problems are they talking about in Facebook groups, niche specific websites, and online forums that your online fitness business can solve?

Find out what people are really searching for online. Here are a couple more ways to help you research your niche to develop a lead magnet.

Use Google Keyword Planner. This free tool allows you to see the search volume and trends for key phrases people are using to search for information online. For example, while writing this post, we found that only about 100 people search for “online fitness business” a month. But “fitness business” gets about 1,000 searches a month.
Type in search terms you think your target audience is using to help you find a key phrase to help shape your lead magnet.

3 Developing your lead magnet idea

With a well-defined niche and solid research, you can start developing an idea for your lead magnet. If you’re freaking out about this step, it’s pretty normal. Don’t overcomplicate it.

At this point, you know your niche. You’ve got the credentials to be a personal trainer and run an online fitness business. And you probably already have real-world experience training clients or working out yourself.

The biggest mistake people make at this point is thinking that the lead magnet needs to be a massive resource of information, an ebook hundreds of pages long, or a week-long mini course. Yes. You could spend the time to create these types of lead magnets. But you don’t have to.

Make it as simple as possible. For example:

Create a list-style resource. (Example: HIIT On The Go: 10 quick and insanely effective workouts you can do anywhere)
Write a series of questions and answers. (Example: 40 Questions, Myths, And Truths About Nutrition)
Write a one-week diet and training plan (Example: 7 Day Fat Loss Jump Start)
Make a short video that solves a problem (Example: A Flatter Stomach in 30 Seconds)
Develop a list of quick tips
Create a series of emails (Example: 7-Day Physique Mastery Email Course)
Make an audio recording

These examples should give you some ideas to develop your own lead magnet. Obviously, you’ll need to spend some time writing or recording the content. It makes sense for most fitness business owners to try and control costs when starting out, but you could hire someone to create the content for your lead magnet.

You could also repurpose existing content (like a podcast episode, blog post, case study, series of emails, resources page, etc.) and turn it into a lead magnet

4 Designing your lead magnet

You’re a personal trainer and fitness business owner, not a graphic designer. How are you going to get your lead magnet designed (cover, page design, video/audio intro, etc.)?

Option #1. Be willing to learn something new. For example, you can use sites like Canva for free to design a lead magnet cover. And YouTube has its own video editing software and tutorials. You’ll have to spend some time learning how to use these tools, but they’re relatively user-friendly, and most are free.

Option #2. Pay someone to design your lead magnet. If you don’t already have a steady stream of personal training clients and income, you probably want to keep costs down when starting your online fitness business. But to get leads coming in, it might be worth it to pay someone to help you design your lead magnet. Fiverr.com is an affordable option, where you can find talented graphic designers with rates as low as $5 per project.

5 Go live, and start collecting leads

Once you’re done with your lead magnet, you’ll want to connect it to your website with an opt-in form to capture email addresses. You can find free WordPress plugins to do this, or pay to use lead generation tools like Lead Pages. Basically, these tools (free or paid) help automate the process. When someone submits their email address, they’ll receive your free lead magnet, and be added to your email list.

But you’ll need to do more than just post your lead magnet on your website. If you don’t have a massive email list or social media following, you need to help people find out about it. Here are some effective, and inexpensive ways to do this:

Send out an email. Even if you don’t have a big email list, you probably have a few contacts. Send an email and invite them to check out your lead magnet.
Reach out to bloggers/websites that already have a following. Offer to write a guest post about a health/fitness topic. Include a link to your lead magnet. (see tip #1 for specifics on this approach)
Be a guest on a podcast. About 57 million people a month listen to podcasts in the U.S. alone. And a lot of those podcasts cover health and fitness topics. Contact podcast hosts via email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Provide a brief bio that mentions you’re a personal trainer, and ask if they’d consider interviewing you. You’ll probably get a chance to plug your lead magnet and point people to your site in the show notes.
Answer questions on Quora. Create an account, and start answering questions about health and fitness. Include a link to your website in your bio.
Post a video on YouTube. It doesn’t have to be long. 1 to 3 minutes is fine. You can even record a decent video with your phone. Introduce yourself. Talk briefly about common health and fitness challenges people have, and how you can help. Or instead of a talking-head video, demonstrate an exercise, or how to cook a healthy dish. Encourage people to visit your site for more information.
If you do have a budget, consider spending a little money to run a Facebook ad campaign, for example, to promote your lead magnet. Or use social media to host a contest to get people to sign up for your lead magnet with a drawing for something of value like a gift card, fitness tracking device, or free coaching.

It might take a little time to develop an effective lead magnet and get it all set up on your site. But it’s a smart strategy that will help you grow your fitness business.

Have questions about creating a lead magnet for your fitness business? Let’s discuss. Leave a comment in the notes.

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Business and Sales: The Guide to Success as a Personal Trainer by Eddie Lester

Business and Sales: The Guide to Success as a Personal Trainer
by Eddie Lester

Eddie Lester has helped more than four thousand personal trainers reach their financial goals and grow their businesses. Now, he wants to help you do the same in this new guide to professional success.

In Business and Sales: The Guide to Success as a Personal Trainer, Lester takes you through every step needed to secure the sale and net a new client.

Like your own journey, the guide starts with one of the most important steps: attaining certification. Passion isn’t enough to be a personal trainer; you need to show your clients that you are knowledgeable and trustworthy.

The next chapters reveal how to create a personal brand, define your niche, target your most important demographic, hone your selling personality and sales pitch, make an amazing first impression, follow up with each client, and calculate a pricing structure. Lester also outlines business checkpoints to help you gauge your progress. His “Power Questions” can uncover a client’s true motivations and empower you to make the sale.

The most important concept Lester wants you to learn is discipline. Use the same drive that makes you a successful personal trainer to become just as successful as a business owner.

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The 13 Best Personal Training Books: Quickly Become the Best PT You Can Be

Most of these books are personal trainer-specific, meaning they were written specifically for you. I did include a few industry-agnostic books in the mix just to provide some insight into other valuable personal training skillsets. I placed them into categories, including:

Business, Sales and Marketing
Flexibility and Pain Management
Strength and Hypertrophy
Power, Olympic Lifting, Athletic Performance
Nutrition
Personal Development

What makes me qualified to recommend personal training books you ask? Well, I’ve written my own for starters, Business and Sales: The Guide to Success as a Personal Trainer, and I was a former college personal training professor, meaning I was forced to read many books on the topic, on top of wanting to.

But I digress, my pain is your gain. You only have to read 13 rather than the 100’s of others out there, and you should come out better for it. After you read some or all of these books, you’ll:

Know how to start and maintain a profitable personal training business
Sell personal training to potential clients to keep a robust rolodex and the money to buy a Rolex
Gain physical, technical, and anatomical insight into all types of training so you’ll be able to help nearly any client with any goal
Understand how to incorporate nutrition into your deliverables so you can be the ultimate client resource

My hand-picked list of personal trainer books includes:

Business, Sales and Marketing

Business and Sales: The Guide to Success as a Personal Trainer – Eddie Lester

Written by yours truly, this book was created based on my experience helping more than 4,000 trainers achieve their financial goals while training. The book starts with fundamentals like getting a personal training certification and covers sales, business checkpoints, and marketing.

Little Red Book of Selling – Jeffrey Gittomer

Short and sweet, this book on selling can be applied to selling personal training as well. This book focuses less on how to sell and more on why people buy. I like this book because it includes buyer excuses and how to overcome them.

Flexibility and Pain Management

Becoming a Supple Leopard – Dr. Kelly Starrett

A must-read for the personal trainer who loves to learn about human movement. Ever wondered how to help your clients unlearn bad habits when squatting, snatches, or muscle-ups? Learn to work around range of motion issues, break down the areas of the body that restrict movement, and reclaim the mobility of you and your clients.

Strength and Hypertrophy

Strength Training Anatomy – Frederic Delavier

Put your old high school anatomy book away and pick up this one designed for personal trainers. This book is beneficial for those who want to see what is going on under the skin – bones, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue. This book is described as “having an x-ray for each exercise,” providing you the ultimate in how you can improve your training to build strength in your clients quickly.

Get Buffed I-IV – Ian King

A four-part series, the Get Buffed books will help you take on those clients whose sole purpose in life is to get huge. While the title can be a bit geared towards the serious bodybuilder, there are also a whole bunch of tips and tricks for those who want strength and/or advice on leaning out.

Power, Olympic Lifting, Athletic Performance

Olympic Lifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes and Coaches – Greg Everett

“The best book on Olympic weightlifting” is what the VP of the Pacific Weightlifting Associated called this book. A comprehensive guide, it is geared to not only athletes, but coaches and trainers who benefit from progressions, error correction, programming, competition, warm-ups, and more.

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning – Thomas Baechle

The preferred book for the preparation of the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam, this five-part book covers an all-inclusive application framework, a program design section, and real-world examples for organizational and administrative (i.e. trainers) professionals in which to operate a specialist program.

Nutrition

Good Calories, Bad Calories – Gary Taubes

I like this book because it sheds light on the ideas of what is considered to be a healthy diet and dismantles them. A truly eye-opening read, this book changed the way I think about diet, how I make recommendations to clients on nutrition, and that the energy sources we take in are all about the varieties and not so much the number of calories. It gets heavy into the fat and carb debate, which you can use to educate clients on better eating habits backed by evidence.

The Protein Power Lifeplan – Michael Eades

Much of the content of this book is based on the authors’ reference to man’s meat-eating days. A true reference to what many call the “original Paleo diet,” The Protein Power Lifeplan contains no recipes but does contain lots of science, research references, and medical advice opposition.

Wired to Eat – Robb Wolf

Written by a former research biochemist and powerlifting champion, Robb Wolf has championed a book that provides weight loss solutions based on personal genetics as they pertain to diet and metabolism. For the trainer, this book will help you individualize your nutritional planning and help you to repair your clients’ appetites, making you the shining light on custom dieting.

Personal Development

Know: A Spiritual Wake-Up Call – Royce Morales

I recommend this book because it shines the light on our ability to understand how to transform one’s life. As a personal trainer, this is often what you are doing, or, at the very least, selling. After reading Know, you’ll gain some insight into how to bring out the power of intention in yourself as well as be able to see it in your clients to help them achieve their personal goals.

The 4-Hour Work Week – Tim Ferris

Personal trainers often gravitate to the industry because of the quality of life benefits the career affords. One of these benefits is hours worked per week, which tends to sit well below the 40-hours of most other American’s. The most popular book on this list, the 4-Hour Work Week provides a blueprint to a luxury lifestyle with high-income and lots of free time as its backbone.

Jump into a Book Today and Excel Your Career

Many of the books on this list are under $20, a small price to pay for a ton of knowledge. Why go through the challenge of becoming an awesome personal trainer when you can learn from the experience of others and quickly apply it to your business model, clients, and your own workout routines? I hope you enjoy this list and please let me know in the comments if you have any solid recommendations that didn’t make it here.

Personal Trainer Courses: 5 Ways to Become a Trainer

I was perusing a personal trainer forum the other day and I saw a thread by a newly-certified trainer who experienced the following situation: he had just completed an online personal trainer course and wanted the forum’s opinion on whether his certification would be recognized by fitness institutions where he sought employment.

He went on to mention how easy it was to get certified using this $69.99 online method and that he was not satisfied with the ease of completion.

I don’t want to mention the name of the certification website, or be the bearer of bad news for the forum member, but his certification is what is called an “unaccredited personal trainer course.” I will get into more of what this means below, but the short of it is that this certification would not be recognized at major fitness institutions and he would likely be denied employment.

As there seems to be a lot of aspiring personal trainers wondering which personal trainer courses are right for them, I decided to cover this topic here, in-depth, to prevent anyone from spending any time or money on a certification that would not help them accomplish their professional goals.

Below, we get into five ways to become a personal trainer, including three accredited ways, and two unaccredited ways. After reading this, you’ll know which option is right for you based on what you want to do with your personal training career.

The five options are:

Accredited

Certification via accredited US company
Vocational college
University programs with Bachelors or Masters

Unaccredited

Unaccredited online options
Gym program (internal)

Personal Trainer Courses: The 5 Options
to Consider for Your Career

1 Certification via Accredited US Company

Most major personal training certifications go through a vetting process to ensure that an unbiased, third-party organization can assure the public a safe standard. For personal training in particular, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is the certification agency that reviews some of the most prestigious personal training courses.

Aspiring personal trainer organizations must go through a validation process analyzed by experts to ensure they meet a high standard of professionalism, health, welfare, and safety.

Some of the most popular NCCA-certified personal trainer bodies include:

NASM
ACE
NSCA
ACSM
NESTA
NCCPT
NCSF

At the time of this writing, the AFAA is undergoing the credentialing process and will soon be added to this list.

The ISSA is worth mention as well. While not NCCA-certified, ISSA is accredited through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and National Board of Fitness Examiners (NBFE), but as we note in our Best Personal Trainer Certification post, these are not as highly regarded as the NCCA.

Getting a Personal Trainer Certification through an Accredited US Company

To get a personal training certification through, for example, NASM or ACE, you have to be 18 or older, have a high school diploma or GED, and be CPR certified. From there, you can visit the website of the organizations to complete the certification process.

You’ll need to get some personal trainer study materials, prepare for the exam, and pass, to get the official license.

For a side-by-side, objective, comparison of the major certification bodies and how to go about choosing which one is right for you, check out the aforementioned blog on personal trainer certifications.

Who Accredited US Company Certifications are best for

If your goal as a trainer is to work in nearly any gym, get strong fundamentals on exercise and exercise science, and even move on to a more entrepreneurial career in personal training, this may be a route for you.

Vocational college and universities also offer accredited personal trainer courses, however, these require different financial commitments as well as time commitments. Opting to complete a personal trainer course through self-study is who this route is best for. If you don’t do well studying on your own and need constant feedback or value a school setting, the next two options may be better for you.

2 Certification via Vocational College

Vocational colleges (also known as vocational schools or trade schools) are brief, career-specific programs that help to quickly prepare you for a career in personal training. These schools partner with accredited certification bodies (ex. NASM) to develop academic programs that are specific to one type of personal trainer certification.

For example, I was a professor at California Healing Arts College (CHAC) for the Personal Fitness Trainervocational program. The objective of this program was to help graduates get into a successful personal training career with NASM certifications. This class offered two programs: one 30 weeks long, 900 clock hours, and 32 credits, and the other 42 weeks long, 900 clock hours, and 32 credits.

These timeframes are fairly standard with vocational schools, as are the opportunity to work in a professional environment while in school (externship).

The courses are in-person as opposed to online, and you can expect an experienced personal trainer as your professor. What is great about vocational colleges is that the entire course is geared towards helping you become a successful personal trainer. Contrast this to going through an accredited certification body or university, where your coursework will be geared strictly towards a certification or will include education outside of personal training, respectively.

The cost of these types of programs generally range from about $15,000 to $20,000 for a 300- to 900-hour course.

Getting a Personal Trainer Certification through a Vocational College

Perhaps the best way to find a vocational college that offers personal trainer courses is through a simple Google search. Then, find the section on Admission Requirements and follow the steps or reach out the college directly for insight.

Who Vocational College Certification is Best for

Compared to the cost of going directly through an accredited US company (generally less than $1,000), vocational colleges can be much more expensive. However, because the entire program is dedicated to helping you perform in all aspects of training, vocational programs tend to create the best trainers.

“because the entire program is dedicated to helping you perform in all aspects of training, vocational programs tend to create the best trainers.”

These programs are best for students who enjoy a school-like setting, the ability to interact with professors and their peers, benefit from hands-on experience, and who might be intimidated by self-study programs. These programs tend to be a lot shorter and less expensive than the final accredited option: going through a university.

3 Certification via University Programs with Bachelors or Masters

The most expensive and time-consuming route for a personal trainer course is by far going through a University. If you opt for this approach, expect 4+ to get a bachelor’s degree and 6+ years if you want a master’s degree.

As mentioned before, your coursework will not be entirely focused on personal training. For the bachelor’s, the first two years will have semi-focused coursework, then the final two years will have a few personal trainer classes sprinkled in. The degree is not in “personal trainer” per se, but rather something like kinesiology.

For example, Louisiana State University (LSU) offers a BS in Kinesiology, with several different areas of concentration including:

Fitness Studies
Human Movement Science
K-12 Health & PE
Physical Activity and Health

For the Fitness Studies concentration, the focus is to prepare students for careers in “personal training, strength and conditioning, corporate wellness as well as hospital, government and community-based fitness settings.”

Check out the course requirements on this program to see how it mixes general studies (ex. English, math, science, biology) with kinesiology courses and fitness studies concentration courses:

Source: LSU

If you were to continue your studies into the graduate level, your master’s wouldn’t be in personal trainer either. It would be a Masters in Kinesiology, or some other specific science (physical therapy, athletic training, exercise physiology).

Getting a Personal Trainer Certification through a University Program

Should you decide that going through a University is the right career path for you, you’ll have to check out the initial admissions requirements of the university you want to attend and apply to get in. Once in, you’ll have to satisfy the coursework for that particular concentration of study. Go to the website(s) of the universities with personal trainer-like programs, and get in contact with the school to ensure it matches up with your career goals and to get guidance.

Going through the university route is a bit more daunting than the other accredited options on this list, however, a quick call to the admissions office will help you determine if a program is right for you and how to go about getting in.

Who University Programs are Best for

If you are in a rush to get into the personal training industry and want to get to work fast, it should be obvious that four to six years of school is not going to get you there. This is not to say you can’t xenical orlistat price work on your personal trainer certification with an accredited US company while in college, but if you want to focus on your education this method clearly takes the longest.

University programs tend to be best for people who want to experience college, round out their knowledge in other areas, like the idea of having an actual degree to fall back on, or who want to pursue higher education like a master’s degree.

However, a master’s in Kinesiology or other health and fitness science won’t really get you anywhere as a personal trainer in my experience; this is best suited for those who want to be more involved in research-style work or athletic management-style work. If you just want to be a personal trainer, a master’s degree is likely and overextension of your time and money and is unlikely to attract more clients than a trainer with a bachelor’s, a vocational degree, or a certification from an US accredited program.

4 Certification via Unaccredited
Online Options

Compared to the previous three options, the title of this approach, “unaccredited online options,” may seem like a terrible choice. However, like many things, it has its place for certain people. I am not one of those people, but perhaps you are!

We learned above about personal trainer credentialing agencies like the NCCA, an organization that stands to uphold standards of professionalism, health, welfare, and safety. These standards are important to gyms and other types of employers, and should be important to you if you want a job at an established fitness institution.

A personal trainer may not be held in the same regard as an attorney with a law degree and who has passed the bar exam, or an accountant who has a CPA recognition, but the credibility behind these certificates is meaningful. With an unaccredited personal trainer certification, you’d kind of be like a person who takes a nutrition class and claims they are a nutritionist.

“if you were trying to get private clients who didn’t care if you had credentials, this certification would be fine.”

On the other hand, if you were trying to get private clients who didn’t care if you had credentials, this certification would be fine. But, like our friend from the forum who speculated that his online certification was a bit too easy, you’d probably be ill-suited to represent personal training and may be doing a disservice to your clients due to your lack of knowledge.

Getting a Personal Trainer Certification through an Unaccredited Online Option

The obvious way to find one of these unaccredited personal trainer courses is by a Google search for “online personal trainer certificate” or some equivalent. If you stumble across an online personal trainer course and are not sure if it is accredited, you’ll probably know because of the inherent low cost of entry. You should also be able to do some research on the site to see if the program is credentialed or not.

Who Unaccredited Online Certifications are best for

Again, this type of certification might work for you if your clients really don’t care about your credentials or if you don’t want to get a job at a formal fitness intuition like a 24-Hour Fitness, L.A. Fitness, or some other professional industry setting.

If you want to do the minimum to have an essentially worthless certificate, an inexpensive, non-credentialed option might be for you.

5 Certification via Gym Program

Most corporate gyms have in-house programs to help their trainers utilize skillsets and approaches that are important to the gym. However, while these programs may help you to progress within a specific gym or brand, they will not necessarily transfer to other gyms and will not mean you are accredited.

“these programs may help you to progress within a specific gym or brand, they will not necessarily transfer to other gyms and will not mean you are accredited.”

One of the best examples we’ve found of an internal gym program is the Equinox Fitness Training Institute (EFTI) available at Equinox gyms. Equinox, like other gyms who offer internal personal training programs, teach you specific skills that relate to Equinox, almost like an internship where the student pays.

There are a lot of pros to this type of program, you’ll learn lots of skills and concepts to help you become a good trainer and benefit from a well-thought education format (as is the case with Equinox). The cons, however, are that you’ll have to pay for a non-accredited program (Equinox charges $1,399 for non-members), you don’t get a personal trainer certification, and the certification of completion you get from the gym won’t transfer to other gyms should you seek employment elsewhere. Furthermore, many of these types of programs want you to get an accredited certification after you complete their program anyway.

To learn more about the Equinox experience, and to give you a good idea of what to expect within these gym-specific programs, we reached out to a friend of ours who was a trainer at an Equinox in New York. Jamie Wolff, now an Integrative Health Coach with Walnut Health, shared some insight regarding her experience at Equinox:

On choosing Equinox?

Jamie, like many trainers looking for some specific PT course or path that would provide her real-life experience, was new to the industry. When she heard Equinox had a training program, she went for it.

“It was the only gym I knew of that really invested education in their trainers – which I needed as a newbie. The beautiful space motivated, as opposed to many other gyms, which are dark and less-than-inspiring.”

On skills learned

Most gym programs will help you learn about sciences like anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, strength and cardiovascular training, and design personal training programs for your clients. The gym program also taught Jamie sales skills that are difficult to come by on your own:

“I was blessed with a wonderful manager (which isn’t always the case) who understood my strengths and weaknesses. But I also learned some basic sales “skills” like the need to move slightly beyond your comfort zone – which helped me.”

On getting an accreditation

Jamie already was NASM-certified before she joined Equinox, but mentioned you can also get hired if you haven’t finished an accreditation course. She did say that the gym had a requirement to get an accredited certification within a few months of completing their program, however.

Getting a Personal Trainer Certification through a Gym Program

Programs like the ones offered at Equinox and other corporate gyms don’t actually provide you with accredited personal trainer certs. As mentioned on the Equinox site, “Equinox Academy is a training program, not a certification.”

With these programs, you get a certificate of completion, not an actual license that is recognized at other gyms.

However, as we learned with Jamie, the experience of working with a gym to hone your skills can be rewarding. If you are interested in this path, contact the local corporate gyms you’re interested working at and inquire about their programs. Similarly, you may be able to find information on these programs online.

Who Gym Programs are best for

Gym programs are best for the personal trainer newbie who wants to be brought into an environment where they will be able to interact with other experienced trainers as well as potential clients. The programs will provide a soft introduction to national certifications and help you establish some knowledge of the coursework within national certs such as exercise science, anatomy, program design, and other concepts.

Many aspiring trainers look to these programs as guaranteed pathways to careers with gyms, however that is not the case. Equinox notes this on their website, and mentions their program is designed to help novice trainers but does not guarantee participants with jobs at their gyms.

Think of the gym program as an introduction to personal training under a live setting.

Which Personal Trainer Course is Right
for You?

This is a somewhat subjective question and the answer depends on your career goals, time constraints, financial constraints, preferred method of study, and the type of experience you want to get before coming a trainer.

For the quickest and most cost-effective method to get an accredited certification, a national certification like ACE, NASM, or NSCA is the way to go. If you like the idea of a more structured school-like setting, a vocational college may be best for you. If you plan on going to college and are interested in personal training and other managerial pursuits, the university path may be for you.

For the unaccredited path, the online courses are only an option if you will practice private personal training and your clients don’t care about your education or credentials. The gym program route has lots of benefits for gaining experience, but does not offer an accredited certification. This approach, combined with the national certification, could be used to set the tone for a great career, however.

Feel free to share your comments, questions, or experience with any of the above in the comments below.

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How to Transition from Gym Trainer to Private Personal Trainer

The need to get in shape, build muscle tone, and live a healthy lifestyle has been trending since 2009. Regardless of whether you’re trying to improve yourself, or trying to improve others, the market is changing.

The worldwide survey of worldwide fitness trends continues to show more people are getting into strength training, regardless of whether it’s with weights, high intensity workouts, or bodyweight training. This change in the market creates a perfect opportunity for budding entrepreneurs.

Back in 2012, a study showed that 25.4 million people already owned home gym equipment. In my experience, people that have an exercise bike, a weight set, or rowing machine at the touch of their fingers, probably don’t utilize it and still have it sitting in their garage or basement. The key is to find this market niche and show them how they can put their previous investment, wipe the dust off, and put it to good use with a little help from their personal trainer.

Number of participants in home gym exercise in the United States from 2006 to 2013 (in millions)*

1 Why Should People Opt for Home Workouts?

Time-Saver: If you’re pressed for time, an effective at-home workout could be completed in only 30 minutes. A more thorough session could last upwards of 90 minutes or more. If you add in the time to commute to the gym (15 minutes each way), having a chat with your next door lifter (10 minutes), and waiting for your equipment to be free (5 minutes), this equates to an extra 45 minutes to your daily schedule.

With busy work schedules, taking the kids to dance classes, football practice, and trying to maintain a work life balance, means less time for a commute to the gym. Home gyms allow active people to workout at a time that’s convenient for them, while giving them more time to make a healthy dinner or spend some extra time with the kids.

Proper Equipment: With affordable equipment now on the market, you can buy a power rack for under $350 or a rowing machine for less than $200, previous gym members can get high-quality and affordable gym equipment just a click away.

Calmer Environment: Some people excel in busy gyms, others do not. I’ve met quite a few clients who prefer not to have the grunter next to them on the weight machine, so they choose to find tranquility and a good workout from their own home gym.

2 Tapping into Your Current Client Base

With the new trends in healthy living and strength training, this means that there is a new market for physical trainers to tap into. The clients I work with are still looking for that sweat-breaking, goal pushing workout and know they need a personal trainer to help them achieve that. How can we as personal trainers gain more home workout clients? Let me tell you how I did.

One of your biggest target markets are the clients you’re currently working with. Just by talking to Steve the other day, I found out that not only had he already invested in a treadmill and weight set at home, but it was currently being used to dry his wife’s sweaters! I explained that I would happily come to his house and coach him, provided the laundry was cleaned off, thus he could save money on a monthly gym membership.

The night buy xenical cheap online before going to Steve’s house for our weekly gym session, I collected some weight lifting straps to work on deadlifts, a jump rope, a couple medicine balls varying in weight, and of course my latest playlist to keep Steve motivated. The rest of the equipment Steve already owned, or we made up for in body weight exercises.

Since Steve and I had been working together for a period of time, I knew his current skill levels, goals, and what equipment I would need. Before coming to his house, I asked him to send me photos of the equipment he currently had, to ensure we would everything we would need.

3 Finding New Clients for Home Training

My home training services quickly spread through my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. Steve told his friends, who told their friends, and I quickly built my own client base outside of the gym I was working at.

It’s important to meet with your new clients and check out the equipment they currently have. Nothing is worse than showing up at someone’s home with a prepared workout routine, but having the wrong equipment.

I typically meet with my prospective clients in their home or a coffee shop for the first time. Over a cup of green tea, we discuss their fitness goals, what they want to achieve in the next 3 months, 6 months, and a year. I will ask my clients to bring photos on their phone of their home gym. I find that most people will forget exactly what they have at home, so it’s best to either see it in person or study a photo.

4 Incorporating At-home Workouts with Online Training

Most likely, you won’t be with your clients for every single workout. Keeping them both motivated and accountable is the key. I’ll provide my clients with a workout regime to conquer during the week when I’m not there and ask them to log it on an application like MyFitnessPal. At the beginning of our weekly session, we’ll discuss how their week went and check out the stats they logged. At the end of our session, we recap what they’ve improved on and what they need to work on for the next week.

Nutritional planning is just as important when measuring goals. I ask my clients to also log what they are eating throughout the week. It’s important to keep a positive and encouraging perspective when talking about diets. Most likely, your client knows they screwed up when they had not one, but three pieces of birthday cake. But, there is no sense in making them feel bad about it. Talk about how we are all human and even though that birthday cake looks mighty tasty, you can satisfy your sugar craving with a half a slice, or opt for fresh fruit instead. The goal is to empower your client to make healthy decisions.

Entrepreneurs and personal trainers can capitalize on the niche market of people that already own home gym equipment. Start by talking to your current clients or join a Meetup group to find other people in your community that are interested in fitness. With a little hard work and perseverance, you could soon have your own business like me!

Selling Personal Training with a Sales Dialogue: a 4-Step Guide

Selling Personal Training with a Sales Dialogue:
a 4-Step Guide

Client: Sell me this pen.

Trainer: It has a great grip for your fingers and a smooth rolling ball point for writing.

Now, you’re probably thinking, ‘What does this dialogue have to do with how I close personal training clients?’ The answer is: everything.

You see, if you substitute the pen with the clients wants and needs, and your answer with what you do to sell specifically to their wants and needs, you’ll close more deals.

The scene in The Wolf of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio is a perfect example of this, the dialogue goes something like this:

Leo: Sell me this pen (hands salesmen the pen).

Salesman: Do me a favor, write your name down on that napkin.

Leo: I don’t have a pen.

Rudimentary? Yes. Applicable? Yes.

How does the selling the pen trick dialogue help you as a personal trainer sell more deals? It capitalizes on some major sales skills that you’ll need to develop to create effective dialogues with your clients that help you to close more deals.

Today, we will learn how to sell personal training services better using a proven personal trainer sales dialogue that I have used again and again to close more deals and gain more clients.

In this lesson taken straight from the Fitness Mentors Business and Sales: The Guide to Success as a Personal Trainer CEU course, you’ll understand how to:

Gather information about your prospect
Respond to the information you gather
Deliver information effectively
How to close/ask for the sale

Below we will take a look at an actual dialogue that I’ve had with a prospective client and how I incorporated the above four techniques to sell her personal training. Hint: I sold her what she wanted, not some predefined package that I defined.

1 Gather information about your prospect to sell them personal training packages

The information-gathering aspect of the dialogue builds the sale up. The goal here is get an idea of what your potential client wants and needs, therefore creating an easy environment to build the sale.

Trainer: So, what is your biggest fitness goal right now?

Client: Well, I am really focused on losing about 30lbs.

The information here is straightforward yet highly revealing. If weight loss of 30 pounds is her focus, you know that she probably has low self-confidence and perhaps a negative self-image. You already know this is likely what you will be selling – not personal training per se, but the self-confidence that comes from losing weight.

At this point you’ll want to continue to gather more information.

Trainer: When did you last feel as if you were in great shape?

Client: About four years ago.

Trainer: What has changed in the last four years that has led to where you are now?

Client: I was working out more often, I was a stay at home mom for my two kids.

Here I took the opportunity to learn more about her personal life as I know that obviously, her kids are important to her. I learn about their ages, the schools they go to, and their names.

If her kids are the most important thing in her life, I want to know as this aids my sales process. I also want to get some more insight as to why she is not a stay at home mom.

Trainer: Are you working now? (Notes: this is an easy way of asking why she is no longer a stay at home mom.)

Client: Yes. When my husband and I got divorced I had to restart my consulting business, which takes up most of my time. (Notes: I engage in a bunch of small talk about her consulting business. This might help me determine her financial status and potential schedule for our future sessions.)

2 Responding to the information you gather to guide your prospect down a sales path

At this point you’ve learned quite a bit about your prospect. You know what their fitness goals are, a little about their personal life, and some of the restrictions or challenges in their life that have held them back from a more dedicated fitness lifestyle.

Now, you are ready to respond to this feedback with additional questions that will lead your prospect to the realization that you are the solution to their problems.

Trainer: So your work and schedule has made it tough to find time for exercise?

Client: Yes, that’s why I have added the weight for sure. It’s been a tough transition, but I recently saw a picture of myself that made me realize I need to make my health a priority.

You know now that time is a problem and potential barrier to exercise. Her divorce was troubling but she is feeling better now. It appears she is serious about getting back into shape and wants to make health a priority (HUGE SELLING POINT!).

This will be the focus of my customized pitch. If she is truly ready to make her health a priority we can start tomorrow. Also, her old self looked good, so I must find an emotional attachment to how she felt when she looked good.

Trainer: Would you say that you were in the best shape of your life at that point?

Client: Yes. I wasn’t very active growing up, but at that time I was doing Pilates and Yoga four times a week so I loved the way I looked.

Here I made xenical vs alli some small talk about Pilates and Yoga and try to find out why she enjoyed it. I also try to learn more about why she loved the way she looked, asking specific questions to get specific answers.

I then respond with a small selling pitch to how I utilize those methods of training to build core strength, which is selling directly to something she attributes to looking great (selling to the customers wants/needs).

She loved the way she looked at that point in her life and I am speaking directly to that because I know what she used to do when she liked the way she looked. Keep in mind I am not talking about weight training or some other exercise when I have established she really liked Yoga and Pilates.

Now, I want to deliver more information but I want to do it in a way that is effective to my, and her, end goal.

3 Delivering information effectively to communicate that you are the solution to her goals

I will continue to ask questions that I already (somewhat) know the answers to. The goal with this information delivery is to allow her to connect with an emotion of how she felt when she looked good with how she will feel when she trains with me.

Trainer: So if we got you back to that look in 4-6 months how would you feel?

Client: I would be so happy to have that body back. It feels so far away though.

Here I am showcasing information that I know the timeline it will likely take to reach her goals (4-6 months). From the client’s response “It feels so far away though,” I see that there is a lack of confidence with her ability to reach that goal. At this point I still need to sell self-confidence. I will do this efficiently and then try to close the sale.

4 How to close the sale with your personal training prospects

At this point you’ve done a lot of legwork. You’ve gathered information about your prospects fitness goals, why they have not been able to meet them, learned about their personal life and schedule, and guided your prospect down a path that lets them know how you can help them.

Now, it’s time to close the sale and try to get them to sign on the dotted line.

Trainer: I actually just finished with a client looking to drop 30 pounds of baby weight. With a little bit of sacrifice we were able to get her there in five months. I know it may be tough to imagine now, but when you’re back in that body in a similar timeline, I know you’d feel amazing. Would that be something you’d be willing to work for?

This series of statements and questions leads up to the sale inquiry. Let’s break it down piece-by-piece so you know exactly how to use this for your clients.

First, I’m addressing the concern my prospect mentioned above, “It feels so far away though.” I use a story of my past experience of a similar client, in a similar timeframe, to build credibility and empathize with her.

Then, I use a confidence building statement to encourage the emotional attachment, “when you’re back in that body in a similar timeline, I know you’d feel amazing.”

At this point I’ve done pretty much all I can and am ready for my soft ask, “Would that be something you’d be willing to work for?” I am simply asking her to take action on the emotion she expressed. If the prospect is truly ready to make her health a priority like she said, she will allow me to schedule her first session.

Selling your personal training “pen”

You may be familiar with the sales technique that says “Sell Benefits, Not Features.” Another way of remembering this is “features tell, but benefits sell.”

If you take away one thing from this article, take away that. In my example, you see nothing about me selling my pre-existing packages or some cut-and-paste plan that I created. I don’t sell any specific personal training product, I sell self-confidence because that is what my services provide.

You need not create some desire, just sell around existing desires. The way to do this is using the four-step process outlined above:

Gather information about your prospect (What is your biggest fitness goal right now?)
Respond to the information you gather (Your work and schedule has made it tough to find time for exercise?)
Deliver information effectively (I can get you back to your good looking self in 4-6 months using the techniques you used before that you enjoyed)
How to close/ask for the sale (I just did the same thing with a similar client; are you willing to put in the work to get the same results?)

I want you to try this selling technique on your next prospect and then come back here and write a comment about exactly how it worked for you. I promise you that you’ll generate more sales this way and learn how simple-to-use this technique really is.

For more awesome business and sales advice, check out the Business and Sales CEU course today.

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5 Personal Trainer Selling Personalities (with Effective Sales Tips)

Understand your selling personality to close more sales

As a personal trainer whose focus is to sell their services to gain new clients and grow your business, it makes sense to understand your “selling personality” and how it affects your closing rate.

According to Psychology Today, there are five personality dimensions that define us. These include agreeableness, conscientiousness (a desire to task well), extraversion, openness and neuroticism (a negative emotional state).

It is said that our personalities are defined by the temperaments we had as babies and the life experiences we had as kids.

Your selling personality is your most valuable asset as a trainer and today we will help you identify the type of selling personality you have as well as help you see where these personalities go wrong when selling and how they can be fixed.

Keep in mind the goal here is not to change your personality – which is possible – but rather to teach you to understand the ways you sell, how clients perceive you, and how you can be more conscientious to develop greater sales skills.

Below are five common types of personal trainer sales personalities, where they go wrong, and how to fix them.

1 The Instant Friend

The Instant Friend is the most agreeable of all personal trainer sales personalities. They engage potential clients as they are the best of friends, looking to form an immediate social connection. Their personality is warm and inviting, sometimes to a fault.

The Instant Friend can be amongst the most successful of personal trainers as they attract clients who like someone they enjoy socializing with while training and who seems to understand them.

Goes Wrong:

Where this personality type goes wrong is when they create too close of a connection that doesn’t feel like a professional relationship. The trainers tend to get a little less respect – aka the “friend zone” – making it easier, for example, for their client friends to cancel on them.

In an effort to be a good friend, The Instant Friend errs on the side of not capitalizing on potential sales opportunities. For instance, they don’t push a sale when a warm lead is in front of them because they don’t want to cross over into the “hard seller” type personality.

For example, Freddy the Instant Friend spends time talking with Rich, a potential client who has lots of very particular questions about his workout routine, specifically how to bulk up. Freddy, being the nice guy that he is, continues to provide this free advice – costing his time – without encouraging Rich to commit to a free (or paid) fitness assessment. In the end Freddy never gets Rich as a client because he’s made Rich feel like he has enough info to handle his workouts on his own.

Can be Fixed:

If you are The Instant Friend, be sure to recognize the limits between professionalism and friendship. In the example of Freddy and Rich above, after the instant friendship is made, Freddy should follow up every interaction with a call-to-action to try an assessment to analyze Rich’s goals further.

The Instant Friend can still utilize their personality of wanting to help, yet they can fix potential lost sales by encouraging a free assessment (or equivalent) or making sure not to give away so much information that the friend doesn’t feel inclined to go any further with the relationship.

2 The Guru

The Guru selling personality uses analytical data and logic rather than emotional selling to attract clients who value that type of credibility. They often seek to attract the opposite type of client than The Instant Friend as they are less interested in forming a social connection and more interested in goals.

Their sales technique involves sharing lots of information on research studies, effective workout methods, data and other logic-driven examples to install confidence in “Type A” clients who desire that type of expertise. The Guru is the type of trainer that far exceeds the continuing education requirements of personal trainers, has multiple certifications, and attends more conferences than anyone because they crave knowledge and want to utilize it.

Goes Wrong:

The Guru goes wrong because he is conceded, a know-it-all, and is not personable enough to convert. He doesn’t focus on the client as much as the training. The Guru might dominate the conversation by speaking based on their experience and knowledge – which is well-referenced – however lacks the listening and communication skills to truly resonate with the client and what they are trying to tell him about their fitness needs.

When increasing value to clients, understand that people desire to feel important, and if they don’t (as is often the case of The Guru), they don’t feel valued. When this happens, client retention suffers.

For example, Gary is a Guru personality, and meets Gina, a potential client. Gina likes that Gary is analytical but feels that sometimes Gary is more interested in talking about specific studies or flexing his fitness knowledge than actually listening to what she has to say. Often times, Gary will talk about a specific industry study that is somewhat relevant to what Gina has mentioned but Gina, not understanding industry jargon, gets lost in the conversation and feels that Gary is perhaps not really understanding her goals, therefore losing interest and confidence in him as her potential trainer.

Can be Fixed:

If you have The Guru personality style, be sure to take the time to know the person and their needs. Very often Guru’s assume they know what the client wants too quickly and blows the sale by not listening to the client’s needs and interests.

The Guru needs to keep in mind that training goals are personal ones, and part of their value is catering their training to show value in terms of personalization.

3 The Fitness Consultant

A mix of The Instant Friend and Guru, The Fitness Consultant can expertly blend science and the “friend zone” to attract clients. They are great at using data and science to attract clients who are impressed by knowledge and are also able to emotionally relate to clients who want a deeper relationship.

This selling personality opens them up to clients of varying interests, having a great blend of caring – telling stories, asking questions, building trust – as well as spending their personal time getting relevant CEUs, attending conferences, and reading blogs to enhance their knowledge and become as credible a source of information as any person their clients have ever met.

Goes Wrong:

This is a good mix of personality types, but often The Fitness Consultant can lean too far in the direction of The Instant Friend or The Guru when they get too comfortable in one specific role. Where the Fitness Consultant goes wrong is when they get in the friend zone and talk too much (hints of the Guru) and at the same time use too much industry jargon (also hints to the Guru) without spending the time listening to what the potential client wants. As they are so friendly, it’s easy for people to turn way any attempts at one-on-one assessments, as The Instant Friend portion of their personality holds them back from more aggressive upselling techniques.

For example, Cary a Fitness Consultant personality type, is speaking with Caitlin, a potential client who wants to know more about nutrition. Cary, xenical us buy remembering that Caitlin had previously mentioned that she was impressed by all her credentials, goes on a rant about her training with Precision Nutrition and how much in-depth knowledge she has designing nutritional programs for her clients. Caitlin, while a fan of credibility and credentials, wanted a more focused answer that related to her specific goals rather than a general explanation of how awesome Cary’s training is.

Can be Fixed:

The Fitness Consultant personality can avoid missed sales due to the above by listening first, avoiding overly technical explanations of fitness strategies or advice, and always making an attempt for the one-on-one personal assessment.

In the example of Cary above, she can take a lesson out of our post on 4 Skills You Can’t Learn from Personal Trainer Certifications. The first skillset is the ability to help clients using science while keeping in mind that a personalized vision is what makes the client feel valued.

4 The Network Builder

The Network Builder is a trainer that utilizes networking events – and enjoys them – to meet potential clients and spur referrals. This trainer attends far more networking events than any of their peers, working the room, handing out business cards, and trying to establish personal relationships quickly.

The Network Builder is not afraid to ask for referrals and tends to get a lot of business because of their personality style of playing the numbers game.

Goes Wrong:

The Network Builder goes wrong by focusing too much on networking and going out to meet people then he does on client consultations and more intimate relationships. The Network Builder is great at knowing a little about a lot of people but to their detriment, they would be better focused knowing a lot about a few people – their clients – so that they can better train them to meet their goals and build long term rapport and relationships that would actually help spur referrals down the road.

The Network Builder is a personality type that tends to have a lot of leads on the table and generally can have a great book of business. It is not uncommon, however, for The Network Builder to negate furthering their continuing education or certifications because they don’t have problems generating leads. They sometimes miss the importance of building on their personal skillsets because they are so good at networking that they neglect this aspect of their business.

For instance, Nancy the Network Builder goes to three social events per week, hands out 25 business cards each time, and makes it a point to stay in contact with each person she meets, even if it means asking them for a referral. However, Nancy, in her eagerness to grow her business via networking so consistently, would be better suited spending more time with hot leads than making it a point to talk to the entire room.

Neil was approached by Nancy at a networking event and told her that he was interested in a personal training assessment and thought it was a great idea. Nancy, in her haste to work the rest of the room, told Neil she’d follow up with him rather than spend a bit more time with him to walk away with the sale while at the event. Nancy would do well to realize the old adage of “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” going for the certain thing (Neil’s business) rather than the uncertain (those she was yet to meet in the room).

Can be Fixed:

Nancy needs to be able to better recognize who has a fitness goal as opposed to breezing through her meetings with the intent of following up later. When she can recognize that someone she meets does in fact have an interest in fitness and her services, she needs to focus her efforts with that person and build rapport to really nail down the possible sale.

5 The Hard Seller

Often honed by the strict requirements and goals of big box gyms, The Hard Seller is the most persistent type of selling personality. This can play to their success as they become great at addressing buyer hesitations and constantly press the sale.

Hard Sellers often use scare tactics to close sales “This is the best deal you’ll get” – and will not take no for an answer. The Hard Seller is always prospecting and uses a mix of all the selling personalities to try to find one that resonates with the potential client.

Goes Wrong:

Obviously, The Hard Seller can rub some people the wrong way but there are some charismatic hard sellers that don’t fit the “used car salesmen” definition. The Hard Seller is great at making the sale but is bad at getting to know people and this results in a lack of sustained trust in a client and therefore retention. The Hard Seller generally can drum up business better than most but once they do they lack the personal relationship lots of clients want which makes them seek training elsewhere.

For example, Harry the Hard Seller brings Hazel, a somewhat reluctant client who felt forced into buying a package during her fitness assessment (but did so because Harry convinced her it was a great deal), to training and they have been meeting for almost a month. At the time, Hazel didn’t really feel like Harry truly understood what she wanted out of a personal training relationship and by the end of the month-long package felt this was still the case. Rather than renewing, Hazel feels her goals were not attended to and this is was due in part to Harry’s inability to build rapport and trust. Harry, as Hazel told her friends, spent more time trying to make sales than trying to build relationships with his clients.

Can be Fixed:

The way Harry fixes this is not by stopping his hard selling technique, but building more trust by talking about Hazel’s goals, showing that her personal plan is catered around those goals, having frequent re-assessments of her goals, and constantly checking in with Hazel to ensure that the training is meeting up to her expectations.

Harry would do well to have the “expectations conversation” with his clients. This means asking them what they expect from the training and telling them what they can expect from him as a trainer. If there are any inconsistencies in expectations, they are laid out and discussed so everyone is on the same page.

What Selling Personality do You Use?

The good news for those of you who feel somewhat trapped by your selling personality is that you can change them for the better. According to the Psychology Today article, simply recognizing that we can change our personalities can mean more effective treatment of people, and in the trainer’s case, potential clients.

If you are motivated to alter your selling personality to become a more effective seller/trainer, first identify the type of selling personality you possess. If you identify with some of the areas where these selling personalities go wrong, try to understand how you can adjust your approach so that you can work on getting better at identifying with potential clients.

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