Monitoring Clients in PT

CLIENT MONITORING How To Keep Your Client On Track. : 

CLIENT MONITORING How To Keep Your Client On Track. Mark Mckean CEO PT Smart Sponsored By

Why Do People Hire A Trainer? : 

Why Do People Hire A Trainer? A trainer should be able to assist a client: Get fitter than if they did it by themselves Learn more about their training & lifestyle changes required for their goals Provide additional skills and knowledge towards a goal In other words, a client wants to see RESULTS

How Do Trainers Achieve This? : 

How Do Trainers Achieve This? Doing a good job? Being a nice person? Knowing your stuff? Looking good and being a good role model? Maintaining registration? Working the client harder? Taking time to show you care? Learn life coaching skills?

This Is Achieved By….. : 

This Is Achieved By….. Having a system in place to track a clients progress. Establishing a means by which to maintain frequent communication with your client. Being organised and planning adequately for each clients training program and sessions. Providing regular feedback on progress to the client. Provide a support system for your client and understanding their behavioural needs.

Simply Put…. Develop A Plan  : 

Simply Put…. Develop A Plan 

Your System! : 

Your System! To develop a successful client monitoring system you must consider a few things. The areas you need to track. The methods by which you will monitor these things. What you will do with this information you track? How you will provide feedback? How all this helps your client achieve success?

Why Track & Monitor Clients? : 

Why Track & Monitor Clients? Secure better results. Improve member retention. Improve client relationships. Develop secure sources of income. Provide feedback of your skills and their success.

Several Areas That Require Monitoring : 

Several Areas That Require Monitoring Administration Fees, personal records, welcome letters, renewals, newsletters, birthdays etc Use of facility Attendance, holidays, training reviews, appointments, etc Progress Use of sessions purchased, changes in fitness, goals, etc

How Are You Going To Monitor Them? : 

How Are You Going To Monitor Them? Manual systems – forms, tracking sheets, monthly folders, day to day folders, Computerised systems – data management software, excel spread sheets, outlook calendar,

Manual Systems : 

Manual Systems Be organised – manage your time well. Develop your forms and tracking sheets. Establish a filing system easily accessed. Have a way to remind yourself about follow ups – main folder / dairy entry. Spend time each day on maintaining the system – 15-25% of your working time. Formalise the process to pass onto other staff when the need arises – create a procedure manual. Develop a secure method of holding personal information – secure filing cabinets etc.

Computerised Systems : 

Computerised Systems Understand and feel comfortable with computers & know how to use the programs fully – do a course Spend time each day updating the data and systems – block out a time slot Back up data daily and store off site – at end of each day Develop mail merge options to create action sheets from data base – and use them Develop a secure method of holding personal information – pass words and codes etc on files

Maintaining Contact : 

Maintaining Contact This needs to be as often and as varied as you can afford time and money to do. Training sessions. Phone calls. E-mails & snail mail. Newsletters. Birthday cards. Assessments and reviews. Reward programs. Advertising & marketing both in/out of facility.

Tracking Communication : 

Tracking Communication Develop a process or system to keep in regular contact. Keep a record of each form of contact with each client and any client feedback via entry onto client data sheet, or weekly phone list etc. Establish simple mass forms of communication that maintain contact without requiring huge time outlays – email news, websites, etc.

Training Related Tracking : 

Training Related Tracking We can monitor progress in several areas Changes in fitness qualities /progression towards goals Other activity outside of training sessions/weekly activity levels Appointment commitment Performance and attitude in training Diet & lifestyle changes

Periodised Plan???? : 

Periodised Plan???? Fail to plan – plan to fail. Don’t just write the first strength program – develop the plan for at least the next 6 months even if the client has only committed to you for 1 month. Establish in advance the stages, progressions, testing dates, type of work and volume intensity ratios. Show the client you know where they are going and what they need to do even in a simple format. Let the client know that the plan provides a ways and a means towards their goals and that you won’t just hope for it to happen. Let the client have input to the plan.

Measure Your Success : 

Measure Your Success If you can’t measure it, you can’t influence it? Results of assessment – save all your results and give/send a copy to your client – monthly emails as a report and also communication with clients is a great way to send through results. Dates of each assessment – ensure regular re-assessment and evaluations of progress – ensure you warn clients in advance of assessments just to keep them motivated. Closeness to the goal measured or shown by a graph or number – levels of rewards based on success. Assessment chart to show the actual goal to be achieved for each quality measured – a chart allows the comparison to be shown. Assessments are a great way to reinforce your skills and/or show where a client is letting you down.

Determine Commitment. : 

Determine Commitment. You must be able to track or determine the total energy output for the total week, not just the session/s they do with you. The client must be accountable for their activity either to you or themselves how will they report it to you? Guidelines must be established and adjusted as the goals are achieved – regular progress checks. You must be able to determine accuracy of the information given to you from the client – how do you verify this information? You must be able to determine energy out put from all other forms of work in this equation also – how do you adjust this based on weekly work commitments? Compare enjoyable activity against goal orientated activity.

Appointment Attendance. : 

Appointment Attendance. Track and record each appointment to show the client their attendance record but also for number of sessions used if paying in blocks. Have a firm policy for cancellations and changes of times. Keep an up to date appointment diary either manual or electronic. Ensure that both you and the client agree on this attendance record – sign of the session by both parties. Have your appointment tracker attached to the clients folder or assessment chart for ease of access each time. If on direct debit don’t cancel for holidays or breaks, use it as a chance to get in more training for the period before or after.

Training Performance : 

Training Performance Keep sessional records of each training session – simple records may include weight lifted, reps completed, HR levels, etc. But use this for feedback – copy a chart onto the back of their program to use, have a separate chart in each clients folder that you fill in each day after work, keep a micro cassette recorder in your bag. Give feedback after sessions as appropriate to the clients needs – this may be a quick chat, an email later with records of work done, a phone call the next day to say well done. Develop a script for each session to ask the client about how the feel and what they have been doing and some way to record this information for your own records. Ask the client to rate their performance on the day and compare it to your assessment.

Diet & Lifestyle Tracking : 

Diet & Lifestyle Tracking Some great dietary software available or simple diet diaries. Use as part of assessment or when client has gone off track to establish a plan for the next phase of work. Compare pleasure eating against goal orientated eating. Incidental activity can be plotted via steps or time of activity. Compare lifestyle to goals – and establish goals that can be achieved against the lifestyle the client wishes for.

Understand Your Client : 

Understand Your Client DISC behavioural assessment D - firm, decisive, direct, a driving force, impatient, determined, confident, competitive I - influential, invigorating, animated, enthusiastic, stand out in a crowd, friendly, happy, enthusiastic, magnetic, talker S - steady, reliable, agreeable, easy-going, patient, supportive, loyal, agreeable, routine C - cautious, logical, analytical, accurate, precise, perfectionist, consistent, systematic, diligent, analytical, by the book

D. : 

D. Let them make decisions. Use alternate choice questions. Challenge them. “I don’t think you could do one more set.” Session must be pre-planned and flow quickly. No indecision on your part. Communicate clear goals for your session. Be direct with them. If they are not performing how you like tell them. Organise their time at the end of each session.

I. : 

I. Variety is the key. They hate routine. Do something different each week. Let them talk. They love the sound of their own voice but you must seem interested. They need lots of feedback, all positive. Tell them how good they are. They like company so sometimes program them to share a session. Need reminders of appointments as usually poor time managers. Like rewards as a motivational tool. Like a D like to be challenged and be better than others.

S. : 

S. Routine is the key. Hate change and like to feel comfortable. Don’t like to stand out so reassure that you get the best results with others by doing this exercise. Need reassurance all the time. Will not talk about themselves at first until you tell a little of yourself and then ask about them. Don’t like to let you down so often, “ I really need you to do one more set for me. Will always make appointments if you let them know that no shows really make it hard for you. They won’t want to let you down.

C. : 

C. Require detail of every exercise. Must know the why. Programs must be meticulously planned, down to times of rest and speed of reps. Will not say much but will listen and absorb. Don’t mistake this as not liking you. They are information junkies and want you to teach. Enjoy challenge and completing a task. Set it for them and they will work until achieved. Goals very important. Constantly measure and report progress. Ask them if they think they did enough, or if they thought the session worked. They will not tell you if unhappy unless you ask.

Summary : 

Summary Develop your own system. Spend time on it each day. Keep track of what you have done and need to do. Invest time to get it right. Watch your clients results improve and your business grow.