As a personal trainer, you are going to have clients cancel. It’s inevitable. The question is, how do you handle it when they do?

Some trainers just…deal with it. They’d feel bad charging their clients for cancelled appointments and are afraid that if they do charge, their client might fire them.

Maybe.

The fact is, you have to charge.

You Were Hired For a Reason

Your clients hire you because you are great at what you do. You’ve proven to them that YOU are a solution to their problems and that the value you provide is easily worth the investment. That said, part of what makes you so valuable is accountability.

If you do not charge your clients for cancelled sessions, it WILL become a trend. I’ve been in the game for a long time and have seen it happen to dozens of trainers.

Communication is Key

The key here is making sure that your clients understand your cancellation policy right away. It should be covered in the PT contract and understood why this policy is best for both parties. The most common cancellation policy allows for 24 hours. If a client cancels 24 hours in advance, then you simply reschedule them but do not charge.

If they cancel within 24 hours of your scheduled session, you have to charge them.

Delivering on Your Promise

The reason you have to charge them is that by doing so, it will increase the chances of them showing up, which increases the chances for their success. Now you are providing the type of accountability that they NEED and value that they want…whether they’ll admit it or not. Not to mention that this is your business and your time is incredibly valuable. The last thing that you want is to have a client or clients that began to feel like “it’s no big deal” if they cancel or reschedule last minute.

Protect the value of your services; promise your clients results and over-deliver. Make sure to always bring the energy, passion and professionalism that is going to make each and every one of your clients raving fans but don’t forget: at the end of the day, they need RESULTS. Charge them.

The good news is, there are things that we as fit pros can do to help decrease the number of cancelled sessions from our clients!

  1. Create a cancellation policy and STICK TO IT!
  2. Communicate your cancellation policy clearly the moment your clients commit to your program.
  3. Schedule session reminders to ensure your clients show up to each session on time and ready to work!

If you’re looking for a system that will automatically text your clients before every single session or group workout, look no further. Off Day Trainer provides automated session reminders so you don’t have to!

For more information on how to help reduce the number of cancelled appointments from your clients, we put together this 18 minute video:

Learn More!