Would you pay a trauma surgeon to apply a plaster?
I had a lovely email from a prospective client that reached out to us this week, asking for help. After explaining the goals, this client suggested that they'd like a trainer to go for a walk with them once per week because they didn't have the confidence to do that alone.
I am always humbled when people choose Health² Personal Training to help them. And, I'm always keen to try and meet people where they are.
However, this felt a little bit like asking a trauma surgeon to apply a plaster for you.
When you pay for someone's time, you don't just pay for their hour. You pay for their experience, you pay for what their skills can do for you that no-one else's skills can.
With over a decade working as a Personal Trainer, well over 15,000 PT sessions delivered, tens of thousands of pounds spent on education, my hourly rate reflects my position as one of the top Personal Trainers in the UK. Is it worth paying that hourly rate, to go for a walk, when that rate factors in so many more skills (that aren't getting used while walking)?
It's important to always find the right person for the job. I think there's potentially a lot of value in trainers supporting their clients with company, confidence and discussion on walks/runs/rides. However, hospitals have healthcare assistants to put plasters on cuts so that trauma surgeons don't have to, and can use their skills in more complex and urgent cases. Does the same logic apply to Personal Training?
Or is this just a case of me being elitist and I should support people in whatever way they are comfortable with? What do you think?
P.S. I apologise for my long absence. As you know from my last post, my new son has been keeping me very very busy. Combine this with the constant pushes and pulls on my business in Oxford, UK due to Covid-19 and I've been struggling to write. I will endeavour to post more!