ItsCoachGoodman - Nov 30, 2021

Welcome,

This newsletter is new. I don’t have a name for it. I’ll work on that.

It'll always come the last day of each month.

This month I’ve been thinking a lot about one quote:

"The secret to getting what you want is to help others get what they want."

It doesn't seem profound. Honestly, it's pretty obvious. In practice though, with so much stuff going on competing for our attention, it can be really hard to consider the wants of others.

When you do, good stuff happens. More on that soon.

K, moving on.

With the renewed focus on my personal Instagram page, I've put a lot of thought into community and social.

It's been years since I've thought deeply about social media. But now that I'm thinking about it, I can't help but recognize that one thing:

Social media should be a conversation, but most people just shout these days.

People are remarkable. It’s amazing, really, what happens when you learn their stories.

But also, asking questions (and genuinely caring about the answer) is a really good marketing strategy.

Here's a rhetorical question I'd like to ask you:

"When was the last time that you interacted with a brand or influential person and came away thinking that they cared in any way what you had to say?"

Sit on that for a moment . . .
.
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A dim light in a dark room gets noticed but even the brightest light in an already lit room gets ignored.

Whenever I'm trying to get more eyeballs on me I also look to see what nobody else is doing but everybody should be doing.

In this case, it's listening more.

Which brings me back to the quote I keep thinking about:

"The secret to getting what you want is to help others get what they want."

We live in a connected world that feels more disconnected every day.

Everybody’s playing a game.

I urge you: stop playing the damn game and start being a genuine human.

Human’s connect.

They listen.

And they appreciate.

You'll get what you want, when you give others what they want.

So, what do other people want on social media? Two things:

To improve their perceived status in a group.
To feel appreciated.

*Notice that none of this is about butts or abs or fancy video editing.

What does Instagram want? One thing:

People to stay longer on Instagram.

On IG, lots of people ask for comments because they think it will help their page get seen - selfish, selfish, selfish.

Then if people comment it’s clear from the get-go that the page owner doesn’t care. So they don’t share again.

You've got to care what people have to say. When they comment, go deeper with them. Be thoughtful in your response.

Your page is your home. You set the rules. Lead by example. How you treat your home is how others will treat your home. And, if they treat your home badly, kick their ass out.

The best way to spur comments is to ask for one word at the end of your caption. "If this resonates, give me an "amen" in the comments, or something like that.

But don't accept a single word. You just wanted to make it easy for them to make the first move.

Then response, "care to share more" or "I'd genuinely love to know what about this resonates?"

This can't be fake. You've gotta mean it.

You have to care deeply in order for others to share deeply.

What will follow will be profound.

The person will often share something deep and personal to them. It might make you smile, or laugh, or it might move you deeply. What I can promise though is that it'll forge a stronger connection with that person.

And social media success is about connecting deeply with people, one at a time. In today's world, that's the most scalable thing you can do.

Check this example out:

Eichel is an all-star. He also had an injured neck.

According to his team’s doctors, he needed one type of surgery. According to his own doctors, he needed another.

The NHL's collective bargaining agreement gives the team the authority to make the decision for the player.

Eichel didn't own his own body. His team did.

This resulted in a bitter stalemate which resulted in Eichel being stripped of his captaincy.

Finally, Eichel was traded and underwent the surgery that he wanted.

Think about how messed up this is for a moment . . .

A human being signed off rights to his body to the sports team that he played for.

You might think that this is extreme. In sports it happens all of the time.

But the same basic story is affecting you every day.

Over the past 5 years our industry has consolidated.

Most certification bodies and software companies that serve the fitness industry are now majority-owned by private equity and venture capital.

These companies have a primary (and fiduciary) responsibility to appease its investors.

As a result, they make decisions with profit in mind, not you.

When the decision-making matrix changes so radically, customers no longer come first.

You starting to see the similarities to the Eichel situation?

Good trainers who work in fitness are getting crapped on by Greedy Big Fitness and it's going to continue.

They're trying to squeeze out every penny from you with education that doesn't serve you in the real world and sell you bloated software that you don't need.

It sucks. I don't have an answer.

But I've gotta think that coming together as an industry is a good first step because then we can vote with our dollars and attention.

Just something to think about.

-Coach Goodman

P.S. I've no idea what this newsletter will turn into. And I've no idea what format it will be month to month. I'm making this up as I go. I'm playing. And it's fun. And I hope that it helps you realize that it's ok make it up as you go too :)