Personal Training UK – An Introspective
“What’s your U.S.P.” a new client asked me the other day. I took a few moments to consider the question. “Our package is unique: we are boutique, exclusive, superior in our qualifications and experience – oh, and we change lives every day”.
“But no one knows about you” came the response. “You need to tell everyone about how good you are” he said – “loudly, like everyone else!”
“But that’s not the Pete Fraser Fitness way” I said, “we don’t shout about how good we are, we just get on and do it!”
This conversation threw up some interesting questions for me about the current state of the multi-million pound personal training industry – is it all about the client or the trainer?
We’ve been personal training for longer than most
Well, he’s nearly right. Inevitably being involved in the health and fitness industry for as long as we have there has been some press attention but very little. We’ve tried to keep it that way! Our clients appreciate our confidential approach.
However, the ” no one knows about you” point has never concerned me before. We’ve been established in Mayfair for the last 15 years. I personally have been involved in the sport, health and fitness industry for nearly 30 years. I and my staff are university trained in exercise physiology and sport sciences. We’ve all been competitive in multiple sports at National level for 30 years. I personally have never felt the need to express how good I, or my business is, my clients work this out for themselves.
My name is Pete Fraser-Smith, exercise physiologist and owner of Pete Fraser Fitness in Mayfair, London. We do personal training properly without “flowering” up our abilities. We operate “under the publicity” radar and that’s how our clients like it. Our clientele are the highest level of individuals imaginable and they appreciate our confidential approach.
I find it interesting that the new kids on the block think they have somehow achieved our level of experience without putting the time or the effort in.
Who are all these new kids on the block?
We continued to work away doing a quiet, excellent job without taking too much notice of other trainers in the industry until our website consultants suggested we should “get with it” and start social media. Ignorance as they say is bliss and indeed it was until we accepted the social media challenge. We began posting at the end of 2015 and social media has been a revelation for us. Our eyes have been opened to the weird, wacky, worrying and occasionally reassuring ways other “professionals” conduct themselves in the personal training industry.
Our eyes have been opened to the weird, wacky, worrying and occasionally reassuring ways other “professionals” conduct themselves in the personal training industry.
When you’ve been around in the industry as long as we have, you’ll notice fads, fashions and phases. Experience tells what works and what doesn’t. There is always the placebo effect of course which works for while and it’s true that fitness does need a constant “freshen-up” to keep it fun. But when all is said and done, any trainer worth their weight will know the hard facts are that there are no shortcuts to health and fitness, just hard work, dedication and discipline – not a media friendly PR twist in sight there!
there are no shortcuts to health and fitness, just hard work, dedication and discipline – not a media friendly PR twist in sight there!
Old timers know what works
What we have found at Pete Fraser Fitness over the years is that our clients appreciate our expertise, our sincere/personal service, value for money and a formula that works (and we’ve had some of those clients now for nearly 20 years). I’m not convinced other clients in the UK are currently benefiting from these values and hope they will look beneath the flowery exterior of the fitness industry to find the real professionals that do exist.
Other links we think you’d be interest in: Selecting a personal trainer – what to look for