Why Is It Important To Go The Extra Mile For Your Client?

Going the extra mile for your personal training clients is absolutely vital. It’s a service-based profession, similar to hairdressing, where keeping clients happy can be tricky but is a crucial skill that ultimately determines your success in the role. 

In this article, we answer the question of “why is it important to go the extra mile for your clients?”, and how you can do that in the most effective way possible, with actionable tips and advice from industry experts.

The best way you make your services as impactful as possible is with a Level 4 Fitness Course, starting with our Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course. You can help clients hit their goals much faster by combining your fitness knowledge with nutritional advice.

Enquire today or download a course prospectus to find out more.

Why Is It Important To Go The Extra Mile For Your Clients?

#1 - You Can Boost Your Client Retention

In simple terms, client retention refers to the actions a company or business takes to keep or retain as many clients as possible. 

Holding onto your clients can be immensely difficult. With such a heavily contested market, and constant developments across the industry, retaining your customers is a battle you’ll be fighting, regardless of how experienced or qualified you are.

Providing clients with additional value is one of the most consistent ways to make money as a personal trainer as they'll continue to pay if you're going the extra mile for them.

However, in addition to the extra money, retaining your clients also means that you’re working alongside people who understand who you are, and how your training works for them.

Therefore, you’re more likely to have a consistent schedule, you’ll already have ideas of where your next workout can take the client, and be confident when it comes to their overall goals. 

Naturally the longer we keep a client happy, the longer they’re likely to pay us for. Additionally, clients we have built a solid relationship with are more inclined to buy our higher end packages as they are more familiar and trust us or our brand more. 

We’ll touch on this idea in more depth later in this article, but the core principles are that, by holding onto our clients, we can keep a steady income coming, as well as ensuring there’s scope to make more in the future.

For further ideas on how you can keep your clients as long as possible, check out our complete report on personal trainer client retention strategies.

#2 - You’re Able To Charge More For Your Services

Ultimately, when a client chooses a personal trainer, they’ve considered every aspect - what makes them a good personal trainer, what they can offer them, and how they’ll be able to get them to their goals.

By presenting yourself as someone who goes the extra mile for their clients, you’ll be able to add that additional premium to your service charges.

For instance, if you’ve gone above & beyond, and qualified from a nutrition course, you’re able to charge more than someone who hasn’t got that same level of certification.

Or, if you offer outdoor or home training as part of your services, you can choose to increase your prices slightly to reflect the convenience these options afford your clients. 

The same is true for any experiences or knowledge you might have that other personal trainers won’t necessarily be able to provide. Take pre- and post-natal personal training as a great example.

Most trainers, like this PT from Manchester, will market their services based on what they can offer clients in a specific niche and, because they’ve gone the extra mile with the tailored packages they offer, can therefore charge that little bit more.

All of these ideas not only provide your existing clients with a great reason to stay with you, but they also provide potential clients a reason to choose you. 

They’re great ways to address the question of why it’s important to go the extra mile for your clients, and develop new and interesting ideas to enhance the service you provide.

#3 - You’ll Be Able To Upsell

When you’re training your clients, you should always keep the idea of upselling in the back of your mind. It’s a great way to offer your clients an opportunity to progress, while earning you more money in the process.

Upselling essentially means prompting an existing client to upgrade the service they’re receiving to a more expensive package. You can find out much more detail in our complete guide to selling as a PT.

This doesn’t have to be done as a deliberate way to sell, either. Take this example conversation as a great way to gently move clients over to a more premium package that you offer.

Client - “I’m loving my sessions, but I wish I had more guidance on nutrition! Really struggling to decide on what to have for my tea”

PT - “I’ve just started a new program, which includes a personalised nutrition plan, all my advice on macros, and everything I learnt on my course. Would you be interested?”

Client - “I’d love to, but money is tight, and I don’t know if I can afford any more for my sessions!”

PT - “No worries! Tell you what - we’ve trained together for 3 months now, you’re one of my best clients. I’ll do a free nutrition plan for 2 weeks, you can see if you like it, and then we can chat about maybe doing more if you’ve got the budget. Sound good?

Client - “That sounds amazing, thank you so much Gerald!”

The purpose of upselling shouldn’t necessarily be to make a sale there and then, but to let clients know what they could have if they decide to upgrade what they currently have.

In our example, the decision is ultimately left with the client, without the PT having to do too much to convince them of what they can offer. 

The client feels like they’ve got something for free that they can use over the coming weeks, and the PT then has a lead for a potential upsell.

Upselling can also be used when a client is preparing for an event (like a marathon), and feels they need more guidance to be fully prepared. You could offer them additional sessions at a cut rate ahead of their challenge.

However, we’d advise not pushing too hard for this - they could just as easily go to another PT for additional sessions, and you run the risk of alienating them.

Instead, you could go the extra mile for this client by offering them a place in a bootcamp or small group PT session you’re running, or suggesting a specific class they could attend. 

These all offer additional avenues for them to progress, while still ensuring that they’re using the services you offer as their primary form of training.

When people are making buying decisions on services, very frequently they will look for reviews and testimonials from people who have bought a similar product or service to themselves. 

#4 - You’ll Gain Referrals Through Word Of Mouth

Finding personal training leads can be a struggle at times, but utilising your existing clients is an ideal way to achieve highly actionable organic leads through word of mouth. Let us explain.

When we’re questioning why it’s important to go the extra mile for our clients, a huge reason behind that is how they’ll perceive us, and how they’ll then talk about us to their friends and family.

These are often referred to as organic leads - they haven’t come about as a result of any marketing campaign or direct requests, but rather because you’ve impressed a current client enough that they feel compelled to recommend you.

This is arguably one of the most important reasons to go above and beyond for any client, especially if you’re looking to expand but have limited resources and time for any marketing ventures.

What really sets referrals apart as a fantastic lead, though, is that these are far more likely to be converted into paying clients. 

These come from a place of trust, and a recommendation from a family member or friend is much more credible than an advertisement or PT business card.

#5 - You’re Helping To Shape Someone’s Healthier Lifestyle

When you first make the decision to qualify as a personal trainer, you’re committing to helping others with their lifestyle and exercise choices, as well as helping them to live a healthier life overall.

This is perhaps the main reason why it’s important to go the extra mile for your clients - you’re part of an industry that’s dedicated to helping others achieve their goals, and going above and beyond can often be the ideal way to do that.

You’ll undoubtedly want to provide clients with the best possible chance of breaking through the goals you’ve set together.

With this, you could provide clients with extra guidance when they’re struggling, making yourself available over text or social media when they’re unsure of something, or are trying to implement new changes.

Or, you could offer brief meetings outside of your usual session times for an informal chat about progress, and how they feel they could best be supported.

While these all seem like small things, they’re a great way to go the extra mile for your clients without having to disrupt the schedule you already have.

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If you’re still unsure of why it is important to go the extra mile for your clients, check out these articles which all provide additional guidance:

• SMART Fitness Goals
• 45 Essential Personal Trainer Resources
• 7 Essential Questions to Ask New Personal Training Clients

How You Can Go The Extra Mile For Your Clients

Now that we’ve answered the question of “why is it important to go the extra mile for your clients”, it’s equally important to look at how you can do that.

We’ll explore some key tips and tricks for going beyond what your clients expect, alongside practical advice on how to implement these into your everyday life.

#1 - Master The Basics

While this may seem like a self-explanatory point, one of the easiest ways to go that extra mile for your client is to simply master the basics of what you offer. Let’s break that down.

Ultimately, one of the issues that personal trainers can experience is a sense of complacency, especially as they gain more experience, and they can therefore start to neglect some of the basic roles and responsibilities of a PT. 

This not only leaves a bad impression on potential and current clients, it shows a lack of due care and respect for the position you have. 

By keeping track of all the small things, you’re already outperforming many personal trainers out there. These smaller tasks include:

• Being punctual to every session
• Dressing appropriately - learn more in our complete guide to personal trainer dress code
• Well organised
• Keeping track of relevant client data and information
• Fully prepared with the right equipment

As simple as these might seem, they’re the building blocks of a successful client-trainer relationship, and ensuring these are thought about prior to any session is a must, and is the first step in earning client loyalty.

#2 - Show A Genuine Interest In Your Clients

Going the extra mile for your personal training clients doesn’t always have to revolve around workouts, diet plans and fitness - it’s just as important to view them as a person, and someone whose company you enjoy.

Take an active interest in their hobbies, and the things they like to do outside of fitness. You might find common ground that you can use to bond, and create a lasting impression on your client.

Or, even if you don’t have a shared interest, take the time to learn a little about what they’re interested in, and use that to spark conversations and discussions during your sessions.

One thing it’s easy to forget about when you’re a personal trainer is that a client isn’t only paying for the workouts you create, or the expertise you have when it comes to exercise, they’re also paying to spend time with you.

Be yourself, and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through, even when you’re designing workouts, or discussing their diet plans.

Discovering a shared experience goes further than just building rapport, too. If a personal trainer has been through a similar time, or had similar life experiences, a client is much more likely to trust their ideas, and listen to their advice.

Take this Bath-based personal trainer as a great example. She’s primarily appealing to female clients, and does so by describing her own past experiences with food, exercise, and trying to get into shape.

This is likely to be an experience that’s shared by a large number of the clients she attracts, and as such, they’re more likely to listen to what she’s saying as she’s already been through the same thing (or similar) as they’re going through.

Ultimately, understanding what your client enjoys and has a passion for is a crucial part of creating effective, impactful training sessions, and should always be an answer to the question of “why is it important to go the extra mile for your clients”.

#3 - Schedule Regular Check Ins

Of course, any client you work with is using your services because they ultimately want to see progress towards their goals, whether that’s weight loss, muscle gain, or improved overall fitness levels.

But it’s also important to remember that, as well as their physical wellbeing, you should take some role in ensuring they stay psychologically healthy, too, especially if they’re struggling with their goals.

You can do this through scheduling a quick chat to discuss anything that they’re going through, talk about their goals and whether they’ve changed, or to generally check in with what’s going on with your client.

As a PT, you’re spending a significant amount of time with every client, and understanding their mental wellbeing as well as how they’re progressing towards their fitness goals is a crucial part of your role.

A check-in can also function as a way to gain vital feedback and updates on anything that could affect the workouts you have planned.

For instance, if a client has suffered an injury while working, and they’re unable to use one of their hands, you’ll then be able to adapt and adjust accordingly to ensure they’ll still be able to progress towards their SMART goals.

Check-ins shouldn’t be viewed as a chore, or a disruption to your usual schedule, but rather as an opportunity to connect on a deeper level with your clients, and to adjust your plans to better fit with your client’s needs.

#4 - Make Excellent Use Of Data

Data is the cornerstone of any successful business, regardless of the industry. It drives how companies make decisions, sell products, provide services, and determine what their clients and customers want.

It makes sense, then, that it should always play a pivotal role in how you provide sessions and workouts for your clients. Let us explain.

If you’re still asking “why is it important to go the extra mile for your clients?”, fully utilising data can help you understand why it’s important, and how you can facilitate that easily. 

Data helps you and your clients fully visualise how far they’ve come, how close they are to their overall goals, and what they need to do to make those last few steps.

This is absolutely crucial for all your clients. By giving them tangible figures on where they’ve come from and where they are now, you’re providing them with significant motivation, as well as proof that your services are working effectively.

There’s various different measurements and information you can (and should) track to help your clients progress, including:

• Key Measurements - stomach, hips, and chest (for clients looking for weight loss) and biceps, calves, and shoulders (for those seeking muscle gain)
• BMI - Body Mass Index, which measures body composition
• Heart Rate - should be measured before, during and after a client’s suggestion
• Calorie Intake - has their calorie intake changed to better match what workouts they’re doing?
• RPE - the Rate of Perceived Exertion, which measures how intense the client’s exercise is
• Personal Bests - these track a client’s progress in terms of muscular strength and endurance (e.g. one rap max, sprint times)

Each of these can then be used to inform any future sessions you have with that client, especially ones that closely relate to their overall goals, like waistline measurements and personal bests.

For instance, if a client is aiming to lose another few centimeters from their stomach and waistline ahead of a big event, you’re then able to plan your sessions accordingly to better facilitate that.

Now, while this might seem like a lot to keep track of, there are ways you can make this much, much easier. 

Apps like PTMinder and Trainerize offer convenient ways to ensure that you’re always on top of the key information you should be storing about any of the clients you work with.

We’d also highly recommend equipping yourself with some of the best personal training software on the market.

These can offer you convenient and effective ways to integrate with client apps (like MyFitnessPal), as well as ways to communicate with your clients, provide motivation outside of sessions, and keep an eye on their progress.

Not to mention that, if a client sees you utilising these apps and software to help them achieve what they’re aiming for, you look much more professional and well-prepared for their sessions, which in turn leads to much better retention.

#5 - Make Yourself Available

Now, when we’re thinking about the question of “why is it important to go the extra mile for your clients?” availability might not necessarily be something you immediately consider.

You might assume that you only need to be available for your clients during their scheduled session times, and once that expires, you don’t need to do anything. That’s a misconception that you need to address.

Of course, you need time for yourself, just like everyone else. But, when you sign a client up to your services, you should disclose the times you’ll be unavailable, and let clients know that you’ll reply as soon as you can.

However, outside of those times, you should endeavour to make yourself available to your clients as much as possible.

This could be in the form of answering text messages, responding to Instagram DMs, taking phone calls, or even doing video calls with clients who need the most support. 

Here, you’ll need to plan effectively, and make the most of the time you have in order to provide the best possible service and support to your clients.

We’d suggest dedicating a portion of your day to communicating with clients, offering time for phone or video consultations, as well as responding to social media comments, and keeping in contact with all your clients, even those who may seem self-sufficient outside of your sessions.

Maintaining good availability, and supporting that with excellent communication, is one of the key pillars of providing a service that goes the extra mile for your clients.

#6 - Create Social Media Groups & Pages

This is closely connected with our previous point, in that it offers a channel of mass communication with all of your clients, rather than a way to communicate with just one. 

Social media is exceptionally important, especially in terms of personal trainer marketing strategies, but it also functions as a way to provide clients with updates, ideas, and support, and (crucially) interaction.

Establishing an Instagram account for your personal training services, as well as a Facebook group and Twitter page, offers your clients a wide range of options for getting in touch with you. 

These offer a central hub for any updates or developments. A great example of this would be if you’re planning to go on holiday for two weeks, and won’t be available to train clients. 

With a social media page, you can let everyone know at once, without disrupting their experience, or causing unnecessary inconvenience.

Plus, as you start to grow and develop your brand, your followers can help out each other, providing tips and advice when you’re unavailable or busy.

Your social media pages also offer unique options in terms of the ways you can engage with your audience, including:

• Polls - these help to gauge the opinions of your followers, and can also influence the content you post
• Quizzes - this provides a great way to keep followers informed and engaged, as well as learn more about their fitness knowledge and proficiency
• Sharing Functionality - while this is an excellent way to organically gain new clients, it also acts as an excellent way to provide templates for your existing clients. For instance, you could make a saveable exercise diary that you can add to your Instagram story, or a food tracker to download from a Facebook page
• Competitions - a great way to increase interaction, as well as promote an aspect of your service. Here, you could offer a tub of protein powder in return for your followers sharing a post to their Instagram story, or raffle off a free session for those who’ve signed up to a newsletter.

Incorporating just a few of these elements, in conjunction with your regular social media posts and conversations, can allow you to provide more value, and go that extra mile for your clients without too much effort.

If you’ve not yet established a social media presence, we’d strongly recommend doing so. Our guides on how to create a personal trainer Facebook page, and how to start a fitness Instagram, provide everything you need to know.

#7 - Prioritise Your Loyal Clients

It should go without saying, especially when we’re thinking about “why is it important to go the extra mile for your clients”, that loyalty and respect are two of the most important characteristics you can demonstrate.

You should always give preferential treatment to the clients who’ve stuck with you and your services the longest. 

Now, this doesn’t mean neglecting all other clients in favour of those who’ve been with you the longest - far from it. You should still provide newer clients with the same level of care that you give to those who have trained with you for a longer period of time.

However, loyal clients should be given first choice when it comes to session times, as well as be given advance notice of any changes or new developments when it comes to your services.

For instance, if a new client approaches you and asks for an appointment time that you know is already taken by someone who you’ve trained for a while, offer the newer client a different time, rather than rearranging your existing session.

Ultimately respect and loyalty is a two-way street. Always be committed to your clients in the same way you expect them to be committed to you and their goals. 

New clients should be fitting into your existing timetable - do not substitute an existing client booking for a new client’s requirements. They may have had that time slot for years, and you  won’t know how long a new client will stick around for.

Before You Go!

All personal trainers want to provide the best possible service for any and all clients and learning the importance of going the extra mile is a crucial part of that.

Ultimately, after you’ve explored all of our tips, the best way to go above and beyond is with a Level 4 Personal Trainer Course, starting with our Level 4 Sports Nutrition qualification.

You can combine your health & fitness knowledge to help clients smash their long and short term goals. Get in touch with our team today to see how you can give your clients the best experience and download our course prospectus to find out more!