How honest are you?
No seriously, I want you to think about it.
How honest are you to yourself, to your clients, to prospects and for that matter to complete strangers?
The reason I ask is because, while most of us acknowledge that “honesty is the best policy” in the majority of situations, I believe the simple art of looking people in the eye and talking straight is slowly dying.
So what has this got to do with your personal training business?
A lot…
Every day, you guide clients on what to do and how to do it in your sessions. They are attracted to your service because they seek guidance and motivation on how to reach their goals and make a long-term difference in their health and fitness.
That’s cool.
But what happens at assessment time when they get a less than favorable result?
Do you put your honesty hat on and make it clear to your client that they have not held their end of the bargain with training and their food? Or do you skip around that uncomfortable but necessary conversation in order to try and play happy families so you don’t upset your paying client?
Hmmm…
What happens when you know you are wasting time during the day when you should be focusing on your business?
Do you just dis-regard it as another day where you don’t feel “up to it”, preferring to hide in busyness and boring tasks like paying bills and cleaning equipment. Or are you honest enough (with yourself) that you can have a chat with that little voice in your head and really start working on tasks that matter (but may be a bit uncomfortable)?
How honest are you with yourself?
What about when you are talking to a complete stranger at a party about your business?
Is everything you say about your business always the complete truth or do you tend to coat the conversation with some silver lining. Preferring to paint a picture of perfect clients, a full business and great results rather than the reality of blood sweat and tears just to keep it moving forward.
Are you living an illusion or complete reality?
My intention is not to come here today and call you a lair. On the contrary, my purpose is to show you how powerful the truth can really be.
But the funny thing about the truth is that our ego tends to get in the way sometimes.
We WANT things to be a certain way – even when they are not. So we dodge reality a little bit here and there; maybe not asking a question or disclosing exactly how we are feeling because we are worried how the other person may feel.
And consequentially how that will impact on us (and our business).
So its seems a large percentage of our society now skirts around issues in order to “keep the peace”. To keep our ego’s in check, to gain approval and to look successful on the outside. That is until it is something REALLY important.
Hmmm – is that really what life is all about?
The Truth Will Always Win
A very wise man said that to me recently and I think he has really hit the nail on the head.
As a fitness professional, people are drawn to you for advice, leadership, accountability and guidance to help them achieve things that they cannot achieve by themselves.
Firstly, that is friggin’ cool.
Secondly, that is a responsibility that you should not take lightly. Don’t mess with these people and tell them things that you think they “want” to hear. Sit there, look them right in the eye and tell them exactly what they need to do get where they need to go.
That is your responsibility.
If that is more than what they are currently doing then so be it – you can’t manufacture results from thin air (or one session per week but that’s another blog post). By being completly honest with your clients, you will not only develop a much more open and productive relationship but they with bloody respect you in the morning (and maybe even tell their friends about you).
They will thank you for being the person who had the guts to tell it to them straight; to push them to achieve more rather than stroking their egos.
So even though honesty is a bitch and sometimes extremely uncomfortable to administer, never forget that the truth will always win.
Period.
To prove it, I want you to give me one example in the comments section of when you have been painfully honest with a client and how it went down.
I look forward to your story…
Cheers,
Rick :-)
P.S: Speaking of honesty, check out this quote I found that Tiger Woods made before he got busted with his 12 mistresses:
Achievements on the golf course are not what matters, decency and honesty are what matter.
Bet he is not super happy that one is still floating about the internet these days.
Oooops Tiger – honesty’s a bitch.
About the author: Rick Watson is the surfing, smiling personal training business guy who tells it like it is. He blogs, coaches and runs a PT Fight Club teaching personal trainers how to fill their books but most of all he is a father and husband (with a healthy respect for road trips). If you like what you read and would be up for some daily banter, you can check out his Facebook page.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I recently had to have a conversation with a member and admit that I’d dropped the ball. The member, to be fairly blunt, is bloody hard work, has what seems like a million injuries, and somedays I feel they can never be pleased. However, they are paying me to help them prepare for what is likely to be the most arduous physical experience of their life, completing the Kokoda Trail.
I admitted that I had found it almost impossible to come up with a variety of exercises that didn’t bore them to tears, and that my cupboard was just about bare when it came to relevant exercises that she could complete with their complement of injuries.
I’d just put it in the too hard basket. Admitting that cleared the air a bit. It’s certainly not a perfect working relationship, and whilst it would be easy to give up and tell them to go elsewhere, I’m responsible for their safety and welfare on the Kokoda Trail, and I simply cannot take the easy path here.
It’s not a perfect result story, but I hope it gives an example that being honest will hopefully improve the trainer/trainee relationship and get you closer to helping them achieve their goals.
She quit and walked out…… didn’t get to the end of the street before she called and said, I think I need to increase the number of sessions I have with you each week.
@ Matt – sometimes telling someone that you cant help and referring them on is the best thing to do (especially if you are going to drag them around the Kokoda Trail)
@ Claire – I love that. Where you worried when they walked out?
@ Rick – They had access to a large council run gym, but hadn’t been able to get the support they neede their. I just had to knuckle down, do the best I could and we just kept the lines open on communication that I can’t work miracles and make new muscles to exercise when they were so limited. 6 weeks to go and we’re there so will be interesting to see how it all goes!
At least you have set realistic expectations that they hopefully understand. Cant do much more than that…
All good. It’s been an excellent experience training someone that you don’t always get along with, challenges you every step, but keeps turning up to train, so must have an understanding of the need to train. Was going to suggest it as an article for the PT Fight Club newsletter but you beat me to the punch! We’ll talk about your Kokoda expectations next year dude!
I wasn’t worried about losing a client, but I was concerned that she had left the one place that she felt comfortable exercising in and questioned had I done the right thing.
Thankfully all turned out well.
Yeah – I think that is the fear with most people when it comes to this stuff. But like you have experienced here, telling it to your client straight (even at the risk of potentially losing her) has earnt you respect and a very loyal client.