I recently decided to participate in another sprint triathlon this summer. I missed out on doing one last year, so I decided to hire a trainer to work on my strength and agility. Sadly, my prior trainer no longer works at my gym, so I auditioned two trainers. Their respective approaches were like night and day. It truly was a tale of two trainers.
Trainer 1
The first trainer I auditioned held a record for weight lifting. When first talking with her she went through the standard questions. “Why do you want a trainer?” “What do you like doing?” “Where do you struggle in your training?” She took notes, but did not ask follow up question. When she was through with her list of questions, she asked me if I wanted to have my measurements taken and body fat tested. I simply said “no, thanks” and she was shocked. This simple rejection seemed to totally throw her off her game. She hummed and hawed and regrouped.
We then did some stretching, tested my strength, and some exercises. The whole time she seemed unsure of herself and was hard to engage in conversation. At one point she made a “joke” and laughed uproariously. I didn’t get the joke so merely chuckled. Later after pushing/pulling the sled, she asked if I was remodeling. Unsure if this was a trainerese for something, I just looked at her dumfounded. She repeated her question and I asked “what do you mean?” She replied “you know, remodeling, like your house.” This made no sense to me, but I am not, so told her this. Her response was “well, then don’t walk around all hunched over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.” This time she laughed hysterically. Hmmm, interesting training style.
We then went back to the desk and she made the presumption that I would be hiring her. After telling her that I had someone else to audition, she became upset. We had one 45 minute session, but her reaction made me feel like we were breaking up after a long relationship. Overall, a very weird session.
Trainer 2
I met with another trainer the following week. Again, we went through the standard questions, but this time the trainer asked probing questions to drill down to why I really needed a trainer. When we got to the measurement question, she gleefully accepted that I was not interested in having measurements taken. Like the week before, we then moved into stretches and strength testing. Unlike the week before, this trainer engaged in conversation while maintaining a professional air. I learned a little about her, she learned a little about me. We brainstormed on how we could work together to help me achieve my goals. The forty-five minutes flew by and I was definitely sweating more than the previous week.
Which one do you think I hired?
This experience reminded me of a few things to always remember when working with a potential new client (or just people in general).
Be Interested in the Person
If someone has approached you for help, then they are putting their innermost hopes and fears in your hands. Treat that trust with the respect it deserves. Truly listen to the person. Engage in polite conversation to break the ice. When you both feel comfortable with each other, ask probing questions to dig deep and discover how you can help.
Use Appropriate Humor
UIt should go without saying that the surest way to lose a potential client is to make a joke at their expense. Sadly, it needs to be said. Many of us believe we are funny people. The difficulty lies in what other people consider funny. That joke you heard at happy hour is probably not acceptable in a professional setting. I am not saying that you should be a humorless slug. I am just offering that one should be tactful when engaging with new people.
Do Not Expect to Be Hired
When a potential client meets you in your office, the natural expectation is that they are going to hire you. Resist that expectation. Remember that they are interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them. Give them the courtesy of going elsewhere. Very few people like a hard sell. Even if they sign the contract, they will remember that they felt more forced into signing than that it was of their own free will. You get more loyalty from someone you convinced, rather than coerced.
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