Reframing the Role of the Personal Trainer.

” Friction is the enemy of an effective slide” Roger Dooley Persuasion Slide.

More often than not, something will “interfere” with motivation and engagement when they turn up at the workout session today. This I will call friction. I want to make it as easy as possible for this person to interact with, and enjoy the workout today. I want them to leave as a happy customer, and encourage them to come back. So, my goal then is to remove as much friction as possible.

In this article, I want to highlight friction and its effects on motivation and engagement.

I first came across this notion of friction in Roger Dooley’s book “The Persuasion Slide”, and thought it was appropriate to what I was aiming for in my practice as a coach. In his book, Dooley uses a playground slide as a metaphor to explain ( and visualise ) the friction a customer faces when arriving at the check-out process of your web site. It visualises reasons why a customer may not be motivated, once they have arrived at your web site, to explore further what you have to sell, reach the check-out and want to leave with their purchase, encounter problems with the check-out process, lose the motivation to complete the check-out, eventually leaving without having bought anything. Result, an unhappy customer!

‘ Friction represents difficulty, both real and imagined’. Roger Dooley Persuasion Slide.

Friction, as illustrated by the concept of a customer stuck halfway down the slide, prompts a critical question: “What could impede the client/player from enjoying this workout, and how can I facilitate their journey to the bottom of the slide?” This incorporates identifying obstacles to motivation and engagement, thus guiding the design of effective solutions. By drawing insights from Dooley’s friction, it serves as a tool for problem-solving, allowing for proactive identification and resolution of motivational challenges. Furthermore, the concept aids in creating a frictionless session experience, emphasizing the need to acknowledge individual needs and identities, and offering solutions to minimize friction by addressing customer uncertainty and meeting their specific requirements.