It's All About Trust

When there are several groups of people interacting to create a product, that chain that connects all their actions only needs one link to break for the entire process to become ineffective. In the tennis industry, from the consumer right up to the organizations that run the industry, there is a chain that exists that is at best very fragile. As a result of the many different sections that exist and the fact that they seldom gather to interact, they must rely heavily on trust to sustain a quality product.  

The original idea of having sections was based on the fact that various parts of this country had different needs and weather conditions, so by carving up the country’s tennis regions, those sections were at liberty to meet specific demands and fashion their politics to better conform with their demographics. It was the right approach many years ago, but maybe not so practical in these times when there needs to be a more universal voice. Especially with so many businesses and clubs seeking to increase their revenue by capitalizing on the industry’s leaders promoting programs and events to attract more new players. So, it is safe to say, that our fragile connectivity is a chain with many weak links that remain vulnerable.

In the case of the tennis-teaching industry, we start with the consumer, who assumes that when they sign up for a tennis lesson, the person they have contracted has been properly vetted by those who have hired that person. They expect that this hire has proper certification and a fair amount of experience. New students should never have any doubt about the qualifications of who is about to teach them the game of tennis. For that reason, they seldom question or ask if that teaching pro is qualified for their job. They most likely have made their choice of an instructor based on a reference from a friend or someone they know who is involved with tennis. Just like in most instructional professions, they expect that every coach has had a complete background check, proper certification, and a history of both learning and teaching, and these days, very important that they have been certified with a child safety organization. That’s now common practice with all trades and professions that interact with the public. This is why over time, with the help of these overseeing organizations, those educators in tennis became so respected that they were referred to as Tennis Professionals.

Over the years that status has been challenged, mostly because there have been many new teaching pros acquiring a position at a facility based on their playing skills and being able to display an energetic, enthusiastic approach to this career. No formal education or training is needed, just players that have chosen this occupation and feel confident that they can do the job, and in fairness many of those coaches do very well.

But for many years, despite that alternative method of entry, tennis coaching organizations have managed to carry on the tradition of educating and qualifying any aspiring tennis teacher to meet a standard. The result of this has been a trust by many students, and also by many tennis facilities, that they could rest assured that those who have been certified and educated in every aspect of the game, would represent their facility and help grow their business.  

Here is where that important link may have been broken. Unfortunately, it has become a challenge for many of these certified tennis pros to continue to trust those organizations because they failed to see the importance of promoting the general tennis public about their product… a well-qualified tennis instructor…a Tennis Professional. In fairness, they have been successful in educating and providing ongoing information for their members. They have even made great gains in securing testing to ensure a safe environment for all students, especially children. But at the end of the day, the new tennis students, the consumers, especially those just getting into the game, have no idea that all this work and preparation is being conducted. This includes many facilities and club owners, who are surprisingly not aware of the education and training that the major tennis teacher’s organizations have provided. There is little, or no promotion or advertising to help send out this important message. The USTA promotes its league programs and tries to enhance participation by showing how great tennis is for everyone. But again, no mention of the importance and significance of finding how and where to contact a quality certified tennis pro.

Even many insurance companies no longer ask of their clients that own or run tennis facilities, for certification or qualifications of their tennis pros. They only require this when those hired are independent contractors. But now that many of the tennis pros have become employees, the insurance companies just see them as other employees working at a tennis facility and therefore covered under the umbrella of the policy.

The bottom line is, that just as the student needs to trust their instructors, the instructors need to know that their organizations, which they pay yearly dues for having a membership, also can be trusted. Trust is created by a reciprocal relationship, which is, “I join your team, pay dues, take classes, and attend conferences, and you inform the general public that I should be the tennis pro of their choice for all the above reasons.” Putting up a plaque on the wall showing a pros certification is not going to be seen by the general public. In addition, most pros are too busy to promote themselves and really find that task contrary to the status of being a qualified tennis pro. If these organizations just ran a few ads during any of the majors, or in conjunction with any media featuring tennis, that action is far more likely to reach the right market. They could create a poster stating the Ten Commandments of a Tennis Pro to be posted at their facility. Those gestures would be a huge step in the right direction for the tennis pro to trust their organization. And maybe more important, feel that their membership has real value.

We all know that the tennis instructional institution is fragmented, and appears to becoming even more so. It seems obvious, that the institution that can create the strongest image through proper advertising and promotion, will have a strong leg up in the recruitment and sustaining of new members. As it stands now, the lack of media exposure, especially in a time of tremendous access via the internet, has resulted in a loss of trust, but it could easily be rebuilt with the right actions taken by those who lead any overseeing tennis instructional organization.