You got through the 1st major hurdle got yourself certified as a personal trainer. The next step is to become successful, but that begs the question, how do we do that?

As a newly certified personal trainer, you may not have a lot of clients to train initially. There are many behaviors that contribute to one’s success as a personal trainer. In today’s blog, we’ll look into hidden tasks and behaviors that help you to be successful.

9 Tasks & Behaviors That Maintain and/or Build Your Business

  1. Documenting performed sessions: While it seems obvious, ensuring that sessions serviced at tracked ensures there are no issues with the client. Additionally, by understanding the number of performed sessions, personal trainers can have a better grasp on when clients will need to renew, predicting revenue/business moving forward and more.

  2. Filling out the program cards: Completing program cards may sound outdated so we can reframe to updating programs and ensuring clients have access and are completing their program. Personal training can be challenging due to the consultative approach that is used. The “item” that is being sold is service and intangible. By ensuring we provide world class customer service such as providing and updating programs, we ensure continued business from our clients.

  3. Keeping track of session count: Not only is it important to track performed sessions, it is necessary to keep track of total sessions purchased, serviced and remaining. This allows personal trainers to plan their programs accordingly to the time they have with the client. Moreover, by keeping track of sessions alongside programming, personal trainers are able to use the program data to illustrate the progress the client is making

  4. Filling out paperwork to get paid: Depending on the environment you will be working in, filling out paperwork properly is a necessary skill. If you are working independently, it is even more important to track and collect payment. As training clients may be the more exciting aspect of being a personal trainer, there are many tasks that we must complete outside of those sessions that are just as important albeit less enjoyable.

  5. Securing next appointment in calendar before client leaves: Often times undervalued by personal trainers. You need to ensure that the next appointment is booked into the calendar to ensure that the client is aware of when they are to return and allows you to plan their behaviors accordingly. On the other hand, many clients may state they don’t know their schedule, it’s difficult to book out but it needs to be completed. The benefit extends to both individuals, for personal trainers, clients booking out their sessions allows you to anticipate programming, adherence and attendance.


    Another benefit is it allows personal trainers to better anticipate their schedule and assisting their clients so they can get their preferred day and time. It can be beneficial to state that to clients if they are unsure about booking out their sessions.

  6. Making sure clients are up to date with renewals and upcoming sessions are paid for in advance: As a personal trainer, you are in the business of people. We develop relationships with people and need to remind ourselves that the base relationship is still a professional and business related. There should be clear rules around what constitutes as used sessions, cancellation policies, payment expectations and more.


    While you are in the business to help people, helping others at the detriment of yourself is also not ideal. Ensure that clients are fully aware of when their PT packages are almost used up to allow them to anticipate program changes, emphasis on what’s to come next as well as payments that are required. This allows clients and trainers to retain their relationship without complicating the transactional component of the relationship.

  7. Keep clients informed of exercise-related events: Another opportunity to build your community and assist your clients to keep them informed in someway, shape or form. Some personal trainers prefer to use whatsapp groups, others use mailing lists, social media options allow for creation of groups and other means to stay in contact with your clients.


    This opportunity can be used to keep your clients connected, demonstrating ongoing value outside of the gym and create and funneling network where you can showcase your skills as a personal trainer. This would be a great opportunity to “show” others what it will be like to work with you; how you coach them, how you program, and more.

  8. Confirmation calls: Often negelected and so important. When booking appointments, confirmations are always necessary. This is the perfect opportunity to build rapport with the individual if you have not met them yet. It takes very little time but the return is so large. When we confirm appointments, we begin the initial rapport building. They have the opportunity to chat with us, they get to know our personality and we get to know them prior to meeting them.


    Upon meeting the client the 1st time, it will help them to feel more comfortable and relaxed especially considering going to the gym let alone meeting a personal trainer can be daunting. Treat the client like a person rather than a pay cheque.

  9. Follow-up calls: Another opportunity often neglected is to follow up on appointments. Doing follow ups allows for personal trainers to get feedback from the client or potential client. We can discuss what occurred in the session, highlight actionables and continue to demonstrate on-going value as a personal trainer. Our assistance extends beyond the actual session and this is often what people are paying for when they hire a personal trainer.


    Do a follow up and gather feedback, look at opportunities to improve the session experience and gives another touch point for potential clients who have declined. Even if someone declines that time, it doesn’t mean they are saying no forever. In fact, they may be saying no right now, they could also be saying no to you. This shouldn’t be seen as a negative thing, it gives us the opportunity to grow. Moreover, following up with past clients and past appointments are phenomenal ways of having ongoing touch points to demonstrate how you can assist them. These follow ups can lead to new business or returning business.

At a cursory glance, these tasks sound simple and make sense but with a deeper look, we can identify additional benefits for completing the above tasks. While these tasks are beneficial, they do not automatically lead to increased business. These tasks are a part of a greater approach to managing your business as a personal trainer.

We still need to provide results and achieve that through our management of our client’s behaviors regardless of their ability to follow through or adhere. One of the cornerstones of being a personal trainer is to adjust one’s approach based on the situation. Very few clients WANT to fail with a personal trainer so their lack of adherence may come off as apathy or not caring enough. Perhaps a more useful question to ask is, what are the obstacles that are holding them back from completing? It is easier to assume they want to be successful but may not understand how to arrange their behaviors or their lives to help them leverage success. That’s where you come in.