Solve problems by asking questions.

Solve problems by asking questions.

Solve problems by asking questions.

Solve problems by asking questions.

Casting a Wide Marketing Net – Even YOU Know You’ve Got It Backwards

I was chatting with several eloquent, knowledgeable, smart trainers this week and they all said the same thing.  They’re casting a wide marketing net for now.  Later on they’ll get down to training the specific groups they feel passionate about.

This is just mental foolery that your brain plays on you and you’ll be wise to ignore it.  It’s just so weird how this works.

You cast a wide net and people trickle in.  You THINK you’re open to such a wide audience, so you’ll get more clients, right?  Not really.  Instead, specify who you help, the benefits they get from working with you and everybody under the sun suddenly wants to work with you.  Not just your favorite group, but everybody!  Weird, I know.

I used to focus on training moms.  I liked training with women and many moms wanted to have a trainer.  They also wanted to train during the hours I was available…yahtzee!  So I marketed to moms and you know who I got to train?  Notable women in DC, some moms, some not, women who wanted to get in shape, ex-dancers, people with injuries, adorable grandmothers, you name it.

I don’t entirely know why this happens, but it just does.

There’s another perk to specifically defining who you want to work with.  When you tell people, it jogs their memory files to retrieve the people they know who need you.  You wouldn’t catch me telling people I’m a consultant.  What the hell is that?  You WILL find me telling people that I teach personal trainers the marketing stuff they should have learned in school, so they can set their own schedule and make more money to live any lifestyle they choose.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been personally introduced to prospects.  At Toastmasters, at the eye doctor, at the bank, at a party where I wasn’t even thinking about work.  It’s cool.

AAAnd if you need even another incentive to get more specific, think about it.  Even if you specify, how many people are there for you to market to?  Tons!!  How many moms are in your town?  So many!  How many guys are there who are looking to get big, or ex-athletes, or current athletes, or elderly people or people who need help being stronger in daily life.  So many more than your brain lets you think.

So who do you specifically want to work with?  What benefits do they receive from working with you?  You already know the answer, just get out there and say it.  If you’re having trouble, let me know.  I absolutely love helping people define their niche and articulate it to the people out there waiting for help.

Hardened

A hardened mind makes for a hardened life.  Are you willing to be wrong?  Are you willing to have someone else questions what you consider to be steadfastly true for the sake of your life and your business?

It’s one of the most challenging things for anyone to do, and the rewards are astounding.

Hey, [insert your name here]

Hey, [insert your name here]

Marketing messages, speeches, verbiage sounds so much better when you write as if you’re speaking to just one person.  Probably the member of your audience who is most intelligent, down to earth and awesome.

Just sayin’

You got to have faith-ahh faith-ahhh faith-ahhhhhh

In many new endeavors there’s a lot of uncertainty.  Will it work out?  What will the process look like?  A friend even commented on a successful attorney who was confident, accomplished, and smart who – at the consideration of opening his new firm- balked, hesitated, and thought, but what if it doesn’t work out?  Life is full of only being able to see the next 200ft of any project.  How do you keep the faith while growing your client base?  In your life?

Making a Living, Huffington Post

This article is so awesome, I wanted to share it with those of you who aren’t yet connected with me on Facebook.  Enjoy.  If I’ve already shared it with you, there might even be value in a second read.

“You are the painting, and everyday you’re painting yourself and the world around you.”

I’ve Resurfaced!

Sometimes having your own business means digging through minutiae…important minutiae so you have the space to create.

I’ve been doing just that and have also created a program I’m really excited about.  It’s for trainers working in a health club titled “Fill Your Schedule in Less Than Two Months Time.”  It brought back so many memories of when I was just starting out in DC and I can’t wait to share it with all the trainers who need the help.

The course is a mix of audio tutorials, homework, and live Q&A calls that will fill your schedule in…well yea…a rather brief amount of time.  It’s priced super affordably at $299.  If you’d like more information or would like to sign up, give me a call at 424-652-8017.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Persistence Pays Off – Incredible cliche and incredible truth.

So Citibank made an error with my account.  It was kind of an annoying error, and a timely error.  One where their mistake ensured that I would have larger problems if it didn’t get resolved immediately.  Now I could have called and gotten all huffy and upset and pissed off and chewed out the poor person on the other end…but I didn’t.  For some reason I was really calm.  I was really present, and after the 5th call back and forth or so (really… the 5th call), I was like, “Ok, so I’ve got this little project going.  I’ve called several times today and spoken with a few people.  My name is …my account number is…and my security code is …  I’m in no rush and I’ll wait patiently until you catch yourself up on the notes.”

Well with that attitude, people were happy to help!  I got switched around to different departments, eventually to a manger and a good hour and a half later, the most urgent parts of the issue were resolved, and I just about made a close friend with that manger.

So what does this have to do with business?  Ok, what do you want to achieve?  Define it.  Define it clearly.  Now, which actions can you take to achieve your goal?  Slice them up into smaller pieces.  Add a dose of playfulness and ease.  Decide that you will do what it takes, for as long as it takes until you reach your goal.

Along the way, you just might make a friend or two.

You know what’s so annoying?

You know what’s so annoying?  When you’re struggling to build your business and/or sign on more clients and the trainer who has a full book already is beating off clients with a stick (or adding to a nice waiting list).

Want to know the antidote?  Walk with the humble confidence of that other trainer.

I just can’t stress the importance of the ability to walk with the grounded power of a CEO, the entrance of a celebrity, the self-worth of your highest mentor or coach.  People pick up on that magnetism, that centered stance and that …something…that they can’t quite put their finger on.  You need no special skills, no makeup team, no super powers, or outfit.  You don’t need to lose 10lbs first.  Think Obama, think the coach/speech therapist in “The King’s Speech.”

I already know what some of you may be thinking…but what if people are annoyed by that?  Or they think I’m cocky or stuck up?  Guess what?  Some people adore you, some people could care less, and some people are annoyed by you right now…and the situation will be the same now as it will be however you conduct yourself.  You’ll lose some friends, and thank goodness for that.  You’ll gain so much more.

Mindset is everything

You know what?  I had the best day today.  Slept in.  Pretty effortlessly took on a new client, scheduled some consultations, tooled around by the beach for a few hours, called a friend, played Words with Friends on my iPhone, browsed Facebook, had someone “show up” who wants to be on my business team, and aha, fill just the role I needed help with.  Oh, I exercised too.

You know why?  I chilled the f*$& out.  I was present in each moment, decided to be happy with what is…really happy, fully happy.  See magic, find natural joy in connecting with others.  I wasn’t really fretting, or getting all worked up or doing those things that I usually think are useful.

What might it look like if you got out of your own way?  Even an inch?

Marketing is crucial and mindset is everything…