Certificates? Seriously? What, are we in 3rd grade? 😂
There are 6 needs in Human Needs Psychology:
Certainty, Variety, Significance, Love/Connection, Growth, and Contribution.
These are universal. To feel fulfilled at the deepest levels, everyone must meet them.
From a business standpoint, the more we help others meet these needs, the more successful we will be.
A business like a gym -- that has many personal, in-person touch points -- provides a unique opportunity to meet each and every one of those 6 needs … depending on the person and the systems in place.
The goal is to consistently produce powerful moments that fulfill as many needs as possible for our members.
In "The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact," authors Chip and Dan Heath define the concept of moments:
brief and powerful experiences that can have a lasting impact on individuals and organizations.
For Level Method gyms, this book is foundational reading. But as a reminder…
Some important qualities of powerful moments are that they:
- Stand out from the ordinary.
- Produce feelings of pride, elevation or insight.
- Help create long-term change, or strengthen relationships and connections.
- Can be created by intentionally designing and curating experiences that will have a meaningful impact, and further amplified by adding additional meaning, choice, surprise or connection.
By focusing on these fundamentals, you’ll create more powerful moments for your members, and you'll meet more needs at higher levels.
One of the biggest opportunities for these moments is when someone Levels Up – and it’s easy to snap a “success shot” for social media, using a Level Up Whiteboard. If you don’t have one, you can easily memorialize any PR or other success on a regular whiteboard -- you and your client proudly standing next to it. This provides (that needed) immediate gratification -- very important.
But if it's an OVERALL Level Up, you should PRINT the certificate, perhaps even professionally -- you can get a lot for a certificate that costs a dollar in total. And you should announce it in your next class. This 1) stands out, 2) creates pride, 3) strengthens your relationship with the client and 4) adds an element of surprise. This is a designed experience that you can refine and repeat.
Plus, in today's world physical artifacts – pictures, momentoes … THINGS – are far less common than they once were. An email with an attached PDF is much different than being presented a Badass Certificate in class, with peers to see -- smiles, laughter, cheers, hugs and fistbumps.
No one is walking around showing off the PDF certificate on their phone… but they ARE hanging up their certificates and showing their friends. People won’t throw it away! It will remain a tangible reminder, a conversation starter in your client’s world, maybe in a frame on an office wall – we’ve seen them fridges, walls at work, lockers… the list goes on. People pay for professional certifications. They apply for certificates of marriage, licenses, this is built into our psyche and society. It stands as proof and acknowledgement.
They are proud of their accomplishments and printing out their certificates for them allows you to be an integral part in their continued motivation and success!
So, in summary:
- Don’t skip the fundamentals.
- Dial in your systems and be consistent.
- Systematically build unforgettable, powerful moments into your clients’ experience.
- Print certificates, and award them with ceremony.
