Business Coaching Advice for Trainers and Coaches

Business coaching advice for all you aspiring trainers and coaches … and this is really, really simple.

I rarely (this will be the second time) offer business tips, but as a person who runs a very successful online business now overseeing three coaches in addition to myself, all with busy client loads (PLUS still a waiting list), I have a bit of an idea as to how to “make it” in an industry where success seems to be more of a “facade” than a reality.

Believe me, many of the experts deemed experts are just not successful (by traditional success standards in this industry and it is not for lack of knowledge. But just because you are deemed an “expert” by the masses in the fitness industry and legitimately know your stuff, does not automatically mean you’ll “make it” unfortunately. YES, you have to know your stuff, no doubt, and this should be a given, but you also have to SHOW that your knowledge produces what clients hire you for – RESULTS! Put it on display!

Your theory is all well and good … until it doesn’t produce results. Clients hire you for NO other reason. Not one! Can you produce great results? If you can, consistently, you will NEVER be hurting for clients. Ever!

Maybe it’s just me, but when every other FB post is an advertisement to something you sell, something is wrong. It’s similar to an old post of mine where I commented on trainers offering discounts on their services. In my opinion, you should never discount YOURSELF or what you offer. You determine your value and you’re just devaluing your service. You should only add value by providing more. Discounts for new clients makes no sense to me. Don’t your long-term, loyal clients deserve the discount more than the new clients?

Book recommendation – The Book of Business Awesome/The Book of Business UnAwesome.

This is two books which converge in the middle. If you start from the front, you read the Book of Business Awesome. If you flip it over and start from the back, you read the Book of Business Unawesome. The author gives an example of his cell phone company. The company is offering a great promo to attract new customers. He contacts the company and says, “Hey, can I get this perk too?” The company says, “No, it’s only for new customers.”

Really? A loyal 10-year customer doesn’t get the perks and benefits of a NEW customer? Something is really wrong with this logic.

Getting back to what I was saying, the first thing I conclude when I see a trainer/coach’s FB posting like this? Said trainer/coach is hurting for business. Yes I do get you have to start somewhere and I am not raining on the need for marketing since LBC obviously markets too – but our marketing focus is displayed results and happy clients. This WORKS!

If you can consistently produce the results your clients are paying you for, they will advertise for you! I don’t care how many times you post good, solid fitness information; when all you do is promote, promote, promote, you’re going to turn people off and always be climbing uphill. Give some knowledge away – for free. You don’t need to discount or incessantly promote yourself. Get results and show them. If you’re that skilled and have sufficient know-how, your clients will be doing all of the promoting for you. Trust me, they will.

LBC has never since day 1 spent a single dime on “marketing” or advertising. Why? Because RESULTS and word of mouth speak for themselves. THAT is your advertising. Your client successes. Our clients promote us. You really don’t need much else to make it. Achieving success really is that simple.

As well, one of the things LBC followers have come to appreciate here is that we also ENGAGE with our readership in the comments section of our posts. We like to “hang out” and mix it up, debate, argue (ok, a lot), disagree, agree, work it out, have fun, make jokes, etc. We like to converse and open dialogue; you know, HELP and interact! It’s another opportunity to freely share your information, knowledge and expertise. When your “help” is yet another plug for “buy this, hire me”, if you want to know more, well … is it any wonder?

FREE information is the best way of getting clients and attracting business. Give your readership and followers FREE information and high quality FREE information at that and IF it’s of high quality, they WILL want to hire you to get more out of you. THEN, produce results and SHOW them off. Written testimonials are great sure, but a picture is worth a thousand words as they say and people are motivated and their interest stirred up by SEEING what you can do over and over again.

Trust me. It is that simple.