Female Personal Training Clients Survey Responses
Nearly 78-89% of female personal training clients – or potential personal training clients – are women between 45 and 70. Here’s what a recent survey of this demographic (Flipping 50 community members from subscribers, customers, and social media followers) reveals about their personal training experience.
The survey: created on Typeform (an excellent tool for both online and offline trainers and fitness clubs for everything from session evaluation, surveys, intake forms, assessments, to testimonials). Distributed to 1000 women. 
Here’s what they know about themselves and their current training:
The answers to the survey – especially the open-ended one at the end – reflect their acknowledgement of why they train, why they train with you, and what would happen if there were a better option. Many of the responses reveal that satisfaction is not high except for a small percentage of female clients who responded. What they’re doing now is because there’s not a better option.
1.) They train for accountability.
Right now they know even if there’s a better option, education, and need-specific option online they know they won’t do it without having to show up for an appointment. Even they don’t love this about themselves but they know it.
Someone else right now is getting more education on the top issues midlife women care about. So if it’s only an accountability problem that you solve, half a dozen other trainers can do that.
How to save your personal training clients: Make sure not to take this truth for granted. An overwhelming number of survey respondents also said they would change trainers if there was a better option. Get an edge beyond accountability.
2.) Almost 60% of female personal training clients would change if they had another choice.
They acknowledge that they’re working with what is available to them. It may be the first time they’ve used a trainer. They’re not all that impressed.
How to save your female personal training clients: You’re going to have more competition not less in the future. Do something now to secure your foothold on the market. If females in the midlife phase are your niche, know everything you can about their key concerns and then let them know you do. Broadcast how you’re different.
3.) Over-the-top enthusiasm is exhausting.
Interesting right? Nothing on the survey questions asked about this. It came up in open-ended responses, however. They want optimism and energy from you. If you’re over-the-top bubbly and excited it isn’t coming across as authentic. It’s actually having the opposite effect. They’re not engaged with you. They’re just observing you.
How to save your clients: Make sure you’re not just operating on “you” mode or faking enthusiasm and excitement. Assess your client’s energy and match it. A slightly greater level of energy can move them in the right direction. Too much and your rapport with them suffers.
4.) You’re on your phone or chatting with other trainers and it’s distracting.
If you’re working in a gym surrounded by other trainer friends your social nature is frustrating them. They know they’re paying per hour or half hour and they don’t like the minutes you’re checking texts, social media, or you’re chatting with friends.
When you’re late for a session they know they don’t get more time on the end or they couldn’t take it if you offered. They also know if you show up late or are on your phone you don’t like it. This catch-22 rubs women who have a higher expectation of customer service than men, wrong.
How to save your personal training clients: Don’t carry the cell during a session. If you’re recording your session on your phone, make it clear to them that’s what you’re doing. And, do we really need to say it? Be on time.
5.) Trainers rarely understand menopause-related training strategies.
Whether because you haven’t gone through it, or you haven’t studied it, you just don’t know. You don’t bring it up or ask about it unless they do. It’s not on your intake form or health history. You’re trying to tackle weight loss and fat loss in specific areas the same way you do with anyone else. (making it worse)
Customers always get more saavy and knowledgeable. As the learn more about the benefits of changing exercise strategies to support their natural ability to optimize hormone balance, you’ll lose clients to trainers who are doing the research. Even given the accountability need, do-it-yourself options or virtual coaching with trainers from a distance is available to anyone anywhere. Investing can increase accountability.
How to save your female personal training clients: Create options online and in person. The best option is a combination of both. Convenience of phone calls and mobile-accessible training programs that cater to hormone balancing exercise programming will keep and grow your clients in this demographic.
6.) Hormone balancing exercise never enters your conversation.
They assess the way you train them to be just like your other clients. You take them through the same steps and strategies focused on the same body parts.
You’re totally into “functional.” Yet, you totally leave out the hormonal influence on exercise and the way exercise influences hormones. You don’t know if you’re making it better or worse.
But they do. While some clients don’t yet recognize the difference between “knowledgeable,” “certified,” “does research” and does research on me and has a program based on research about me, they will.
How to keep your personal training clients: Shift now into identifying your biggest and best demographic.
7.) They don’t (yet) realize online trainers give them access to the best specialist in any niche.
When they do, whether they’re in the middle of South Dakota or New York, a certain percentage will opt for the best match for their needs. As the population ages and those comfortable with technology increases the number of female personal training clients who use online training options will increase.
Over 60% of training clients indicated they will leave if there’s a better option, and some of that will include an online trainer who understands them. That said, if there’s an equal option (no worse) for less, they’re not loyal until they’ve bought into you being “it.”
How to keep your female personal training clients: Realize if they’re training with you in person they don’t necessarily want to train online. Get educated. Check on your in-session habits. Are you engaged? Or are you just physically showing up? They’re noticing and women demand higher quality of customer service. When they find it they will be brand loyal even if there are other lower cost options.
Want to learn more about the first and only hormone balancing fitness certificate for women in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause? CLICK HERE to get more info. Decide whether it’s for you.(don’t wait until all 50 spots at 50% are gone!)