Sunday, May 30, 2010

"The not yet fit" - Potential for success - real or imagined?

In today's rapidly changing healthcare and health focus culture the "not yet fit" are being encouraged at every turn to engage positive lifestyle change to improve their health and wellbeing. Many of the current epidemic of lifestyle related ills can either be prevented through exercise and effective nutritional intake or at the very least minimized. Folks who have already been afflicted can improve their quality of life significantly through exercise and effective nutritional reform. Fact or speculation? FACT.

Who has the best chance to educate, motivate and lead these "not yet fit" populations to true success in these venues of lifestyle modification? Any business that engages safe and effective exercise is at the top of the list. CNN can file reports that exercise does not help anyone lose weight or gain health benefits, but that is false. Some easily disputable findings released and an international news giant runs to print it to the detriment of those who need help the most. The "not yet fit"!

Exercise is now being touted as "medicine". What a great conceptualization! However, for anyone to tout exercise as "medicine" and continue to lack the understanding of what it really takes to educate, motivate and lead the "not yet fit" to true lifestyle change through exercise is really no different than the "old school" health club model which baited "not yet fit" folks to join and then was hopeful they would never show up again.

The "Old School" Model = 1 not yet fit person + high pressure sales + false hope = failure for the "not yet fit"

Now, the "school of false assumptions" is luring the "not yet fit" to join their businesses through a different, but still failure driven model. At the same time, touting "exercise is medicine".

The "School of False Assumptions" Model = 1 "not yet fit" person + false claims that a free fitness evaluation/free fitness assessment/free session with a personal trainer will enable success = failure for the "not yet fit"

Fact or speculation?

FACT

Prove it? Okay. If you subscribe to the "school of false assumptions" model here is your challenge:

1. Analyze active participation by % of new members who have joined since January of 2010

2. Analyze the level of activity of those who are now dropping out due to the "economy" as they say

3. Analyze how many already fit or regular exercisers are dropping out now because of the "economy"

Analysis will prove that folks who never got started exercising are the ones who are dropping out. This despite a virtual promise to help. You know..."exercise is medicine".

So which is more egregious? To sell a "not yet fit" person a membership with no hope that they will use it or to sell a "not yet fit" person a membership with false hope that never materializes?

The beginnings of true change to educate, motivate and lead the "not yet fit" can only happen when the focus is on REAL success planning for that person that is being offered hope. The "not yet fit" are not yet fit due to a vicious cycle of repeated failures. They "hope" and "wish" for success but have a deep seated fear and expectation of failure. That is why it is so easy for a predatory approach like the "old school" to take their money and run.

False Assumptionology (the foundational thinking within the school of false assumptions):

1. Front desk - The fitness staff, personal trainers and group exercise (aerobic) instructors must be certified and maintain that certification during employment. That's good! How about the front desk? You know...the department that has far and away the most daily interactions with members, prospects, dignitaries, press or whomever enters the facility? What certification is required of them? NONE. In fact...most front desk staff have little understanding of most if any of the offerings made to new "not yet fit" members and how important it is to exceed their expectations every day they enter the club.

2. Membership sales related staff - No certification and little effective training. In fact most wellness/fitness facilities use cross-responsibility (staff that do multiple jobs) staff to do membership sales in a false assumption that this technique will save money in the budget! FALSE! The net result is poorly trained staff reluctantly trying the get "not yet fit" folks to join. If exercise is "medicine" then that is a case of malpractice! The "not yet fit" person who ventures into the facility has a NEED to join and a greater NEED to succeed if they join! If they do not join...or worse yet...they join and fail, their deep seated fear of failure has been reinforced!

3. New member offerings - Imagining that a "free" fitness orientation or evaluation will somehow spontaneously and without warning create a regular exerciser where before there was none is ludicrous. The reason the "not yet fit" are not yet fit is because they are not yet in a success cycle. How do you create a success cycle for them? By understanding that it is not a "membership" that will make the difference for them, but a behavior modification!

4. Personal training - During the personal training certification process not one iota of business development strategy is offered. Simply how to deliver safe and effective prescriptive exercise for clients. Many businesses offer new "not yet fit" members an "exercise equipment orientation" under the truly false assumption that in a few sessions about equipment they will somehow overcome their long-term behavior of non-exercise and suddenly opine to work out everyday! Not only is this utterly false, but the business that does this deludes their own thinking into believing that this technique works. IT DOES NOT. See above analysis suggestions for quantifiable evidence to the contrary. Personal training must be delivered in a continuum for "not yet fit" populations if it is to be effective as behavior modification applications.

5. Group exercise (aerobics) - Personal training and group exercise are the two most important early engagement strategies in trying to educate, motivate and lead the "not yet fit" to lifestyle modification success. Group exercise should be engaged for all new members at the point of sale.

If there is to be real hope for the "not yet fit" then there there needs to be radical evolution in an industry that really can make a profound difference for those who need it the most. No more "old school". No more "school of false assumptions". Now? Join the evolution revolution through the GLH Open Systems management model that is designed for maximum success for both the "not yet fit" populations and also for the businesses who claim to want to serve them.

How?

There are several options.

Regional business development through our current Regional Training Centers.

GREATER CHICAGO AREA - Upcoming seminar - "Pumpin' Up Your Personal Training" Seminar - June 10th -> http://bit.ly/dwaTH4

HARRISONBURG, VA - Upcoming seminar - "Pumpin' Up Your Personal Training" Seminar June 30th -> http://bit.ly/93h1g2

GREATER CINCINNATI AREA - Upcoming seminar - Pump up your new membership sales, retention & personal training -> http://bit.ly/9XpFsc

GREATER AUGUSTA, GA area seminars --> http://bit.ly/aWeEmU

PERSONAL TRAINING - The Evolution Revolution; Business Development Manual/Power Point Presentation -> http://bit.ly/cWGTMc

Perform-MAX Systems on FaceBook --> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perform-Max-Systems/123258004369779?ref=ss

Perform-MAX Systems on Twitter --> http://twitter.com/performmaxsystm

Or, call today: (865) 687-8554 for more information about on-site staff training and business development programs.

Or via e-mail: Perform_Max@att.net

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