Respect means that people take you seriously. Nobody wants to be disrespected. How do you gain respect? Be reliable.
I can’t stress this principle enough.
Years ago, when we lived in MD, my wife’s personal trainer from the Healthtrax Gym in Germantown (we’ll call him Jasper) texted her late at night while she was sleeping to let her know he could NOT make their 5AM session. I had already planned to go to the gym with her that early so I was up at 4AM. She woke up at 4:30, saw the text, complained loudly, and went back to bed. I decided to go to the Healthtrax Gym anyway. 5AM is opening time. By 5:15 AM, nobody had unlocked the door. I went home. No time for a workout when I’d have to leave at 5:45 to make my kid’s breakfast.
The personal trainer issue was chronic. Jasper canceled appointments at least 90% of the time. My wife’s routine was constantly interrupted.
Ironically, this was one of the best trainers at the gym. How could he be the best trainer in all of Montgomery County, MD and charge the highest rates?
Simple: Be. Reliable.
How many times have you experienced the following:
- Cable company says they’ll be at your house between 12 and 4 and don’t show.
- Contractor is supposed to finish your bathroom remodel in a week and a month later they aren’t done.
- HVAC technician promises to come and fix the AC unit and is a no-show.
- Employee is supposed to follow up with a customer and doesn’t.
- Volunteers in church ministry show up late or not at all, without warning.
Sadly, we’re becoming a society that accepts mediocrity thus perpetuating the problem. Vendors, suppliers, contractors, and yes, personal trainers will continue to underserve and underperform so long as we don’t complain.
Complaining about it is your job. However, if you provide a service, how reliable are you? com markets itself as a vetting service for contractors and practitioners. Shoddy work is only one issue they check. The other is reliability. For busy people, reliable service sometimes trumps quality service. Sad.
What can you to be taken seriously? Here’s a short list:
- When you say you’ll be someplace at a given time, be there 10 minutes early
- When you say you’ll deliver XYZ services, throw in V and W too!
- When you have a new client or customer, make them feel like they’re your number one priority.
- If you volunteer somewhere, treat that job like your paying job. Don’t bring your worst effort.
Being taken seriously is serious business. Being reliable is the most serious part of all.
What will you do this week to be more reliable?