The Business of Boutique Fitness
269: The Alpha Phi Effect: How Kindness Can Turn Hard To Please Clients Into Evangelists
The Golden Rule.
Kill ‘em with kindness.
Or, as I always heard growing up in the South, “you attract more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.”
Whatever your phraseology, it all boils down to being nice.
Of course, as a business owner, it feels like common sense that we would be kind to our customers, yet it doesn’t require deep digging to find negative reviews in a flash, so clearly, some business leaders aren’t quite getting the memo.
But as Niki Riga, Studio Grow coach and owner of Flex Fusion Studios put it, it’s better to be killing with kindness instead of killing your business because negativity spreads like wildfire, especially online.
Today I’ve got Niki at the microphone as she teaches us all about what it means to go above and beyond with kindness (something she calls the Alpha Phi Effect that she learned back in her sorority days) that leaves both parties feeling good and happy, even when the situation feels a little sticky.
If you find yourself feeling the pressure to be a “yes woman” to try to appease everyone, this is for you.
If you have a studio that has garnered even one so-so review from a client claiming they weren’t treated nicely, this is for you.
And if you fear having boundaries and policies makes you seem “not nice” or “mean” or “non-understanding,” this is for you.
Because being kind is in fact, all about holding firm your boundaries so you can benefit your business, your bottom line, and not bruise any egos in the process.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- How Niki realized she needed to change her “yes” behavior and act like a business instead of an expensive charity
- What is the Alpha Phi Effect and how you can apply it to a variety of scenarios in your studio
- Why the concept and practice of kindness needs to be embedded into your studio’s culture and steps you can take to make that happen
- How policies actually give you room to be kind, understanding and give you greater freedom than being a “yes person”
With grit and gratitude,
Lise