Stop trading your time for dollars.
You are a fitness professional, you don’t sell “time”, you sell value and results.
Prisoners “do time”, and unless you’re as scammy as some of the supplement companies out there I don’t think you will be reading this blog from a cell.
You don’t sell your time for dollars, and you also don’t deserve more dollars if you have spent a lot of time.
People in the trade jobs working in a factory think that years on the job should equal wage increases as well, and this is exactly why these people rarely attract wealth into their life.
To be honest, this is an entitled baby way of thinking.
What’s funny is that many CEO’s and entrepreneurs are seen as “greedy”, yet they are the ones who are providing a ton of value. They understand that value is what gets them their next dollar, not time.
I use factory workers because it’s an easy example, but personal trainers are just as guilty. They want something for nothing, they seek an unfair exchange because they feel that their time in the industry means something.
Time on the job does not increase the inherent value of that job being done.
Most trainers don’t get any better after about three years on the floor due to a lack of hunger, passion, and pursuit for knowledge.
These trainers will tell you:
I have been training clients for 20 years.
Who cares?
In so many cases they don’t have 20 years experience, they have 1 year of experience repeated 20 times.
The real coach doesn’t think in these terms and is completely devoid of false protections. He/she is at the full mercy of a marketplace with its own brand of harsh justice based on value.
If you want to attract more business and wealth, make yourself more valuable.
Getting Real and Cutting the BS
For you old timers out there, I hate to break it to you, but age doesn’t matter either. Age is only a good thing with wine, some cheeses, and cool antiques. Not people.
The whole “respect your elders” thing is nonsense if they haven’t earned it. You should be courteous to your elders, but respect is something you have to earn.
Your marketplace respecting you is the precursor to business and wealth, you need to earn it in order to warrant the transfer of funds. Owning a business for ten years doesn’t entitle you to anything more than your newest competitor who has only been around one year.
You have to stay on your toes.
What you get comes from the value you create and deliver. If they do this better than you, you will be crushed.
The Value of A Protein Shake
To drive this point home with the perfect example, let’s say your facility sells post-workout protein shakes for $5.00
One of your clients, after every single workout, goes to the gym cafe and buys a protein shake for $5.00 every workout for a year.
On Day 1 of year two, this client pulls a knife on you and says:
I have been buying this protein shake for a year! I demand that I now receive two protein shakes for the same five dollars!
Would this make any sense to you?
Of course not, the protein shake’s value is still five dollars, whether that client has been buying it regularly or not. Try telling your local Starbucks that you want a deal now because you buy coffee there everyday, see what happens.
It makes no sense. The value is the same.
And yet, coaches out there are raising their rates or feeling “screwed” by the boss because he/she won’t give them a raise. Here’s my response to you wanting a raise for your “time”:
Sure thing man! I’ll give you a raise. All you have to do is enroll in this course, attend this seminar, read these books, and listen to these podcasts. As soon as you do, your raise is a done deal.
For most coaches, this means their raise will never happen because mean old Dan Garner is being “unfair”. Whatever dude, don’t come here wanting more money if you’re unwilling to do anything to deliver more value. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.
The Lesson of The Day
As a reader of my work, I want you to rule the world. I want everything for you.
Because of this, I need to deliver the hard truth that you must avoid making the same unreasonable demands in your life.
The same demands that separate you from both integrity and reality.
If you want to succeed in this industry, do the complete opposite. Do something every single day that increases your value.
The recent economic collapse in combination with a more competitive world market has flushed out all of the people who thought they were safe. The new economy is more harsh, it will not welcome back those who aren’t willing to become better versions of themselves on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis.
Business Building Action Step: Identify Your Value
Integrity, value, and business success are all linked together. Anyone trying to get more business without bringing more integrity and value will suffer, personally or professionally.
Here is a short list of “value bringers” that I have put together for you to trigger a thought process that allows you to identify where you already bring plenty of value, and where you might need to work on in order to take your business to the next level.
- Domain expertise.
- Status – What are you known for?
- Skill – How can you clearly demonstrate your skill?
- Productivity.
- How you execute tasks.
- Opportunity selection/focus.
- Organization.
- Marketing/Self-promotion.
- Influence – What can you get others to do.
- Who you know.
- Reputation – What do others know about you?
- Vision/Mission
If you need help, the Create Freedom Academy can help you with all of the above and skyrocket your true value in this industry. When you’re ready, I’ll see you on the inside.
Dan Garner
