Every once in awhile I run into a story (usually from a prospective client) that disturbs me.  They're not getting results and hence they've gone looking for another trainer.  That's where I enter the story...

We go through the usuall drill of discovery about why they're interested, what they would like to accomplish and why they've been struggling to achieve it on their own.  And while it comes as no shock to me that the guy charging them only $25 a session is not producing results, it comes as a big shock to the prospective client that what we charge is almost 4 times that amount!

The price you demand for your services is a direct reflection of your self confidence, your self-esteem, and your passion and belief about the value of what you offer.  In order for all of us to demand the respect we deserve as fitness professionals and to continually communicate the value of the work we perform, we all need to make sure that we charge the right amount for our services and that we communicate to each and every prospective client the importance of what we do.

I do this constantly through my fitness blog (http://www.fitnessnomadblog.com) and it works swimmingly.  In fact I just landed another client today who has been regularly reading my blog posts and recently read one in particular that she felt spoke to her directly.  This stuff really works, but you have to write to make it happen.

Probably the even more significant blunder this trainer is making, and that concerns me even more, is that he believes that 10 sessions is all he needs to get his clients up and running and able to achieve long-term success on their own.  10 sessions!  That's about a month of training and coaching.  That's complete non-sense, but makes for great blog material so I'm happy.  And if you'd like to read the direction I took this same story for my fitness blog, you can see that here:

http://madisonfitnessblog.com/2009/05/13/walking-barefoot-in-your-garden/

Communicating to clients and prospective clients and the world at large that your service does not hold much value (by charging insignificant amounts of money for training; and being ignorant about how to deliver it) and then telling them that they only need to see you for about a month, is a disservice to all of us.  Especially those of us who have spent the last 16 years honing our careers, taking on the risk of a fitness business in a small midwestern town, and spending as much spare time as possible working to get better and better at what we do.

What we do is worth a lot of money, takes significant time to teach, and should not be treated like a 4-week holiday on Catalina Island.  This is serious stuff.  Just ask any of my clients and they will tell you the same story.  This process saved their life.  In fact, if you're interested, I'm in the process right now of writing their stories and turning them into a series on my blog called, "The Journey."  You can click here for stories:

http://madisonfitnessblog.com/category/thejourney/

In the mean time, stay true to your dreams, believe in what you do, and for the health of the fitness business in general, get clear on your vision, and the true value of what you do for people.  All of our lives are at stake...