As a gym owner, personal trainer, or health professional, you’ve already dealt with the principles of behavior change science. A perfect example is: most of your members will start New Year’s resolutions. And a good majority of them will fail on their goals.

Why?

Because they failed to change the behaviors in order to be successful. Instead of focusing on one or two small changes, they focused on the big picture—and didn’t have a clear path to success.

That’s where you come in. As a trainer or even a gym owner, you know how to change a person’s behavior by focusing on the small steps they need to get to the bigger prize. But, in order for them to be successful, you first need to understand where they are in the change process. Once you’ve determined what stage they are in, it’s time to give the proper guidance so they can move closer to their ultimate goal.

In order for you to be successful, you need a basic understanding of the behavior change stages, and how to navigate them.

The stages include:

Pre-Contemplation—the earliest and hardest stage to navigate. In this stage, the person is unaware they have a problem, so they don’t understand how damaging their behavior actually is.

Contemplation—in this stage, people are more aware of their behavior, and how making a change could benefit them.

Preparation—this stage is where they make small changes towards making a big life change. This is the “baby step” stage where a person is making changes, but needs to be motivated to keep going.

Action stage—in this stage, the person is committed to changing and is taking direct action to accomplish their goals. A person will need internal and external motivation to keep moving in the right direction.

Maintenance—during this stage, the client focuses on avoiding the same mistakes they made in the past. This is where they focus on adopting new habits and avoiding temptation.

Relapse—this often happens during any behavior change. Although it may lead to feelings of failure and frustration, it’s important for them to maintain their confidence. Obstacles will happen, but they can’t let them deter them from future success.

If you can help someone make the changes they need to be healthier, then you will ultimately secure a long-term customer and lead generation source.

It’s important to note, however, that behavior change is not just geared to developing healthier habits. It can be an important tool for getting someone to buy your product or service. If they are unaware there is a problem, they won’t look for solutions.

But if you can help them see the problem, and how they can benefit from your services, it may make the process of selling a membership or training package a lot easier.