Client cancellations are the bane of a personal trainer’s business. They lead to lost revenue and client goals not being achieved.  Here are 3 principles to follow to lower the frequency of clients cancelling. 

Minimize your own cancellations

Nothing is worse for a personal training client, than a personal trainer is not committed to keeping their session appointments.  To cancel on your client is disrespectful to them and the fitness goals.  One cannot achieve one’s goals without putting in the time and effort to achieve them.   Too many trainers consider training as a “side gig,”  while they purse an acting career or other aspirations and will therefore cancel on clients at random if another opportunity pops up.  Even if this is not your last stop on your career path, treat your clients like it is.  Stay committed to them.  If you can’t stay committed to them, you can’t get upset when they decide to cancel on you.  Your behavior may have driven them to find a more consistent fitness alternative. 

 

Uphold your cancellation policy

More clients cancel more often than the would simply because their trainers let them.  Too many personal trainers let their clients cancel the night before an early morning session without penalty.  Yet, those same trainers have an outgoing voicemail message stating that they have a 24 hour cancellation policy, as well as telling the clients upfront about the policy. Yet when it happens, they don’t follow through. They are afraid of losing the client.  Why do you want to keep a client that keeps cancelling? You don’t make money when they cancel.  Don’t be afraid to lose a client that takes up space on your schedule and then cancels.  It’s bad for business to keep them.

 

How about upholding the cancellation policy set forth.  Let them know you are serious from the first offense.  They will remember it the next time they want to use “working late” as a reason to cancel on short notice. As an olive branch, tell them they have lost the session, but you have a plan for them to earn it back.

 

Have a list of fill in clients

Nonetheless,  clients do cancel for legitimate reasons and before the 24 hour window.   However, every time a client cancels and you don’t fill the spot, you don’t make money.  You lose it.  Have a plan for these moments.  By a plan, that means have a list of fill in clients.  These could be current clients looking for extra training, or more importantly,  prospects and part time clients who want t work with you when you get an opening.  That is how a personal trainer can handle cancellations and minimize its impact on the overall business goals.  While at the same time keeping the prospecting wheels turning.  In New York City, personal trainers have an ample supply of prospects.  You should always be prospecting,  no matter how good business is at the time.  Meet your clients friends and neighbors who work out in the building gyms.  Build,your referral network.  You’ll be glad you did.