OUR CONSTITUENCY

I was watching the election coverage on the News last night and listened to all the bright new futures each politician was selling me – but they also offered me pain.

This was followed by a piece on MPs expenses and I realised that this was a sad microcosm of our own world - and every sales environment the length and breadth of the land.

Like prospective Prime Minsters, we promise a ‘bright new you’, but we also warn prospective members/users that “There’s no gain without pain”. Then sometimes, unfortunately it all goes sour because, like politicians, we either ‘misrepresented the truth’, stopped listening, stopped thinking about our constituency or even, started innovating (read legislating) without thinking about what ‘they’ wanted.

Maybe our politicians need a Code of Practice which, like the one developed by us (the FIA), is designed with the end user in mind. Perhaps the House should appoint a team of independent experts (think Active IQ, who have just been appointed to audit, assess and approve our Code of Practice). Or maybe I shouldn’t take my work home with me.

But I do know that we lose sight of our constituency at our peril.

David Stalker
Executive Director
Fitness Industry Association