💪S.S. 39 You're undervaluing yourself

A note from Jonathan Goodman:

The PTDC team just wrapped up a company retreat in Mexico. The break was well-deserved.

We’ve pushed ourselves relentlessly the past few months as we created Online Trainer Academy Level 2 and published three books in our Wealthy Fit Pro’s Guide series. That’s in addition to all the work we do on OTA Level 1 and the website.

So to make sure the break was really a break, and not just the same work in a warmer locale, we’re sending you an abbreviated edition of Stronger Sundays.

You're undervaluing yourself —Amber Bonem

Amber is a coach with the Online Trainer Academy, and also a student in the beta group for OTA 2.

A friend of mine is a boudoir photographer. Another friend recently did a session with him.

She paid $350 for the photo shoot, which is surprising enough for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck. The real surprise, though, is what she bought after she saw the photos:

A photo book with 10 images for $699.
A single black-and-white print for $599.
A $300 fee for the photographer to keep all the images on his hard drive for a year, in case she wants to buy more later.

Altogether, she paid close to $2,000 for a few sexy pictures.

Holy crap, right?

I should add that the three of us live in a small tourist town in the southeastern U.S. It’s not the kind of place where you’d expect to find a photographer who charges that much for his services, or enough clients to make it sustainable.

And yet, he’s always busy. His clients book sessions weeks in advance. How does he do it?

Consider this review she posted on his Facebook page:

I looked at myself completely differently. Just like every one of you, I'm very critical of my body, even after losing 20 pounds last year. It's not "perfect," but no one is …

I believe my first words were, "That's not me." I got to see myself in a completely different light. I realized I am beautiful, and any man is lucky to have me.

I felt empowered and ready to conquer the world. I loved myself again!

That’s what she bought. That’s why she paid the photographer a couple weeks’ worth of income. It wasn’t just a few sexy pictures. She got a new way to look at herself. She's been floating on air ever since.

This is what we do as fitness professionals. We’re selling the feeling our clients have after working with us. The service we provide is simply the tool to get there.

We’re also creating an experience for our clients, something my photographer friend has mastered. He maximizes the value of every touch point, from the atmosphere of his studio to the food and drinks he serves when he reveals the photos to his clients.

Anybody could do what he does. Anybody could buy a camera, rent a studio, and launch a business based on taking sexy pictures. He knows this. That’s why he works so hard to create an experience that’s worth far more than the price he charges.

The same applies to personal trainers.

What we do seems easy to us. Obvious, even. It's our unconscious competency. We underestimate how much value we provide because it seems easy to us, and because we know how many other trainers have the same tools, education, and experience.

Yes, we help people achieve their physical goals, and that’s important. But we also help them get closer to self-actualization, which is at the very top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

And if you also provide an amazing experience along the way?

I guarantee that’s worth a lot more than what you currently charge.