How to Build Trust

I was having a discussion with my boss recently about a particular client with a history of low back pain. This man (we will call him Bert) has been an on and off client of ours for the past four years. As long as we have known him, he has had intermittent back pain. He recently re-injured his back and came back to us seeking help. This time around Bert has taken a multifaceted approach and has been working with a physical therapist and chiropractor as well. Over the past month, Bert has significantly less pain and is doing a fantastic job. This made me think, "Why is he having so much success this time, compared to the past?" The answer is simple.

He buys into the program.

I have seen my share of individuals with knee, low back, and shoulder pain over the years. When I take one of these individuals through an assessment, I assess static posture and identify painful and dysfunctional movement patterns. Then I build a program to address their weaknesses and prescribe a few correctives. If necessary, I refer out. The funny thing is, when I ask them if they have been to a physical therapist in the past they all say the same thing: "Yeah I have, but I don't think they were doing me any good. None of the stuff they had me do seemed very hard." Lets get one thing straight people. Corrective exercise isn't fun or sexy, but when prescribed and coached correctly, it works. The hardest part is getting people to believe what you are telling them.

I make it a point to learn as much as I can in my profession. I read at least an hour every day, watch webinars, and attend seminars when I can. It is a point of personal pride for me that my knowledge base exceeds that of most other fitness professionals. As professionals, we often get wrapped up in the fact that our knowledge exceeds that of our clients and patients. We believe that because an individual comes to us for help, they are automatically going to listen to everything we say. Right?

So how to we get people to believe what we say? How to we turn everyone into a cybernetic organism sent back through time with living tissue over metal endoskeleton, that does exactly what we tell them?

Trust.

I've come across the following Theodore Roosevelt quote several times; "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."Our clients have to trust that we have their best interests in mind when we ask them to do anything. They have to believe we care. It goes both ways too. If I believe that my client buys in and will work hard on their own, it motivates me to work even harder to help them. Here are a few ways to build trust:

Be On Time
Nothing pisses me off more than when someone is late for a session. I understand things come up, and once in a while being late is totally excusable, but when someone is consistently showing up at the last minute it tells me they aren't serious about what I'm trying to do for them. The same goes for me. I better on time and ready to begin when they are.

Practice What You Preach
I never ask anyone to do something that I haven't done before. How can you expect anyone to trust you if you can't put down the Nutty Buddies, or do a push up? Nuff' said.

Have a Positive Attitude
Nobody wants to work with a Debbie Downer. I recently saw Martin Rooney speak at a seminar and he said "You can't be at a 2 and expect others to be at a 10". If people are having fun, they are more likely to stick with it and succeed. Trust me, its not easy to get up every morning at 5am and be at the top of your game, but I do my best. Smile, laugh, give out high fives and chest bumps, make some borderline inappropriate jokes, whatever it takes to make it a fun experience for all involved.

Go the Extra Mile
People really appreciate it when you take extra time out of your day to do something for them. It doesn't have to be anything monumental either. I regularly send my clients emails liking articles that I've read that might interest them, Who cares if they don't read it? What matters is you took the time to think of them. I can't tell you how much I appreciate when one of my clients brings in a bottle of wine or batch of cookies for me. These little things show you care.

Take a look at the relationships in your life and ask yourself what you've done to build trust. Are you doing all you can? If not, I challenge you to do better. Practice what you preach, be on time, stay positive, and do a little extra from time to time. I promise it will make a difference!