Solve problems by asking questions.

Solve problems by asking questions.

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.

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

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’

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.

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.

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.

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…