Today’s article is going to be a major eye-opener for some of you.
Not just from a character perspective, but also from a practical business perspective (you’ll see soon how this are as interwoven as it possibly gets).
Practical business knowledge is why I write these articles, I want to help you in the best possible way that I can by providing you the strategies that work so that you can get the results that you want out of your business.
It starts with a lesson you learned when you were 5 years old, do the right thing.
Doing The “Right Thing” Is Always The Right Thing
The number one complaint everybody has about the coaches they hire, buy from, get frustrated with, and stop buying from is:
The coach rarely keeps his/her promises.
I’ve business coached a lot of trainers and I’ve also worked with a ton of clients, so I have my finger on the heartbeat of this business relationship we have in the industry.
Here’s the thing, clients almost never complain about a coaches competence, prices, or failures — instead, it’s merely and simply their communication.
A broken communication pathway is a broken business model. But, it began with the promise of communication.
Think about some other businesses you probably have experience with as a customer…
Would you keep ordering takeout from a restaurant that was consistently late in their delivery time?
Would you keep ordering from an online retailer who was consistently slow in shipping your package?
Would you keep working with a coach who never answered your questions?
Of course you wouldn’t, for any of the above. They all provide resistance towards an initial promise that should have always been upheld from the beginning.
Coaches have a really bad habit of treating their prospects great and teaching their current clients like crap.
They want more sales so they try to do their best to impress their prospects, but they don’t realize that the worst thing you could ever do to your sales is create a bad relationship with one of your current customers.
Unhappy customers spread bad reviews like wildfire, and the number one factor in turning a happy customer into a forest fire creator is not keeping your promises.
How To Make More Money In A Practical Way
In opposite to the above, one of the best ways you could ever attract more wealth into your life is to do what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it.
It really is that simple.
When you become known for unwavering reliability, clients and money will flow its way back to you in a linearly increasing way. The word of you being “one of the good ones” spreads because you’re in rare territory.
There’s a ton of half-ass trainers out there putting in a half-assed effort, you can stand out amongst the pack by simply keeping your promises and being great with your communication skills — Price becomes irrelevant at this point because you provide a unique value that these other bozos don’t get.
I Screw Up Too
Just like everyone else, I occasionally get myself into a situation where I can’t keep a promise I made. Whether it’s to Kevin, a client of mine, my wife, or any scenario in my life — shit happens and sometimes you can drop the ball.
I am a maniac about not letting this happen and take every commitment I make seriously so that these occasions happen just as they sound…occasionally.
It drives me crazy when this happens.
Not just because I feel like I’ve let someone close to me down, but, it’s also just bad in a practical sense for my business.
When this does happen, the first thing I do is:
- Confirm/Admit it
- Sincerely apologize
- Work to make it right
Again, not just because I feel an ethical drive to (although that’s of course a big part of it), but just because it’s practical for my business to have a great relationship with everyone I encounter.
That’s the funny thing about just being a good person, it’s also profitable. It’s the best business “strategy” you could ever have.
But, good people don’t deflect blame or try to hide — they own their shit and correct it.
The #1 Tip for Getting People to Like You
Here’s something most entrepreneurs completely miss…
A less appealing promise you keep serves you far more than a more appealing promise you don’t.
I get a lot of client inquiries every single week, and although it would be really nice for me to tell them:
“I’ll get your plan to you tomorrow!”
It’s just simply not realistic, so what do I do?
Tell them the truth.
You will get your plan by next Thursday (or whatever it is). Even if it’s 2-4 weeks away because they are on a waiting list, people far prefer to be told the truth rather than be told some nonsense just because you want to get them excited about initiating the coaching process.
Would I make more sales if I told everyone that they could receive their programs tomorrow if they hired me?
In the beginning, yeah, I probably would make more sales.
But that would last about six months until word got around that I was late for delivery on every order, that bad news would spread like wildfire and then I wouldn’t be known as a coach with integrity anymore.
Instead, I’d be known as the coach who can’t keep his promises.
Let me ask you, are you in this industry for the long game? Or six months?
Choose wisely about what claims and promises you make.
Final Thoughts
In the modern fitness business, few people are falling for silly claims anymore and with the online world blowing up the way that it has — People have access to reviews about your services more than ever before.
There is a new importance on reliability, trustworthiness, authenticity, and integrity now.
Use it.
It’s the most practical thing you’ll ever do.
For more information on how you can drive more revenue to your business, increase your social media following, and work fewer hours while making more money — Check out the Create Freedom Academy today.
Dan Garner
Kevin McClelland
