April 17, 2023 | Reading time 3 min

Interview before the first personal training - how to conduct it?

interview personal trainer personal coach

Interviewing a potential client before the first training session is a cornerstone of any personal trainer's job. However, are you sure you are conducting it in the right way? The timing of the interview is crucial in terms of starting further cooperation. It is a good idea to divide the interview into several stages and focus it on both your offer and the client's expectations. Find out how to properly conduct an interview before your first personal training session!

Why is an interview conducted before the first training session?

An interview with your client will allow you to learn about his or her training goals and ambitions and his or her previous experience with physical activity. Another important issue that should be discussed in detail during the interview is the client's health history. Based on this, you can exclude elements from the training that may negatively affect his health.

Another interview purpose is to learn about the client's character and lifestyle. This works both ways. The potential client during the interview should also learn something about you. Briefly introduce him or her to your career path and motivations. Try to create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere so the client will trust and work with you.

What to pay attention to during the interview?

When interviewing a potential client, focus on his:

expectations of training,
motivation to train and goals to meet,
lifestyle, diet and workout regimen,
physical abilities,
medical history and past injuries.

The conversation should be casual, but try not to pour the proverbial water. If the client starts to stray into topics completely irrelevant to training, steer him back on track. Remember that you are the one interviewing the client, not the other way around. This does not mean, however, that the mentee does not have the right to ask you questions. The most important thing is that they should be related to the topics you are addressing and issues that are important from a training standpoint.

What questions to ask a potential client?

Wondering how to put your thoughts into words so that the client feels that you are a professional worth trusting? Here are some sample questions you can ask during an interview:

How and what can I help you with?
For what purpose do you want to take up personal training?
What are your motivations?
Have you ever trained on your own or under a coach?
What do you do on a daily basis? What is your work mode like?
How do you rest?
Do you struggle with injuries or chronic illnesses? Have you had any surgeries that I should know about?
How much time are you able to devote to achieve your training goals? How many times a week can we meet for training?
Do you have any questions about me and the training I do?

The above questions are just examples, but based on them you are sure to have a casual yet substantive conversation with your client.

What is the purpose of the interview?

The key goals of the interview before the first personal training session are two. The first is to get to know the client, his expectations, capabilities and motivations. The second goal is, simply put, to sell the service. With this in mind, remember to make your offer as clear and understandable as possible during the interview. Focus on why you are the one the client should choose out of thousands of personal trainers. Tell about your professional successes, present the methods and techniques you use during your workouts and argue with the client why they are effective. Be ready for questions and under no circumstances avoid answering them. If you stick to these rules, the chance of selling your service will increase significantly!