Operation Client Love

When you are charging $200+ dollars a month for a fitness service, consumers have high expectations. In many cases, getting them weight-loss results isn’t enough. It has become difficult for small gym businesses to compete not only with big box gyms, but also the national luxury fitness chains that have recently taken off in popularity. Fit Tribe doesn’t operate out of multi-story warehouse spaces, so there is little opportunity for high-end changing rooms and decadent juice bars. Instead, owner Jesse’s idea of delivering value to members is simple: Operation Client Love. Every few months, the business will treat members to something special to show that we care and go above and beyond their average gym. I was tasked with launching this project, figuring out logistical details and execution.

After deciding that we wanted to send clients a little present via direct mail, I contributed by leading brainstorming sessions to narrow down the gift of choice. I had to navigate balancing price points, practicality of the item, ease of shipping, and other factors all while making sure no one felt their ideas were unappreciated. My insights into leadership helped me maintain a positive group morale during brainstorming, knowing that a single negative coach could cause others to become less engaged, self-conscious, or withdrawn which would decrease productivity. Since this project had little to do with fitness, I also had to tie in aspects of inspirational vision. I illustrated why this project should be important to the coaches and how it would benefit the customer experience and thus, the work environment. Once the group decided on branded headbands for Operation Client Love, my leadership knowledge helped me delegate effectively to each person’s strengths, which progressed the project quickly. It required personalized knowledge about each coach’s skills, attitudes, and who they worked best with. Coaches who enjoyed writing were assigned to making cards while those who were more visually creative chose the headband logo design and color. The remaining coaches who needed more direction and structure or those who were less willing to participate were assigned compiling addresses and addressing envelopes.

Working together, the Operation Client Love process took a week from start to finish, including designing, ordering, and shipping the headbands to members. Not only do I believe my contributions made a difference in the lives of the clients, who were overjoyed to receive a mail package they weren’t expecting, I think it impacted Fit Tribe coach morale. They were able to extend their skills outside of health and fitness and see their efforts result in a completed project. When the headbands arrived and they saw members begin to wear them, I could tell certain coaches were proud. They had gained confidence in non-fitness related work from the experience, in addition to having a cooperative teamwork experience to base future projects on.