“I’m like, ‘Hey, what you’re doing isn’t working. You keep kind of running into this wall. I think you need personal training.’”
And that’s how CrossFit affiliate owner Chris Vasseur sells personal training.
It’s that simple.
If I had a time machine, I would literally send Vasseur back to 2008 or so.
Here’s what’d I’d say before putting him in the machine.
“Go on the CrossFit Message Board and tell everyone how you sell PT in a CrossFit affiliate. Ignore everyone who makes fun of you and keep explaining how PT pushed your average revenue per member (ARM) above $400. If you do this, you will likely save 5,000 struggling CrossFit gyms and help tens of thousands of clients get fitter faster.”
Back in the early days of CrossFit, this info would have reshaped the entire movement.
Yes, CrossFit in a big group is amazing—but the program can also be delivered one on one for about $100 an hour.
Instead of trying to find 400 members who all pay $125 a month, early affiliate owners would have sold some PT and perhaps ended up with 150 members at an average of $205 per person—and they would have earned $100,000 or more.
Had that happened, more CrossFit gyms would still be open.
Bionic CrossFit: Slime-Free Honesty
So how does Vasseur sell PT for $120 an hour at Bionic CrossFit?
Here’s the exact plan:
1. He gets to know his group members very well. He notices when they get new shoes, he celebrates their birthdays, and he finds out what they want to accomplish and why.
2. Then he recommends the best path for each athlete. Sometimes that involves PT, and sometimes it doesn’t.
That’s the entire two-step master plan—and it works.
“We kind of just approach them and we say, ‘Hey, where are we at? What are we looking to accomplish? And if this is what you want to do by a certain date, this is what you need,’” Vasseur explained.
“I go, ‘The way it’s going right now, you’re not going to get it. If you want to get there, I can get you there in X amount of months or packages or whatever it is.’ And I think it just starts with those everyday conversations.”
Those quotes could be on the back cover of my book “Help First.” They are an exact real-world summary.
Selling PT in a gym is simple: You just honestly tell people what it will take to accomplish their goals. If it’s PT, you tell them that. Some won’t buy, and that’s OK. Some will.
“If someone can’t afford it, OK, that’s fine,” Vasseur said. “I’m not lowering my rate, I’m not discounting it, I’m not giving it away for free. And over time—and it’s taken time—people finally understand that. If they come ask for help, they know it’s going to be an additional charge or additional price, whether it’s personal training, nutrition or anything.”
Again, it’s that simple.
Two Ways to Sell More PT in CrossFit Affiliates
I won’t beat this to death. You can watch the complete Chris Vasseur interview here:
I’ll just give you a two-step plan to sell more PT in CrossFit gyms:
1. When you meet with prospective clients, ask them what they want to accomplish. Then lay out a training plan and say, “Do you want to do these workouts one on one with me or in a group?” That’s how you sell PT on the way into your business.
2. Talk to your members regularly. When you see an opportunity to help them accomplish a goal faster, say something like this: “I can help you improve your muscle-ups before the throwdown in two months. Let’s meet once a week for eight weeks to work on them. Sound good?”
If you do that:
- You will sell more PT.
- Your ARM will go up.
- You’ll generate more revenue.
- You and your coaches will earn more.
- You will help more clients succeed faster.
PT in a CrossFit gym was a groundbreaking idea in 2008.
In 2026, it’s mandatory.
If you’re an affiliate owner and you don’t sell PT, today’s the day to start.
That’s true even if you aren’t an affiliate owner. All coaching gyms should sell PT.
Two-Brain mentors have an exact plan to help CrossFit affiliates thrive. To hear more about that, book a call here.
