Business & Clients
Personal Training Promotion Ideas
In short: When income dips because clients are away, resist dropping your price — instead work on Operations (outdoor sessions, group training, event-based training) or Marketing (referral videos, problem-solving content, local business partnerships) to secure your income.
It's that time of year: clients go on holiday and your income starts to slide. A run of no new clients, falling income and the pressure to replace them can trigger stress and anxiety — and that's exactly when trainers make their worst business decision.
Don't reach for the price cut
The instinctive response is to do deals and drop your price. In the OMF model — Operations, Marketing, Finance — that's a Finance move, and it's the hardest one to undo. A better first response is almost always to work on your Operations or your Marketing.
Here are six things you could do instead.
Operations ideas
- Outdoor short sessions. Make the most of the weather and offer shorter, sharper sessions outdoors.
- Group training for the summer survivors. Bring the clients who've stayed together into a group — better value for them, better use of your time.
- Event-based training. Give clients something to train for: an organised race, or something you create yourself — a trip to the seaside, a park run followed by a meal.
Marketing ideas
- Reach out to current clients with a video. Encourage them to share your business and help you find referrals.
- Start a series of online videos. Solve common fitness problems on camera to raise your awareness with new audiences.
- Contact local businesses. See if you can do some presenting or set up client-sharing promotions.
Any one of these protects your income without devaluing what you do. Pick the one or two that fit your setup and put them in motion before the quiet spell arrives, not after.
Want to go deeper? The Fitness Business Accelerator.
View the course →Frequently asked
What should I do when summer income drops?
Rather than cut prices, work on Operations or Marketing — the O and M in the OMF model — to protect and grow income.
What is the OMF model?
Operations, Marketing and Finance. Dropping your price is a Finance move; usually a better first response is an Operations or Marketing change.
What are some Operations ideas?
Outdoor short sessions, summer group training for the clients who stay, and event-based training built around a race, a park run or a day trip.
What are some Marketing ideas?
A referral video to existing clients, a series of online videos solving common fitness problems, and reaching out to local businesses for presenting or client-sharing promotions.
Why avoid dropping your price?
Cutting price hits your Finance directly and is hard to reverse; changing your operations or marketing grows the business without devaluing your service.
