I mentioned in last Friday’s blog that sometimes over the years people have accused me of being “unprofessional”.
And that’s fine as, in those situations, we have a different definition of what “professional” means.
Here’s another series of words which kind of mean the same thing but progressively stronger that I’ve been accused of many times over the years;
– Consistent
– Persistent
– Hassling
In the situation that I’m talking about, these are all essentially the same thing but the difference is the other person’s (un)willingness to respond.
People tell me on a regular basis that they want and need accountability. It’s something that I literally tell people that I do and offer, and is part of the programme. The concept of persistence in personal training is vital because it allows me to maintain contact with members, ensuring they stay accountable and focused on their goals. But accountability isn’t a thing if I stop following people up the first time they don’t account.
If someone reaches out to me and says they want me to contact them, then I will keep contacting them.
If a member tells me that they want help with accountability and being consistent with what they’re doing in order to achieve a goal that’s important to them, I will continue to contact them about that when it’s not happening.
I’m not a jerk; I’ll stop if they ask me to.
But I won’t if they don’t.
I’m literally doing the thing that they’ve asked me to do.
They can give up on themselves, but I won’t give up on them.
There are countless other places out there that will quickly give up on people, but that’s not me.
For every person I’ve had that said something along the lines of “Will you stop hassling me?”, I’ve had many more who’ve said “Thanks for keeping on following me up; sorry I’ve not replied sooner”.
So if someone thinks I’m being “consistent”, then that’s great – it shows they’ve been responsive and they’ve done what they said they would.
If you’re starting to think that I’m being “persistent”, then maybe it’s worth asking if you could have responded to the thing that I’m doing that you asked me to do?
If you think I’m “hassling” you, that’s a powerful sign that it’s time to take your head out of the sand (here’s one way –> www.myrise.co.uk/apply).
Feel free to visit our Google Business Profile to see inspiring photos of member success and read reviews from others. If you’ve had a good experience with us, we’d love for you to leave your own review! Your feedback not only helps us grow but encourages others on their fitness journeys.
Much love,
Jon ‘of memory’ Hall
