Hey, it’s Benjamin Ballinger here with 2BFit Personal Training and Nutrition out in Orange County.

I asked Big Chris if I could write a guest post for him on a subject that bugs the crap out of me that I see everywhere I look. Now, it’s not just in the fitness industry—anywhere you find business of any sort you find this nonsense, and have since the beginning of commercial society—but it seems to be even MORE prevalent in our industry than in most others.

I’m talking about being that snake-oil salesman that everyone hates. The girl or guy who makes impossible promises  like “develop abs like Jay Cutler’s in 35 seconds by shaking a phallus-shaped plastic toy around” and peddles some crappy supplement/service that does nothing for a client but waste their time and money… you know the type.

The fitness industry has a steep learning curve because it’s so difficult for the layperson to develop an understanding of fitness and nutrition. This is similar to the automotive and financial industries—which also tend to attract a lot of sleazy, salesy types. This isn’t a coincidence—there’s a big opportunity for unscrupulous business people to take advantage of the ignorant masses because of this learning curve.

However, it’s important to remember that although our prospects and clients might be FOOLISH, and might initially fall for lies due to their ignorance, they aren’t STUPID. If we promise them something and don’t come anywhere near to meeting those promises, or if we buy an ionic detoxification foot bath to “help” our clients “cleanse their bodies through their feet” then eventually these people are going to wise up and call us out on our bullshit.

With Yelp, Google Places, Citysearch and the plethora of other review sites all over the internet, along with the ever-increasing relevance of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, a client’s bad experience caused by shady business tactics can spread like wild fire. If a trainer gets a couple (or a buttload) of these complaints, it will probably spell the end of their business, and rightfully so.

You also need to keep in mind, that many of these shady tactics can be downright dangerous. This is particularly true of the various nutritional scams out there, such as all the tainted supplements and masked pro-hormones and all the other crap… stuff that’s on the market today, and banned tomorrow. While you may think you’ll be able to sneakily disassociate yourself from the product once shit hits the fan, the fact is people are going to remember that you were pushing it and now you’ve just lot a lot of credibility in their eyes. Resist the urge to promote something without doing ample research on it first, or it can come back to bite you.

It’s our obligation, duty and life purpose as personal trainers to HELP people. That’s the reason I got into this industry, and I know that’s why you did too. We have a powerful position as the expert in the field of health and wellness within our respective communities… don’t abuse that position, because it won’t just affect you, it will affect everyone. More and more people will become suspicious of personal trainers and might close themselves off to a potentially life-saving (and certainly a life-improving) decision. Can you imagine what our industry would be like if everyone thought of trainers the way that they think of used car salesmen?

There are so many multilevel marketing “opportunities” that come knocking on our door every day and other people in the field of health and wellness who are already hard at work being as full of shit as possible, that it’s surprisingly easy to become desensitized to the nonsense or even start subconsciously buying into it. To ensure that you don’t suddenly find yourself being the very business person you despise, my advice is to always ask yourself, “Would I appreciate this as a client?” before making any major business decisions.

If you’re feeling uneasy about moving forward, then you should probably look for an alternative strategy that is more in line with your values and ethics as a health professional.

Put out good energy, it will return to you, period.. Choosing to be ethical and honest in your business practices even if it means missing out on opportunities to temporarily cash in at the expense of your clients is going to ensure your legitimacy, longevity, and ultimately your true success in this industry.

Besides all that, it makes life a lot more enjoyable if we can look ourselves in the mirror and honestly say that we provide substantial benefit to those around us. In the words of 7FigureSam, “Never sell out and always keep it REAL.”

Benjamin Ballinger owns 2BFit, Newport Beach Personal Training and CORE Condition, an athletic boot camp in Costa Mesa.