I want to preface by saying the exact time/place a person realizes they need a fitness coach isn't necessarily an exact moment, or physical place. It's often characterized by life experiences, and can be an on going need they are aware of before they decide to take action.
a) My first interviewee is someone who needs fitness coaching because she can't lose weight on her own, and doesn't know what to do.
Need awareness:This person realized their need for a fitness coach when she realized the 2017 was coming to an end and she had gained 20 lbs and felt hopeless/lost about what to do next.
Information search: The first thing this person did after realizing their need was go o the internet. She googled things like "gyms in Gainesville," "personal training," "workout plans," "diet to lose 20 lbs."In addition, she spoke with friends and family in the area who could share their experiences/opinions about what worked for them. She said she typically follows diets her mom has used and found successful.
b) My second interviewee is someone who needs fitness coaching because she isn't able to motivate herself to get it done and stay accountable.
Need awareness: This person became aware of her need when she was in the gym, and wanted to go home, was finding herself distracted and unmotivated to exercise, and when she would snooze her alarm and blow of her workouts.
Information search: This person went to social media and looked for fitness trainers in the area, as well as fitness inspiration. In addition she talked to her friend about their personal training experiences. She says her friend referred her to her current personal trainer (& the friend found the trainer through social media).
c) My third interviewee is someone who needs a fitness coach to help him get ready for a bodybuilding competition.
Need awareness: This person became aware of his need when he decided he wanted to compete in his second competition. He had competed once before and didn't do as well as he wanted to, so he knew the next time around he would need to hire a coach.
Information search: This person spoke to his friends. He said he was friends with someone who coached people, so he asked that person to coach him. He had become friends with this person because they worked out at the same gym.
Conclusion: In conclusion I realized how important word of mouth still is. With that, it is also important what kind of service/experience you provide someone because that is what they are going to tell others about. In addition, the internet and social media play a huge role in people seeking out information regarding their needs.
Hi Megan! It seems as though you have a variety of people with different goals, but with the same need for a fitness coach. Although it could be challenging, it must be exciting to see the opportunities you have to satisfy people’s needs for their fitness journey. Sometimes, especially in this social media driven society, we forget the importance of the “word of mouth.” Once you have a loyal customer, that already is a huge step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your findings that word of mouth is still very important. I thought that the majority of information search would be through the internet. Which it is in many ways, through blogs, reviews, etc. But it seems like word of mouth is still the dominant form of information when making a tough decision in our own lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your conclusion that word of mouth is very important, as people tend to forget this in today's internet age. Personal fitness and weight loss are things people are definitely going to share with others if they are proud of their results, which is free advertisement for you. Also, social media is obviously a very important marketing tool today.
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