No matter what profession you’re in, it’s critical that people believe you know what you’re talking about! You won’t find many successful lawyers whose clients never win in court, or popular doctors whose patients are continually misdiagnosed. Obviously, this concept applies to personal trainers as well, and making sure you’re seen as an expert in your field is just as important as having the knowledge to begin with.
It helps to be aware of the simple fact that a person’s perception is their reality, even if that perception is incorrect. Let’s use the example of the doctor in the previous paragraph. If you heard through personal references that Dr. John Smith was not a very good doctor, the chances that you will ever go see Dr. Smith are pretty slim. However, do you really know for a fact that Dr. Smith is a bad doctor? No, he just has the perception that he’s a bad doctor because that’s what he heard. Do you see how his perception is his reality, and how Dr. Smith is unlikely to get any of the business from him?
Your mission is to make sure that you are always seen as an expert in your field! Otherwise, you’ll end up like poor Dr. Smith, and his client list will be really short, as will the life of his business. However, if he has done his job and created the impression that he is an expert in his field, then the opposite will be true. People will have “heard” that you know what you’re talking about and your reputation and business will grow as a result. To get to this desired end result, three effective ways to build your reputation include media exposure, writing books, articles, or success tips for your field, and approaching any given situation from a “position of power.”
media exposure
The most common ways to be seen as an expert using media exposure include television news shows, magazine and newspaper articles, and radio airtime. Each of these methods has one thing in common: mass exposure through a publicly accepted information gathering system.
Consider this point from your own perspective. If you see an interview on the news, read an article about a company in the newspaper, or hear about a professional organization on the radio, your natural instinct is to believe that the company or organization has firm control over the ins and outs of your product or service.
Why do you think that? Is it because the radio show included a long list of professional references for the company? Is it because the journal article recorded a passing grade from a professional review board or other certifying agency qualified to judge the advertised organization?
Most likely, the answer to those questions is “no.” Why then do you believe in the company’s ability to provide the product or service being discussed? The answer is simple: because you were exposed to the company through a publicly accepted information gathering system. Whether that system was the six o’clock news, your local newspaper, or your favorite magazine, chances are you believed what you read or heard simply because of WHERE you read or heard it.
Ideally, all consumers, including professionals like you, would use additional methods to determine a company’s ratings before purchasing its product or service, but does that really happen very often? No, not really. Most people believe what they read and what they hear, and as a fitness professional, you can take advantage of that fact. Granted, you shouldn’t pretend to be an expert if you’re not, but assuming you really know what you’re talking about, use the media to let others know too!
Writing books, articles and tips for success
Similar to the “expert” status granted to a business based on its exposure in the media, any business or individual who publishes written work in their field may assume a similar assumed professional status.
Refer back to the power of the media mentioned above, and you’ll see a very similar effect generated by published jobs. If someone writes a book, publishes articles, or generates a regular stream of “success tips” in a given field, the reader automatically assumes that the author of the book, article, or success tip knows what he or she is talking about.
Is it true that the author is an expert in his field just because he knows how to write or type? Of course not! However, the mass media phenomenon applies as much to published written works as to interviews conducted in the news, in magazines, or on the radio. The author is presumed to be competent in the field that the book, article, or advice is about, although there is rarely indisputable evidence of the writer’s expertise included in the written works.
Again, it is not suggested that you write books, articles, or success tips unless you truly have expert status in your field. However, since the “excellence assumptions” apply to both the written word and audio and visual exposure, take advantage of that fact and write as much and as often as you can.
As a side note, writing is also a great way to improve your own knowledge in your field. Often during the process of writing a book or article, you are asked to reference the sources of your information, and collecting that type of information broadens your own knowledge, as well as your understanding of how to find information for similar projects on the Internet. the future. .
Assuming a “position of power”
Using a “position of power” is one of the most effective methods of positioning yourself as an expert in your field. Approaching a situation from a position of power is simply the art of assuming that whoever you are talking to already perceives you as an expert. Remember that a person’s perception is their reality, so as long as the other person thinks you are an expert, then in their eyes, you are!
For example, let’s use the story of a talented personal trainer who applies for the position of Director of Fitness Programming at a small but successful local gym. We’ll call our imaginary professional Joe Trainer, and say for the record that Joe has a proven track record in the personal training industry. His clients have benefited from his knowledge and guidance, and he has successfully changed many people’s lives in positive ways. However, Joe Trainer had never been a “Fitness Programming Director” before. Is he qualified for the job?
Let’s review Joe’s story. He has worked out or worked out at dozens of gyms over the years. Joe has used all kinds of fitness equipment, from paint cans in his garage when he was a teenager, to the latest computerized training machines available in some of today’s fitness facilities. Joe has put together hundreds of different training programs for hundreds of different people over the years, and we’ve already determined that he has an excellent customer record. Joe has also been called upon many times over the years to recommend fitness equipment purchases to his many clients, including a cost-benefit analysis (in other words, is the equipment worth it). Joe has also been exposed to many different lines of nutritional supplements, dietary guidelines, and has even taken aerobics and yoga classes from time to time.
Has Joe Trainer ever been a “Fitness Programming Director” before? No. However, is Joe Trainer qualified for that position? Most likely yes! However, now Joe has a dilemma. He’s scheduled an interview with the local gym, he really wants the job, but he’s nervous about the fact that he’s never really been a “Fitness Programming Director” or director of anything at all. Joe now has 2 options.
Option number one is for Joe to go into the interview, ramble uncontrollably about the hundreds of clients he’s successfully trained, babble on about how many different gyms he’s been to, and go into nonsensical detail about why he thinks Supplement A is better. than Supplement B.
Do you think Joe will get the job? Let’s try a different approach.
Joe mentally prepares for the interview by going over the different ways his experience will benefit the center. He puts together a few examples of how he successfully recommended or used one type of fitness equipment more effectively than a different type. Joe collects mental notes on how aerobic and group exercise classes have added success to his training programs over the years, and how incorporating a cross-training approach has kept his clients motivated and continually seeing results from their training programs.
At this point, Joe’s confidence in his ability to be a “Fitness Programming Director” has grown, and he honestly believes that it is not him who is being interviewed, but rather him who is interviewing the facility. Joe doesn’t need this job: he’s proven his ability to earn a living as a personal trainer dozens of times over the years. He is applying for this position because he believes he can be a great asset to the facility and wants to broaden his experience in the field. In fact, the facility would be lucky to have it! In fact, he may already be considering countering the posted salary scale with a raise if they want to hire him. After all, he is Joe Trainer, and his record of success speaks for itself!
Now, do you think Joe will get the job? Pretty safe bet.
Is the Joe Trainer in the first example different than the Joe Trainer using the second approach? No, we are talking about the same person. What is different then? Joe’s self-confidence and, more importantly, Joe’s ability to show the facility how they would be missing out on a great opportunity if they didn’t hire him. It is Joe who is interviewing the facility, not the other way around. Joe assumed a “Position of Power” before he even got to his interview. He walked away with a new title and a good salary, increased confidence in his own abilities, and the opportunity to turn a whole team of personal trainers into successful, results-oriented fitness professionals!
This same concept can also be applied when negotiating with potential new customers. Remember that you are the fitness professional. You are the one with the knowledge and experience that the client needs. You are not asking them to be your customers, rather you are giving them the opportunity to become your customers.
Conclusion
As you can see, as Fitness Professionals in the ever-growing field of health and fitness, we have many tools at our disposal when it comes to positioning ourselves as experts. However, we have the same responsibility not to use these tools unless we are 100% sure of our status as experts in our chosen disciplines. Use your knowledge and tools wisely and appropriately, and you will see your professional and personal success grow beyond your wildest dreams!
