Did you know the majority of people make their judgment about you in the first few minutes they meet you? They subconsciously assess your body language, tone of voice, dialect and verbiage to determine if you know what you’re talking about and if you’re someone they may connect with. The same happens when a new family walks into your gym for the first time.
Last year we had a popcorn party with our tiny novice team. You’d think we were newbies in our first season! I allowed 5-year-olds to sit at a small table in the lobby eating popcorn and playing games. At the time, I wasn’t thinking much of it other than that it was going to be a hassle to clean up later on. What I really didn’t expect was that their parents didn’t help with the clean up. So, as the front desk hit its peak hour of chaos – usually around 6-6:30 p.m., the mess sat there. The table had popcorn crumbles and the floor had full pieces, many of which had been stepped on and smashed into the carpet by passersby.
I was coaching at the time, and had passed the mess once on my way to the bathroom. My front desk was obviously busy, so again – I didn’t think much of it other than, “We’re never doing a popcorn party again.”
About 30 minutes later, the front desk was still hopping and both front desk associates were still actively answering phones and helping customers. I went back up to the front for a water bottle and that’s when I saw it. A family who was in for their first trial class and tour of the gym was eyeing the mess and already beginning to make their judgments. I can’t blame them. When I walk in a virtually empty Chipotle and every table is dirty, I judge them as well.
I could see dissatisfaction and even a bit of concern on their faces. Cleanliness matters – especially in a post-COVID world where we tout our ability to sanitize surfaces. I immediately stopped what I was doing and grabbed the vacuum to clean up the mess. The assistant coach on my team would have to take over while I helped with the mess. Once I was done, I actually was going to intentionally help the family myself so I could casually mention we just had a popcorn party with preschoolers. Instead, they had just finished their tour and were heading out into class. I was disappointed I missed the window, but thought saying anything at this point would call out their obvious dissatisfaction and may embarrass them.
So I didn’t.
A few days later, their first-time class survey came in. They marked us as below average on facility cleanliness. I emailed back letting them know I totally agreed in that moment and we should have had the mess cleaned up sooner.
It was embarrassing, but totally understandable to anyone who had been there in the moment. Nevertheless, that’s how the family first viewed our facility. They thought we were dirty! They lacked grace because they didn’t know anything different than dirty tables and floors filled with popcorn crumbles. I can’t blame them.
I spent the next three weeks building a relationship with them because I realized one of the most important things we pride ourselves on hadn’t come to fruition. I touted our gym’s cleanliness, and I couldn’t live up to it.
Sometimes you’re not going to win. Circumstances will take over, and no matter how great you are 99 percent of the time, the 1 percent will win out. Don’t let that 1 percent get you. Learn something and come back from it with more determination and even better processes than before.
