Here, the PTDC's Online Trainer Academy Level 2 program frontman Jason Maxwell is sharing how to determine your personal training session pricing—and when to bump it up to the next level.

So many personal trainers have been there: You start out offering a low-price program, and then you're not sure how to bump up prices and keep your clients.

When to raise prices

If you're thinking that it might be time to raise prices, you're right.

If you're spending time researching how much a personal trainer can charge, or when you can bump up prices without losing clients, it's clear that you're a good coach who has a solid following, and you deserve to be compensated appropriately for your hard work.

For many of us, confidence stops us from raising personal training prices. You're worth more than you’re charging—we promise.

We feel like what we do is easy, and that can make it tough to justify raising prices. While we're comfortable with health and fitness, many people are not. The product you offer is valuable—don't forget it.

How to raise prices: Step 1

Do not be a jack of all trades—be a master of one.

We know that it can be scary to appeal to a niche, but it's key to proving your worth. Many trainers who are successful with a wide variety of in-person clients find that it's tough to make the mindset change from appealing to the masses to appealing to a smaller group.

When you're viewed as an expert in your health and fitness specialty area, you're able to raise your prices, and people who need your services will seek you out. People will want to work with you—and you've got to make it clear that you're there to meet their (very) specific need.

How to raise prices: Step 2

You want to sell the iPhone—not the phone bill.

When personal trainers sell coaching packages, we often get our feet wet by selling monthly coaching packages. While this is a great way to get started, it doesn't let you meet your full earning potential.

When you sell monthly coaching packages, you're selling the phone bill. You want your clients to get excited about the phone—not the bill. This means selling a package that appeals to your ideal client. You want to solve your client's problem—provide a solution—with a 12- to 16-week personal training package.

Changing to a solution-solving-offer moves your client from thinking about what you offer as a monthly bill to thinking about what you offer as a way to solve a problem.

Some trainers shy away from this idea because it can be confusing to think about what comes after the 12 to 16 weeks are up. It's smart to transition to offering a yearly program to these clients. They've seen your value, they've seen the change you've created in their lives, and they know that you're worth what you're charging.

How to raise prices: Step 3

Enroll clients over the phone.

Getting on the phone with your clients allows you to have a conversation where you can discuss their self-limiting beliefs, helping them understand that you can provide a solution to their problem. You're not selling a package anymore—you're selling a solution. Don't think of it like a sales call. It's an enrollment call.

When clients realize you're providing a solution to their exact problem, they're willing to pay more. If you're an introvert, or just hate talking on the phone, we get it. It can be tough to have that real-time conversation. While you might feel uncomfortable at first, it's well worth it to provide clients with one-on-one attention that allows them to feel heard. If you're not the best fit for this client, no worries—be honest, and refer them to someone who is a better fit.

When your clients spend more, they're going to get better results. Their financial investment translates to their emotional investment, and they'll be more committed to following your program when they've paid a higher price for your services.

Raising prices with existing clients

This can be uncomfortable, but you need to have a conversation.

Let clients know that personal training prices have risen tremendously, but you're willing to grandfather them in at a lower rate. Offer a per-session or package price that's higher than what they're currently paying, but make it a happy medium between their current rate and your new client rate.

You'll want to think about raising your prices every time you take on three new clients. Continue this until you hit the maximum rate that makes you feel comfortable. At the bare minimum, look at your rates once each year, and increase accordingly.

Bottom line: You're worth more than you think, and when you see that, your clients will too.

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