My friend Greg Hurst, the Commander-In-Chief of the Australian Institute of Fitness, describes A Current Affair as tabloid TV and if they want to interview you then:
- You have done something wrong by the consumer; or
- They want you to be scurrilous about a supplier.
Last week, the wonderful TV show aired the periodic warning about joining a fitness centre. If you missed it, the scenario is the same: gyms are more worried about money than the clients. The difference perhaps was the main characters!
This story featured two ‘industry insiders’ blowing the whistle on the industry sales tactics: Rowena McEvoy and Blake Fitzgerald. If you missed it click here.
You could probably guess I was not super happy nor impressed with these two! In fact, I saw it as just an opportunity to boost their personal brand and get 5 minutes of fame. And for their sake I hope they both got heaps of work because I would now charge them with treason!
I could blog and challenge what they said. I could bring up Rowena’s sales tactics in her business. I could even question their respective experience in running fitness facilities. Or even wonder how this interview helped Rowena achieve her personal vision “to positively change the health and fitness world.”
But I will not lower myself to challenge Blake or Rowena’s credibility as ‘industry experts.’
Rather, I throw the challenge to Fitness Australia to publicly charge these two with treason. I know it has never been done before and in fact many may not know what treason is but we need an example made and if you want to pop your head up, then expect it to could be cut off!
Wikipedia define treason as “the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of betrayal of one’s sovereign or nation.” So yeah it is a stretch but let’s be honest, they have betrayed their industry.
I am the first person to stand up and say (shout if required) the fitness industry is not perfect. We can improve so many aspects of our business like many other industries can too. In the last 20 years, I have seen incredible improvements in the way the fitness industry operates. And agreed that there are areas we can improve.
But work from inside the industry to improve and don’t go on national TV to boost your own ego and air our dirty laundry.
In a country, where obesity is on the rise and exercise is the only solution to permanently change the trend and the key to reducing the health care costs is to get people more active, they (Aussies) do not need any encouragement not to exercise.
For many, the safest place to exercise is under the supervision of qualified fitness professionals which they will find at a gym.
So Rowena & Blake, as you bask in your glory and re-watch your segment every day and think you did great, I challenge that you actually did more harm than good. I challenge that you placed doubt in thousands of people’s minds about joining a gym and improving their life.
Perhaps, next time you have an opportunity to follow your dream and passion to get people more active and improve the fitness industry, you do so from within.
Leave your ego at the door. Get involved with Fitness Australia. Come in and help refine what the industry from the inside.
In the mean time, please face a trial of treason and a jury of your peers.
How do you plead?
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Linda
I couldn’t agree more Justin, we don’t need to give the sedentary public any more reason or motivation not to exercise, join gyms & invest in personal training.
The fitness industry suffers when yet another segment like this goes to air. Rowena has a very public way of giving back to the industry don’t you think? I can also understand the Personal Trainer’s frustration however he’s not helping solve the problem.
I believe that if something is upsetting you so much and you feel so passionate about it, then do something that’s both positive and productive for the industry to help create that change. Both Rowena and PT know very well that A Current Affairs was never going to be such solution.
Jamie Hayes
Of course its really tempting when the TV producer calls offering you 15 minutes of fame on national TV – to “position” you as an expert or to give you an opportunity to push your business with a link at the bottom of the story.
Isn’t it a strange irony that Rowena’s company trains fitness leaders and the company that fitness model Blake works for prides itself on not employing instructors?
They both let themselves be pawns to the TV show. Was it ego, naivety, or simply business opportunism?
But the show is a symptom that “full service” fitness industry has new competition in the form of low cost fitness clubs that have “unbundled” service and use of facilities. If you want instruction, you pay a trainer like fitness model Blake. (http://fitnessmodels.ning.com/photo/off-season?xg_source=activity)
It is a real warning for organisations that have sales teams, to ensure that they are careful what they say to whom, and review their sales practices to ensure that they can sell with integrity. Manipulation is passe. Selling should be serving, helping people develop a realistic plan and then passing them on to the fitness professional. Consumers are more savvy about old fashioned sales practices and can shop around using the internet.
The story was probably created from a call from Blake’s company (that I do not wish to publicise) with a story line like “the fitness industry is ripping people off”.
But we can hit back with positive stories about how exercise is changing lives. The same TV show have run these in the past. It is all about the hook on the story idea you send them. Its got to be sexy!
So this throws a challenge to the industry to justify your sales personel, your gym floor supervisors and pricing and contract processes, to ensure that you don’t suffer under this new competition.
Much of the new competition is from “investors” who have no fitness experience but follow a proven franchised way of making money out of fitness. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you do no harm – but be warned, they are after your market! I’m a franchisor and I’m proud to say that members at our centres have now lost over 100,000 kilos!
Get busy!
Jamie
PS We ain’t selling heroin. We change lives.
Sean Corbet
Now that they have had there say, I wonder if either of these pair would like to stand in front of their peers at filex and then listen to what we have to say?
darren s
Unfortunately this type of sensationalised tabloid media targets directly the people that need the guidance of a fitness centre and personal training. Those who watch this rubbish have less opportunity to decipher ‘the truth’ from what was really two individuals only thinking about their own well-being (no-body elses) and a show trying to generate ratings.
Dave Owen
Summed up perfectly JT!
Yes there are some repeat offenders in our industry but to tarnish us all for your own 15mins of fame…not on!!
There are much better, positive ways to create change.
Lauretta Stace
Rowena has been invited to Fitness Australia’s Industry Forum on 22 October 2010 in Melbourne and has accepted the invitation to attend. This is a great opportunity to have the industry come together to discuss issues (like industry reputation) and how best to make strategic changes to what the industry does and how to manage public perceptions without using the tabloid media who just want to exploit people to make cheap shots and get ratings. Fitness Australia is facilitating a discussion on industry reputation and risk, with key experts in the field. Come along and join in these important discussions.
http://www.fitness.org.au/42108.html
Sue Ramsay
Don’t get too upset guys, these programs are purely rating performance driven as the networks fight with each other to see who is the best. Who cares, cheap tabloid TV how many stupid, mostly untrue stories do you see every night on these current affairs programs. These two obviously were offered some form of renumeration for their story and they are entitled to their opinion as is everyone however, I do not believe in slamming the fitness industry there are many good people working towards a fitter healthier Australia.
Chris Bakens
I am disappointed that so many people in our industry are ready to hang their piers out to dry. I applaud Fitness Austalia for putting together an industry forum and trust that it is because they were already going to do it, and not because of some “bad press”. WAKE UP FITNESS LEADERS”…we are all responsible for this mess that our industry is in. Stop looking to lay blame on a few and see what we can do to make changes to public perception (Improve gym retention for a start). I urge anyone going to the forum to not bring complaints or frustrations, but to come along with some cutting edge ideas of what we can do about changing public perceptions of us. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and make changes Fitness leaders. (and leave your hanging noose at home)
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Rebecca
Just because we’re all part of the same industry doesn’t mean we need to support dodgy operators. If fitness centres and PTs are doing the right thing and conducting their business and training sessions with integrity and professionalism, then they have nothing to fear from this type of story. Obviously ACA is after sensationalism over substance but the fact that this sort of behaviour was exposed in even one gym is disappointing for our industry and those doing the right thing. Doesn’t matter who “blew the whistle”.
Perhaps it’s just a timely reminder for everyone to continually question their operating standards and strive for integrity.
Clinton Barker
I too am upset by how the big Fitness chains and some poorly run Fitness centers operate as the general public label everyone the same but this program will not help anyone. The general public usually want a fantastic service at the cheapest price possible then complain if the Fitness center goes broke and they lost some money. I am very despondent about this industry and sick of the constant customer wanting everything for nothing. If an inquiry was held into why Fitness centers use sales tactics then the public might understand but this is useless while the general public cannot value the service the Fitness centers offer.
I have always said that an tax incentive needs to given to people that attend an accredited Fitness regularly over a 12 month period. Lets try and keep people out of Hospital.
Also Rowena was associated with( or still is) a training organization that churned out lots of Kids with rose colored glasses on and very poor abilities into the industry and now wants to criticizes them in the work place?