Personal Training: 3 Powerful Ways To Position Yourself As An Expert

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Article Title: Personal Training: 3 Powerful Ways To Position

Yourself As An Expert

Author: Potts

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet

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Regardless of what profession you are in, it is critical that

people believe that you know what you are talking about! You

won't find very many successful lawyers whose clients never win

in court, or popular doctors whose patients are continually

misdiagnosed. This concept obviously applies to personal

trainers as well, and making sure you are viewed as an expert

in your field is as important as having the knowledge to begin

with.

It is helpful to be aware of the simple fact that a person's

perception is their reality, even if that perception is

incorrect. Let's use the example of the doctor in the above

paragraph. If you heard through personal references that Dr.

wasn't a very good doctor, the chances that you

would ever go see Dr. are pretty slim. However, do you

actually know for a fact that Dr. is a bad doctor? No -

you just have the perception that he is a bad doctor because

that is what you heard. Do you see how your perception is your

reality, and how Dr. is unlikely to be getting any of

your business?

Your mission is to make sure that you are always viewed as an

expert in your field! Otherwise you will end up like poor Dr.

, and your list of clients will be short indeed, as will

the life of your business. However, if you have done your job

and created the impression that you are an expert in your

field, then the opposite will hold true. People will have

" heard " that you know what you are talking about, and your

reputation and your business will grow as a result. In order to

get to this desired end result, three effective ways for you to

build your reputation include media exposure, writing books,

articles, or success tips for your field, and approaching any

given situation from a " position of power " .

Media Exposure

The most common ways to get viewed as an expert using media

exposure include news programming on television, magazine and

newspaper stories, and radio time. Each of these methods has

one thing in common: mass exposure via a publicly accepted

system of obtaining information.

Consider this point from your own perspective. If you see an

interview on the news, read an article about a company in the

newspaper, or hear about a professional organization on the

radio, your natural instinct is to believe that the company or

organization has a firm grip on the ins and outs of their

product or service.

Why do you think that? Is it because the radio program included

a long list of professional references for the company? Is it

because the magazine article listed a passing grade by a

professional review board or other certifying agency qualified

to judge the advertised organization?

The answer to those questions is most likely " no " . Why then do

you believe in the company's ability to provide the product or

service that is discussed? The answer is simple: because you

were exposed to the company via a publicly accepted system of

obtaining information. Whether that system was the six o'clock

news, your local daily paper, or your favorite magazine,

chances are that you believed what you read or heard simply

because of WHERE you read or heard it!

Ideally, all consumers - including professionals such as

yourself - would use other additional methods to determine the

qualifications of a company before purchasing their product or

service, but in reality, does that happen very often? No, not

really. Most people believe what they read and what they hear,

and as a Fitness Professional, you can take advantage of that

fact. Granted, you should not profess to be an expert if you

aren't, but assuming that you really do know what you are

talking about, use the media to let others know, too!

Writing Books, Articles, and Success Tips

Comparable to the " expert " status that is afforded a company

based on their mass media exposure, a similar assumed

professional status can be taken on by any company or

individual that publishes written works in their field.

Refer back to the power of the mass media that is referenced

above, and you will see a very similar effect generated by

published works. If someone writes a book, publishes articles,

or generates a regular flow of " success tips " in any given

field, it is automatically assumed by the reader that the

author of the book, article, or success tip knows what they are

talking about.

Is it true that the author is an expert in their field just

because they know how to write or type? Of course not! However,

the mass media phenomenon applies to published written works

just as much as it applies to interviews done on the news, in

magazines, or on the radio. The author is assumed to be

proficient in the field that the book, article, or tip

discusses, even though there is rarely indisputable evidence of

the writer's expertise included with the written works.

Again, it is not being suggested that you write books,

articles, or success tips unless you really do hold expert

status in your field. However, since the " assumptions of

excellence " apply as much to the written word as to audio and

visual exposure, take advantage of that fact and write as much

and as often as you can!

As a side note, writing is also an excellent way for you to

enhance your own knowledge in your field. Frequently during the

process of writing a book or article, you are called upon to

reference the sources of your information, and gathering that

type of information expands your own knowledge, as well as your

understanding of how to find information for similar projects in

the future.

Assuming a " Position of Power "

Utilizing a " position of power " is one of the most effective

methods of positioning yourself as an expert in your field.

Approaching a situation from a position of power is simply the

art of assuming that whoever you are talking to already

perceives you to be an expert. Remember that a person's

perception is their reality, so as long as the other person

believes that you are an expert, then in their eyes, you are!

For example, let's use the story of a talented personal trainer

who is applying for the position of Director of Fitness

Programming at a small but successful local gym. We will call

our imaginary professional Joe Trainer, and we will say for the

record that Joe does indeed hold an effective track record in

the personal training industry. His clients have benefited from

his knowledge and guidance, and he has successfully changed many

people's lives in a positive manner. However, Joe Trainer has

never been a " Director of Fitness Programming " before. Is he

qualified for the job?

Let's review Joe's history. He has worked or worked out in

dozens of gyms over the years. Joe has utilized all manner of

fitness equipment, from paint cans in his garage when he was a

teenager, all the way up through the most modern computerized

workout machines available in some of today's fitness

facilities. Joe has put together hundreds of different workout

programs for hundreds of different people over the years, and

we have already determined that his client track record is

excellent. Joe has also been called upon many times over the

years to recommend fitness equipment purchases to his many

clients, including a cost to benefit ratio analysis (in other

words, if the equipment is worth the money). Joe has also been

exposed to many different lines of nutritional supplements,

dietary guidelines, and he has even taken aerobics classes and

yoga from time to time.

Has Joe Trainer ever been a " Director of Fitness Programming "

before? No. However, is Joe Trainer qualified for that

position? Most likely yes! However, now Joe has a dilemma. He

has scheduled an interview with the local gym, he really wants

the job, but he is nervous about the fact that he has never

really been a " Director of Fitness Programming " or a director

of anything at all, for that matter. Joe now has 2 choices.

Choice number one is for Joe to go to the interview, ramble on

uncontrollably about the hundreds of clients that he has

successfully trained, babble about how many different gyms he

has been in, and go into mindless detail about why he thinks

Supplement A is better than Supplement B.

Do you think Joe will get the job? Let's try a different

approach.

Joe mentally prepares for the interview by reviewing the many

different ways that his experience will benefit the facility.

He puts together a few examples of how he successfully

recommended or used one type of fitness equipment more

effectively than a different type. Joe puts together mental

notes about how aerobics and group exercise classes have added

success to his training programs over the years, and how

incorporating a cross training approach has kept his clients

motivated and continually seeing results from their training

programs.

By this point, Joe's confidence in his ability to be a

" Director of Fitness Programming " has increased, and he

honestly believes that it is not him who is being interviewed,

but it is he who is interviewing the facility. Joe doesn't need

this job - he has proven his ability to make a living as a

personal trainer dozens of times over the years. He is applying

for this position because he believes that he can be a great

asset to the facility, and he wants to expand his experience in

the field. In fact, the facility would be lucky to have him! For

that matter, he may already be considering countering the posted

pay scale with an increase if they want to hire him. After all,

he is Joe Trainer, and his success record speaks for itself!

Now, do you think Joe will get the job? Pretty safe bet.

Is the Joe Trainer in the first example any different than the

Joe Trainer using the second approach? No - we're talking about

the same person. What is different then? Joe's belief in himself

- and more importantly - Joe's ability to show the facility how

they would be missing a great opportunity if they didn't hire

him. It is Joe who is interviewing the facility, not the other

way around. Joe assumed a " Position of Power " before he even

got to his interview. He walked out with a new title and a nice

salary, an increased confidence in his own abilities, and the

opportunity to mold an entire staff of personal trainer into

successful, results-oriented Fitness Professionals!

This same concept can also be applied when negotiating with

potential new clients. Remember that you are the fitness

professional. You are the one with the knowledge and the

experience that the client needs. You are not asking them to be

your clients, but rather you are giving them the opportunity to

become your clients.

Conclusion

As you can see, as Fitness Professionals in the ever-growing

field of health and physical fitness, we have many tools at our

disposal when it comes to positioning ourselves as experts.

However, we have an equal amount of responsibility to not

utilize these tools unless we are 100% confident in our status

as experts in our chosen disciplines. Use your knowledge and

your tools wisely and appropriately, and you will see your

professional and personal success grow beyond your wildest

dreams!

About The Author: Potts is the author and creator of The

Ultimate Complete Personal Training Business Kit, a quick-start

kit and business guide for new as well as seasoned fitness

professionals. Find out more about 's programs at

http://www.completepersonaltrainingbusiness.com or his personal

training site at http://www.aaronspersonaltraining.com

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