How to set personal training prices without overlooking follow-up time

To set personal training prices, start with the service you actually sell: sessions, preparation, travel, reviews and answers between appointments. Calculate total delivery time, include your business costs and compare equivalent offers for the intended audience. A coherent price should be understandable to the client and sustainable for you; a competitor's advertised rate cannot determine it on its own.

Why is copying another trainer's rate insufficient?

Two trainers can advertise the same price and provide very different services. One works at a gym without travel; another visits clients at home, designs programs and provides feedback between sessions. Compare duration, personalisation, review frequency and the conditions presented as well.

Bpifrance Création recommends considering demand, competition, costs and positioning together. That framework helps you avoid choosing a number simply because it looks familiar or easy to sell.

Build a dated record of comparable offers. Note audience, format, included services and visible price. If a detail is missing, mark it unknown rather than assuming it is included. The record helps you understand the client's alternatives; it should not become a race to the lowest advertised price.

Be careful with introductory offers in that comparison. A temporary promotion and an established monthly service answer different questions. Record what happens after the introductory period before using either offer as a reference for your own ongoing rate.

Which working time belongs in the price?

Observe an entire coaching cycle, not just the appointment. For monthly support, count the initial consultation allocated over a relevant period, preparation, sessions, feedback, adjustments and administration. A new client may need more work than an independent client who already understands the system.

For a few weeks, record time by category without seeking minute-by-minute precision. The useful question is: “Which tasks make this offer more expensive to deliver than expected?” A consistently long review may need a clearer structure or a different service scope.

Do not divide your revenue target by every hour in your calendar. Prospecting, learning and business management take time too. The guide to how many clients a trainer can manage helps check available capacity before designing an offer.

Keep starting and ongoing work separate in your notes. If the first program takes significantly longer to prepare, your model needs to account for new enrolments. An established client list and a month with several new clients may produce different workloads even at the same headcount.

How can you calculate a rate with a simple example?

Start with a comparison measure: revenue per delivery hour = cycle price ÷ total time spent serving the client. This ratio is neither profit nor take-home income. It shows how workload changes the economics of the service.

Fictional example: monthly support sells for €180 and requires 2.5 hours of preparation, review and answers. That represents €72 of revenue per delivery hour. If the same service actually takes four hours, the ratio falls to €45. The public price did not change; the workload did.

To examine viability, start with collected revenue and subtract operating costs and the deductions that apply to your situation. Equipment, premises, insurance, software, travel and payment fees may belong in that analysis. Do not assume one universal percentage for deductions: your status, location and activity affect the calculation.

Build at least two scenarios: usual delivery time and a case with more requests or fewer clients. If the offer only works during a week without disruption, revise its price, scope or organisation before promoting it widely.

Should you charge per session or sell a package?

Per-session pricing fits a service centred on a defined appointment. A package becomes relevant when you also provide a program, scheduled reviews and adjustments. A subscription describes payment frequency; by itself, it does not explain what you deliver.

For a session, state what is included and what happens outside the slot. For a package, describe the period, appointments, program and feedback. A client should be able to explain the offer without having to fill in the missing pieces.

Avoid comparing a standard PDF with personalised support simply because both are called online coaching. If you want to introduce that format, the guide to launching online personal training helps define the service before calculating its price.

How do you build an understandable price list?

Start with a small number of options separated by observable service differences. For example: supervised sessions, remote coaching or a hybrid offer. Explain who each suits, what it includes and what rhythm it requires from the client.

Do not stack bonuses to make a package appear artificially generous. An unused library does not solve the problem of a client who cannot understand the next workout. Value should come from support actually delivered, its clarity and its fit with the person's needs.

Present the price with its period and included services. If an additional cost can arise, explain when. For your tools, review the Adhérence plans and include the selected plan in your budget; distinguish your software expense from the coaching price you charge your own clients.

Read the description aloud as if someone has never met you. If you need to add several verbal explanations, put the essential details into the offer itself. This reduces misunderstandings before enrolment and gives you a common reference when questions arise later.

How can you announce the price without endless justification?

Restate the need, explain the appropriate format and give the complete price. One possible response is: “You want structure for independent training. This option includes the program, a weekly review and the agreed adjustments. It costs [price] for [period].” Fill this template with your actual service.

If someone hesitates, ask what is missing for a decision: understanding the offer, budget, availability or confidence in the format. A price objection can reveal an unclear service. It can also mean that the support simply does not fit the person's budget.

Do not reduce the price without reconsidering what you deliver. You can suggest a less intensive format if it remains appropriate and sustainable. Keep an easy exit: clients can decline, postpone or choose another option without having to defend their decision.

When should you review your prices?

Reassess when delivery time changes, costs evolve or you modify the service. Also observe poorly matched enquiries: if prospects consistently expect more than you offer, the presentation may need revision.

Explain an increase with its effective date, scope and the conditions applying to affected clients. Prepare communication before changing a public price list. Avoid invented urgency designed to force an immediate decision.

Keep a record of the offer version selected by each client and what was communicated. The guide to client-tracking indicators complements this organisation: tracking payments is useful, but does not replace tracking the service delivered.

Frequently asked questions about coaching prices

Is there one ideal price for every trainer?

No. Format, audience, costs and available time change the answer. Compare equivalent services and test actual workload before choosing an amount.

Should you start cheaper to attract clients?

An introductory price can help test an offer if its duration and scope are clear. Check that it covers a realistic workload; a low rate with very intensive support can become hard to maintain.

Should online personal training cost less?

Not automatically. You may avoid some travel while spending more time preparing and reviewing. Calculate the complete workload before comparing rates.

Key takeaways

• Pricing starts with a defined service and its actual delivery workload.
• Revenue per delivery hour helps compare scenarios; it is not take-home income.
• A readable price list explains the differences between offers.
• Price changes and scope changes should be considered together.