10 Fundamentals of Growing a Fitness Business in 2022

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 116. Today we're talking about the 10 fundamental business steps to starting an online presence or online business in 2022. Are you ready? Let's get started. Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner. And this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase clients client performance and movement, package and position their products and services and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast. What's up coach? Thank you so much for pushing play on another episode of the PT Profit Podcast. I'm your host, Beverly Simpson, and if this is the first time you're here, thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I'm super pumped to get this episode episode out to you. It is currently November. I'm recording this at 6:30am on a Sunday morning in November, mostly because my team has been hounding me to get my episode out. And the truth is that I had been resisting recording the episode. Usually I'm really ahead of the game and I pump out a lot of content in batch form, but I've really been resisting getting out Tuesday's episode. And I think the reason why is because I needed to get re inspired for today's episode. We were going to do something completely different, but what we're starting to do is we're starting to push out our message and promote our podcast to more people. So we're looking at some of our most popular episodes and we're re listening and revisiting. And so today's episode is actually inspired by episode number 11. This is one of the first episodes that I created way back. And now if you've been listening for a while, you'll know that I am someone who operates my business from principles that I really get down to the core, principles that transcend. So there's a lot in that episode that's really gold nuggets and things that I still live by. But I recognized in relistening now, almost over a year later, that there are some strategies, some ways of communicating that message that I've actually outgrown. And of course we'll talk about it when we get to it in this episode. But there are some things that I've gotten a little bit more concise and shifted the way that I really think about communicating that message. So I wanted to rerecord it, revisit and really just revamp it as we go into 2022. Now, if you're listening to this episode when it's published and you're thinking, but Beverly, we haven't even finished out 20, I get it. I definitely get it. You're probably all like most people and getting into the holiday spirits and really just thinking, okay, you know, January is the super bowl of fitness and I'll just. And health and wellness. That's when everyone's getting into their new year, new me cycle and I'll just start then. But that's one of the biggest mistakes that you can make and for two reasons. Here's why. It's because this episode that we're going to carry you through today, it's going to set you up to actually cut through the noise in January. Because the truth is everyone's wanting to leverage that time. So if you are someone who listens to this episode right now and feels like the market saturated now, imagine how you're going to feel when we start in January and everyone has got elevated prices and everyone is competing for that same new year. New, new you market share. Now, if this is the first time that you're here, I just want to share that I am not a fan of competitive. There are 8 billion people in the world. There is plenty of opportunity for you to start your business, start your fitness business. There's one Fitness is a $1.2 billion industry and there and yet 88% of Americans specifically still struggle. So I don't think that you have to wor worry at all. In fact, I'm going to talk about in this episode. By the end of this episode, you will know the exact 10 steps that I would do today if I was brand new, if I was starting so that you can start generating revenue today. Because the truth of the matter is I am super passionate about helping really smart coaches, people who care about the science of training, people who actually want to help people move better, feel better from the inside out and helping them build their businesses. Why? Because in the years of experience that I have had as a fitness manager, district fitness manager, building multiple six figure online businesses since I'm for the last six years, it's been a while I've started to lose track. But what I've learned and what I have experienced and noticed is that the people who struggle the most tend to be the smartest. And for me, in my opinion, it's because they suffer from what I love to call the coach's curse. You already have a beginner's Mindset, you already know that there is more to learn and that is actually a good thing. I don't ever want to take that away from you. But then what happens is that people will bury themselves in continuing ed and they'll start to just take certification at their certification, thinking that the smarter they are, the more, the more money that they'll make. And then they fall into this trap of always taking more certifications but then not getting their message, not getting their service out there so they don't make any more money. And how are you going to continue to sharpen your saw and get more certifications if you don't have the cash flow coming in? And if you don't have the cash flow coming in and you can't continue to sharpen your saw, can't continue to grow, then what will end up happening, which happens to so many people, is that chances are there's someone out there right now who's less qualified than you, making more. And now that is not for me to take away from those people. Like, I want you to celebrate those people that is just showing you what's possible. So we're going to today, hopefully is the first day to shifting all of that for you so that you can join those people and make just as much or more revenue so that you can help and impact more people. Because that's what we're really doing if you're here and help if you're here listening to this podcast and I'm willing to bet you have a service heart and you want to help and impact more people. So do I. That's why I created this podcast. And we're going to dive in today to the 10 steps that you can start implementing. I want you to, I want you to earn as you learn. I want you to implement today so that when we get to January you can cut through that noise and really sky's the limit and grow your business. Okay, so before we dive into the 10 steps, chances are if you are new or struggling or just starting to dip your toe in building an online presence or an online business, some of the first pieces of advice that tend to, people tend to hear, people tend to latch onto is just post every single day, just add a ton of value, just share your most vulnerable stories, build a whole lot of know like and trust because people buy from people that they know like and trust. And that age old advice, in my opinion, is some of the worst advice that you could take. And now I get a lot of slack for that. People really come at me for that and listen, I stand by it. I, I posted every single day for eight months and nothing happens. I did the $80 strategy, I did all those things that I was supposed to do and nothing happened. Because the truth of the matter is that if you're continuing to always focus on the top of funnel or, or the audit or the top where you're just growing the audience, but you haven't filled out the back end, don't have an offer, you don't have a machine, you don a system, you don't have anything that is going to take these leads, these audience member and turn them into customers. Then that's like trying to fill a colander up of with water. That's like trying to take a bath, turning on the faucet, but you're just letting all of the water drain out. Now, I probably don't have to tell you that that's not a business strategy. That's not going to help you grow customers. Because at the end of the day, before we even start getting into the strategy, we have to understand that business is simple. It's not always easy, but it is simple and it literally is people. So we need to attract an audience of people. We need to turn them into prospects, people who raise their hand and say, oh, I'm interested in what it is you have to offer. And then we convert them into a customer or client. So if we were in a, a brick and mortar experience, we would be walking down the street, maybe we see a store that we've never seen before and we go, hmm, I wonder what's inside there? And we walk inside. So now we're a prospect, we're perusing, we see something and then we purchased it and now we've become a customer. Now we've become a client. So it always kills me when people say build no like and trust. Build no like and trust. I get that. But could you imagine if you needed to go to the grocery store and you went to the grocery store one week that was right by your house, you get all the stuff that you need and the next week you come in and they're like, oh, sorry, the doors are closed because we're building no like and trust. What? No, people become a customer when they go through the ladder of believability. Now we're going to talk about that in a minute, but before I get there, this is not really about no like interest. If you. It's more about the ladder of believability. Now I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit. So we're going to go back. But just for a second, I want you to think, has there ever been a time, can you, if you're sitting in your room right now or you're sitting in your office, can you look around? Can you find one thing that you've purchased? Can you even remember where you bought it from? Do you know who made it? Do you like the person who made it down to the trash in your office or in your room or in your house? All of that was purchased at some point. So we're going to talk about that as we get into the later points of, of what really it means to build, know like and trust and how to move someone through that ladder of believability and what that really is. So let's just before I get ahead of myself, because clearly you can probably tell I'm super passionate about this, let's just get down to these steps. So Here are the 10 things that I would do if I was starting my business, starting my online presence in 2022, and I was preparing for that right now. Okay, Number one, get very clear on what it is that you want to talk about. One of the biggest mistakes that I made when I first started my business is that I was not honest with myself about what it is that I wanted to talk about, not even talk about the service that I wanted to provide. Go deeper. If you recognize that when you're building a business, building a business is an and you want it to be your primary source of income, that's going to be bigger than your hobby. You're going to be talking and doing the same thing over and over and over again. Your business is not designed to entertain you. Now recognize I love my business. I love working on it. There's a lot of things that do entertain me. But when you get to the point where you feel like I'm saying the same thing over and over and over again, I'm doing the same thing over and over and over again, then you're probably three feet from gold. You're really about to crack through. Because repetition is the mother of all learning. Think about your fitness journey the first time. When was the first time you learned how to squat? Are you still squatting today? There are fundamentals, things that we do all the time. Squats, hinge, push, pull, loaded, carries, core work, breathing, all of those things. We do them all the time. And in order to acquire skill, you're going to need repetition. Business building is the same, is the same thing. So get very clear on what it is that excites you what lights you up? What do you want to talk about day in and day out? Because you're going to be doing it all the time. When I first started and I was getting into the industry, I, I wanted to talk about weight loss. I personally had had a very intense journey with weight loss, meaning that I had a lot of body image stuff from my younger years. I got pregnant and I had two miserable pregnancies in the third and fourth trimesters. I gained over 50 pounds in a very short amount of time. The third and fourth trimester and it was a very, both times I was pregnant and they're 20 months apart. And it was a very intense time for me. I couldn't even walk up the stairs out having to take a breath and I, I was breathing really hard and it was just a very challenging time for me. And I was on a mission to help women moms specifically optimize their health from the inside out. But I was growing up in a time or growing a business in a time where weight loss was associated with self esteem loss. And so I was scared to really share my, my message and really help the moms and women that, that I wanted to serve because I was afraid of what my colleagues were going to say. So I was creating content for my colleagues. That is one of the biggest lessons that, that I wish that if I was starting over that I would change today is I would put blinders to what is happening in the market space and I would get very clear on what it is that I wanted to talk about. It's not your fault. We are human beings. It's normal for us to go look out into the market space and then what happens is that people will either start to feel like oh my gosh, the market is saturated. There's no room for me. What could I possibly say that someone else hasn't said? Or how can I reinvent the wheel? The game is not about reinventing the wheel. Fitness industry, health and Wellness is a $1.2 billion industry and yet 88% of Americans are metabol metabolically inflexible. There is a lot of room for you and could you imagine if for the rest of your life you could only work with one person? We are designed to want to grow. And growing is going to require you to change what you are currently doing, which is going to be uncomfortable and there are, you're going to go through diff and growth. Growth happens in phases and as you go through different phases you are going to attract and need different mentors, different Trainers, different coaches. So that's a good thing. So could you imagine if there was only one person in the world that you could work with? No. Could you imagine if. I think it was. Yeah, I think it was Nike. Could you imagine if Nike said, oh, I can't come to the market space because of Adidas? Adidas is already there. Z does is already doing it. No. There are an infinite different types of cars, musicians, shoes across the world. I'm in New York, so in the United States, I can only think of my context box. There are 8 billion people in the world. There is plenty of space for you. So get really clear. Go put your blinders on and get really clear and honest with yourself about what it is that you want to talk about. Because the other mistake which is going to lead me to number two, the other mistake that a lot of people get into is they. They think, okay, well, here's my audience. I'm going to go survey my audience and see what it is that they want. We're going to go and, you know, I'm going to go see what's working. Oh, I guess the only thing people want is weight loss. So I guess that's what I'm going to talk about. We're going to talk about the truth about market research and what to do later in this episode. But number two, get really clear on what the transformation is that you want to provide. So this is a component of an irresistible offer which we will also get into. So don't worry, but really start asking yourself, if the person I'm serving does everything I say and does everything, what is the outcome? What is their life going to look like? If I was going to video camera it, get very specific. Specificity is going to be your laser to cutting through the noise, through really getting to the other side, the specificity. So get very specific. What is the transformation that you want to provide? Now you might be asking yourself, why, Beverly? Why am I starting here? Don't we need to start with ideal client? Because most people, when it comes to starting a business, they're like, okay, so we're going to post every single day. We're going to provide all this value. Just dive into who your ideal client is. Now, it's not that that is wrong or bad or doesn't matter. It's just, I'm going to help you think about it from a different perspective because this is your business. You're going to be doing this every single day. The last thing that I want you to do is to build your own prison. I don't want you to leave your current job just to build another job that you don't like just because that's where the money is. When you make money your master and you do things just for the money, that is not building wealth. That is not building a rich life, because it's not just about the money. And chances are, if you're here listening to this podcast, you're not here in it for the money. You're here to serve, to make an impact. And in order to do that, you're going to need money. Look at Mother Teresa. She was one of the greatest martyrs of all time, but she was backed by a financial institution. In order to make an impact, you're going to need money. So get really clear on what is the transformation that you want to provide. And in addition to that money concept, I want you also to recognize that the transformation will happen after the transaction. Their money is energy. It is an energetic exchange. When people invest in you and they love to pay for your services. Why? Because it is assigned to themselves that they are showing up for themselves. Think about it. How many free things have you listened to or, or, or experienced or downloaded with the best of intentions to use, and then you just never get to it. Now, if you're listening to this podcast and you're like, well, that's not true, Beverly. I, I do some free things. Yeah, me too. I do that type of energy exchange. It's not for us, it's not for you. It's not for me to decide what that value is. There's no arbitrary line in the sand. Sometimes real estate in my inbox. That is enough of an energetic exchange for me to show up for myself. And we're going to talk about that as we get later. So it's not for us to decide. It's not like, oh, once I charge $2,000 and people will start showing up. That's not necessarily true. I have somebody right now in my program that, that $27 is a lot for her. $150 is a lot for her. And that's a hot. That's okay, $27, $150, that was a lot for me too, at some point. But there are also other people in this world that, that will that think, oh, one, that's if I don't make 100k in a week, my business is done. So we're going on a slight tangent, but it's an important one. So what is the transformation that you want to provide and the reason why I start there? The Reason why is because when you get really clear on that and really specific, you can start to ask yourself this question of, well, who wants that? Who is the person that is struggling to achieve that outcome? And then it will start to identify, number three, your ideal client. Study your ideal client, get very specific on who this person is. And now most people, when they're dealing with ideal client or they're telling you to niche down or niche down, the riches are in the niches right there. It's, it's, it's cliche for a reason. It's because of the specificity in how you communicate to someone. Now, when you, if you're anything like me and most of the fitness professionals that I work with, we have had the pleasure and the privilege of working with all different types of people. So it is in our nature to resist niching down because we want to help everybody. And then if we're trying to grow our business, we, we don't want to niche down because we don't want to exclude anyone else. And now I get that, but I, I definitely get that. But when we are general, when we speak to everyone, we end up speaking to no one. So the specificity in communicating their problems and then showing them how you're going to help them get to the outcomes, that is what's going to help your person become a customer. Because it does two things. When you can speak to the specificity of that person, of the struggle of the person. Number one, it will build instant subconscious rapport with that client because that person will say, oh, that leader. That person gets me. That person listened to me. And when a person feels heard, they feel loved. So when you can communicate specifically the problems that that ideal client is going through, that will energetically, subconsciously connect you to that client. Because they will automatically start to feel like you heard them, like you got them, because you've communicated back to them what they are thinking and saying to them. The second thing that that will do when you build that type of subconscious rapport is that you, not only will you connect with that person unconsciously, you will also position yourself as an authority to that person. That person will say, oh, that person gets me. So they must know what they're talking about and they will lean in and subconsciously they will decide that you are an authority on the subject matter. This is one of the reasons why I say people buy from people. That why I go against the grain when it comes to know like and trust. It's not about no like and trust. I know like and trust my mom and my husband, and they don't. And they know like and trust me, and they don't buy anything from me. It comes down to believability in your authority and in your off offer. Now, sure, there is a trust component. We'll talk about that. But that trust component can come from borrowed authority. It can come from a referral. That authority can come from, oh, well, my friend said that you're the best doctor. Think about it. Have you ever gone into a doctor's appointment or dentist appointment, you had to find on Google and look through Yelp and you're like, all right, well, reviews say this person is good. My insurance thinks them. And then they walk in, you walk in, you automatically assume that they're an authority just because they have that title. So in order to get there, to build that type of rapport unconsciously with a person is that you need to get specific in communicating their struggles, things that they're saying. And that is going to require you to start really diving into the ideal client. And now, so this is, I'm taking ideal client to the next level because a lot of people, they'll start with demographics, like, what is the, the, the gender association, what is the age, what is what you know, where's their location? I want you to go deeper. I want you to think about their values. I want you to think about what keeps them up at night. And when you can speak to the language that's coming through to their mind, it will connect you. And any thought that comes, that first comes through what they think, it gets fueled with the feeling. And then they start to, to do the thought, feeling, loop. Loop where they feel bad because of the thoughts they're thinking. And it just goes into a circle like this. So we need to cut through that loop by using the language and problems that they are describing. So now we're going to get into number four, which is your messaging. So after you know who your ideal client is, you get to speak to that. Now wait, before I move on to number four, I just want to reiterate number three in terms of, of ideal clients. So a lot of people will say, you know, we'll start with those. So I want you to dive deeper into their. I want you to dive deeper into their values. But I also want you to know that sometimes your ideal client can be connected through the problem that they're going through. Which is why I start with what's the transformation that you want to provide and who has that problem? Because when you start speaking to the specificity of the problem that will start highlighting the ideal client. So, for example, I don't niche down on my gen on gender, but I do niche down on the specificity of the problems that a health and wellness professional goes through. That's what connects them, that's what binds them. Okay, so now that you've gotten very clear on what it is that you want to talk about, what's the transformation that you want to provide, who's your ideal client? You can start, we can start to get really clear on number four, which is your messaging. Okay, so your messaging is often gets confused with copywriting. So this is how I think of it. So if, if you were trying to go to the grocery store, you would need a car, right? A car or maybe your body to walk. So let's just use the car as the metaphor. So your messaging is the car and the copy, the words that you actually use is the gasoline. So you can't go to the grocery store on gasoline alone. This is why copywriters, any good copywriter out there, and I've worked with some amazing ones, my clients work with some amazing copywriters. They'll tell you that you copy is not going to solve all your problems. You have to have a message. You have to have a really amazing converting offer. Copy is not, oh, I just need to have the best, most perfect copy. In fact, one of the mistakes that I got into when I first started this, and it came from service, it came from wanting to help people as fast as I possibly could, which was I would write their copy for them. And there's nothing that's necessarily wrong with, with that. But if you do not have a message and you don't have your own voice, it's going to come off false. That's when you start to feel like, oh, this is just marketing. This is cookie cutter. This is template. No, really honing in on your message and your messaging from your voice is what's going to help you separate yourself in the market space. This is what's going to help you be authentic. Because you are, are uniquely yourself and your voice, it doesn't matter. You and I could go through the exact same thing at the exact same time, but because of our own context boxes, because of the way that we perceive information and the way that we experience life through our own context lenses is different. That is what's going to help us be unique. And then we are going to energetically connect subconsciously and consciously with our people. So it is a good thing. I want you to lean into your own uniqueness so don't throw money at a problem. Don't skip the steps. Find your own message. So if copywriting is the gasoline, how do you find your message? Well, messaging. What is it that you uniquely stand for? What is it that you care about the most? Connect in with number one that you were typing in? What is your message? What is the legacy that you want to leave for the industry for your impact? Right? So I also think of it like this, right? You know, an inside of PT profit formula inside of, inside of my programs. I really help you figure out how you can use your messaging to position yourself to create your own methodology, create your own formula, your own way of doing it, Right? Because think of it like this. When we talk about market saturation, now, this is a concept that comes from breakthrough advertising, okay? So when you think about market saturation, all that means is that your consumer is savvy. Not only do they have a ton of other options that are out there, your consumer already thinks they know the solution is to their problem and really they just can't identify what's preventing them from doing it, from getting to the outcome. So it becomes our job in the sophistication of our messaging to really cut through that noise, add our own uniqueness so that we can become one in a market of one. And we are the only person that. I'm the only person that has PT profit formula. Am I the only one in the world that talks about plan, position and product? No, of course not. But I am the only one that has talked about this particular formula that works synergistically together to carry people, to help people create and carry them through a proven, persuasive content process. And I'm the only way to do it in my own unique fashion, based on my education, based on my, my experience, and the way that I bring it to my people. It's is uniquely mine. So instead of our programs, I teach you how to make it uniquely yours. But that's one of the things that you can start thinking about today. What is unique about your message? That someone could say to me, I could say to someone rather, don't take it from me, but you need those three things. You need that proven, persuasive content process. If you don't have that, then then best of luck to you. You. But this is the most efficient and effective way possible in my opinion. And what I've seen happen, this is what I make a case for. And it's not about, for the record, making other people wrong or bad. That's not the point, that's not the point. I can make a case for keto. I can also make a case for habit based training. It's for a specific, different type of person. Keto is going to work really effectively for a certain type of person. That's why when someone tells me the market is saturated, it's just, it's not about that. There's 8 billion people in the world that all have uniqueness inside of them. There is plenty of space for you, plenty of space for you and plenty of clients for you. It's not about being the right, being the best, being the only. Now, I know that sounds counterintuitive as we start getting into messaging and the way people position things and make a case for things, but have you ever looked down into the space and noticed that there is a success story for every single diet experience out there? It's because there is a person for everyone. There is a person for you at your current level. So your message, what is it that you stand for? Then we can get into number five, which is the market research. Now, most people will tell you, go and survey your audience. Audience and, and honestly, this is a trap I used to fall into. Go survey your audience. Go find out what it is that they want. But honestly, that's like turning on the lights when there's a bunch of cockroaches in the, in the room and you turn on the lights and they go, right. It's when I say to my kids, hey, what do you guys want for dinner? They're gonna say to me, Mac and cheese, ice cream all day long. But you and I know that that's not going to help you, them feel their best all the time. Does that mean that I'm not going to give them some Mac and cheese? No, of course not. I'm going to put some Mac and cheese, I'm going to give them some broccoli, I'm going to give them some protein. I'm going to give and build them an awesome plate with a little bit of where they want, what they want and also what they need. This is one of the other concepts that I've really shifted from since I started, you know, since I recorded episode 11. Because I used to say, you know, attract people with the problem and sell them the solution. But that's just not true. True. When you go out to do that market research or you ask your kids, you know, what do you want for dinner? They're going to, they, you know, consumers are savvy. They already think they know what the problem is so they're like, oh, I just need more confidence or oh, I just need to lose weight. So then you go and create a weight loss course or a confidence course and no one buys it. It's because people are not looking for the solution. They're not laying awake at night being like, oh, I just need a membership or I just need, I just need a trainer. Right? They might be in the sense that that's what they're thinking about in terms of what they think is going to solve their problem. But what they really want is the outcome. And they want the outcome the fastest, most efficient way possible. So in the market research, when you're doing it, I'm going to encourage you, you can survey them, but survey your current, current clients, people that you trust to give you an honest opinion. Because the information that you need to know is, you need to know what are the outcomes, what are the goals that they want? What do they think they need to do to get them? That is preventing them from getting to the actual goal. So what's the struggle? What's the obstacle? What is preventing them from getting there? And then we also need to elicit the value. What becomes possible when they achieve that goal? Why do they want it? Now, I tend not to ask why questions because people will feel defensive and sometimes taken out of context. Without tone, you can't connect with people. And so just be cautious when you're asking those why questions. I usually shift them to what, like what becomes possible for you so that they can really ponder and answer the question without feeling like they're attacked and why. Why questions can sometimes put people on the defense. And we don't want to do that when we're asking them to open up their heart. So if this is what we are trying to find, if this is the information, we want to know what the goal is. We want to know what's preventing them from getting there, their struggle. We also want to know what becomes possible for them. Then when you're doing your market research, go and observe them. Go and study them in where they're hanging out. Out. Go and observe them in their state. Where are they? Where are they hanging out? Who are they? What are they saying? What are they sharing? And then I would invite you to really try and really look at what's causing them to say those things. What's underneath there? Now, of course, we don't want to assume that we know people. Like what's the real reason? And of course it would be valuable to have conversations with people, but. But definitely as you're starting your market research. Go and observe and study your ideal client in their natural habitat because then they will be honest with with themselves about what they're thinking. Now we can get into number six, the irresistible offer. So now we know what it is that we want to talk about. We want to know what the transformation is. It's part of the, it's part of the offer. We know who this person is. We've started to craft and hone in our messaging what it is that we stand for. We are, we're studying our ideal client and now we need, now we have attracted people with the problem. We're going to solve it with a solution, but we're going to sell them on this transformation. Now here's the thing with offers, they need to be a no brainer. Irresistible offer offer. There are seven main components of an irresistible offer and is honestly for this podcast, it's just a little bit too in depth to really dive into it. And then I'll link up the other episodes that I have talked about this offer and honestly I could talk about it for days. But when we are thinking about this offer, we need to give it, make it so it is, is a no brainer. I'm going to give you the first three components. The promise, the outcomes. Don't sell them the solution. You're selling them the transformation. Then we're going to. The solution is the process. This is how you are going to get them from where they are to where they want to be. And then of course the price. People make a decision on price. Now I'll do a whole nother episode on price because, because it's just a really in depth thing to talk about. But people make a decision on price so it's important that you have communicated the full value. So that is going to lead me to number seven, which is selling. You must sell. Now I did an earlier episode on the our relationship to selling and if you're feeling concerned or worried or feeling like I don't want to be sleazy or pushy, I don't want to annoy, you are not alone. I felt like that as well. So it's going to require you to really shift your thinking around selling and understand that selling is a service because people don't show up for themselves unless there is a transaction. The transformation happens in the transaction. That comes from one of my mentors, James Wedmore. He says it all the time, but it's true. Think about your own buying behavior and remember, go down, go and look in your trash Everything inside of your trash was purchased. At one point you were listening to this in either your headphones, your iPhone, maybe you're watching this on YouTube and you are. That was all purchased, all of it, down to the Internet and how this is being streamed, all of it was purchased. So you must, must, must sell your service. So number seven is sell. So now we can talk a little bit about this customer journey. So when I first started this episode, we talked about people prospect purchases. That's what all businesses need. And so how do we take someone who's never heard of us before and turn them into a customer? So I've said, this is what I mean when I'm saying, you know, I go against the grain with no like and trust. And I talked about no like and trust in episode 11. But what that really is is the customer journey, the ladder of believability. And the million dollar question is how fast can you carry someone through that customer journey, which is they believe in you, you. So that's the trust component. They have to believe that you can help them, that you are going to provide the most fastest and efficient solution to get to the outcome that is the trust component. But that you, that can come from borrowed authority, that can come from one podcast and a DM conversation, that can come from years of, and months of connection and conversations and going through, and going through some barriers. Because it's not just about believability in you. They also, they also have to believe in your offer, that your offer is the answer. They also need to believe in themselves. So many fitness professionals and health and wellness professionals, they miss this component. It is that chances are this is not the first time they've attempted their goal. This is not the first time that they woke up in the morning and said, wow, I guess I should try and fix this. No, no. They've had experience and experience and evidence is a double edged sword. So they need to believe in themselves that they can do it and then they need to believe that they need it. Now that is a ladder of believability. You need to carry someone through that. The no part means that you can't be the Internet's best kept secret. No one's going to purchase from you if you are hiding, if you are not showing up. But someone can purchase from you if a friend recommends you. And you've never even posted before on your social media borrowed authority. So it's not about know, like and trust. It is about the ladder of believability. And you have to sell. And I'll leave you. You know, I learned, I learned this quadrant from Alex Hermosi when and I, I literally keep a post it of it by next to me every single time I'm communicating anything. Because when we're talking about value, we're talking about perceived value and how people evaluate what is valuable to them. It comes down to these four things. The desire island. Are you communicating the outcomes that they desire, what it is that they want, they're measuring it against can I really do this? And then they want to know the speed. There's a reason why liposuction is a $25,000 investment and people still do it versus oh my gosh, get excited about losing 100 pounds in three years or two years. So it's really important in the way that we're communicating our cell is that we are getting people excited about point B, starting at point A and going to point B. Even though Z sounds really fun and that's what they ultimately want to go to, we have to get them excited about point B. Because people come for content, they stay for community. And then the last quadrant is effort and sacrifice. The first, what is it that I have to give up? When you can address all of those components in the communication of your offer, in your messaging, that is how people are making the decision on value. That's what they're thinking about and that is what they're evaluating and deciding between. When it comes, when they are looking at the price, does the perceived value feel 10 times worth the asking investment? That's what we're looking at. Then we can get to number eight, the system, build the machine. And the proven persuasive content process is going to attract these people, never heard of you before, deepen that connection, turn them into prospects, and then convert them into clients and customers. And then when you can build this machine, this system with the process and the structure in place, this is when you get to start putting layering down your standards of operating procedures. This is when you start to build this structure, this system and you just rinse and repeat it. Whether you decide you want to grow and make, make it big and you pull in a couple of people to be part of your team or you just know that you have always, you just want to build your own one on one and it doesn't need and you just want it to be you and you always want to be having this pipeline. When you have this structure, when you have this system, this is what's going to give you both the time and financial freedom in your business. So that you can have true richness, true wealth in your life, which is not just building a business. It's more than that. The system and the structure is going to give you the freedom. Okay, so how do we know when it's working? Well, this comes to number nine, putting your KPIs in place, your key performance indicators, measuring the metrics that matter. Because for me, for so long, I didn't know what those were, I didn't know what it was, the metrics that matter. And, and, and, and so it felt like I was constantly throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something that would stick, and it never did. And it was causing me to go down this spiral of nothing's working, I'm doing everything and nothing's working. And that's just simply not the case. So now KPI is key performance indicators. Now, it really depends on the system and the structure that you put in place. Now inside pt. Prof. I have all different types of structures that work. One of the things that I realized when I first started out was that I used to figure out something that worked and then that was the way. And I really would try and get people to just do this way. You have to do it this way, because I know that it works. But the truth of the matter is that everything works. And ultimately it comes down to what is going to work best for you. Just like a metabolism, you have to ultimately decide what it is that you want to do. So I've started to create different processes that you can use inside of your business. Whether it's a masterclass, whether it's a challenge, whether it's an email promotion. Right. But ultimately it comes down to the principles of this proven, persuasive content process. It doesn't matter where you put it. A masterclass, your Instagram posts, your emails, ultimately it comes down to positioning yourself, the plan and your product. That's going to help you have that system and it's going to help you have that structure and give you that freedom. Right. And so the reason why I'm going back to that is because when you start to put your KPIs in place, it's really going to depend on the system that you have put forth. So I could give you some industry baselines. In fact, we do talk about that depending on the system and the process that you pick inside of pt profit formula. But ultimately it's going to just come down to your performance. You get to decide what those KPIs are and those KPIs. There are KPIs for every phase of the process, whether you're at the top of the funnel, where you're top of the customer experience versus the middle of the experience versus the conversion rate of the experience, each one of those processes or each one of those phases are going to have KPIs. Now the good news about that is the KPIs, the key performance indicators that you are measuring, you must know your numbers. Because when you know your numbers, you get to do number 10, which is assess and rinse and repeat. The numbers are going to help you feel better about where you are in your business. Business. Why? Because it will help you detach from the outcomes. Because. Because when you can detach from the outcomes and you can really just look at the results, the numbers are going to indicate where you can hone in, where you can develop your skill a little bit more. Whether it's just more repetition, whether it's repeating the process, whether it's just doing the rest. That is going to help you hone in your skills so that you can increase your conversions, that you can increase the, you can increase your customers and your conversion and increase your number of leads because you're using more persuasive. And by the way, persuasive, all that means is shifting perspective from people who already have a desire. Remember earlier in the episode when we were talking about how people already have their desired outcome, but they also are savvy and also think they know what to do. They just don't really understand why they're not doing it. So when you can shift their perspective, that's what persuasive is. It's not about convincing. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm not here to convince anyone. I'm here to shine a light on the truth that's already there. People just haven't heard it yet. They haven't seen that perspective yet. That's what I mean by persuasive. And so the numbers are going to be able to show you where it is that you can look to rinse and repeat and then grow. So just a quick recap. Let's go through the 10 steps, the 10 fundamentals. Number one, what do you want to talk about? Number two, what is the transformation that you want to provide? Number three, really get clear on your ideal clothes client. Number four, your messaging. What is it that you stand for? Number five, do the market research. How are your people? How are your clients showing up already? Number six, get very clear on that irresistible offer that no brainer must have. Now, I Can't believe I get all of that for just that. Number seven, sell it, promote it, tell people about it. Number eight, build that that system. Number nine, measure the metrics that matter. And then 10, rinse and repeat it. Now, one of the things I'm going to leave you with this. One of the things that I said in number, in episode number 11, which I haven't said here yet, and it's important and I think it's worth noting, is that once you have this system, once you have this machine, once you have this people, prospect, purchaser, this is what's ultimately going to lead you to grow. But when people first start out, they are under this misconception that they have to have this big audience or that they're always trying to attract, you know, they need to have this big following or, or they need to, you know, work on their About Me page and their website. Do you notice how none of these steps have anything about your website? All of this stuff can happen. You can make money today, literally from a podcast, from going live, having a DM conversation and then exchanging payment. Do I think all of that other stuff matters? Sure, it does, down the line. But if you, if I was brand new and I wanted to get a client and I wanted to, and I wanted to just start working, this is some of the fundamental, fundamental principles that I would put in place. Now, of course, there's lots of other LLC and all of those business fundamentals, by the way, which you can get inside of my program, we talk about that, but from a principal base, from a literal spot of starting at the basics, with the basics of principles, this is where I would start. Then I would get all those other, those I would dot my eyes and cross my T's as well, of course, before I, you know, with contracts and stuff. And of course make sure that I'm, of course make sure that you're insured and you have all those fundamentals in place before you even start this. But in terms of About Me pages, in terms of having this beautiful website and having this massive brand design, that stuff doesn't matter. We yet at the beginning, we are a people business. And so one of the things I did say in episode 11 is leverage your current network. So once you have, once you have all of your fundamentals in terms of your safety and you are, you are at a place where, okay, my business is ready, I can, can start taking on clients, then these are the fundamentals that I would start doing. And you can start today, leverage your current network, even if it's only 100 followers or 20 followers. Think about that. Have you ever presented in front of a full coffee house before? That's 20 people right there. That's what it's like every time you show up. Okay, so we've, we've chatted a lot today. So if you're here and you made it to the end of this episode, thank you you so much. It'd be a huge favor to me and to us to help us get the word out and help more people if you would leave a review. Give us a five star review. Share us. Share with us your favorite takeaways. Share with us on your social. Be a huge favor to us. And if you already know that you want to go more, you want to go deeper and you really want to start honing in, I've got a lot of free resources for you. I've got a 10 day content calendar that you can can get access to. I also have a program create content that converts that really gives you some of the templates to really lay lay down your your messaging fundamentals. I also have a free training. It is a dense training much like this podcast. So if you already heard this podcast and you're into it, you can come join us over at Simple Selling. All of this will be linked up for you in the show notes because that will give you the opportunity to really take what we've talked about today and take it to the next level so that you can start generating revenue inside of your business today. Whether you are starting or scaling, growing. I'll catch you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to the PT Profit podcast. If you like this episode, chances are your friends will too. So it would be a huge service to us if you would please leave us a review and share with your friends on your social media channels. When you leave us a review, be sure to take a screenshot of it and email that screenshot to my team@info simpsonfitness.com and we'll send you a very special Instagram podcast that will show you how to create compelling content so that your ideal clients come to you and you go from one wanting clients to a wait list of clients ready for your services. Thank you so much for listening and we'll see you on the next episode.