This week I’m going to share a series of lessons I learned as an Area Manager for a Fitness Agents, the UK’s largest Personal Trainer recruitment company,
They run / ran the PT product for DW Sports Fitness, LA Fitness, Fitspace, MiFit, Gold’s and various other operators and I ran the North East region which ran from Macclesfield to Newcastle, Oldham to Hull and everything in-between.
It was a great role and one in which I learned lots and developed and a person and a coach.
About half way through my time with them we developed a new system to teach to trainers to help them generate business in their clubs.
The brief from the directors Andrew and Nick was very clear.
They didn’t want it to be ‘the best’ system.
They wanted it to be one ‘that works’.
Initially this confused me somewhat.
Surely the best system would be the one that works the best.
I soon realised this wasn’t the case.
We’d spent the previous few years teaching trainers dozens of methods of generating business.
All of which worked really well, when done properly.
Problem was a lot of trainers just weren’t using the systems.
For whatever reasons they didn’t quite find they could incorporate them into what they were doing.
And often ended up just doing nothing – sitting in reception just waiting for someone to approach them.
The new system we developed was very simple.
Not the best system in the world, but one that anyone could do and which led to good to very good results for the trainer.
We appreciated some trainers would still use some of the more ‘advanced’ techniques and build business even quicker.
But we wanted a system that anyone could use that would get them there.
It’s the same with what we recommend at RISE.
People often ask us about some report that says that a slightly different ratio of protein:fats:carbs works best.
Or about some slightly different version of exercise – timings, tempo, exercise selecting, etc.
Or a tweak on nutrition timing and other manipulations, hydration, etc.
Or they’ll mention some diet that has produced some great short term results for someone they know.
And it may be true that these methods can work a fraction better – when done perfectly.
But we don’t want ‘the best’ system.
We want something that works.
Something that people can relatively easily incorporate into their lives.
Enjoy doing.
And keep up long term.
You’ve probably tried to do ‘the best thing’ before.
But stopped at some point and gone back to old habits.
So, really, it wasn’t ‘the best’ thing for you.
You need something ‘that works’.
If it’s what we do, that’s awesome.
If it’s something else, that’s cool too.
If it’s continually sending you in the right direction (health, body composition, etc are all improving), then it is better for you than ‘the best thing’.
So keep it up 🙂
Much love,
Jon ‘Save The Best For Last’ Hall and Matt ‘Colours Of The Wind’ Nicholson
P.S. Tomorrow well cover one of the most valuable lessons we’ve ever learned.
