I recently had someone ask me if their expectations were too high of their personal trainer. After meeting and speaking with a new personal trainer, they started by buying a 10-pack of sessions. After a few sessions, they did not feel as if they were receiving the attention and information they expected. The real question is, are the expectations over promised and under delivered by the trainer or are the expectations unfairly created by the client? Here are three ways to avoid buyer’s remorse and disappointment.
In the initial consultation, state your goals as clearly as possible. Listen to the questions that your personal trainer asks you. Do his questions and any comments let you know that he understands what you are looking to accomplish? This is of the utmost importance, as there needs to be implicit understanding between. At this point, your personal trainer should be able to tell you if they have the skills and level of service that is needed to help achieve your goals.
Once you have an understanding of goals, let your trainer know what you expect. New York City is full of all kinds of people with all kinds of expectations. A New York City personal trainer may have clients who always need to be connected to their trainer. If you want to be able to text your trainer with a question or have them remind you everyday how to stay on target to meet your goals, tell them from the beginning. This will minimize the opportunity for disappointment. You can’t just infer what your expectations are from your personal trainer. You must state them clearly so they know what it means to earn your business for years to come.
All of this leads to confirmation of whether or not that trainer can be who you need them to be. If they know how to meet your needs, then your expectations are fair and right. If you haven’t stated them clearly and then you find that things aren’t happening as you envisioned them, you will feel frustrated and lose interest in your training. That is not productive for anyone.
Whatever your expectations are, be sure to opt for the appropriate package to meet those needs. If you want two personal training sessions a week, purchase that package. Don’t buy one session a week and expect them to draw up a program for another day for you. Or maybe they have a more attentive package to meet your constant communication and motivational needs. In this case, don’t opt for the low-end package and expect the high touch package experience. That would be unfair to even the most flexible NYC personal trainer.
If you don’t feel that promises are being met, state it right away. The openness now will lead to a healthier long relationship or an understandable separation. Don’t let the situation spiral before saying something in total frustration.
By Glenn Dickstein
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