We’re approaching that time of year when every personal trainer who is committed to a career in fitness needs a new fitness client process. You need a system or a method. And you need to measure whether it works. After 37 years in fitness, and 33 as a one-to-one trainer or health coach I’ve definitely made my share of mistakes. But actually, thanks to my ex-husband and friend, back in 1992 I developed a process and I have used it over and over to describe how I work with clients, to start clients, and to continue with clients. My first session follows several steps. Consultation with New Fitness Client Process More and more with each book published, media appearance, TEDx talk, keynote speech, clients will apply to work with me without ever doing a consultation. But still 50% of the time, I will consult with a customer not sure if we’re a match or with questions about how it works. Even during this consultation, I share the steps of how I work with clients from beginning to next. We all like to know what to expect. Setting expectations should be a part of your process. Following enrollment there is Pre-First Session Homework for the New Client They’ve filled out all the pre-questionnaires, history, inclusive of health, fitness, hormones, and awareness. Documents are Turned In Homework is Turned in 24 or more hours before I meet with a client. That guarantees I have time to go through them and start identifying an ideal lifestyle plan. That plan however is never the actual starting point. Literally, never. We’re working with real life humans with a history of habits and preferences and a reality that has to be a part of the step-by-step change we help them make. Books to read for supporting you in supporting them: Tiny Habits Atomic Habits The ONE THING Essentialism Identify Questions for First Session I’ll pick one, two or three areas where I want to ask questions. If I don’t see an obvious ONE THING to start with and ask if the client agrees, I’ll ask them which feels like a bigger pain point for them so we’re co-collaborating on a starting point. I never turn a client’s world upside down or assign an arbitrary goal out of the blue. They are somewhere before we met. That’s our starting point for deciding where to go next and for deciding what turn to take. I have a template that I use for those meetings. I use a checklist. I list the follow up questions I need to ask to collect all the data I need. Those questions are qualitative and quantitative both. The answers to those questions that I’ll use to finalize the actual proposed plan for week 1. In my mind I’ve got week 2, 3, 4 also plotted. That’s creating an ideal. There is always a change to it based on data and feedback from week 1. Flipping 50 Master Class  Platforms for meeting: Tele-conference calls Skype Facetime Zoom Follow up connections with clients: Text What’s App Voxer Start Your Sessions Systematically Ditch the small talk and the, how are you? Seriously, catch your clients when they throw that back to you. Yes, it’s polite and conditioned but it’s trite. This is about them. The purpose of this call is not to open up how you are. I’ve got their session prep form in front of me when we talk. But I always ask, is there anything else you want to add to this list or is it complete? And: Is there anything unusual coming up for you in the next week I should know about so as we talk I can take that into account so you’re next week’s plan makes the most sense for you?   I ask if the client wants to go through things from top to bottom or if there’s a highest priority item they want to start with. Give Choices All of that is about putting the client in charge. Listen, we’re co-collaborating here it’s not a dictatorship. My job is not to make someone co-dependent, it’s to help them rely on their own judgment and take charge. It’s more about that than taking responsibility. A client who’s reached out to you is extremely responsible. My view is the client is an e