If you’re a longtime reader of the blog, you know that at Online SuperCoach we frequently preach two things: 

• Providing value to your prospects and audience to build your reputation and differentiate yourself
• Going above and beyond to provide great customer service

        If you do these two things correctly, you’ll be the first person people think of when they decide to get serious about their fitness goals, and they’ll never dream of leaving you to work with another fitness pro. But there is a risk you run into, and this happens to all service professionals, in the fitness industry and beyond. You run the risk of people leaning on you and asking you to do a bunch of unpaid labor. In your desire to be of service, to go above and beyond, you may unwittingly be taken advantage of. 

        Someone from your social media following reaches out with a “quick question”. A prospect asks for additional demos or specific guidance on a topic of their concern before they’ve agreed to work with you. A client consistently turns your 45 minute sessions into 60 minute ones. How do you avoid falling into the trap of doing too much free labor?

        In the case of prospects and people from your audience, the good news is that these kinds of requests also come with an opportunity to book a call. You can say a detailed explanation requires a dedicated session (with no obligation), and if they agree to speak this session can be used as an opportunity to pivot into how you could really help them if they decided to work with you. 

        As for those clients, feel free to go above and beyond, but at a certain point it may be worth talking to them and see if they think they should upgrade their current package if they feel like they need more of your time or have developed new fitness goals during your time working together. Your clients may be more receptive to “upsell” of this variety rather than pitches which come out of the blue. 

        At Online SuperCoach, we’re here to make sure you can thread the needle between providing great value and making sure your efforts ultimately help you reach your own business goals, so you can maximize the results you get from the time you spend building your business.