There are times in life when hiring a personal trainer is essential in reaching ones’ health goals (weight loss, recovering from injury, hit a plateau, etc.). For example, many people feel at some point like they’ve tried everything possible and are frustrated with their efforts, and so decided it’s time to leave it to the professionals. This is a perfect time for every personal trainer to get a new client!

Clients take hiring a personal trainer process seriously, like buying a new car. They search for the best deal or offer. When found, clients take it for a “test drive” to see if it’s a perfect fit for both a client and trainer.

Whether it’s in-person or online, its imperative to most clients to find an experienced trainer that fits their personality, goals and can customize a program to reach clients’ needs.

There are a few key moments in life of most people in which a personal trainers expertise is highly needed. These times are crucial for a personal trainer to be there, capture a new clientele and offer services.

1. Weddings (and Other “Spotlight Events”)

“I have a big event coming up and want to look great!”

Have you heard clients saying: “I’m going to a (wedding, reunion, swanky party, etc.) and have X weeks to shed 10 pounds, help!” This is known as event-based weight loss.

This potential client is looking for weight loss and toning up in a set amount of time. Can this client become a long-term one? Possibly, but most likely, they are just looking for something right now and real fast.

A 4-8 week boot camp challenge would be perfect for a person who is looking for a “fast fix”. Especially, if this person is a part of a wedding! Bridal parties are marketing gold for personal trainers because it allows you to market to not just one, but multiple clients at the same time.

Bridal Parties

Bridal parties are perfect for boot camp training. Because it allows all the participants to work and support each other’s efforts to look great on that special day.

Leads for wedding-prep fitness can be found at your local wedding planners’ offices, dressmakers or tailors. Call the businesses up to see if you can leave some fliers or business cards at their front desk or storefront.

This is guaranteed to get the attention of a bride, bridesmaids or even groom looking to feel their best on their wedding day. These potential clients will understand that in order to get the results they want, they’re going to have to put in the hard work. If the experience proves successful, they might even stick around and keep trainnig with your after the event!

2. Pregnancy

“My body is going through some changes. How do I keep fit before, during, and after my pregnancy?”

This is a very sensitive time in a woman’s life. Her body has been through the ringer from carrying the baby, giving birth, nursing and taking care of her child 24/7. Now, mom just wants her pre-pregnancy body back.

This takes a certain kind of trainer to work with new and expecting moms. This is not for the military style, hard-core trainer. This takes a type of trainer who is going to listen, be understanding and most importantly…MOTIVATE!

In my experience, moms are the most dedicated, hardworking long-term clients. They have probably done more by 7 am than we have done all day. So, you have to be that trainer who has a listening ear but also motivates her when she may not have the energy.

The best way to market to moms is to find their pain point (weak core, low energy, meal planning, etc.) and then create or find a meetup group that addresses those problems where you can offer a fitness-based solution.

Meetup groups are perfect because they allow you to build an engaging local group that has the potential to grow to large numbers organically. Meetup groups give you the opportunity to run:

• Group fitness classes
• Live workshops
• 1-on-1 training

Remember, moms do talk. So, get ready for referral clients and possible training sessions with their husbands/boyfriends too.

3. Aging

“I can’t move like I used to”

We’ve all been there—or we’re all going to be. It’s natural that, as we age, our bodies and what we can do with them will change. As the effects of aging set in, sometimes as early as the late 30s, individuals will start to realize that they can’t move the way they used to.

While some people will just give up and accept their new and reduced abilities, many will choose to fight back and strengthen their bodies so they can keep fit and active well into their golden years.

These kinds of clients are gold for personal trainers as they tend to be long-term clients and often have friends going through the same thing as them (read: lots of opportunities to get client referrals). You can stay fully booked on this niche alone.

The only thing to consider is that, for clients who are aging, there is also an element of pain-relief and injury prevention mixed in. I’ve worked successfully with this type of clients for over a decade. You first need to have a background in corrective exercise.  Once you have that, the sky is the limit.

In my private practice, I work with men who are dealing with low back and shoulder pain. They love to train but tense muscles or injuries limit their training sessions. I find with injury or mobility clients, you need to have a more direct approach with them. They want to know:

• Why are they hurting?
• What can they do to make it stop?
• How long will it take to get back training?

The best way to reach out to injury prone clients is to hold a live workshop at your local gym or rehab specialists (physical therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist) office. Give a quick 30-50min casual talk at about the importance of injury prevention or such topics as:

• How to deadlift safely
• Stretching 101
• How to ease your back pain

Leverage Peak Times

While personal training and fitness is and should be a lifelong pursuit, knowing about these peak times and life events that can draw in extra clients can play a huge role in growing your business and achieving your goals.