Steer clear of network marketing “Personal Training Entrepreneurs”! Herbalife and Isagenix ring a bell?
So you are looking at making a rather significant financial and time commitment by engaging the services of a Personal Trainer. Where do you start when looking for one? You want value for money but most importantly you want one that is going to deliver you results! Please remember this – you want results, you want value for money but you should want your results to be sustainable and long-lasting. What you need for this is a trainer that is going to help teach and educate you toward long-term behaviour change – not a quick fix and not to sell you products that will supposedly do the job for you.
Enter the Personal Trainer that is aligned with a network marketing company such as any of the following – Herbalife, Isagenix, Healthpointe 2.0, Nutri-way, Juice Plus, Kyani, etc. You see this is the issue and the thing I want you to know and help avoid being sucked in. Any Personal Trainer that is aligned to one of these companies has their own best interests at heart – not yours. Sadly it is these guys that are increasing in number in a mad dash for cash to stay afloat and viable in a time where Personal Trainers and courses are churned out at an ever-increasing rate.
Let me strip it back for you. A Personal Trainer (like me) earns money from the price that we charge our clients for our time, our years of education and experience coupled by (if successful) an increase in demand for our services. As you can imagine our time is limited to the hours that we can work. So essentially that could mean 30-60 hours a week. I am fine with that and it is the way it should be. I train a client at a time that suits them (and me) and I deliver a fantastic service that serves to educate and empower my clients to do all that they need to do in between our sessions to get long-term and sustainable results. Hey, it has worked for nearly 20 years now and my demand has increased to the point that I now have 5 trainers working within my team and we all deliver an hourly Personal Training service (as well as workplace health programs).
What the business approach and heavy-handed marketing tactics and fitness industry as a whole will tell you is that you need to make money while your are sleeping and you need to sell “health-products” and “supplements” to your clients and basically anyone else that can help you become a rich “Personal Training Entrepreneur”! So here is the reality… Whilst you may “derive” some benefit from any of these supplements, please know that you are being sold a product not essentially for your benefit but for your “Personal Training Entrepreneur” to profit at your expense and help them as they most likely struggle at the art of Personal Training and helping you achieve long-lasting results. Sure you “may” get some positive results initially but at what financial cost? Have you been taught how to eat and exercise properly on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis?
Integrity is increasingly rare in this dog-eat-dog world and sadly the Fitness Industry as a whole severely lacks it! A Personal Trainer that is aligned to a network marketing company has little or no integrity. Their primary purpose is to profit/rip-off the very people that they are there entrusting them with their health, well-being and their body. A Personal Trainer is seen as a fitness expert and the very person to help steer the client to a better, happier and healthier way of life. To abuse that trust in my opinion is disgusting and is the very reason for me writing this to expose it. My point of view is that a Personal Trainer when they get a new client is that they are presented with an almost blank canvas to help steer that client toward a healthier, happier and more balanced life. The job is to take that client for 1, 2 or 3 hours per week and then help structure and improve the remaining 98-99% of their week in-between sessions to set them up for continual improvement and success.
My approach is that if they need assistance with their diet more than I or my team can help them with, we refer them to Lisa Middleton – a fully qualified and experienced Sports Dietitian. If they have an injury and require treatment, we send them to see one of two physiotherapists – Sam Bugeja or Brendan Duncan. If requiring massage we recommend them to see a fantastic masseur – Emily Loveless and if needing the assistance of a psychologist or any counselling, we refer them to Kate Swann. The difference here, is that we never have and never will receive any financial kickback for doing this, but merely we are providing a service with reputable practitioners that will ultimately help steer our clients towards the results they are trying to achieve and that will ultimately keep them motivated and missing minimal if any training. If we were to recommend any supplement or foods to eat or exercise gear to do on their own, we would happily do this free of charge as part of our service – as that is what we are paid to do!
So, I hope you can see that I write this to be transparent and help any unsuspecting potential Personal Training client sift their way through the shallow end of the pool and find the trainer that is right for them.
No doubt I will cop some flak from many of my peers that are aligned with the aforementioned network marketing companies but I am thick skinned and have no fear. I love the career that I have found, it is my passion and my life. I am sickened by the charlatans that parade around (the majority with no uniform or professionalism) peddling this stuff and giving us seasoned professionals and “the good guys” a bad name and I will do all that I can to stamp out poor practice.
The other thing that annoys me greatly is the standard weekly approaches that I receive on Linked In, Facebook and email alike that start with lines such as these beauties:
“Hope you’re doing well! I came across your profile. I specialise in helping Personal Trainers in Melbourne grow their businesses. So that they can help more people and create the lifestyle they’ve always dreamed of, and I’m looking for a new client in your industry to help achieve this”.
“Hi Justin, I came across your Facebook page on fitness group as we have few mutual friends. You are doing a fantastic job changing peoples lives through your training !! Keep up the great work. I have partnered with health and wealth company. I am wondering if you have heard of Kyani? Could I send you a 15 minute info link ??”.
Seriously, if this is you…. Please leave me alone and NEVER try and approach me again and you are in it for the wrong reasons.
My final words are these – Personal Training is not only a financial expense but it also a rather large time commitment over time. You need to enjoy the company you are keeping and you are better off spending that time with a positive experience from a mentor or leader that is going to have your best wishes at heart. One that will tell you the truth and what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Choose wisely! (Click here for my 12 point checklist on how to select the right trainer for you).
Associated article – “Does your Personal Trainer sell you supplements? If so, get rid of them!!!”
Justin Moran
Personal Trainer/Managing Director
Just In Time Personal Training
0411 798 934
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