We’re jumping straight in!
- Lie #1: People won’t pay that much where I live
- Lie #2: I can help anyone
- Lie #3: Doctors don’t refer their patients to fitness professionals because they don’t value fitness
We’ll unpack each of these lies, but first, we need to talk about what it means to lie to ourselves and why we do it.
Most of the lies we tell ourselves are unconscious.
It’s not like we’re trying to be malicious toward ourselves; more often than not, we either haven’t thought it through enough to see the problem clearly, or we’re trying to keep ourselves safe and haven’t considered the consequences.
Usually, these lies are a protective mechanism. It’s when we accept an assumption at face value because it supports the version of reality we’re currently equipped to cope with… even if doing so is detrimental to ourselves.
Our intention with this article isn’t to call you out and say you’re delusional and living below your potential.
Our intention is to encourage you to look into your blind spots.
Examine the assumptions you’ve made that are setting the rules of the game you’re playing.
Do those assumptions create rules that are favorable to your success, or do they impede it?
More often than not, they unnecessarily hold you back.
Knock them down, and you’ll find opportunities.
Time to unpack the three lies.
Lie #1: People won’t pay that much where I live
This is the most common lie we deal with as a company, and it’s a perfect example of accepting an assumption at face value as a fact.
What’s the truth?
Truth: I don’t believe my service is that valuable.
When we tell ourselves that no one will pay that much for our service where we live, it’s because we don’t assign that high of a value to the services we provide, and that’s a rabbit hole deserving of exploration.
Are we devaluing our services in our own minds?
Is the service we’re providing truly not valuable enough?
Are we projecting our beliefs onto our prospective clients?
These questions must be thoroughly unpacked to get out from under “Lie #1.”
Lie #2: I can help anyone.
What are your criteria for signing up a new client?
Do they need to have specific goals?
Do they need to have a baseline health status in order to be successful with you?
In other words, do they need more than a heartbeat and a credit card to enroll?
There isn’t a coach alive who is a great fit to work with everyone, so what’s the truth?
Truth: I’m great at solving a specific problem set, and some people would be better served working with a different coach.
Here’s where most people get tripped up, “Even if I’m not a great fit, it’s better than nothing.”
That’s not a high enough threshold to accept someone's money who’s expecting their problem to be solved. A far more valuable and ethical option is to refer them to the coach, gym, or medical professional who’s best suited to help them.
That’s the long-term play that both maintains your credibility/ethics and aligns with their best interests.
Last one.
Lie #3: Doctors don’t refer their patients to fitness professionals because they don’t value fitness
On the surface, this is an easy assumption to make, especially when you factor in all the money and influence funnelled into the healthcare industry by powerful pharmaceutical companies. It looks like they only care about extracting as much money as possible from every patient.
What’s important to remember here is that medical professionals are NOT the healthcare industry.
Yes, they have to function within the system, but the vast majority of them have their patient’s best interests at heart.
The truth?
Truth: Medical professionals understand the value of fitness. They don’t refer because they’re unwilling to risk their reputation and their patients’ safety on trainers without impeccable credibility.
Medical professionals understand the value of fitness. They know it could transform the lives of many of their patients, they simply don’t believe the risk of sending their patients to work with what they view as untrustworthy fitness professionals is worth the reward.
The truth is that the barrier of entry for fitness professionals is so incredibly low that medical professionals don’t have the time or bandwidth to sift through all the fitness professionals in their town, making claims of transforming people's lives to see who’s trustworthy and who’s not.
It’s the fitness industry that needs to elevate and prove we’re capable of more than abs, ass, and ego.
In summary
We all make assumptions and tell ourselves lies, most of which keep us feeling safe. Coaches owe it to themselves and their clients to take a second look at those assumptions to determine if they’re lies and if they are, dismantle them because the only thing waiting on the other side is opportunity.
Why not book a call today and speak with one of our team who can help you become a more valuable coach? Click the button below to get started.
