A question that I’ve been pondering lately:
Do personal trainers need core business values?
If you Google "core values of personal trainers", you'll see things like honesty, integrity, teamwork, fun, dedication, passion, blah blah blah...
These are obvious values that aren't very useful when it comes to building a successful coaching business.
They're too vague and meaningless.
They're cliche and not authentic.
They fail to hold anyone accountable.
WHY DO YOU NEED CORE BUSINESS VALUES?
When the way you think, speak and behave match your values, life feels fantastic – you feel whole, content, in your power. Life feels full of meaning and purpose.
But when things don't align with your values, things feel wrong. Life feels uneasy, and you feel overwhelmed, discontented, restless, and unhappy.
Making a conscious effort to identify & live your values can have positive outcomes on business success, career fulfilment, health and happiness.
Business values are supposed to be the core principles and beliefs that support how your business works.
Four reasons why business values are important, especially when it comes to helping your business connect with your ideal clients:
COMMUNICATING YOUR VALUES HELPS ATTRACT MORE IDEAL CLIENTS - demonstrating your business values will attract clients who appreciate and value the same things. Having shared values creates a magnetic attraction for many clients.
SHARED VALUES ALLOW YOU TO BUILD TRUST - Having shared values with your clients makes it easy to build trust - assuming that you reliably uphold your values. Trust is crucial to developing any relationship, and building trust online can be tricky.
DIFFERENTIATE FROM YOU COMPETITORS - How is your coaching business different? Business values can set your business apart from the competition. While everyone else is focusing on high-intensity training, you might be focusing on a more sustainable approach. Your business values can highlight the point of difference and give like-minded clients the ability to find you.
BUSINESS VALUES GIVE YOU SOMETHING ELSE TO MARKET BESIDES THE FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF YOUR SERVICE - Consumers don't buy products and services solely on the features and benefits. Two similar coaching services at the same price point can vary based on how clients feel about the businesses. You might have heard the phrase "selling feelings, rather than features."
Linking your business values to how you want your clients to feel and the impact your coaching services can have on their lives is a compelling way to market your business. Maybe you value spending time with family. So, you developed a training program that allows busy dads to get in and out of the gym in less than 1hour so they can spend more time with their kids… is infinitely more alluring than saying your program offers 3x 60minute training sessions per week.
Hopefully, you can see precisely why business values are essential and how they help market your coaching business and cultivate trusting relationships with your audience.
I LIKE THE IDEA OF BUSINESS VALUES, BUT….
I don't believe business values in and of themselves will transform your coaching business and help you succeed for the reasons I stated above:
They're too vague and meaningless.
They're cliche and not authentic.
They fail to hold anyone accountable.
So what is the alternative?
In the next post, I suggest replacing business values with business behaviours.