Don't keep showing me what you know, just help me get there!

I've had three personal fitness trainers in the past, and all of them failed me despite my determination to improve my fitness level, which I eventually ended up doing alone.

Let me explain; I'm a sport adverse person, I just don't enjoy working out but at the same time I am extremely health conscious, and as an entrepreneur and father of two young boys, I cannot afford to be in less than optimal physical conditions at age 45.

After years of intermittent physical activity, I started seeking external help thinking it would give me the discipline and the motivation I missed, and I've hired not one, but three personal trainers, all of which had great bodies and a wealth of knowledge.

After an initial period of positive results, the training sessions stopped injecting in me any motivation or discipline because they became a display of the trainers' knowledge and achievements, none of which had something to do with me and my goals!

One of them would also regularly play his favorite music rather than mine....how crazy is that considering that music is a great tool to trigger motivation and build momentum??

You see, I am one of those people who don't need to know the details of how an engine works to enjoy a driving experience, let alone having my car reminding me every time how great it is.

I would rather have a clear road map in front of me, follow it, and see progressive results at the end of every stepping stone.

I have no ambitions to become an athlete, nor a personal fitness trainer and an overload of information proved to be anti-productive for me.

I know I am not alone in this, and many people will relate to it.

What does it have to do with sales, service and business, you may ask?

Many trainers, consultants, health practitioners, lawyers, and also team leaders and people working with individual clients or stakeholders, often make the same mistake: overwhelm them with unnecessary information, and too much evidence.

You see, knowledge and evidence are key to gaining people's trust and their business; you hire a trainer because she is a living advertisement of her discipline, a doctor because they have all the credentials, a lawyer because he or she speaks the legal jargon you don't understand but once you've made your choice, once you've entitled them with your trust, you would like to see the focus shifted towards you and your case.

You would like them to speak your language, and if need be, translate their jargon into something you can understand.

I am not saying a professional shouldn't educate their clients; on the contrary she or he should try and do it, but in a way that the individual client can benefit from.

The problem is, their EGO won't let them do it.

They come with the assumption that they've been hired because of their knowledge, and they feel obliged to display it EVERY SINGLE TIME, forgetting that many of their clients are not necessarily interested to get where they are, and if they do, they are likely to ask.

Clients (and stakeholders) often seek in a service provider a shortcut, or a synthesis if you will, and they should be able to just function as such.

The same is true for a team leader.

While some members of a team may have the ambition to grow, and hence be educated by their manager to eventually reach the same position, many others are just interested to have clear directions that help them succeed in their present task or job.

There's no point being a teacher if the person in front of you is not a student; there are many things you can do to help them succeed, and perhaps that's the right thing to do.

If you liked this article, why not hit like and share it with your community?

I'd also love to hear your take on the subject and personal experience.

Thank you,

Carlo

Ps: My new book "Serve with Style, customer service in the age of experience" is available worldwide on Amazon, and in selected bookstores across the globe.