For owners of post-rehab and corrective exercise training businesses, setting the right price for services is paramount to profitability and client success. But how do you arrive at a price that reflects the complexity of a client’s needs and the value you provide, rather than just charging an arbitrary hourly rate?
The answer starts with the discovery call exercise business. This crucial initial conversation isn’t just a formality; it’s the foundation for understanding the client’s unique situation, building trust, and ultimately, determining a pricing structure that aligns with their goals and your business’s value.
Why Discovery Calls Are Essential in Post-Rehab
Unlike general fitness, post-rehab corrective exercise training requires a deep understanding of a client’s medical history, injury specifics, limitations, and long-term recovery goals. A generic approach simply won’t work, and neither should a generic price.
A thorough discovery call allows you to:
- Assess Complexity: Understand the nuances of their condition, previous treatments, and any co-occurring issues.
- Gauge Readiness & Commitment: Determine their motivation, support system, and ability to commit to a structured program.
- Identify Value: Pinpoint their specific pain points and desired outcomes, allowing you to frame your services in terms of solving their problems.
- Build Rapport: Establish trust and position yourself as the expert who truly understands their unique journey.
Attempting to price your specialized services without this context is like prescribing exercises without an assessment – ineffective and potentially detrimental.
Key Information to Gather During the Discovery Call
To make the discovery call fruitful for both understanding the client and informing your pricing, focus on gathering specific details. Beyond standard contact information, delve into:
- Injury/Condition History: When did it happen? What was the diagnosis? What treatments (PT, Chiro, Surgery) have they had? What were the outcomes?
- Current Symptoms & Limitations: What specifically are they struggling with now? What movements or activities are difficult or painful? What are they unable to do that they want to regain?
- Past Exercise Experience: Have they worked with trainers or therapists before? What did they like/dislike? This can reveal insights into their learning style and potential adherence.
- Goals & Expectations: What do they realistically hope to achieve through your training? Be specific (e.g., “walk for 30 minutes without pain,” “return to playing golf,” “lift my grandchild”). Manage expectations if necessary.
- Lifestyle & Support: What is their daily routine like? Do they have support at home? What are their stress levels like? These factors impact adherence and recovery.
- Commitment Level: How serious are they about making a change? Are they prepared for consistent effort? What is their budget and timeline?
Listening actively to these details provides the qualitative data needed to structure a program and, critically, determine a pricing package that matches the perceived value and required investment (both time and financial).
Translating Discovery Insights into Pricing Decisions
The information gathered during the discovery call directly informs how you structure your pricing. Moving beyond a simple hourly rate often makes sense in post-rehab, as clients are buying an outcome and a transformation, not just time.
Consider these factors based on your call:
- Complexity of the Condition: A highly complex case requiring extensive program customization and ongoing adjustments justifies a higher investment than a straightforward recovery.
- Duration and Frequency Needed: Does their goal require short-term intensive work or longer-term maintenance? This helps determine package size (e.g., 8 sessions vs. 24 sessions over several months).
- Value to the Client: What is the value of regaining mobility, reducing pain, or returning to a cherished activity? Frame your price around this value, not just the cost of your time.
- Packaging Services: Based on goals and needs, package your services into clear programs or tiers. This could include assessment fees, session bundles, take-home exercises, communication outside sessions, etc.
For example, a client with chronic low back pain aiming to return to gardening might require a longer-term, higher-touch program focusing on fundamental movement patterns and consistency, justifying a higher package price than someone recovering from a simple ankle sprain needing short-term stability work.
This value-based approach ensures you’re compensated fairly for your expertise and the significant impact you have on a client’s quality of life.
Presenting Your Pricing Effectively After the Call
Once you’ve completed the discovery call and determined the appropriate service package or options, how you present the pricing is crucial.
Avoid simply emailing a static quote with confusing line items. This can overwhelm clients and make price comparisons difficult, shifting focus away from the value you discussed.
Instead, aim for clarity, professionalism, and options where appropriate. This is where tools designed specifically for presenting service pricing shine.
While all-in-one CRM or proposal systems like Mindbody (https://www.mindbodyonline.com) or Trainerize (https://www.trainerize.com) might handle some aspects, they often lack a dedicated, interactive pricing presentation feature. For comprehensive proposal software including e-signatures, you might look at tools like PandaDoc (https://www.pandadoc.com) or Proposify (https://www.proposify.com).
However, if your primary goal is to modernize how clients interact with and select your pricing options after the discovery call, a dedicated tool like PricingLink (https://pricinglink.com) offers a powerful and affordable solution. PricingLink allows you to create interactive, configurable pricing pages shared via a simple link (like `pricinglink.com/links/*`). Clients can see different tiers, add-on options (e.g., extra session bundle, specific equipment), and see the total price update live as they select. This makes the pricing transparent, easy to understand, and shifts the client’s focus to choosing the options that best fit their needs based on the discovery call.
PricingLink is laser-focused on this specific pricing presentation step. It doesn’t handle contracts, invoicing, or project management, but its dedicated function excels at providing a modern, clear, and interactive pricing experience that static PDFs cannot match. It’s designed to streamline the quote step, save you time, filter leads effectively, and potentially increase average deal value through clear presentation of options, starting at $19.99/mo.
Conclusion
The discovery call exercise business is far more than a simple intake; it’s a strategic tool for understanding client needs and building a pricing strategy that reflects the true value of your post-rehab corrective exercise services.
Key Takeaways:
- Never price post-rehab services without a thorough discovery call.
- Gather detailed information about injury history, goals, limitations, and commitment.
- Use this information to inform value-based pricing and service packaging, moving beyond simple hourly rates.
- Present pricing clearly and professionally, ideally offering interactive options that empower clients to choose based on their needs.
- Tools like PricingLink (https://pricinglink.com) can significantly improve the client experience during the pricing presentation phase.
By mastering the discovery call and implementing a smart pricing presentation strategy, you can ensure your business is compensated fairly for your specialized expertise, leading to increased profitability and more successful client outcomes.