Vagaro’s iconic.22 Conference Session Recap: How to Keep Your Clients Motivated
Luka Hocevar: Vigor Ground Fitness
Luka Hocevar, the owner of Vigor Ground Fitness, is no stranger to keeping his clients motivated. On September 25, in San Francisco, California, Hocevar spoke at Vagaro’s iconic.22 conference to a room of the industry’s finest. Of course, any fitness professional wants to help their clients achieve their goals & potential, but as Hocevar said:
Hocevar broke down his method into three steps:
- Finding the why
- Celebrating small wins, and
- The Self-Determination Theory
Can we give people motivation? No. But what we can do is unlock motivation and help people be self-motivated.
Helping clients verbalize or identify their reason for committing to their fitness allows them to clearly define what they want to get out of the program.
It’s important to break big goals down into actionable steps & behaviors. Shining a spotlight on small wins can yield big results. Tracking these small wins and milestones makes a client feel like they are making progress. Small goals break larger goals into digestible chunks, and clients will see their successes as evidence of their competence.
“They have to believe that they’ll be able to do it,” Hocevar said. When clients feel they are successful, they’re more likely to remain committed, even on the days when they have no motivation, because motivation is unreliable.
If you let motivation be the driver of your behaviors, you’re not going to be successful because motivation is fleeting.
Instead, commitment and drive are vital to achieving goals.
Finally, Hocevar touched on the Self-Determination Theory and what people need to determine their path: confidence, connection & autonomy. All are nurtured through the client-trainer relationship and can help clients stay committed to their fitness goals, even when things are difficult.
Luka Hocevar was just one of the many incredible speakers at Vagaro’s inaugural conference.