Creating A Succesful Personal Training Business Part 6: Getting Hired At A Gym
Getting Hired
Interviewing
After receiving your certification and having practical skills to train others you will have opened up the first gate to get hired by a corporate gym. The easiest way to get hired by a commercial gym is to reach out to a recruiter or directly email or get in contact with the hiring manager and gym manager. You will face a good amount of rejection, but you will maybe get your first “sale”. When someone agrees to see you, you have shown you have value and generated potential demand for your services. Now you just need to make the sale! If you’re feeling that fire in your belly at the prospect of a sale, you’re on the right track. Many businesses hire ambition over talent, so show up ready to crush it and learn the tools of the trade as you go.
When showing up to your interview, be punctual; 15 minutes early, well put together; overdressed, and well-groomed to your particular look, with good posture, and an inviting demeanor. This includes a tall posture with shoulders back and a relaxed “Duchenne” smile and upward inflections in your voice when you talk.
The average interview will go as such:
Practical 1-hour training session
Have your basic program set up and be ready to change it with equivalent exercises on the fly to suit the trainee
Be ready to try and become this person's best friend within one hour of training. Ask open-ended questions and mirror the person's demeanor and non-verbals to better facilitate a positive experience
Overarching Goal: See if you can become best friends with this person in 1 hour
The book, “Never Split the Difference” is a great resource for a deeper dive on how to communicate and negotiate with excessive grace.
2. Selling a nutritional supplement or your services
Ask the person what their goals are
Tell them how the product can help them get to their goals
Overcome objection
Reiterate how it will enhance their ability to get to their goal
Most commercial gyms will want the hard sell. Create scarcity and tell them you don’t think they will achieve their goal without using this product. You don’t have to hard-sell after this if you don’t want to.
If you’re feeling anxious, tap into the “tend and befriend” ability that anxiety can bring. Go in with the mindset that you are going to do amazing. A personal mantra is also helpful, one word will do. I like “Thrive.”
When you have prepared to your best ability, don’t be too oriented on the outcome. You have put in your best effort and if it goes poorly there will be more opportunities and maybe it wasn’t a good fit.
If you are rejected, you will have some great feedback for your hypothesis which is “I think I can get hired as a personal trainer at a commercial gym”.
Take that feedback and test it in the next interview. With enough rejection, you will accurately understand what is holding back the value you know you can provide.
Soon you will be hired, just keep putting effort towards refining the “I want to get hired” system. Which gets stronger and more refined with every rejection!
