The Deciding Factor

I was recently asked a question that went something like this:


"The women who join my club want to work with a female trainer and I don't have enough on my staff to go around. What do I do?"


My answer:


"The question you should be asking yourself is, “Why wouldn't I hire more female personal trainers?” It's not easy to know how much you are losing in personal training revenue by only having two female personal trainers on staff, but, I'm guessing it's a significant amount.


Something else to consider is to move to semi-private training. Having the female trainers you currently have on staff train three or four clients at once makes the most sense. It is more cost-effective for the client, and the small group setting is more fun and encourages social support. Also, it allows you and the personal trainer to earn more per hour. Everyone wins."


While my answer may seem more than obvious to most, it isn't really what I want to share with you.


No, I want to share with you The Deciding Factor.


And that is the fact that THE MARKET DECIDES


Your gut doesn't decide. Your best guess doesn't decide. Your opinion doesn't decide. Your ego doesn't decide.


The Market Decides


And if you don't like it, well, too freakin' bad.


Did that person really need to ask that question?


What was it that kept them from seeing the obvious.


It could be any number of things. I'm not going to get into belief systems and everything else, but there are deep-seated issues at the root.


The main problem being their failure to let the open market dictate what it wants.


If your female members want female trainers then give them female trainers.


I'm sure the male ones you have on staff are terrific.


I'm guessing they're great at what they do.


But if the market decides they want women instead, well, you need to supply women.


And that's what is so funny about all the anonymous posters on personal training forums and blogs.


They fail to see the obvious: The open market decides what sells and what does not.


If a product or service sucks it is going to fail.


The open market will decide what amount it goes for.


And that leads me to my next point...


It never ceases to amaze me the short-sighted personal trainers out there who love to attack the entrepreneurial fitness pros with ambition.


It amazes me how some trainers with twenty years of experience are so jealous of others with barely any experience - who by the way are still really great at getting clients reults - because they've invested in their business education and have already surpassed them financially.


Sour, sour grapes.


Instead of getting their 73rd certification they should have been learning about how to run a business.


But nah, they'd rather be wearing their Victim of Honor medals at the latest fitness seminar complaining about all those inexperienced guys who are making all that loot.


They love crying over the fact a trainer with a fraction of their experience is already more successful than them.


"Oh, all they want is to worship the almighty dollar!", they moan.


"Whoa is me! Here I am with all these certifications and all these years in the trenches suffereing and I'm broke."


"Boo hoo hoo. Please feel bad for me", they post on the forums.


Then the group think of the weak-minded really begins.


So the cry goes out, "There must be someone we can blame for our failures!"


"Yes, yes, let's blame the people who have created all these successes!"


I could go on and on with my little story, but I'm sure you get the idea.


Sometime this week I'm going to share a video testimonial from a 21 year old fitness pro who owns his own studio. He delivers big-time results for his clients. He is the consumate pro in every way you can imagine.


And he only works about 20 hours a week.


Can you hear the b*tching and moaning from the grizzly fitness industry veterans?


It drives them crazy that someone so young can be so good at what he does, work less than them and make more green.


Sour, sour grapes.


Trust me: People don't give a rat's a** about you. They care about what you're going to do for them.


The open market decides. Your wounded pride has nothing to do with it.


But don't worry, no matter what side of the fence you sit on I still love ya.


Yours in prosperity,


Jim Labadie
http://www.trainersinnercircle.com


PS- Which trainer are you? Do you have the guts to be a real business owner? Or do you want to be one of the whiners?


http://www.trainersinnercircle.com