Michael Piermont by Michael Piermont
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Over the years, clients come and go from your personal training business. Some may have thought personal training was just a short-term solution, while others didn’t see the results they wanted. Either way, reengaging with old clients is important to running a successful fitness business. If an individual was your client once, it’s probable that he or she can become a client again! Here are some ideas on how to win back your old clients.

1. Provide incentives.

A general economic principle is that people respond to incentives. People are constantly weighing the costs vs. benefits of the decisions they make. To encourage previous customers to come back for more training sessions or classes, you have to tip the cost:benefit scale in your favor. One way to do this is to provide them with a discount. For example, if a client purchases five sessions at the full price, offer the sixth training session for free. If they refer a friend to your training studio, give your referring client his or her next training session for free. You can also encourage clients to bring a friend, a significant other, or heck, even a first date! At the very least, being different will help you stand out and stay top-of-mind.

2. Show you have a long-term plan for their overall fitness.

Having a personal trainer means one-on-one time with a client, which means you as the trainer are completely focused on that client’s fitness. A great way to encourage clients to come back is to sell the individualized-attention aspect of personal training. Remind your clients that you are completely focused on improving only their fitness and working to help them achieve their goals. To drive home that point, show your customers how you can help them set goals and how you can build a workout plan that’s right for what they want to do. When you can show clients you have a plan for them beyond the immediate meeting, you have a distinct advantage and are more likely to earn their long-term business.

2. Share success stories from existing clients.

A great way to reengage a client is to tell them about the success stories you’ve had with other clients. The best trainers use their past successes, such as providing before and after shots, to market their fitness business. Do you have existing clients you could use as part of a case study? If you have success stories of previous clients who do not wish to be featured, you can instead speak in generalities of your success with that particular demographic.

4. Talk about improvements to the facility.

What improvements have you made since you were last in contact with clients? Talk about the extra certifications you’ve received, the new equipment you’ve added to your studio, and any other improvements or new services that you are offering. The fitness world continues to innovate. How is your personal training business evolving with the times? The improvements you make may seem trivial or routine to you, but improving your business is a great way for you to pick up the conversation with an old client.

5. Come up with new events.

People love trying new things! To encourage clients who have maybe become bored with the same old workouts, come up with a new event that catches their attention. For example, offer a boot-camp series of classes that culminates in participation in a big fitness event. Another great way to reengage past clients is to host a social hour. Set up a happy hour at a local restaurant and truly get to know them beyond the studio. It’s a great way to network with your clients and have some fun!

Reengaging old clients definitely takes some effort, but is a great way to help grow your fitness business. As I mentioned earlier, if they’ve already purchased from you, it should be much easier for them to purchase from you again. People who are already aware of your business will be easier to convert back into a paying customer than those who still need to become aware of your personal training business.

This article originally appeared on amstatz.com