The Two Critical Factors To Increase Your Coaching Income
Think back to why you originally became a health coach or personal trainer.
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What were your individual motivations?
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I can tell you mine.
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Without getting too deep into the topic (we’ll save that for a future blog), I was bullied A LOT as a young man. This led to an overwhelming amount of insecurity developing. To make a long story short, I was drawn to those individuals who were physically capable – powerlifters, bodybuilders and fitness models. In my late teens, I became obsessed with training and making progress in the weight room. This led me down an early ‘life path’ to one of the most powerful pursuits into which I had ever invested my individual effort. I had never felt so confident in my own skin. I was empowered by the incredible strength I was developing, the physique transformation that was taking place and the release of anxiety and stress that accompanied every training session that I attended. From the first few weeks / months of my own training journey, I immediately realized that this was something that I would spend my entire life teaching others. It impacted my life so progressively and in such a powerful way to not want to share it.
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I learned about health coaching and personal training as a potential career and immediately knew that this was exactly what I wanted in life. I have always considered myself fortunate to recognize this at a young age and to remain steadfast in its pursuit.
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My dream come true…
I would be able to positively impact the lives of others – gradually, on a daily basis, step-by-step, drawing alongside individuals to share this thrill of mine.
I would have the ability and skills set to address specific and individual needs in others.
I would be able to have them go through transformations similar in that they would reach new levels of increased health that parallel directly with increased happiness in daily life challenges.
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I would be able to help people regain control of their future health and fitness profile.
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I would lead a lifestyle in which my personal passions and pursuits were in direct alignment with my profession. As the saying goes – “make your passion your pay cheque”.
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I would be able to spend my day in a positive environment in which people were constantly working to better themselves!
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I would be able to wear comfortable workout attire all day long! (That’s almost as great as being able to wear pajamas every day!)
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Then I was hit with the reality that if I didn’t have any clients – none of these amazing realities of being a personal trainer / health coach (nor the many others that I would learn about later in my career) would ever come to fruition. Furthermore, if I didn’t have any clients, that would mean no income - my career would be short-lived. My ability to positively impact the lives of others would come to a grinding halt.
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I’m certain that you’ve realized this for yourself as well. Let’s simplify and cut to the chase. As a coach, your primary goals should always be focused around two things.
1. Attaining amazing results for your clients.
2. Increasing your clientele.
If you have more clients, you can stress less about your personal financial situation. You are now positioning yourself to focus even further on achieving amazing results on behalf of your clients and increasing your service quality and individual coaching skillsets relative your niche!
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Believe it or not, the chances of someone ever walking up to you in the middle of the street, pulling out their credit card and requesting training sessions without first developing some level of rapport are slim to none. Furthermore, for most, being in a position in which they require your assistance to achieve their personal health and fitness goals can be slightly overwhelming. Asking for help from a trainer can be tough to do.
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Chances are that you’ve noticed some trainers are crushing it in business while most are not. In fact, you might be one of those individuals whose business is failing. It is further frustrating to see so many ‘internet gurus’ making money hand-over-fist with zero practical experience, no personal interaction with clients nor any previous success. Here you are as a dedicated coach, knowledge and practical information oozing out of your pores, passionate to the max, having achieved impressive success with your previous and current clients and yet you’re uncertain if you’ll be able to pay your bills next month. There was a time when I used to get equally as frustrated as you may be experiencing, seeing all of these social media fitness sensations taking advantage of others. My energy was not best spent being envious of others but rather, realizing that as long as a coach / personal trainer could create and retain business, he /she would inevitably succeed at some level. News flash – it didn’t matter how good I thought the ‘internet gurus’ were.
READ: You’re Competing With Infinite Shelf Space!
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Remember – if you truly want to be successful in this industry, you need to invest heavily and be aware of two major factors in your daily, professional deportment - VISIBILITY and INTERACTION.
YOU NEED TO BE VISIBLE. YOU NEED TO INTERACT WITH PEOPLE. Find out where your potential clients are and BE THERE.
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For example, if you specialize with clients who are new mothers, find out where they frequent and make yourself known. Maybe this involves offering a free seminar at a local mom’s group, networking with a health professional who caters to new mothers or finding a way into a niche Facebook group! This may seem simple, and quite frankly it is, but few coaches ever attempt it.
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If you are employed in a large health club, stop hiding in the staff office and ‘get your rear in gear’. Start walking the training floor! Strike up conversations with individuals you’ve never met and develop rapport. Make sure they know who you are and what you do. Do not shy away from selling your strengths. Be aware of those individuals training and try to key in on their accomplishments and individual goals. If you see someone hit a personal best at some point that week, compliment him / her on it! If you’ve noticed someone has been consistent in their training efforts, why not compliment them on it? Break down those communication barriers without being an annoying sales rep. Start building true relationships. Engage them in conversation meaningful to their health improvement journey!
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Another great place to be where everyone is nowadays is on social media. Post tips, videos, exercise instruction clips and join into conversations whenever you can offer tips / advice that match your professional skillset. Social media offers a great opportunity to develop visibility and interact with individuals with whom you may have never have (technologically) crossed paths previously! It also offers an excellent opportunity to showcase your knowledge and expertise by sharing informative content that will help position you as the ‘go-to’ fitness guy or girl in your community!
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Avoid falling into the ‘comfort zone’ of talking to people you know over and over again. Just consider how you would want your clients to be getting uncomfortable – you should be as well.
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If you’re not visible, you will miss opportunities to meet a potential client. Approach these opportunities not to be missed with the attitude that EVERYONE is a potential client.
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You should be confident that anyone and everyone can benefit from the knowledge and passion that you as a personal trainer / health coach bring to the table.
With the gifts given to us in varying skillsets that we apply to so many chosen vocations, comes both strengths and weaknesses. Passion for what you do is almost always innate and more often than not, impossible to teach. Consider this – if you are fortunate enough to have a passion that aligns itself closely with your talent and skillset strengths, what a waste it would be to shy away from weaker skills necessary to your overall vocation choice and ultimate success. Such may be the case with potentially excellent personal trainers / health coaches.
Recognize the importance of:
- targeting your weak areas to strengthen or ‘grow’ them
- embracing the initial discomfort that naturally accompanies ‘growing pains’
- remaining consistent in daily attempts to immerse yourself in this temporarily uncomfortable growth
- patience with yourself in this risk-taking process
- celebrating your gains and ultimate increase in confidence, ultimately producing a more well-rounded, successful trainer / coach
The above points may be the case with your ability (or lack of it) to be effective, comfortable and ultimately successful where increasing your coaching income is concerned. Embrace all that it takes to strengthen this area of your vocation as a trainer /coach. I always take a holistic approach when honing my skills to avoid ‘blinders’ where my weak areas are concerned to (1) attain individuals as clientele in need of my services and (2) deliver the best service possible to these clients. Insist, persist and be consistent!