The Obvious Choice

Today the discussion focuses on how you can make sure to get the renewals you deserve and boost your numbers of returning clients.   The Episode: How To Renew The Clients You Should Be Getting   Running a successful online coaching business requires a certain level of continuity between programs and number of returning customers in order to create stability and loyalty. You do not need every client to renew with you, but the ones that can return, should not be neglected and lost. This is related to how you lay out your offer from the very first step, the way you communicate during your programs, and how you set up checkpoint and renewal calls as a program comes to an end.    In This Episode The need to evolve communication styles and language [0:08:55] Realistic expectations and practices for client renewals [0:11:09] Important steps to take from the start of the process [0:18:34] Tactics for great service to clients that stimulates renewals [0:24:43] Points to remember for renewal calls [0:31:29]   “Every single client who joins your program is joining it with the intent that they are going to do one spin around the sun with it.” — Jonathan Goodman   Putting in Place the Foundations for Renewal Calls It is important to start with clear communication about how your service can extend beyond the immediate program. This will ensure that those who wish to renew have this in mind from the get-go. Not every client will be a good fit for renewing, but without laying these foundations in place you will miss the ones that are a right for further work together. It is not about magic words, but don't be scared to double down and underline the good feelings and results you witness, and your customers experience.   Early Steps in the Renewal Process The communication starts in your advertising and intake process, and by staying ahead of the game and prepared you can set yourself up for success early on. Checkpoint calls and the scheduling of these as someone signs up, make the end of the program and moving on from it, that much easier and smoother. The clearer the idea you share of the work moving, the better for you and the customer.   The Power of the Service That You Offer There is an obvious correlation between the experience of a customer and their likelihood to renew, so focussing on delivering will also boost your numbers. One way to approach this is to frame your programs as a starting point, that way the future is already in the conversation! You are then able to talk about what comes next during the current program, and perks like reduced rates for loyalty will enhance this.   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy:http://onlinetrainer.com/ota   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055 Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

Our team of experts discusses strategies for balancing the demands on your time while maintaining your online training business.    The Episode: How To Balance Your Day Job, Family, and Online Business   No matter your current lifestyle and domestic set up, chances are that if you are starting or running an online training business, you do not have extra time on your hands. There are a few factors that can make these difficulties a little bit more manageable on a daily basis. The first step is prioritizing, you can then use this hierarchy as a tool for preparation. An important addition to these measures is the acceptance of what is realistic for you to take on, as it is unlikely you will be able to do everything you might initially want to. All of these areas require a level of self-awareness and responsiveness, which enables a well-tailored and suitable schedule for time management.   In This Episode Family duties, gender roles and managing commitments [0:15:41] Time is a constant constraint so use it wisely and smartly [0:20:45] Scheduling your day in order to maximize your productivity [0:24:02] Looking at your strengths, weaknesses, and boundaries and working within them [0:30:03] Prioritizing, preparing, and staying realistic with accomplishments [0:33:19]   “Online training is kind of like a big stone wheel, where it takes a ton of pressure and effort to get it going at first and then once you get that thing moving, all you gotta do is just tap it.” — Jonathan Goodman   Mapping Out A Personal Plan You may have a full-time job and many familial commitments on top of your online training hustle and managing these demands on time is never easy. One of the great things about online businesses though, is that after the initial effort it takes to get the ball rolling, the momentum can carry it forward with much less required from you.   Working Within the Limitations Balancing and deciding between different commitments can be a big challenge, and many of us have children and financial limitations that are serious hurdles to getting things off the ground. However, there are always ways to bootstrap your coaching business in the beginning, so it is all about finding the corners you can cut and the gaps that you can make use of; put in the work now and set yourself up for future success!   Time-Blocking and Smart Scheduling The setting and detailing of your priorities is a major step in your success. Laying out a plan for the day or week ahead can make this much easier and save time and energy during your workflow. This sort of proactive approach is an investment and requires energy in order to reap the rewards. This again comes back to self-awareness and setting up your systems to suit individual strengths and weaknesses. You need to know your own limitations, capabilities and how these fluctuate at different times.   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   Jonathan's Priority Block Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIn_mOPAldg/   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy:http://onlinetrainer.com/ota   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055 Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA

For this episode, the team shares some thoughts on creating authentic content and connecting properly with an audience.   The Episode: Your Content Is Your Life   The content you publish as an online trainer determines a large part of your success. The more closely you can align what you put out, with your own story and life, or at least an authentic vision, the more longevity and impact you will have. If you can tie yourself into the offers that you make, clients will connect much more deeply with your service and how it is promoted. This means taking an active role in your offers, bringing more of yourself into your media, and staying authentic and relatable. This approach also ensures you will have a good store of ideas and material going forward, as you will be communicating about things that you understand and experience.   In This Episode  Your life is your content — your content is your life [0:08:41] The three categories in question for creating content [0:10:28] Aligning your content to an authentic vision of your life [0:14:03] How to relate outside of your demographic [0:22:25] Business content on social media; pros and cons [0:28:41]   “They should be the focus, you shouldn't be the focus. I think a lot of trainers perhaps don't do that.” — Jonathan Goodman   Aligning Yourself with Your Content Take an inventory of yourself and your business and find the most authentic and relatable parts of this to be your guiding force in the content you put out. Your priority should be creating content that draws directly from this well and is relatable to your audience or intended market.   Authenticity is Powerful The number one thing that will help you connect with an audience is authenticity. If you have similarities to your customer base, show this. Mirror what they are going through and the bond that emerges will be that much stronger. This works both ways, as tying yourself into your programs and plans will create accountability for you too. Building awareness and expectation with your audience will create momentum and the tendency towards growth and progress.   Making The Content You Publish Relatable It is also possible to create authentic content that does not draw directly from your own story. You do not have to be a mom to deliver an authentic service to moms. But it does take a lot of observation and empathy, so pay attention to your community and see what they are saying and what they need. This is another great opportunity to let your customers shine, and by making your platform more about them, you double down on relatability and reach.   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   Amber's Photoshoot: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LkDhhNc0JOeIRydp36h-VMc8RC214jZS?usp=sharing   SPONSORS  Get started TODAY with the world leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy:http://onlinetrainer.com/ota Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055 Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA

Our panel sits down to discuss an example of selling out an online course and the important steps in this process.   The Episode: A Real Life SOLD OUT Online Training Launch Example   A big part of being an online trainer is launching and selling programs, and today we look at a great example of how this can be done successfully, leading to a sold out offer! We break down the whole process, talking about the steps to start with, that come before the actual launch, how to manage the first sales and facilitate the later ones, sticking to a plan, as well as packing as much value in the course as possible through collaboration and clear branding.   In This Episode A little bit about the course that Carolina just sold out [0:10:04] The preparatory steps that Carolina took before launching [0:12:54] Turning initial interest into sales [0:19:30] Asking for what you want and preparing to hear no [0:25:03] Lessons learned from each launch to carry forward [0:29:30]  Deciding on what to name a program and who to work with [0:31:42]   “If you are not hearing no multiple times, then you are missing out on a tremendous amount of opportunities. Most people do not ask enough for what they want.” — Jonathan Goodman   The First Steps for a Launch A launch starts before you actually launch, and the early steps in the process are some of the most important. You need to create excitement about your offer and some urgency and scarcity is also not a bad thing. You can do this through some posts on social media and carefully-chosen conversations to raise awareness in the right way. The real goal is to try and sell as much as possible in the shortest space of time after the offer goes live.   Sticking to the Vision and Strategy The usual pattern of online launches is that you will have a bunch of sales at the start, a little dip and then a last-minute rush for the last tickets. Through this you need to stick to your script and see the launch through, you can even become more fearless after that initial spike. Launching is a constant learning process and the lessons you learn this time will help in your next launch too.   The Finishing Touches on a Program It is a great idea to use different platforms and forums to speak to your people. Collaboration and inclusion can help get your launch over the line and can also make for a better and more attractive offer to customers. Try not to limit yourself, other professionals can complement what you are doing and everyone can win.   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   Founding Client Challenge: https://store.theptdc.com/product/founding-client-challenge/   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy:http://onlinetrainer.com/ota   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055   Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA

In this episode, the team talks about ways to turn negative feedback or criticism into sales for your online training business.   The Episode: How to Turn Public Criticism into Sales   Any business will have disappointed customers in some form or another. As online trainers, we experience this too, and this negativity often plays out for us in the form of a negative review in a group or forum. Although these can be tricky situations, they are actually great opportunities and can be used to benefit everyone involved in certain ways. By dealing with complaints or criticism in a caring way you can allow a dissatisfied customer to leave having had a positive experience; this is all about being clear on who your offer is specifically for and the process of dealing with negativity is a part of that journey.   In This Episode Reframing feedback and healthy ways to deal with negativity in a forum [0:14:56] A few specific examples of cases of criticism from the OTA groups [0:21:45] Responding to bad reviews with context, useful information, and care [0:26:38] Making things right by a disappointed customer or client [0:32:22] The value of negativity and how this can help your sales [0:39:50]   “What is very, very important in any kind of a response, particularly a public response on social media, is understanding who you are responding to and who is going to see that response.” — Jonathan Goodman   Dealing with Negativity Directly If you ignore and ban anyone who posts something negative in a group you will create more of a problem for yourself and your business. That person will then leave more upset, with a worse view of how you run things. It is much better to deal with complaints in a transparent way, trying to answer what has been raised, and taking responsibility for the dissatisfaction.   What to Include in a Response No offer is for everyone, so complaints are inevitable at some point. Keep in mind who you are talking to and who will see your response, this can help you stay focussed on crafting the best communication possible. The first thing to do is to contextualize any comments, if you can do this, coupled with demonstrating the care you have for your offer and your customers, you can make progress towards allaying unnecessary negativity.   Clarity and Care for All Customers Any training program will have tradeoffs, and in the end, you are not trying to convince everyone that your offer is for them. You want the right people to find you and your value. You need to make sure that even the people your package does not suit, leave feeling like they had a positive experience, and the most important part of this is to be clear on who your offer is for and who it is not.    Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy:http://onlinetrainer.com/ota   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055 Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA

In this episode, our panel discusses the best ways to create and publish fitness content online.   The Episode: How To Be A Content Creating Machine   In the world of online training, the content you put out occupies a sizable chunk of your work and determines much of your resultant success. In order to build and grow, this needs to be an area in which you improve and, ultimately, connect. A few major points here are knowing where your message is going, systematizing your creation process, achieving a level of consistency and getting away from sporadic and confusing messaging. If you can connect these dots, you have that much more chance of reaching your ideal clients and striking gold.   In This Episode Making sure you stay productive and have enough content [0:16:31] Selecting the right platforms to post your content [0:22:20] Taking imperfect action and including calls to action [0:24:22] Utilizing your ideas when they arise [0:29:01] Batching your content creation process [0:32:58]   “I think perhaps the best use of social media in a lot of cases is to test material, and is to test messaging.” — Jonathan Goodman   Upping Your Productivity It can be helpful to find the times and spaces that you are at your most creative and focussed. This can also mean scheduling time for content creation, so that you can get away from normal distractions. Knowing where the content you are creating will go can help improve your productivity, drilling down on a specific format or message to make the most of your time.    Creating, Compiling, and Posting As we have said before, calls to action are what move the needle, so do not neglect this amazing tool! Another useful tip is to use social media as a space to test your material and messaging, gauging reactions, and even crowd-sourcing ideas that can improve what you are posting! A lot of the time, your messages do not need to be overly complex, they can be as simple as stating questions that you encounter and offering an answer — and this usually comes naturally to coaches!   Some More Ideas for Content Creation Making the most of your ideas as they arise will save you a lot of effort, so find a way to collect your thoughts, whether it is jotting things down in a notebook during the day or spending time brainstorming, there are more than enough opportunities to come up with things to share. Remember, content creation is like any other exercise, you get better at it by doing the reps!   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy:http://onlinetrainer.com/ota   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055   Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA

In this episode, Jonathan sits down with Melisa Shevchenko to talk about how she has built a successful and highly profitable online training business utilizing challenges.    The Episode: How Melissa Shevchenko Had Her First $9500 Month Online from Challenges   The way that you lay out your service as an online trainer has a clear relationship to who signs up with you. Today we get to hear from Melissa, an OTA 2 graduate, about how she has built her courses and upped her prices over time, and the lessons she has learned along the way. Melissa centers her work on six-week challenges that clients are able to sign up for, with a focus on fat loss and she explains how these challenges enable her to quickly get longer-term buy-in from her customers, and how this benefits everyone involved.    In This Episode The specifics and structures of Melissa's six-week challenge [0:03:02] Benefits of the early introduction of challenges [0:06:34] Comparing Melissa’s conversion methods before and after OTA 2 [0:09:18] How Melissa facilitates her challenges through a Facebook Group [0:16:00] The process of check-ins and the calls that Melissa holds with clients now [0:17:39] Some of the landmark learnings that Melissa remembers from her OTA course [0:24:26] Melissa's thoughts on joining OTA 2 for those considering it [0:29:28]   “If you don't use something to buy into what you are doing early on, you can have a really hard time getting them to commit longer term.” — Jonathan Goodman   The Six-Week Challenge that Melissa Offers Creating connection and accountability can go a long way with clients, and personal attention and check-ins are great ways to do this. Melissa aims to make the process of fat loss as simple as possible, breaking it down for her clients into manageable segments. She has adopted an approach based on habits and calories, which has a general format and then elements that are tailored to individuals.    The Development of the Program and its Conversion Methods The challenge format has allowed Melissa to build community early on in the course. This is enhanced by serving a specific type of client, which also means finding the right people, who are truly ready for the challenge. Melissa facilitates her challenges through a dedicated and private Facebook Group, as well as holding three-week checkpoint calls with participants, to keep them going.   Lessons Learned in the Process We hear from Melissa about the growth of her confidence over time and the boost that the OTA 2 course was able to give her. One of the big lessons taught in the OTA is how to call and communicate with prospective clients and there are established ways to develop the best script possible for these calls. Once these calls become comfortable and successful, they can even be outsourced, if you would rather focus solely on training, or vice-versa.   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   SPONSORS  Get started TODAY with the world-leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy: http://onlinetrainer.com/ota Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd   Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055 Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

In today's episode, Jonathan speaks to Jim Gazzale about his method for gaining new clients in his online coaching business and how he has raised his prices incrementally.   The Episode: Jim Gazzale's $1,500, One-New-Client-A-Week Method   Building a profitable online coaching business is all about taking action. Jim Gazzale joins us on the show today to talk about the steps he has taken, along with taking part in the OTA, towards building his dream online coaching service. We hear from him about the way he has improved his business, built confidence, and most importantly increased his prices! Jim underlines the power of paying attention to clients, delivering results over empty talk, and taking imperfect action towards your goals.   In This Episode The $95 a month model that Jim had previously for nutrition coaching [0:01:44] Managing the transition to a higher price model among other commitments [0:04:41] How Jim approaches time management, getting things done, and client preferences [0:08:40] The way Jim increased his prices and improved his business philosophy [0:17:21] Targeting new clients and communicating effectively [0:23:41] Jim's expenses and profitability [0:26:08] Surveying clients and connecting through good questions [0:27:06] Thoughts on joining OTA and Jim's message for those considering it [0:27:06]   “My biggest thing is, the night before, writing out three to five things that I need to get accomplished. For me, it's things that I need to do not things that I want to do.” — Jim Gazzale   Getting Things Done For Jim, making sure to cross important things off his to-do list every day is vital. This means writing out a handful of necessary items for the next day each evening. This can take the form of social media content or outreach, but whatever it is, it is all about prioritizing and making sure it gets done!   Confidence and Strategy for Raising Prices It is not easy to jump into online training and start charging your target prices. It is more realistic to incrementally increase your prices as your service and confidence grow. The confidence piece of this puzzle is vital; you need to be able to show people that you know your worth and the value you are advertising.   Paying for Results and Delivering What Clients Need Running a business such as Jim's means finding new clients and communicating effectively. Although these conversations are central, clients pay for results, not conversation, so the quicker you can get them working towards their goals, the better. Jim has improved his communication with new clients by noting the language of his client-base and drilling down on that. This aids connection and when you speak the language of the market you are aiming for, you will reap the rewards.   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy: http://onlinetrainer.com/ota Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd   Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055 Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC  

For this episode, the team sits down to talk about the task of overcoming fears of rejection as an online trainer.   The Episode: Overcoming Fears of Rejection In Online Training   Work as an online trainer is littered with different types of rejection, refusal, and even supposed failures. This is part of what it takes to make progress and succeed, as you cannot make it to your goals without experiencing adversity and challenges. Here we talk about how to get past the fear of these losses in order to reach the wins, new ways to think about 'nos', and the power of asking for what you want in your life and work.   In This Episode Rejection and disappointment as a trainer [0:11:31] Examples of responses to offers and reaching out [0:18:00] The disconnection between trainers and clients [0:24:39] The difficulties that arise most often and the ones to take seriously [0:27:24] Asking for what you want and facing rejection head-on [0:33:02]   “Odds are pretty good that anybody that is in a position that you aspire to be in, has worked way harder, for way longer, and gone through way more shit than you could ever imagine and that you will ever see.” — Jonathan Goodman   The Human Tendency Towards Negativity Our negative bias has a strong impact on how we weigh results. It is very easy to gloss over positive factors in a situation and zoom in on small negatives that upset us. In most situations where you feel a sense of critique or rejection, those examples sit in a sea of positivity that our brains easily forget, so just remember to try and keep a clear perspective when encountering challenges such as this.   The Gap Between Trainers and Clients It is difficult for clients to always remember just how much hard work has gone into a trainer's journey. This can cause a disconnect between expectations and experience. As trainers, we need to become comfortable with this dynamic as the arising challenges never go away. Rejection and problems in this area are a staple part of even the most successful of coaches' businesses.   Confronting Issues and Accepting Rejection In the end, it is all about how you deal with the problems that do arise, whether it is a rejection of an offer, a complaint about your service, or any other adversity that occurs in the business. You know how much hard work you have put into your progress and success, even if others forget. The last part of this picture is asking for what you want, and when we can do this with as little fear of failure as possible, we enable ourselves to succeed in new ways.   Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world-leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy: http://onlinetrainer.com/ota   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055 Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

In this episode, the team discusses the topic of having material stolen by other trainers.   The Episode: What To Do When Other Trainers Steal From You   What do you do when someone steals your intellectual property? Unfortunately, this is an experience that many of us have had, whether it be a piece of content posted online, brand mimicking, or any other type of plagiarism. Naturally, this can be quite upsetting and potentially difficult to deal with, but we are here to remind you that most of the time the best policy is to try and let it go. Doing the work is the only sustainable way to progress and success, so the trainers or individuals that try to take these shortcuts are shooting themselves in the foot, and you should not let that sort of shortsightedness worry you!   In This Episode What it feels like to have your material stolen by customers [0:09:38] Blatant plagiarism and the tendency of some people to steal ideas [0:18:39] Emotional responses to stealing by other professionals [0:25:01] Times to take this kind of stealing more seriously [0:31:55] Why stealing is always the wrong way to go [0:36:34]   “If there is potential reputational damage involved, I get litigious very quickly.” — Jonathan Goodman   Experiences of Materials Being Stolen Many of us have had this happen to us, and the truth is that it is mostly a result of jealousy or inferiority. The other positive side to this unfortunate circumstance is that it shows you are doing something right, that others want to jump on. In the end, putting in the hard work will pay off, so stick to your guns, and do not let small things like this get you down.   How to Respond to Different Cases of Stealing It is unsurprising that we have emotional responses to the shamelessness and invasion of stealing. It is helpful to keep in mind that most acts of this kind come from a fearful and frustrated place, often when someone is struggling with one issue or another. As we see in fitness, you cannot get someone else to do your reps for you, so when someone steals, they are actually robbing themselves of the opportunity to grow and learn.   The Most Damaging Kinds of Robbery There are some times when 'letting it go' is not the best option. If someone is adopting your brand or identity in order to scam clients, this can be very dangerous. At these times, depending on your business and the severity of the case, it may be wise to pursue the issue legally.    Already at $1,000/month online and want to scale? Apply for OTA 2 here: www.thePTDC.com/OTA2   Howard Stern Video (Profanity Warning!): https://soundcloud.com/royfm/howard-stern-this-is-how-to   SPONSORS Get started TODAY with the world-leading certification and business development program for personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and gym owners – The Online Trainer Academy: http://onlinetrainer.com/ota    Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - http://onlinetrainer.com/ptd   Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1468193055   Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jon-goodman/its-possible-conversations-with-successful-online-trainers   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20veRnzFOvUn6fTy9ud8jm?si=zMWTLmtISMm1XrU-4Q8oxA