A minute earlier, you’ve just taken a seat and ordered a nice cocktail for yourself.
In your periphery, you see a bloke joins you and orders from the bartender…
“I’ll grab a double of whisky straight… it’s been one of those days.”
The bartender, with no one else to talk to, replies:
“Sounds rough. What’s going on?”
The man begins explaining why he’s having such a bad day. As he talks you begin to realise that what he says, is exactly the problem that what you offer fixes. You perk up. Because this man has now identified himself as a perfect prospect.
What you do next is critical.
Because what most people would do in this situation… is an opportunity gone begging. And that’s why most coaches and gym owners struggle to position themselves in a way that gets them noticed… and gets them paid.
Think about this for a second.
If you cannot sell to the perfect prospect who’s just ordered a double shot of whisky served straight, what chance do you have of selling to someone less qualified? Especially if the medium of the sale is through something less personal – like on social media, through a video, or via a blog?
Thankfully, this provides a nice little shortcut that gives you an instant connection to your prospect. And, it works like crazy, regardless of whether you’re communicating next to them or via a digital medium.
It’s important to remember that this perfect prospect is a stranger. He doesn’t know you, doesn’t trust you, and he’s not in the mood to be sold or pitched to. He’s a double shot of whisky deep and wants to drown away his sorrows. His capacity to give you attention is extremely limited.
If this guy at the bar happened to be our ideal prospect, maybe he’s just been told he wasn’t “athletic enough to make the team.” Or, if he’s an ideal prospect for a weight loss coach, then his wife just kicked him out of the house for becoming a fat, lazy mess: “Get your sh*t together Craig, enough is enough.”
Regardless of what the problem is, you have the solution. Now it’s your job to help him become aware that you can help without sounding the alarm, scaring him off, or getting into an old-fashioned bar fight.
Here is how you do it.
The first step is being cognisant of his time. He doesn’t have a lot of it, and he sure as hell ain’t keen on wasting it on you.
That’s why your bar pitch is going to do four things and do it so well that you can do it in ten seconds or less. It’s going to feel so natural and roll off the tongue that you pique the interests of your prospects and pass through his natural security checks and measures because it doesn’t sound like an intro to a long sales pitch. From there, you’re free to ask open-ended questions and continue the conversation without being treated like an intruder.
This is the formula, minus the “excuse me, but I couldn’t help overhearing that you ” part…
Here goes:
I/We help ‘this group of people’ achieve this ‘ultimate benefit’ by ‘this mechanism’ even if ‘worst case scenario’
I/We help _
Do/achieve/get _
By _
Even if _
Let’s use an example to bring this to life. Say the ideal prospect at the bar is an athlete who has just been told he missed out on a professional contract because he got pipped by another athlete who had more natural athleticism.
I might say:
“We help athletes get in peak physical condition by utilising the latest advances in training & sports science that is guaranteed to improve your sports performance or your money back… And that’s even if the gym hasn’t worked for you in the past or you’ve been burnt by trainers who couldn’t deliver on their promises.”
Let’s take another example – this time it’s middle-aged male weight loss.
“We help overworked, tired and burned-out fathers take back their confidence and make their physical health a priority without making huge sacrifices at home or with their personal finances … even if you feel like your life is a grind and you’re stuck on the hamster wheel not sure how to get off.”
See how this system works? The beauty of the framework is in its simplicity.
It’s too easy – just plug in your variables and away you go.
I’ve used this shortcut with my mentees in the past who mumble and bumble their way to telling me what they do. If they’re bumbling to me, I can only assume they do that with their prospects too. That’s not their fault of course — no one ever teaches you the stuff — except maybe guys like Bret Bartholomew in his art of coaching course (I can’t say for sure, but I’m sure there is something there on first interactions).
Moral of the story is?
If you want to position yourself confidently in the marketplace – whether that’s online or in-person – nailing your bar pitch is a must.
Plus, it stops you from sounding like everyone else… ‘just another trainer… or ‘just another S&C coach’.
Karl Goodman
