OPTIMIZING YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

By Sam Barber

Sam is an online fitness coach and personal trainer with 8 years experience in the field. He is based in Brighton, England. He works largely with young athletes looking to build strength & muscle. You can connect with Sam on Instagram @buildwithbarber.

OPTIMIZING YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

Online coaching is rapidly becoming many coaches' primary stream of income. More scalable and adaptable, it's the obvious way to go for any coach that has already accumulated some experience in the field. With scalability, however, comes an organizational nightmare. Can you deliver to 40 clients online what you delivered to 15 in person? 

Perhaps the better question is, can you deliver to 40 clients what you delivered to 15 in person, without completely losing your mind? Building systems will allow you to manage this growth (and your sanity) more effectively. 

Each system built should satisfy at least one of the following four motivators; value, professionalism, time efficiency and growth. 

VALUE

When developing systems, your value proposition is the most important thing to consider. Any system that decreases your value proposition is a non-starter. Does the system you are implementing improve the value of the service you provide for your clients? Does your system make the service more accessible? Does it improve engagement? The real secret to building a successful online business is to not lose the clients you worked so hard to acquire.

You know that massive Pre-Script Facebook group you're in? That is part of Pre-Script’s value proposition. It provides a platform for us all to connect, bounce ideas off of each other, and makes us feel like we belong to something bigger than ourselves. It takes very little time to manage, costs nothing, and keeps us coming back course after course like the suckers we are. Can you nurture your own community in the same way Pre-Script has so successfully? 

PROFESSIONALISM

Think about every contact point you have with a prospective client. Right from their very first message to you on Instagram, to their purchasing services, you must make sure every step of the way is smooth and professional. How do you onboard them? How do you do their assessments and their client intakes? For example, when somebody purchases a coaching package on my website, they are immediately sent a link to my intake form. I then study this intake form ahead of time to expedite the initial consultation call with them. I go into the call prepared with potential solutions and follow-up questions based on the content of the intake form. 

Another system that will dramatically improve professionalism is making sure you have a method to track your communications with clients. This doesn't need to be anything fancy; a google sheet will suffice. When you do check-ins or phone calls with clients, make sure to write down the details of the check-in/call, as this will help with the next time you talk to that client. Keeping track of 40+ conversations, goals and personal situations is tricky. Having some background information to fall back on not only makes life easier for you, but it also shows a level of care that goes a long way to improving your relationship with that client (yet again, value proposition). 

TIME EFFICIENCY

Does your system save you time? When beginning my career in the online space, I was influenced by a book called the E-Myth Revisited by Micheal Gurber. My biggest takeaway from the book was to make sure I didn't fall into the trap of working in my business - rather, I needed to work on my business. This is a trap that the majority of trainers and gym owners fall into and end up trading their time for money. In fact, even online coaches have somehow managed to fall victim to this fate. Are we really watching clients do entire sessions on Zoom? The whole point of online coaching is to leverage your time better. Yet, some coaches still choose to stay chained to a schedule that limits their capacity for more growth, more impact, and more money. 

Instead of watching clients on Zoom, can the clients submit technique videos to a coaching app for you to review? (CoachNow is the one I use) Rather than counting reps on a screen that's lagging 10 seconds behind, you can review the videos in your own time with more angles and provide a far better analysis. 

Look at the tasks that take you the most time. Is there a way you can cut that time without negatively impacting your service? If there is, execute it. Categorize your tasks into two sections. 1. Tasks involved in the daily running of the business. In total I spend only 1-2 hours a day on these tasks. I have a list, I bang them out quickly, and I move on. 2. Tasks that will set your business up to run smoother in the future or provide some sort of leverage. 

Remember, your time is the only resource you cannot get back. The time you can reclaim from not working in your business can be spent on anything you desire, such as working on the business, educating yourself further, spending more time with your family and/or on your passions. One perk that I’ve discovered recently from having so much control over my schedule is the ability to give back, such as providing opportunities to work with me for free. This improves rapport with potential customers in the future, but more importantly, it makes you feel good about your work and provides that fulfillment that many of us got into the industry seeking.

GROWTH

We all want to get paid at the end of the day. A huge part of developing systems around growth, comes right back to my first point. Give value. Except, everyone gives value. Go look on social media and there are tons of people giving value. The key is to give value, then follow up. Don’t just give value and pray to Korean Jesus that everything is going to work out for you. Korean Jesus is busy with Korean shit. Be a little more proactive. For example, I have a spreadsheet that tracks all of my social media engagement. Anyone that has previously engaged with my service or has expressly asked for my help,  whether that is through interacting with my social media stories, Q&A’s, free form checks, or free programs goes into this spreadsheet. I log when I last got in touch with them, why, and when I plan to get in touch again. Don't harass people, I check in once or twice a month max. All it takes is a “hey, how are you getting on with those exercises I suggested” or something of that nature. Most of the time they say they’re fine, and we both move on with our day. Sometimes though, they say “actually, I need help with this” or “I was actually thinking about signing up for some coaching, what a coincidence you reached out”. Coincidence indeed. By checking in regularly, it does two things. One, it shows you give a fuck, and two it opens the door for them to have a conversation with you. People dwell over purchases like this before they make them, and so you popping into their inbox might just be the nudge they need. To give you an idea, I talk to maybe 10-15 people a week and gain 2-4 clients a month using this system. 

When you develop your systems remember the four guiding motivators. Value, professionalism, time efficiency, and growth. Don't be afraid to experiment, as the systems may not work perfectly right away. I’ve been developing systems for several years now and I’m always looking for ways to improve them. If you can achieve effective systems however, your business will prosper, you will protect yourself from burnout and you will create a lifestyle that allows you to flourish. Remember, work on your business, not in it.