Dave and Andy opened their gym, Elevate Triathlon Training, a year ago. Both are active triathletes and they found that many fitness trainers, although good at giving patrons a healthy workout, were unaware of the special needs of endurance athletes such as those training for Ironman competitions. Workouts for triathletes are a lot different from what bodybuilders do.
Business was slow for the first few months but grew on the basis of word of mouth within the growing community of triathletes. As they became more well known and the business grew, Elevate began to sponsor minitriathlons (held indoors during the winter months) and to participate in race Expos at local races.
Probes
1. What perceived values seems to be causing Patrick to drop his membership?
2. How does the lack of responsiveness to customer input reflect missed opportunities for creating A-plus value?
3. What could Dave and Andy do to build feelings of engagement with their customers using the kinds of ideas discussed in this chapter?