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It’s probably not what you think!
Most new trainers when asked this question answer with things like “good at sales”, “great program design”, “understand how to use all the training tools in the industry”
While all of those things are important, before you can even get to that point of having a client and training them, you must find out where they are at to get your true starting point.
What the best trainers have is empathy!
If you remove your judgements, your personal bias towards motivation, working out, weight loss and just try to “put yourself in the persons shoes” opposite you, your career as a trainer will explode.
Let me give you an example:
You meet an individual named Mary and she is overweight, has a few health issues and wants to look great by losing 30 pounds for an upcoming wedding that she is attending in 2 months time.
What many trainers will do in this situation is not to listen anymore or politely ask more questions, they will start to plan out how they will train Mary and position the conversation to encourage Mary to get the sale.
Unfortunately, most of those trainers will fail to get Mary to her goals, fail to understand “why” Mary needs to lose that weight for that wedding and will ultimately lose Mary as a client.
If you are coming from a place of empathy, you would probably ask some questions after she has walked you through her story that sounds like this?
“Mary, is there anything particularly important about that day at that wedding that has created this goal”
This is possibly one thing you may hear:
“Well to be honest, all of my old school friends are there whom I haven’t seen in 20 years and I was very lean and fit when I knew them all. I am embarrassed to be there looking like the way I do”
Now you know the true motivation behind Mary’s goals. How you communicate and train Mary from this point on will be different. Her starting point is a very emotional driver and is fixated on one event. This is creating anxiety for Mary and is driving her to be in front of you that day
Outcome: Short term goal, emotional driver, anxiety and insecurity, unrealistic timeline
Training choices: Focus on long term goals, health and weight loss beyond the event, support and encourage through the sessions (her goal is not realistic, give realistic timeframes, even if it means losing her as a client)