As any of my clients will tell you, my consultative approach always starts with a lot of questions with many focusing on goals and success criteria. We discuss what the problems have been, what has been done to rectify them and agree how we can create a happy client.

As a trained consultant, I have the advantage of knowing what is most important in any client relationship. It’s not the amount of knowledge I impart. It’s not even the results and pounds of fat lost or muscle gained. It’s happiness. A happy client is the ultimate goal for any working relationship and you must never believe it is anything else. A happy client will be happy with the progress and results they are achieving, and will ideally continue to use your services to further progress. Often your client will no longer require your services and is content with their results, and in this case a happy client will likely refer more business to you and be happy to associate themselves with your good work.

Is this actually helping?

For some people however, it is the teaching process itself that becomes more important than the client’s happiness. Think of the times you’ve spoken to a customer services agent on the phone that follows a long and painful script to sell you something you don’t need, rather than just asking how they can genuinely be of help.

Think how many times you’ve walked out of a gym or a GP’s surgery and thought how that trainer or doctor was just “going through the motions” of their routine and not focusing on what it really was that you wanted.

This difference in focus is ultimately a quality issue, and the better quality service provider is always preferable.

In a corporate environment focusing on Business-to-Business or Business-to-Consumer, this quality issue usually creates a strong market with competing organisations with their different price points and service offerings. And whilst competition is usually fierce, there is a strong level of respect for each other’s capability, threat and personnel.

In my experience the fitness industry is a very different world. It has a very much more personal approach to doing business, with most interactions being between individual trainers/advisers/coaches (often self-employed) and their clients. (I’m excluding gym businesses from this conversation as they don’t really provide a service, but instead provide a facility to engage in activity). These days most trainers will have their own brand/identity, a website, a Facebook site and definitely a Twitter profile. To add to that there is a personality profile that will be individual sports specific, i.e. one that is predominantly focused on individual success, strength, vanity and in turn a certain level of ego. And what may seem surprising for many outsiders is the commonality of highly intelligent and highly technical people working in the industry. Combine all of this and the type of competition you will see becomes completely polarised. Trainers will be happy to work together, pass on clients to area specialists and recognise the talents, experience and success of their peers; all despite these trainers being competitors on paper. At other times, sadly, trainers simply look beyond this and negatively judge their peers based on their differing approach.

Sadly becoming all too common.

This approach based critique is especially evident at the more technical end of the industry, covering all topics including metabolism, diet, supplementation and training regimens. Healthy debate is one thing, but at present there is a level of bitterness and attack that is clouding the once well intended pursuit of truth. The Internet is the perfect medium for this, especially via Facebook and Twitter. The relative safety of sitting behind a keyboard is a significant advantage when one would ordinarily have to argue face-to-face with a 300 pound powerlifter. The age of the keyboard warrior is very much upon us, as is the belief that detail, science and methodology are what is important. Going back to the client, the truth/the why/the science, are all not of primary concern. Happiness is the priority, for which results and relationship are the main driver.

If you’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of reading about some of the rude and disrespectful practices that have been occurring recently, you’ll know that this is fortunately only arising from the same small pool of individuals. Mostly well educated, mostly with good physiques and sporting prowess, but rarely with good manners or a respectful approach to working with their peers. The actual quality of their technical understanding and interpretation of their precious studies is for others to write about. (Expect to see an article from Nick Mitchell on this any day.) We all have different opinions on the correct process or the underpinning facts, but if we all recognise each other’s successes then surely we can recognise the value that they bring? For me personally I see little science behind acupuncture but its results are impressive, so who am I to denigrate it? Even placebos work.

Going back to the client, their happiness is intangible and can be judged on a short, medium and long term basis. And this happiness is ultimately a perception, a judgement of one’s progress against goals and an analysis of the adviser’s value for money. People often misunderstand the concept of “value”, thinking it means “cost”. Value is actually a judgement of cost AND quality, with quality often a judgement of progress and results. In turn, the cost of an adviser is somewhat irrelevant without consideration of value. A £10 per hour trainer would offer little value if they deliver no results. Equally, a £1,000 session with a life coach might be a superb investment if it empowers you to achieve the pay rise and six pack.

So how do we judge an adviser, trainer, consultant or coach before we sign up to their services? Ultimately it has to come down to credibility, which again is a judgement of their track record to deliver happiness. If you consider other services and products that you purchase, it still comes down to credibility and track record. You buy a Coke because you know it always tastes the same and always tastes good. You choose the local ISP because you know their price point is low, their phone support is great and it’s a commodity product. It doesn’t really matter how they provide their services to you or what gimmicks and justifications they use to sell you the products, as long as you think that what they offer is credible and that it will make you a happy customer.

I do recognise that many people are attracted by the detail of things. Some people love the science, the justification, the research and the “proof” that the advice is completely correct. And whilst I believe this is a little naive when applied to the new field of fitness and nutrition, I understand the importance of giving people what they want and there are certainly people out there to provide this. I just urge people to focus on what WILL make them happy rather than what they think SHOULD make them happy.

Whilst I love the nutrition and fitness industries and the predominance of truly excellent people that occupy them, I am hugely disappointed by those seeking to “call out” others and shouting “bro-science!” at everything they disagree with. Yes, the knowingly fraudulent and disreputable should be named and shamed, but beyond that I am a huge advocate of “live and let live”. People should mind their own business, be respectful of others and their credibility, and focus solely on the happiness of their clients.