If you wanted to sum up one idea that Super-Trainer’s about, it’s getting serious about the business side of your training career. It comes down to stop playing games with how you view your role as a trainer.
We’ve covered in depth and in detail, subjects like having hard conversations, stopping the practice of going to clients homes and making them come to you instead, getting the hell out of the big gym if you still happen to be working in one, and in general, how to be a fierce competitor.
Now I want to talk about your attitude when it comes to everything: how you’re positioning your business, managing your employees, and even judging yourself …
It’s about getting tough. This article originally appeared in my UNDERGROUND NEWSLETTER. I sent it out last week and got tons of positive feedback on it, so I wanted to share it with you one more time right here:
——————————————————————————————————-
When you’re out there in pleasant, quiet society, you’ll notice that people go around being nice, kissing other people’s asses, and trying their hardest not to step on anyone’s toes.
But looking back on your life and your experiences, are those the people you respect? I think the answer to that is probably a no. It’s those that are willing to tell it to you like it is.
At least with me, those are the people that have impacted me the most and that I respect the most.
Let me give you a few examples …
MY FRESHMAN YEAR HISTORY PROFESSOR:
Although I consider the years I spent in and out of college a monumental waste of time (I did end up with a degree in biology, which is absolutely useless to me today), there’s one professor I had who’s lessons impact me to this very day.
I had a history professor my freshman year that was a real bastard. He would openly humiliate students for poor performance in front of the entire class. He would ask questions that would tend to embarrass you if you were an idiot. He would expose you if you didn’t come to class prepared. And with your papers, he would rip them to shreds; you couldn’t pass his class with the usual B.S. that got you through all the others. You’d have to work harder to get an A from him on one paper than you’d have to work the entire semester in some other classes.
And you know what? Among dozens of classes out of years of education, his class was the most valuable to me.
With everything I’ve learned about sales and writing in the years since then, it’s still HIS lessons on critical thinking, style, getting to the point, and telling it like it is that have served me the most. I’d have to say that all of the writing I do on Super-Trainer and in my newsletters, and the success they’ve had with my programs wouldn’t have been possible or wouldn’t be half as effective without the clear and concise writing ability I picked up from him.
MY ACCOUNTANT:
A lot of trainers think they have to be wishy-washy in order for clients to keep coming back to them; I think it’s totally the opposite. I think the “real-er” you are, the more they’ll respect you.
One professional I continue to pay even though my business needs have grown much larger is my accountant. I remember it was him years ago that actually had the nerve to call me POOR. He just came out and said it.
At the time, I was still working my big gym job, and I thought I was living the life – but he didn’t support my fantasy. At the end of the year, when he did my numbers, he didn’t hesitate to use the “P” word on me. I have to tell you, there are few things that have impacted me as much as when he said that.
It hit me emotionally. It pulled me out of my fantasy world and forced me to look very hard at what I was doing in my life. About how serious I was about making money. And in less than a year, I was pulling in more than $10,000 a month because of it.
MY FIRST TRAINING MANAGER:
There are a few things I remember about my first boss at Bally’s. He was on enough Winstrol to kill a small horse. He probably partied too much. His habit of meeting his more attractive clients for additional “private” training after hours makes you wonder what kind of service they were really paying for …
But he showed me an important lesson about the one and only thing you should view a job at a big gym as: a stepping stone to bigger things in fitness. That it’s just the first stop on the road to getting to your higher financial goals.
Even though he got the job of manager, he was just biding his time at Bally’s. He was putting away money, and just a couple of months after I got there, he was gone and had opened his own gym. But in that short time I learned from him, he made a big impression. He made it clear to me that he didn’t want me around on his staff if I wasn’t man enough to work – if I couldn’t handle being a trainer. Just through his example, without saying a word, he forced me to get good at this business fast, and once I got good, his example showed me to get the hell out of the big gym and not look back.
MY MUY-THAI INSTRUCTOR:
My whole life, I’ve had an interest in Martial Arts and have studied it in different forms. But I’ve always been a little disappointed, like it wasn’t intense enough, and thought there should be more.
I realized I was very correct once I got into MUY-THAI with my current coach. There are no breaks in his classes; he doesn’t care if you’re injured or on the verge of throwing up. He will not allows you to be lazy or B.S. in his classes. But you know what? That is exactly what we want, and you’ll find his little studio bursting at the seems every single day of the week.
And he somehow manages to combine his hard ass teaching style while at the same time being the nicest guy I’ve ever met (even though he’s left me with deep thigh bruises that have lasted for two months). It goes to show that what people want out of high level fitness isn’t someone to be nice to them. What they value most is someone that will take them to the next level. That won’t sacrifice results for the sake of being “nice”. Kicking your students hard in the thighs while sparring of course won’t work in all training specialties. But in my experience, what people are looking for out of this business is greater intensity, no matter what your niche. By being harder on them, you are giving them precisely what they want.
——————————————————————————————————-
Hope that article helped you out with how you look at yourself and your role as a trainer, coach, leader, or however you define yourself. Just like they say on that ridiculous show on MTV, sometimes it’s time to “stop being nice, and start being real”.
And since we’re talking about THE UNDERGROUND NEWSLETTER, an issue went out today announcing a special rel-launch promotion of THE NEW SIX-FIGURE TRAINER PROGRAM. I’ve reprinted it below for readers that may have missed it:
==========================================
From Kaiser and Super-Trainer.com
Sent by permission to UNDERGROUND Members
==========================================
Hope your long weekend was happy and relaxing.
I have a new article on Super-Trainer to share with you today. It
may change how you look at your training career permanently – yes,
it’s that deep.
But let me tell you quickly about the REAL reason why I’m writing
to you today:
Two months ago I released a program called THE NEW SIX-FIGURE
TRAINER PROGRAM.
We moved over one hundred units in just a few days, with nearly a
hundred more since then thanks to my friends in the industry
recommending the program to their readers as well.
However, I understand some of you on my email list may not have
moved on the program at that time for whatever reason, or are new
and are hearing about it for the first time.
If you didn’t get the program at that time and your training
business is in essentially the same place it was, well, that’s
really a shame …
That means you have either spent two months still working for a big
gym, or if you’re solo, doing more of the what you’ve always been
doing and getting more of what you’ve always been getting.
Why did so many trainer get on board the program? I believe it’s
because they understood that there is a higher level to this
business. That there’s insider information in this industry that
isn’t readily available to the public. That they are capable of
earning more, doing more, and being more …
And that with my experience, record setting business growth, and
connections in the industry, I was the man to get them there.
Oh, and there was probably one more reason why we moved so many units
at the time of the launch. The program was at an introductory
price (one full payment was removed, so it was two payments of $147),
included the GOLD program, the PLATINUM program at no cost, and
had a fast mover bonus of one hour of coaching with me, which
essentially made the program free.
Well since then, the program has gone up in price (I’m a man of my
word), but that has not stopped many more trainers investing in it
based on recommendations from other industry leaders.
It is now THREE payments of $157, and like I said, many more units
have moved at that price since the program’s introduction.
The release of this program was a major event for me, and the online
part of my business. This is a flagship course meant to help
trainers who are currently wasting away in big gyms, or stuck in
monotony as private trainers, rapidly achieve the full potential
this career holds for them.
However, after the initial launch of the program, I have done little
to promote it since then.
For once reason, I was a little surprised and somewhat satisfied by
the success of it at the time of launch. I have also released
another program since then, and have also been busy with other
obligations.
That is why I’m going to release the program again for three days,
starting today, Wednesday 9/8/10 and going until Friday 9/10/10 at a
deeply discounted promotional price.
==========================================
{!firstname_fix}, THE NEW SIX-FIGURE TRAINER PROGRAM will be
available for TWO payments of $157 from now until Friday the 10th,
midnight pacific time. The price will be immediately increasing
after that, and returning to the full price of THREE payments of
$157.
To get your copy of the course, follow this link here:
http://www.raisingtrainerincome.com/
==========================================
This is my way of once again moving many more copies of this program
all in one shot, in a very short time. You see if I do not promote
this program it does not achieve it’s purpose of reaching the trainers
it’s meant for. And it does not make up for the time it took for me
to put it together. To make up for that lack of promotion of the
course until now, I’m taking the time out to write this long note
and encourage you to get the program TODAY.
Actually you have three days, in case you need a day or two to
think about it, discuss it with your spouse, or whatever the case
may be. But do not wait too long – as I mentioned, the deadline to
take advantage of the offer is Friday.
If you are a “try it before you buy it” kind of person, I can totally
relate to you and I understand. For you, I have released one section
of the program called THE COMPLETE START-UP KIT which is free for
you to download on the site. You can find that here:
http://www.raisingtrainerincome.com/
As I’m sure you’ll agree, the price of two payments of $157, billed
30 days apart is well within the budget of any trainer, no matter
who or where you are in your career.
If by some chance, right now you are in such dire straights that you
cannot even manage to borrow the $157 payment, first off, I
understand because at a time in my life not too long ago I was in
the same place.
Well in that case, for the level you are at, the free COMPLETE
START-UP KIT alone will be so monumentally helpful to you, that
I have no doubt in just the next few weeks alone it will help
you get out of the situation you’re in. In that case, good luck to
you, and you are welcome to purchase the program at the full price
as soon as your income situation improves (it will be back up to the
full price of three payments of $157 at that time, but is still a
steal at that price).
This program is meant to help you achieve higher earnings and
prepare your business for even more rapid growth. If you are at the
50K level and want to get to 100K plus, or are at 100K plus but are
ready to move up in your career, this program is for you.
Let me quickly summarize what you get:
– You will get THE NEW SIX-FIGURE TRAINER PROGRAM core program with
your 187 page manual, five audio CDs, and additional, MANUAL PART II
updated booklet.
– You will get THE GOLD SUPREME EDITION in addition to the core
program which includes six full length advanced programs. You will
be getting this gold upgrade at no cost.
– You will be getting the PLATINUM advanced upgrade for free with
this promotion, as the original program owners did. If you chose
to purchase it after this promotion, you can do so for one additional
payment of $157 (making the total price of the program FOUR payments
of $157 after Friday, not TWO payments if you act before then).
Also, let me inform you of what is NOT included:
– You will NOT be getting bonus coaching with the program (however
you will have access to complimentary speed coaching sessions
whenever I offer them to my customer list).
And lastly, I’d like to remind you that the course is backed up by a
full money back guarantee. If it does not make you back your full
investment within one year of owning it, you are entitled to every
cent of your money back.
First off, I want to say that is one of the most ridiculous
guarantees I’ve ever had on a product or service. Really, will the
course have any trouble making you more than $300 in the next year?
I think this email you are reading right now alone is enough to have
you make that much more in the next year! Just reading this note
right now has likely mentally reinforced your own commitment to your
career, increased your ambition in some ways, and will result in a
minimum increase of $300 in your income in the next year, in some
way, shape, or form.
So how silly is that? For me to guarantee the course will make you
back your investment of just two payments of $157? The course is
meant to bring millions of wealth into your training career in the
near future. That is the purpose. Although it is not stated in the
guarantee, I am stating it to you right now.
But the guarantee is there, just so you feel better about it.
Scams abound on the internet today – this is not one of them.
Okay – it’s taken me a little more time than I planned to write this
email, but that’s fine considering that I’ve done little to sell the
program for the past 8 weeks. If this letter has helped you make
your decision to take some proactive steps and invest the paltry sum
in owning the course, then it has succeeded.
Here is the page to get the program:
http://www.raisingtrainerincome.com/
You have until Friday to take advantage of the promotion, in case
you need to think about it. But don’t think too long – if you need
more information to make your decision, go here:
http://www.raisingtrainerincome.com/
Oh, I almost forgot …
My far secondary reason in writing this email is to let you know
that there is a new article on the site. You can find that here:
https://super-trainer.com/training-career-psychology/
Okay, that’s it for today. Enjoy the article and good luck with
the program. I’ll talk to you soon.
– Kaiser
Classic man! This was a great post and really had to be said. The job of a trainer is to be a leader, not a slave.
Great article Kaiser – you made some really good points here. Giving good service doesn’t mean being a pushover. And being a good boss doesn’t mean being a pushover either. What I’ve found is most people want dicipline and order, even from their trainers.
WOW! Kaiser, I have to say that I was making all of the mistakes you talk about here, about being too easy on myself and my clients for YEARS until I found your site and your products.
However, I’ve almost completely changed my tune since then. I hope many trainers read this and learn the lessons you are talking about.
P.S. I can vouch for the SIXFIGURE TRAINER PROGRAM Kaiser is talking about here. It was better than his first one and every bit as life changing. So many lessons here on how to charge more and believe in yourself. Really amazing and every trainer that has a business should own this.
Thanks!
– R
Great message here. Good shit as always.
Whoa, Kaiser. A sucker punch. Sometimes we need to give and take some tough love to succeed in this business. Thanks for getting that message across.
Rick Kaselj
of ExercisesForInjuries.com
Hey Devon. Yes I know what you mean, and I make it a point to treat my trainers with respect. I find a lot of them come in with low self esteem and it’s my job to build them back up.
Kaiser, would love to hear more about this subject. Plus I got your STUDIO coruse and hope it can help with my training department. Thanks brother for all you do.
Hey guys – glad you all liked it – I’m going to pick up on this theme and expand more on it in the future. This one’s real important for all trainers.
This was a great article Kaiser – I have to give you serious props on this. This really sums up how we need to look at our jobs.
At Equinox, I would have to call myself a servant. I used to talk about it with the other trainers all the time. After all, they used to make us wipe down the equipment! You can’t get much into service than that.
I think the big gyms break you down mentally. Thanks for building us back up man. You’re doing a great thing for this industry.
Trainers: time to step up MOFOS! Can’t tell it better than what you have here! Kaiser, you’ve done it again. This is another call to trainers to step up and get in this game, or get out!
Hey bro, I just checked this one out. What a real, important message for every trainer to hear.
We’re in a new time right now, and times are changing – the days of a trainer being a “bitch” or a servant are over. It’s time for trainers to step up and take charge for what they want.
That’s really the message you sent here and I loved it. Keep up the great work.
Hey Terry – yes, I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve said the same exact thing in pretty much so many words as you. It’s only natural for this field to change – it’s relatively new, so just like any new field, it’s wide open to some evolution.
Hey Kaiser – I’m just reading this for the first time and I agree with a lot of what you said here. Great, great post.
Hey Kaiser – great article as always. I can totally relate to what you’re talking about. I’ve had some people that have pushed me in my life when I was ready to quit on myself.
1. In highschool, I had a basketball coach that pushed me very, very hard. I was the best player on the team, and he still worked me twice as hard. I eventually got a scholarship to college because of it, and it is 100% because of how hard he pushed me. I probably wouldn’t have been able to go to college without him.
2. My 12 year guidance counselor was very similar. I was about to get stuck in school for another year, and she stayed after me to the point of calling my parents a few times to make sure I went to class and gradated.
(I went to a catholic school, so I really have to thank how hard they pushed me for making something of myself).
3. My Mom always believed in me and never stopped having faith in me. Like you, I was living in her basement for a few years, but eventually I got out.
4. Kaiser, YOU pushed me to get out of the gym and start my own training business, and I have to tell you I’m doing really well because of that. Thanks for the motivation.
So yes, I totally agree. We all need role models and people that pus us to a higher standard. And whenever possible, we need to play this role for others.