• Darren Tebbenham

finding your WHY and building your business (& marketing) on its power

1] The Power of Why

People don’t buy into what you say nearly as much as how you say it!

In a competitive marketplace there is great similarity between WHAT people do. And people won’t listen to your arguments about how you are different. It’s all the same to them. But, WHY you do what you do becomes story-telling, and people love a good story. Why you do what you do is what can differentiate you from others and offers compelling reason to buy into you and then from you.

So why do you do what it is you do (in relation to others, not self)? This is not just about marketing. It’s about leadership. It’s about helping people to sense they belong and feel part of something.

People don’t care what you do but why you do it and when they understand and can embrace this will then be more likely to want what it is you do. PS This is NOT your background and why you are a PT but why your community, your niche, indeed the world would be worse off without you!

2] Finding Your Why

Fundamentally the task here is to answer the question: “Why is what you do so damn important?” It is important that you and your company does well, right? Why is it important to others that you and your company thrives?

I mean there are 101 other fitness businesses out there, why is it so important yours thrives? Often a person’s why sounds like:

To _____________________ so that ____________________.

Mine is –

To help people Imagine a future worth getting excited about. It is about Igniting passion. And it is about Inspiring others. We do this so that people can Be More and go on to collectively transform millions of lives through fitness around the world.

When I went through my Coaching with Michael Gerber’s the E-Myth we had to create two things initially: One’s Primary Aim and then one’s Strategic Objective. A person’s Primary Aim is about their Personal Vision.

Mine read and still reads today – “I am inspired by success, never happier than when inspiring others. I live a purposeful life where my passion is my profession. I am always positive and engaged in life.”

This keeps me on track, steers my life (it's not for others, it's what shapes my business aka EiF's why). To find and then communicate your why is to ask yourself questions about what you believe, about what matters and about the vision you have for the longer-term future.

I genuinely believe with EiF, many of our graduates successfully running their fitness businesses today would likely have chosen an ordinary level 3 PT course and not, therefore, entered the industry with the vision, confidence and belief they had when they did so. I believe because of EiF the industry is a better place because of the way we ignite people's passion and help people imagine things better than they are, and because we do indeed inspire people to be more. It's what we do.

3] Living Your Why

It’s not a marketing thing. It’s being it. It’s not just about what you say but how you are! How your team is. What is experienced by your clients.

As I said, I truly believe EiF helps people to imagine a future they can get excited about. I believe we ignite passion. And I believe we inspire people.

And this inspires me.

You can’t say your why is to help people live a healthier life from the inside out, for example, unless you truly do and everything you do is to this end. So, don't try and be clever with your why. Dig deep and ask why you get up in the morning. Why work as hard as you do. It's not for the money. And it isn't because you love fitness. A business serves people and makes a difference - otherwise what's the point?

SO WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? What are the core values that underpin what you do – this is likely WHY you do it.

Think, what is the bigger picture for you. What’s your vision?

Try this:

We / I believe _______________________________

We / I believe _______________________________

We / I believe _______________________________

We / I believe _______________________________

We / I believe _______________________________

See what comes up...

What matters? I mean if things changed about your product and its delivery or extension (perhaps online) what matters that MUST remain constant? What is ONE thing you want to be know for?

4] Marketing Your Why Once you have it – weave it everywhere. Your home page, an “I believe…” opt-in, your mission statement, on Facebook and social media, in your email signature, on your about us / me page. Try leading with your why. Why you do what you do. How about an above-the-fold message about your vision and, therefore, your why.

Remember: Personal Training is a commodity, not your product. What people experience as a consequence is your product. Why it is so important they experience this, is your why.

To finish – Simply answer the question – why do you do what you do? Now, ONLY from a client or prospect's perspective consider how this sounds. Now clarify how you do what you do. And now spell out what you do. In this order.

Thanks for reading and I genuinely hope it helps!

Darren T



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