Here is a question I hear a lot:
You know Amanda, I love Beachbody products and am really interested in starting a coaching business. But I don’t have any sales experience and none of my friends and family are into health and fitness like I am. How can I make this work and build a big business?
That’s such a good question! I struggled with the same thought-process when I first got started almost three years ago.
Here are my thoughts:
1. Your friends and family can definitely help give your business a jump start in the beginning, but if you’re in this for the long term you can’t (and shouldn’t) depend on them to support you. If your friends and family aren’t interested in your business that’s probably a good thing. This will make life less stressful for you. Of course, if you have close friends and family that ARE interested, that’s great! They can become some of your most successful business partners. But if not, understand that’s the norm and just keep moving forward! Some of them may come around to your way of thinking eventually. If they don’t, no big deal.
Also keep in mind that a big first step for many coaches is to move their business on Facebook from their personal profile to a business page. Those friends and family that ARE interested in what you have to offer will follow you there. I recommend you follow the Facebook guidelines and keep business off your personal profile. This proves to others that you are SERIOUS about what you’re doing. Another benefit of having a business page on Facebook is that you can use Facebook ads to increase the number of people who follow your page.
2. In order to build a big business you simply need to increase your circle of influence. This is actually a lot easier than it sounds. If you let the thought of this intimidate you, it’s going to be really hard to stay focused and on track with what you need to do. In the old days of direct sales and network marketing you needed to knock on doors and make lots of phone calls if you wanted to meet new people. Luckily we have social media and the Internet today, which makes the whole experience more enjoyable and rewarding for everyone (unless you’ve been trained the WRONG way to do it!). Expect to invest time and/or money in order to increase your following. And don’t forget that your followers must be engaged and interested in your message, otherwise they don’t count. Not that they don’t count as people or humans…of course they do! What I’m trying to say is, don’t just collect LIKES for the sake of watching the number go higher. You can have 5,000+ people LIKE your page but if none of them care or are interested in what you’re doing that’s going to affect the engagement and popularity of your Facebook page.
3. You don’t need sales skills in order to succeed in this business. People know when they are being “sold.” So instead of being a salesperson you simply need to consistently provide hope and encouragement to others. That’s what people need. They want a connection. They want to belong to a community. Your business will do much better if you view your role as someone who encourages others instead of a salesperson. For some of you that will be a lightbulb moment!
4. People are going to make a connection with YOU, not the products. Remember that YOU are the brand, not Beachbody. What unique gifts, talents, experiences, and skills do you bring to the table? This is what makes you different from 100,000 other Beachbody coaches. USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Unless you are a certified trainer, nutritionist or fitness expert, you should be using these things (and not necessarily health and fitness) to connect with other people online.
I can tell you from firsthand experience that building your own Beachbody business is one of the scariest and most rewarding things you can ever do. But it all comes down to a belief in yourself and what you can accomplish. If you’re interested in joining my team of coaches and learning more about some of the specific methods I’ve used online to build my business please tell me more about yourself using my contact form and I will get back to you as soon as possible. I’m in the process of putting together a very extensive 60-90 day training program and am looking for some new coaches to test it on. Thanks! 🙂
Questions? Please post them in the comments section below!
Amanda is a wife, toddler mom, PMAD survivor, certified nutrition and running coach, recovering perfectionist, and minimalist-in-training. Her mission in life is to help others get off the pity potty, embrace their own brand of weirdness, and get after their dreams. Proverbs 3:5-6