Phil Faris: And they grab them.
Chris: … And it’s a rectangle, and we are worried they are going to grab them or poke themselves or scratch themselves,” so we found round ones that fit on nicely that can’t be pulled off. They didn’t agree with our policy. We had a great open discussion about it, and I do not work in the trenches in childcare so that I would not have known. The third is, they don’t know how. That means we have not coached enough. We believe in positive coaching.
I believe in leading by example. For example, we train our staff to answer the phone, “It’s a great day at Stevenson Fitness! This is Chris. How can I help you?” For example, if I hear one of my staff say, “Thank you for calling Stevenson Fitness,” I will then, as soon as they are done, coach them at the moment because, if you let it slide …
Phil Faris: You will not remember it.
Chris: … Too much time is there, and other people might hear that and not see me coach it, and they are like, “Oh, it must be okay,” so we want to set the example. I will say, “Hey, I appreciate that you answered the phone. The energy was good, but here’s what we are looking for. You are going to say, “It’s a great day at Stevenson Fitness! Then, you are going to offer your name. How can I help you,” and then I explain the reason behind it, so I will say, “It’s because it differentiates us. Other gyms do not answer the phone that way. It is the first impression. You want that high energy, positive first impression. It is going to make a difference.”
Then, I will say, “Let me take the next call and show you,” so I’m going to lead by example. Then, we are going to role play it. Then, the phone will ring, and I will say, “Okay, now you take the call, and you go ahead and answer it.” We believe in constant daily coaching.
We have a calendar of themes, important things throughout the year. Each month, there’s a different focus, so maybe it is introducing, inviting, or these different things. We break it down weekly, we over-communicate, and it just becomes a part of our culture. Then, we recognize great accomplishments, too, and we always tie it to the great behavior so, if I see somebody on the floor who’s doing the FORD and getting to know somebody and focusing the name, then I will put it on our private Facebook and go, “Hey! Today, I saw Phil on the floor with a new member, and he was using our core value, build real relationships,” so we tie it back to the stuff that we say is important.
Phil Faris: That was awesome Chris, thanks for sharing your insights, passion, and experiences.
Chris: My pleasure.
To contact Chris or learn more about Stevenson Fitness go to http://www.stevensonfitness.com
