“Do what you do so well that people will come back to see you again and bring others with you to see you do it” Walt Disney

Few people would argue against the fact that Walt Disney knew his stuff when it came to building a business that did things right.

The Disney corporation went from a tiny figment of Walt’s imagination to a multi-BILLION dollar empire in superfast time (though not without its fair share of problems along the way – mostly from INSIDE politics)

Disney’s ’secret’ was not really a secret though. He ‘just’ did what we’re all supposed to do.

He gave people an experience.

A positive experience that made them want to come back and yes, want to bring others to share it with.

Disney always reminded his ‘cast’ (employees) that “It’s not the magic that makes it work, but the way WE work that makes it magic”

Don’t you think that’s a great way of looking at building a business?

Can you see how a mindset like this might take away all the pressure that you might be feeling at trying to market your fitness business and, instead, focus you on creating a winning experience for your clients?

You probably do this to a degree already but few if any, do it like Disney and those who adopt even a little of this approach ALWAYS do beter than those who think solely in terms of the ‘numbers’ involved in their business.

‘Making magic’ is, without a doubt, THE most powerful marketing strategy you can employ to make an impact on your business yet most fitness professionals wait for success BEFORE they consider making magic rather than the other way around.

Trouble is, without the magic success is highly unlikely.

This is why corny, super-salesy websites that are all bout YOU should be avoided like the plague.

Where’s the magic?

This is why ‘closing’ techniques and the hard sell should be kicked to the kerb.

Where’s the magic?

This is why “Sign now!” kind of mentality should be giving the heave-ho.

Where’s the magic?

It seems that all too often these days, fitness professionals are taking the magic OUT of their interactions with their clients by making the process of joining one long exercise of trapping them into a corner, beating them into submission with logic and emotion and making it impossible for them to say ‘no’.

Does it work?

Well, yes and no.

People say ‘yes’ with their brain but their gut says “I’m not so sure” and their initial experience is one of cognitive dissonance where how they feel and what they say is in opposition to the action they’re taking.

Not exactly magic, is it?

Yet magic is so easy to create… for both them and you!

1. Demonstrate outstanding passionate commitment to the role you’ve chosen

No, not salesperson or ‘closer’ but coach. Someone who genuinely, truly wants the person in front of them to succeed at their endeavours rather than someone who wants to make a sale. The difference in how you act, feel and perform is immense.

And so is the clients’ response!

2. Set and maintain high standards

You know who you are, what you stand for and what you believe in. BE that person when you’re consulting, interviewing and coaching. Don’t slip into the salesperson role and lower your standards just because you want to make a sale.

Yes, the sales are important. We all have to eat, but the surest way of eating and eating well is to maintain the highest standards of a COACH and not become pressured into being a salesperson.

You never got into this profession to sell. You got into it to coach… and coaching makes you far more money than sales!

3. Look and act like a professional

This isn’t about being buff but about looking like someone who follows the same principles they’re going to ask their clients to follow. Doing a consult with coffee on your breath when you insist (like I do) on a phase of detoxification when they begin with you is probably not a great way to make magic.

Wearing scruffy, sweaty clothing and dirty sneakers weakens the magic too.

You know this, but so do many fitness professionals… yet they still do it!

Let THEM…

4. You’re on stage… so perform!

Every time you answer the phone, do a consult or perform a training session you’re on stage, in the spotlight so to speak. These are great chances for you to create magic through amazing coaching, amazing empathy, amazing experience and, of course, amazing results!

Don’t lessen the opportunity for magic by forgetting that you’ve got to perform. You’re not a ‘rent-a-friend’ to your clients but a paid performer.

So perform!

5. Fix what’s broken

Once you’ve ascertained what’s broken in your prospects life, set to work helping them to fix it. Likewise your coaching approach, your business model or even the toilet lid at your studios.

It’s all part of the magic.

Each bit that breaks, breaks the magical experience your clients (and you) should be having.

6. See!

You can’t help with something you can’t see. Practice being someone who sees more than others, who hears more than others and who makes it their business to ACT more than others and you’re sure to create magic.

Follow Walt Disney’s concept of creating magic and you won’t have to worry about getting busy or earning money. It’ll happen and you’ll love the process and who you became during it.

On the flip side, make it all about the money and making the sale and your experience of both your business and the sale will be a negative one… unless you’re not really into coaching and your true calling is that of a salesperson.

That’s neither good not bad.

Just don’t pretend that they’re the same.

They’re not.

It’s not true that ‘nothing happens until a sale is made’. That’s salespeople talking, not coaches.

Coaches know that coaching precedes the sale, is present during the sale and is still going on after the sale.

In fact, more than this, coaches don’t need to sell. The client experiences so much magic that they WANT to buy… big difference!

Create magic and the money will follow.

So create the magic! : )

Dax Moy

Fitness Marketing Made Simple

Tags: walt disney dax moy fitness marketing made simple business dax moy

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 3:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.