The Obvious Choice

How To Use Money To Buy A Happier Life (Online Trainer Show #23)   Today’s episode is something a little bit different. While Jonathan is away, OTS shares a recording he made of his favorite essay on money. Why is this important? Making money can often cost you in terms of stress and overall well-being. Yet, you need money to live. In this essay, Jonathan shares some hard truths about what money means. Will more of it really make you that much happier? He breaks down the definitions of money vs wealth so you can better understand your life’s principles. Finally, he shares some honest advice about living a life of joy and meaning. This is a special episode that shouldn’t be missed.   In This Episode: Why money is a taboo subject in our society [0:33)] What is money good for – and what isn’t it good for? [1:07] The Notorious B.I.G. famously said, “Mo’ money, mo’ problems,” and research suggests he wasn’t wrong [2:01] Why you should focus on doing work that’s important and energizing [3:57] How to improve your life with the money that you have [6:04] Do you suffer from “hedonic adaptation?” [7:35] Advice for increasing the length and quality of your life [9:44]   “Dysfunctional attitudes toward money—from overspending to false economies and scarcity thinking—don’t just hurt business growth. They detract from happiness.” - Jonathan Goodman   Money Can’t Buy Happiness Studies show that past a certain threshold, money doesn’t make you that much happier. Why? Consider what $10,000 means to a rich person versus what it means to a poor person. Then consider the tradeoff of working harder to make more money versus learning to be happy with the money you already have.   Money is Meant to Be Used You wouldn’t buy a hammer and never use it, right? Consider money as a tool. Stop comparing yourself to others and figure out your life’s guiding principles. Then spend money there.   Remove Yourself From the “Hedonistic Treadmill” Jonathan not only shares the 5 Principles of Joy, but he explains how he applies them to his own life. In this way, he doesn’t feel the need to make more money. He’s happy with the money he has because he’s not always thinking about what’s next.   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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd   YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

How To Optimize Your Process To Add Value and Increase Client Retention (Online Trainer Show #22) Jonathan, Ren, and Carolina aren’t sure what “optimization” even is; but they know you need it for your business. In this episode, they’ll define “optimization,” and discuss why it can be so effective. With a few simple tips, you can learn to anticipate your clients’ needs and become proactive in your business’s client retention. Knowing where your client may be emotionally on their journey is a great way to optimize your business with a few simple but well-timed communications. Avoid frustrated clients asking for their money back because they made a typo! Also in this episode: Ren has something to say about people being polite in online social groups.   In This Episode: What really chaps Ren’s hide? [0:17] The 1 trick Carolina found for keeping mosquitoes at bay [8:31] What is optimization and how does it add value? [11:15] Ways to get started with optimizing your business [13:45] Keeping new sign-ups feeling positive about the process [25:37]   “Be smart, be professional - but make it simple.” - Carolina Belmares   Why you need to optimize your business You can make more money with very little time and effort. Optimizing your business means adding value for your clients, whether that’s anticipating their needs or effective communication.   Ways to optimize Let your clients know how to get in touch, and with whom, if there is a problem. Be specific and proactive in your communications. Learn what a typical client’s emotional cycle looks like so you can anticipate their needs.   Optimization should be invisible Good service for your clients should flow so smoothly that they don’t even realize it’s happening. Take preventive action. You won’t know it’s working because you’re dealing with problems before they arise.   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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd   YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

How To Help Clients Follow Through For Big Results (Online Trainer Show #21)   We’ve all had the challenge of getting clients to follow-through. In this episode—which will blow your mind!—the team invites Amber in to discuss how to keep your clients going. Is it your fault? What can you do differently? Also, Jonathan discusses a terrible experience he had as a guest on another podcast, and how that was an example of how not to treat people. Don’t miss it!   In This Episode: The Online Trainer Show is now the #1 fitness podcast in Romania! [0:50] What if your clients stop responding, or stop doing their workouts? [14:57] Does Jonathan have to outsource his emotions? [16:26] Why you should collaborate with your clients [18:37] Learning to be creative and flexible with your clients’ needs [21:03] The age-old pineapple-on-pizza debate [24:22]   “Our jobs as coaches is to be a port in the storm of information. We facilitate - not dictate.” – Amber Reynolds   Feeling like you are failing as a trainer When clients fail to follow through, is it the trainer’s fault? Amber thinks so, and she’ll share what you should do upfront in order to manage your client’s expectations.   It’s what your clients pay you for Remember that what you know and live all day every day is not necessarily what your clients come in knowing. They are paying you for that knowledge. Don’t take what you know for granted.   The “3-week tantrum” and what to do about it Know that you will have to troubleshoot. Be prepared for the sudden drop in motivation at the 3-week mark. Carolina shares her “stacked log” theory and how you can use it to motivate clients.   Resources: If you have a client who isn't responding to messages, try sending this: Hey, (Client Name), I noticed that you haven’t been responding to my messages. No problem. My job isn’t to tell you what to do. Instead, it’s to help guide you. Can you tell me, on a scale of 1-10, how committed you feel right now to achieving the goal of X that we established a short while ago? Know that there’s no right or wrong answer. You don’t need to impress me or make me feel good. I just want to get a handle on how you feel right now, cool?   Motivational Interviewing in Nutrition and Fitness Book: https://amzn.to/32GnYs4   Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast   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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

Convert More Clients By Understanding These Two Things (Online Trainer Show #20)   Have you ever been on a sales call and the client bursts out in tears? Today, Carolina, Ren, and Jonathan dive deep into why emotions play such a big role in any business and why you should understand what your client wants to change about themselves before you start working with them. They also talk about the difference between features and benefits and how they convey value for your business.    Make sure to send your fan art of Jonathan as a purple monkey loading the dishwasher and a methed out gator! Here is the email address to send it: amber@theptdc.com   In This Episode: Ren’s experience as Harry the Hound! [0:01] Jonathan’s Chipotle disaster [3:21] Online Trainer Coaching is coming soon! [18:08] In person, you have restrictions; online, you don’t have to [25:06] How an outline gives your clients a sense of certainty [33:42]   “Emotion sells - logic justifies.” – Jonathan Goodman    Emotion Vs. Logic A feature is logical, a benefit is emotional. In order to grab someone’s attention, you have to use emotional appeal and if you do it correctly, clients don’t actually care about your product or service.    Involving More Services Could Decrease Value People want to do as little as possible as quickly as they can in order to better themselves. If you require more from them, they may second guess signing up. Keep it simple and easy.    Sales is Curiosity Get to know your clients so that you can work closer with them and make it easier for them. Being curious and asking questions will help get past the fluff and eventually bring out the true answers.    Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast   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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

The Secret to High Quality Online Assessments (Online Trainer Show #19) How can you accurately tell if your clients have made any progress as they work with you? How do you assess what program to do in the first place? Is it even possible for online trainers? Jonathan, Carolina, and Ren talk about the secret to high-quality online assessments and how to do them without fancy gym equipment! They also clear common misconceptions that you might have about the topic. Make sure to send your fan art of Jonathan as a purple monkey loading the dishwasher! Here is the email address to send it: amber@theptdc.com   In This Episode: The importance of doing a little research before sending a message [01:08] The benefits of being an online trainer – bringing your work on your travels. [9:08] Why are mental assessments better than others? [17:24] A proactive and lateral approach. [21:29] The majority of tests are invalid. Use tape measures instead! [25:02]   “Look at assessments and always favor reliability. Choose markers of progress that you know can be reliable from step to step. You can be reasonably confident that whatever you're being reported is accurate.” – Jonathan Goodman    The Reality with Assessments It’s only a document that shows if you might hurt a person, what your clients are susceptible to, and ensuring that they get better with as little risk as possible.   The Best Assessment is the Mental Assessment Figure out the “why” of your clients, how ready they are, and what you could impact in their life through your training. It’s never just getting a six-pack, but something more emotional.   Reliability over Validity Most of the tests out there aren’t valid anyway. Choose assessments that can identify red flags where you might need to send them to get medical help. If there aren’t any serious issues, use reliable tests like using a tape measure to record your client’s progress!   Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast   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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy   Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

How to Price Online Training for Max Profit and Max Clients (Online Trainer Show #18) How much should you charge? Wasn’t that in a previous episode already? How much should you charge for max profit and max clients? Now that’s something new! Jonathan, Carolina, and Ren talk about creating business models that sell for maximum profits. They get into why you should think beyond using your business as a nine to five and how you can create wealth on top of paying the bills. In This Episode: Jonathan gets a great haircut after almost losing his house [00:00] Taking pride in what you do [12:21] Setting yourself up for profit on top of a salary [17:57] Profit builds wealth, but don’t follow what casinos tell you to do! [30:26] Making more money in less time, over time! [35:15] "That's why companies generate profit and save - because there will always be a time, no matter how good a company is, that things don't go quite right." – Jonathan Goodman  Don’t Make Your Business a Nine to Five Before deciding how much to charge, look at how much profit you want. You can hire yourself for a job initially, but you ultimately want to generate dividends and make multiple streams of income. Establishing a Model that Sells You want to build a business that generates profit. Your salary covers the bills, but it’s the profits that create wealth! Building a model (or models) would allow for that profit, depending on how much you charge. More Money in Less Time The grind is supposed to be only in the beginning. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel for every new client. Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast 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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd  YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

The Best Apps and Software to Manage Your Online Training Business (Online Trainer Show #17) After a discussion about Hamilton and the biggest birthday bash of the century, Jonathan, Carolina, and Ren talk about their favorite apps and software to use in their online training business. There’s no need to overthink when finding what tool to use. All of these are good enough for what you need, so make sure to keep in mind what you want to deliver and pick accordingly. In This Episode: Carolina’s big birthday bash and the Jedi mayor taking out the guesswork [07:57] Trainerize and ProCoach – user-friendly and habit-building [13:09] Canva and Facebook – edit photos and build your brand with ease! [19:26] Get your notebooks ready for Jonathan’s recommendations [24:04] Bruce Wayne’s apps have to match his Tesla! [37:28] "One easy way to stick out answering questions in Facebook groups - shoot a video answering the question - you'll stick out like gold in a bucket full of lead. Answering questions is your branding." – Ren Jones  Trainerize (Price varies) - https://www.trainerize.com/ It’s very easy to set up and user-friendly. You can add videos from YouTube or your videos if you have your own recordings. The visual component is key for clients!   ProCoach ($99/month+) - https://www.precisionnutrition.com/procoach-software-free-trial This is more of a longer approach (a year-long program) as this gives daily lessons. Each day sets behavioral components to build habits that your clients need to keep up with.    Canva (Free version available) - https://www.canva.com/  It’s the poor man’s Photoshop. Make photos magical without the expertise of a graphic designer! You can generate testimonials from your clients using their templates.   Facebook (Free) - https://www.facebook.com/  Don’t underestimate the business opportunities here! Ren got a job because people saw his content. You can build your brand by answering questions on fitness groups.    Tripit ($50/year) - https://www.tripit.com/web/download Forward all your reservations through this app! Hotels, flights, Airbnb, including necessary addresses and numbers, are all organized for you.   Evernote (Free version available) - https://evernote.com/ Besides being a note-taking app, you can use it to pull articles off from the internet to save them for later.   LastPass (free version available) - https://www.lastpass.com/ Never go through the nightmare of remembering your complicated passwords. Additionally, you can let other people use them without them seeing it!    Hubdoc ($20/month) - https://www.hubdoc.com/ Automatically integrate all your credit cards, statements into a central filing system and take photos of receipts for your bookkeeper!   Skitch (Free option available) - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/skitch-snap-mark-up-share/id425955336?mt=12 A simple app on your phone that allows you to crop and annotate pictures quickly!   TunnelBear ($9.99/month) - https://www.tunnelbear.com/ This app is crucial for protecting your information when you use public networks. It’s a VPN (Virtual Private Network) that cloaks your IP address, so you don’t get hacked.    SelfControl (Free) - https://selfcontrolapp.com/ A productivity tool keeps you away from procrastination. You can set a timer to block you from apps and websites, then restart your system to get access again after working!   Backblaze ($6/month) - https://www.backblaze.com/ Save your data on this cloud software to give you peace of mind from data loss. Don’t let your precious photos and irreplaceable work files get lost forever! Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast 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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd  YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

How to Win by Celebrating Your Clients (Online Trainer Show #16) Jonathan, Carolina, and Ren talk about winning while celebrating with your clients. Rather than telling others how great you are, it’s better to have your clients tell them for you. You’ll be surprised at how much more effective celebrating your clients’ victories is at getting referrals! But obviously, celebrations are not initially intended for business. It’s for your hard-earned work, too! Also, please send us your best “methed up” gator fanart at amber@theptdc.com!   In This Episode: How you can prevent having “methed up” gators in your sewers [00:00] Animal Planet between two ladies. [08:40] Why you should send postcards to your clients (even cheap ones!) [19:26] Spending $3K for someone’s vacation, but getting $150K in return [24:07] Celebrating in and of itself! [30:39] "You celebrate the wins, of course - but you also need to celebrate the losses. The losses mean you had the guts to take action and that often deserves more celebration than wins do." - Jonathan Goodman    Cards and Gifts in the New Age In 2020, we can assume that most of your clients don’t get physical mail, but they’ll still check for letters once in a while. Why not send them a postcard? It’s going to be a memory on their fridge that they’re going to talk to others about!   Milestones and Contests You can utilize contests for your clients. Have them share their experience and success with you then randomly choose someone to win a prize worth a couple thousand dollars’ worth. Don’t worry. You’ll get way more business in return!   It’s Not Only for Your Clients Ultimately, a celebration is all about having fun. Create that vibe, and you’ll start to get clients that are happy about the things they’re doing. And most of all, you too have to feel worthy of your work. Celebrate for the heck of celebrating! Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast 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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

How To Instantly Be More Productive Without Apps or Software (Online Trainer Show #15)   As your business grows, you can’t keep putting pressure on yourself. Otherwise, you’d burn yourself out. How can you remove some of that burden? Through improving your productivity. Wearing all black on the show, Jonathan, Carolina, and Ren talk about how you can work better by doing less. They get into immediately actionable points, with no requirement for any app or software! In This Episode: How many Casio watches is a Tesla Model Y worth? [02:23] Bug bites and bubbling Vitamin C [09:47] Avoiding spending half a day figuring out Facebook cover photos [16:48] Why you should never bring your laptop charger to a coffee shop [26:13] Other people can do your job better than you. [32:21] "You probably need to spend a lot less time working than you think—as long as you take time to work on things that matter, and make sure your time to work on those things is protected." - Jonathan Goodman  Sucking for 930 Minutes a Day We’re awake for 960 minutes a day. That means we only need 30 minutes to be great. Make sure that you do the kind of work that pushes your business the most within that time frame. You can use triggers like a song, mantra, or action that gets you in the mood! Use Time Constraints to Your Advantage If you don’t have a time limit, you’ll take forever to finish the job. Set alarms and deadlines for yourself. Don’t bring your laptop charger if you plan to work at a coffee shop. You’ll be at your most productive state when your battery hits 10%. Your Business Shouldn’t Be a One-Man Army It’s not wise to handle a growing business without other people. Being productive is not being busy. Handling an increasing number of tasks would leave you with less time to pay attention to each part of the business! Have other people help you out.   Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast   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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC

How to Save TONS of Time Overnight (Online Trainer Show #14) Today on one of the longer episodes of the show, Jonathan, Carolina, and Ren talk about saving time. How can you avoid the things you hate doing? How can you be free to do what you want while doing the same quality of work? Why is Ren a better podcast guest than Jonathan? All these questions and more, are going to be answered on the podcast. Stay tuned until the end to see how Jonathan saves time by starting his day right!   In This Episode: Ren versus Jonathan on podcasting. Politicians don't answer questions! [00:23] Why other people don’t think virtual assistants are a scam [16:28] The importance of knowing how the numbers work. [26:48] Establishing ownership with your virtual assistants [35:31] Tips and tricks to save time! [41:20]   "They're worried about wasting time because they're not yet in control of their time." - Jonathan Goodman    “Waste” More Time by Saving More Time Doing things at your own pace without having any pressure is one of the beautiful things in life. You can delegate tasks and use tools to make your work more efficient, so you have more time to do the things you love!   The Secret to Starting with Virtual Assistants Plan for one before you even need one. That means create a list of how you do the work that you want to outsource! When it comes time to get someone, you already have the policies, training, and procedures prepared for that person!   Time-Saving Lifehacks (1) Never answer the same questions twice by making an FAQ list. (2) Control your email by sorting them and deal with them by category. (3) Learn to use Evernote to simplify articles that you want to read! Get all shows and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts at www.onlinetrainer.com/podcast 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: https://onlinetrainer.com/academy Enjoy this special offer of 60 days FREE on PT Distinction from The Online Trainer Show! - https://onlinetrainer.com/ptd YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonGoodmanPTDC