Never in my 20+ years of working in the Fitness Industry have I ever questioned my own business ethics more then I have within the past few months. The coronavirus has been unprecedented in its impact, leaving no aspect of life unaffected from its arrival in late 2019.
From day-to-day impacts on work, school, social gatherings, and travel, to larger shockwaves to the world’s economy and health care systems, COVID-19 is a once-in-a-lifetime crisis on the global stage.
And with such a large crisis comes even larger, albeit, difficult questions to answer. Questions that have tugged at this Small Business Owner and have presented me with numerous ethical dilemmas that I must answer to.
Entering Phase 2
Here in Vancouver, British Columbia, we have recently entered Phase 2 of Re-Opening certain businesses to help hopefully re-boost our economy. Restaurants, Hair Salons and Retail Stores, have all been given the green light to re-open their doors (allbeit with numerous restrictions, protocols and guidelines set in place). Gyms too have also been permitted to re-open, which means that our company can begin the process of welcoming back clients who stepped out of our gym for the past 2 months.
As I mentioned on our YouTube Channel and in one of my Facebook Posts earlier this week, we are doing everything we possibly can to ensure the safety of our clients during this Re-Opening Phase. Make no mistake, COVID-19 is still out there. The viruses have not gone away. Therefore it’s important for not just us, but for every business to follow the guideline that have been provided to us by WorkSafe BC and Health Canada.
But as a responsible Business Owner who has a conscious and who cares for all of his clients, I find myself asking myself the simple question – Is It Too Soon?
THE NO-BULLSHIT APPROACH
In my own experience, when it comes to running a successful Personal Training Business, I’ve always found that being upfront and honest with our clients, is the best way to move forward and grow as a company. We don’t hide costs, we don’t fabricate empty promises and we don’t avoid difficult conversations. I believe this is one of the main reasons as to why the majority of our clients have remained loyal and have worked with us for well over a decade.
With that said, COVID-19 has put our business (as well as millions of other businesses) in a difficult situation. What do we tell our clients who question whether or not it’s safe or too early to return to the gym?
IS HONESTY THE BEST POLICY?
I would be lying if I said COVID-19 hasn’t had a significant impact on our company’s finances. We lost roughly 50% of our clientele that trains with us on the floor for the better part of the past 3 months. Luckily the Online portion of our business grew substantially in sales with our Online Training Programs and Nutritional Plans selling faster then ever before. In fact, COVID-19, pushed our Online Training revenue to new highs in which I didn’t even think were possible to reach!
I feel extremely fortunate to have clients who have and continue to support us through this pandemic and truly hope that as a Small Business we will survive this.
With all that said though, the question remains – What Do I Tell My Clients Who Are Hesitant To Return To The Gym?
Well so far, I’ve told these clients that if they are uneasy or worried about returning to the gym, then not to return at all. The gym should be a place where a person can feel safe. Exercising and working out is suppose be extremely therapeutic for both the body and mind. But if someone is feeling stressed or concerned about the environment in which they are in, they will never experience this therapeutic feeling while training.
CLOSING THE SALE
I’ve got a confession to make – I’m a shitty salesman. Lucky for me though, I’m a half decent Trainer/Coach and rely on my training services and experience to make the sale for me.
I don’t like pushy sales tactics nor do I like devaluing what I believe to be an extremely valuable service by offering “sales” or “freebies” on mine or our other Trainers services.
I also don’t like being lied to or having to lie to clients. Therefore when it comes to the Coronaviruses and having to decide whether or not to try to influence and/or manipulate clients who are hesitant about returning to the gym to comeback, I prefer my conscious to remain clear and let them comeback when they are ready to return.
In the mean time, I think it’s more important to remember that we’re all in this together. Nobody knows what the future holds. We are drifting through uncharted waters. We all need to understand and respect one another’s beliefs, fears and reasons for how we each choose to continue to live through this pandemic.
“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence, it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”
Peter Drucker
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance