The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made business owners around the world reconsider their methods. The sudden onset of the virus flipped businesses upside down, leaving many scrambling to find alternative methods of serving their customers. For personal trainers, the pandemic has forced us to find new ways to keep our businesses alive, underscoring the need for the industry as a whole to shift in order to become more future proof.
Now, we have the opportunity to learn from the challenges the pandemic has brought forth, and prepare ourselves to go forward with better preparation. Here, we’re going to share a few pieces of advice we’ll be using to help ourselves to be able to meet challenges head-on. For the future, it’s all about adaptability and being able to shift tactics at a moment’s notice. Here’s how you can future proof your business:
Talk To Your Clients
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, one of the first things many business owners began to experience was difficult conversations with their clients. Some clients have had to abandon their non-essential services altogether, while others have made tough decisions on where to cut back in order to survive the pandemic. In some cases, the stress of the pandemic became too difficult to overcome, making it difficult to participate in activities that might ordinarily have made them happy.
As personal trainers and fitness industry professionals, it has always been part of our job to become connected with our clients in order to help them achieve their fitness goals. This can mean becoming personally acquainted with who they are as individuals, listening to their fears, and working to help them overcome mental roadblocks. This connection is unique and highly valuable and can be harnessed to help future proof your business.
Talking to your clients is the best way to find out what you can do to retain them in the future. Find out what your clients want and why, then position yourself to be able to give that to them. Plans can change at a moment’s notice, but having those conversations before a problem arises can help you and your clients to be prepared. Discussing a plan of action and knowing what your clients need can help you to focus on what counts, and avoid using your resources where they won’t be appreciated.
Adapt to New Technology
One of the largest lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that it is more important than ever before to embrace and adapt to new technology. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most of us inside, confining many to our homes for months on end. Because of this, business owners and customers alike have turned to technology in order to stay in touch and continue receiving services, and those that have been slow to adapt to the change have struggled to stay afloat. Video conferencing and live-sharing in particular have helped to keep the fitness industry alive, giving trainers a virtual platform in which to connect with clients, give advice, and keep everyone moving.
As technology continues to grow and change, it will be important for trainers to keep up. Being up to date and well versed in the latest technology can help to keep your business relevant, giving you an in with customers that other companies may not have. Using tools like PT Enhance for all phases of your fitness business. allows you to run a membership site which helps you organize and deliver nutritional and fitness programs to both your online and offline clients. It contains an e Commerce area for all your packages, products etc. Technology has opened the door for fitness pros to grow their businesses and enhance the connections they have been able to make with people around the world. Thanks to technology with a little effort, we can continue to influence people worldwide.
Follow the Herd
Standing out is important when running a business since you want to be the one to attract the most customers and become the most sought after provider of your service. That said, it is also important to learn to keep up with the competition since your competitors could be offering something to make customers choose them over you. Keeping up to date with industry trends, the specific moves of your competitors, and the fitness industry as a whole will help to keep you at the top of your game, and keep your services in high demand.
Trying to create a career in fitness? Visit PT Academy online today to learn more about becoming a personal trainer, and be sure to check out our blog for more information, tips, and tricks!
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