Hands down the biggest request I’ve received in the past few days is for information on starting online and/or virtual training.
It’s been a pretty equal split of those who already wanted to incorporate online training guides and remote training into their business models. For others, it’s about creating a supplemental stream of revenue while fitness studios are mostly closed.
There’s two perspectives to approach this from - short term and long term goals.
Short-Term Goals: provide an alternate venue to serve our clients; create supplemental stream of income during studio closures.
Long-Term Goals: expand your community online and abroad; create additional streams of income so in the event one closes, you’re still making money; stop trading time for money and grow your financial freedom.
Know that right now, we are all largely approaching this from a short-term goal, as a mechanism to continue supporting our clients and stay financially afloat. I’d love to have the larger discussion of turning this into a product your business offers regularly, but let’s save that for another blog :)
Let’s get you started:
1 - Decide what you’ll specifically be teaching or training. Niche down and become known for a certain style of training. For most of us - stick to what you already teach.
2 - Choose which platform you’ll host training on - Skype, Zoom or Facebook for individual clients; Facebook live, Instagram Live, YouTube, Skype or Zoom for group training. Know that because I ultimately want you getting paid for your time, you will probably need private Facebook and Instagram groups/accounts. Also, don’t forget your client demographic might not be tech savvy for a Zoom or Skype call and need a FaceTime call.
3 - If you’re also offering free online group training: figure out what time + day works best for your most engaged audience and you. Make it a 30 minute workout, stick to basic equipment or household modifications and don’t overwhelm yourself by the complexity of it.
**Think of this as your proof of concept that you can be a great virtual/remote trainer and save your best stuff for paying clients**
4 - Set your rates. For those in private Facebook group or Instagram accounts or in Zoom sessions it’s completely reasonable to charge $5-$10/class. You might have to put people on the honor system, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with people’s integrity right now.
For one-on-one training, I recommend charging at least 75% of your normal rate, if not your normal rate.
5 - Promote, promote, promote! Now is not the time to be shy. Use your social channels, blast your email list, and text everyone who might be interested.
6 - If you’re doing one-on-one training, and have never trained the client before, do an initial assessment as to goals + movement. This is for your client’s health and safety, and for your liability.
7 - Prior to training have them sign a Liability Waiver specific to online/remote training(if you don’t have one, let’s talk asap!)
8 - Payment - Collect payment at the close of the session. Most of us use Zelle, Venmo or even Square/Paypal invoices. You are guaranteed to get paid if you bill the client or request payment as you’re signing off.
9 - Remember that you're still training them. Make sure to keep watching their form, cueing movements, and providing the same encouragement you would live.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation to chat about this, I’ve worked with 4 clients over the past few days to set-up their online training offerings in a more in-depth discussion and setting. I absolutely got ya covered. You can email me or leave a message below!
Xx, D
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