They don’t have a plan.
Trainers who have a business and communications plan in place before offering virtual training to their existing and potential clients will get more clients, have productive relationships with those clients, and offer a higher quality product than those who do not.
Here’s what the current process looks like:
Decide to offer virtual training because:
Success with in-person clients
A large and seemingly engaged social media following
“People say” it’s a great way to make a passive income
Fear of missing out on a new market
Create a social media post to launch their new offering(s)
Wait for the clients and passive income to roll in
Reality, yes. A poor bet, also yes.
If you develop a business and communications plan prior to launching your virtual training offerings, you will benefit in the following three ways:
You will receive more qualified and serious virtual client leads, ultimately increasing your conversion rate and saving yourself a lot of time.
Your virtual training clients will have the expectations you set for them, and you will have a plan and the bandwidth to deliver on them – consistently.
You will be challenged to accept the fact that your virtual training clients will not receive the quality of service and coaching you are accustomed to providing your in-person clients (because it’s impossible). You will then need to seriously consider if your time is better served with in-person clients/groups.
Here are 6 questions you need to ask and answer before launching your virtual training offerings:
1. Do you have another steady and reliable source of income?
Unless you have a long-standing and well-known reputation, a productive presence online, stellar communication skills, and an eagerness to be on your phone or computer more than you already are, keep your in-person training job – and don’t let your responsibilities there slip through the cracks. Do not quit your job and try to make a living through virtual training. There are exceptions to every rule, but you’re likely not one of them.
2. How will offering this service impact your existing clients?
Have you considered what impact virtual training will have on your existing in-person clients? Virtual training may sound like a ‘set it and forget it’ endeavor – it is not.
If you are serious about pursuing virtual training in a meaningful way (and at a quality you can proudly stand behind), you will likely need to evaluate the value of your in-person clients. You may need to refer a couple of them to your peers to allow enough time in your schedule to both set up and then diligently manage the needs of your virtual clients. Just because your new clients are online does not mean they’ll be easier to train; quite the opposite. Don’t be surprised if you’re spending close to double the amount of time working with your virtual clients vs. in-person (ongoing communication, setting up and managing their programming on the platform, making last-minute adjustments to their schedule changes, etc.).
Your in-person clients should be your priority. They’ve come to expect a certain level of care and involvement. If that begins to wane because you’re spending more and more time on your virtual pursuits, you might find yourself without any clients. [Refer back to question number 1 😊]
3. Who do and don’t you work with?
Just as you do when you decide if you will move forward with a client or athlete in a live setting, you need to have standards or criteria for who you choose to work with in a virtual setting. As an example, if you refer out for individuals who are postpartum in a live setting, that standard should remain true online.
But it’s not happening.
Virtual training is like the wild west – anyone and everyone is offering training that “works for everyone.” Generic programs are being developed and prescribed based on generic labels, followed by little personalization and oversight.
If virtual training finds its footing in the fitness industry, it will be the trainers who zeroed in on a niche market of individuals who thrive. That’s not to say you will only work with the specific population you cater to, but it does mean you recognize that quality and results decrease with each exception you make.
“If you serve too many masters, you’ll soon suffer.” - Homer
4. What exactly are you offering and what can people expect of you?
Most people won’t even inquire about your virtual training offerings if you don’t clearly state exactly what you’re offering up front. And when I say clear, I mean crystal clear. You need to spell out in simple language, and in as few words as possible, exactly what people will receive, at what level of personalization, at what intervals, with what level of interaction, and for how long.
If you make it past that initial awareness and consideration stage the potential client goes through, you then have to communicate what your clients can expect of you once they sign up. If you do not communicate expectations both verbally and in writing, you’re leaving room in the future for disappointment – and usually on the client’s end.
5. What’s the ‘right’ platform for both you and your clients?
Now that you know who you’re offering training to and exactly what you’ll be delivering to them, you need to decide on a platform to deliver it.
Why is this an important step? Because the platform you choose to use will be how your clients experience YOU. In a virtual relationship, all people have to judge you on is your verbal & written communication and how they experience your programming, which in essence, will determine if you succeed or fail.
A simple step-by-step approach to making this decision:
Profile your target clients – Download our ‘Virtual Training Guided Worksheet’ to get started.
Based on your target clients, make a list of “must-have” and “nice-to-have” features.
Research available platforms and select your top 3-5.
Schedule a demo with each.
Select your favorite or, if deciding between two, consider doing a trial with each or A/B testing.
Make a decision and stay in-the-know about the evolving market.
6. What type of commitment do you need to deliver results?
You want to make money through virtual training, and unless you’re a complete a**hole, you also want to help your virtual clients get the results they hoped for when they chose you. To get results, you and your client need to agree to a specific level of commitment – same as you would for in-person training.
Once a client agrees to talk further about your virtual training options or decides to work with you, outline and ask for the necessary commitment. Do they have a near-term goal they’re working toward? If so, how many days a week and for what amount of time will you ask of them so you can deliver on your promise?
It’s important that you do everything in your power to help your virtual client get the results they sought you out for. If you do not, it’s a quick swipe to the next trainer promising the same thing.
Don’t make promises, just set yourself up to deliver.
“Formula for success: under promise and over deliver.” – Tom Peters
In closing…
If you are early in your training career, virtual training will be inferior to working with clients in a live setting. You should be doing as much in-person training as possible (for you). Nothing will ever replace the experience of engaging in face-to-face conversation, physically seeing your clients get results over time, interacting and confronting challenging situations with your peers and your boss, learning and perfecting your coaching presence and demos, and being surrounded by others who are as interested and as motivating in the industry as you are.
Virtual training isn’t going anywhere, and there’s no harm in waiting until you’re ready – with the knowledge, skills and experience – to offer your very best to those you will work with.