If humans turn to the people and brands they trust for information, products and services, then why aren’t you spending more time building trust in your group fitness business?
It might be because building trust with your community isn’t something that feels like it urgently needs to get done.
No, first you need to plan your sessions, run your sessions, answer emails/messages and check your socials. Wait, that last one isn’t actually that urgent is it?
The other reason you might not be spending more time building trust is because you might not be sure how to.
After all, how do you convince someone who doesn’t know you to trust you?
Just remember this: Trust Builds Trust.
So start with tiny, low-risk ways that people can put their trust in you and then give them a good experience.
That good experience will lead to them trusting you just a little more which means you can ask them for a little more trust. Follow through with your promise once again. Rinse and repeat.
Here’s an example of how you might build trust with a stranger who later becomes a client:
- Ask them to follow you on a social media platform. They are trusting that you won’t spam their feed, but it’s also low-risk because they can easily unsubscribe. Now it’s up to you to put amazing, useful content in their feed.
- Now maybe ask them for their email. In exchange you’ll send them useful stuff. Again, be respectful and helpful and they’ll trust you a little more.
- Next you can offer them a free session. It’s low-risk because they don’t need to put any money on the table, but it’s still a bit scary because they haven’t exercised in a long time. Thanks to the trust you already built with them they decide to give you a go.
- Make that first session amazing. Remember their name and use it. Put a lot of thought into the session. Give them modifications and check in regularly with them throughout the workout. More trust will be built and now, at the end of the session, you can talk to them about memberships or offer them a few more trial sessions with them feeling much more open to the idea of training with you.
- Follow up with a phone call to see how they are feeling after their first session. Any piece of software can send an email or text message. A personalised, non-salesy phone call builds a huge level of trust.
- Once they’ve become a member, continue to build trust with them by asking for more their trust and then overdelivering. This could be through signing them up for more times per week, asking them to help with spreading the word or inviting them to an expensive retreat.
One last thing: What should you do when you do your absolute best to follow through in a trustworthy way but something goes wrong and you let the person down?
Simple. Take responsibility for your part in what happened and apologise. Then, just as important, make an effort to make it right. (This is also an amazing way to build your confidence and self-esteem)
Simple. But hard.
But that is what our communties need. Leaders asking for trust and following through (and an apology and a commitment to do better when it doesn’t work out). Be that leader.
Kyle Wood created Bootcamp Ideas in 2010 when he was hunting around on the internet for workout ideas. He ran a successful bootcamp in Victoria, Australia and spends his spare time managing this site, adventuring (or lazying) with his wife and find new ways to make bootcamps even better.
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