[00:00:00] James Breese: Strength Matters Media. Video. Print. Podcasts.
[00:00:05] Josh Kennedy: Today's topic is business books every personal trainer must read. Andrew, uh, you're almost out of time in your podcast recording room, so we'll shoot on with this one. We'll start with your, one of your favourites. Which, which is, I've lost my list now. See, it's all, it's all going wrong.
[00:00:22] Andrew Wallis: They, they ask, you answer. They
[00:00:25] Josh Kennedy: ask, you answer. There we go. Sorry, I'd lost it. James had moved it on me in the, uh, in the podcast, I think. Tell us about that.
[00:00:30] Andrew Wallis: I, I love this book. I love this book. When I first read it, it's by Marcus Sheridan. Um, I've, my aha was when I read this was, It just made total sense.
[00:00:41] Um, and it worked so well for us as fitness professionals. We get asked questions all the time and we always will mostly struggle to think what content can we create when it comes to our marketing. We like, we preach here, um. Value first, [00:01:00] and that's where they ask you answer comes into play. Um, think of all the questions that prospects or clients have asked you, potentially in your training sessions, then create content based on that.
[00:01:11] You answer that, that question in the form of content, be it blog posts, be it video, be a podcast. Um, and that's why I like that book. It just gives us a traction when it comes to our marketing.
[00:01:23] Josh Kennedy: And potentially never, never run out of ideas for
[00:01:25] James Breese: blog posts. Yeah, no, literally we use it at Strength Matters all the time.
[00:01:28] That same book is a recommendation he gave me years ago. And it's what we do on this podcast a lot of time. A lot on the blogs, on the reels and stuff like that.
[00:01:35] Josh Kennedy: We lost you there for a second. I hope that wasn't just me. Um, Andrew, you've given me a list of, you've list, you've given me a list of ten here.
[00:01:43] What's, what's your next one? Um,
[00:01:45] Andrew Wallis: for me, uh, the Go Giver. I love when I'm reading, I like to read a story and the go give us a parable, and it just talks about, um, the central theme of that book is is giving [00:02:00] value. So, and that again aligns with what we should be doing as fitness professionals. If we lead with value.
[00:02:07] And again, it's something that we lead with here. It's strength matters. You're building trust. You're building the authority around your topic of choice. And rather than going for that. Will you marry me straight out the gate approach if we lead with value and give to receive, uh, then we're going to do much better in the world.
[00:02:32] The go giver is, is, uh, the switch side to the go getter. You know, we talk about, oh, they're a go getter. You know, but that's generally ego driven as opposed to leading with value. So it's a great, it's a quick read, but it's a book that I turn to every year. I'll read it at least once a
[00:02:51] Josh Kennedy: year. Fantastic. And would your third one be marketing made simple?
[00:02:55] Andrew Wallis: Yeah, just like that. It's a book by Donald Miller. And again, it's one of those books. It [00:03:00] just made sense when I, when I put it into, um, uh, when I read it, uh, both in on the Kindle and then. I loved it that much that I got the physical book as well. It just lines out the framework of getting your marketing.
[00:03:14] And again, as fitness professionals, we're technicians, not necessarily marketers, but we need to market our business. And this does it in a simple framework, which is actually the framework that we use here at Strength Matters. So you're getting an insight into what we deliver with our clients. But it's a great book, and it's simple and easy to read.
[00:03:37] Josh Kennedy: Fantastic. James, we'll come on to you. What's your number one?
[00:03:41] James Breese: Always go back to the first ever real book of marketing I ever read. And that was influenced by Robert Cialdini, who's a professor of psychology. And it's a fantastic book. That he wrote to try and stop himself being influenced by all the marketing campaigns and all the influence he was being being conned by to everything.
[00:03:59] [00:04:00] So from a very high level, he looked at the seven key things of persuasion that you need to help market your business. And they were, I've just listed them here very quickly. You've got reciprocity, you know, we feel obligated to pay back gifts and favours we've received. It's commitment and consistency, which we talk a lot about.
[00:04:16] Being consistent with everything that you're doing. Social proof, reviews, things like what people are saying about you. Liking, we prefer to do business with people we like, right? That's really important. And then authority, we're going to show that your business isn't a true authority in the area that you're doing.
[00:04:32] So authority is a key part, a key aspect of it. And then you've got scarcity. We want things more when you're not harder, when you can't get it. For example, if things are here today, gone tomorrow, you're going to try to eat as fast as you can or get it as fast as you possibly can. So those are the six elements here that influence that stuck with me.
[00:04:51] And I remember this my very first marketing course I ever did, and it stuck with us for the rest of our time.
[00:04:57] Josh Kennedy: Fantastic. Good, good summary. Uh, next one dot [00:05:00] com secrets.
[00:05:00] James Breese: Oh yeah. Dot com secrets. I forgot about that. Yeah. So Russell Brunson, again, huge influence. I am not a fan of ClickFunnels anymore for various different reasons, but the quality of their product and service, but credit where credit goes dot com secrets, that first book about the sales ladder and the value ladder.
[00:05:16] And how to stack people up was a fantastic book influenced how we do ladders and sales process here at Strength Matters. So kudos to Russell Brunson where it's at. We don't use his models and methods anymore, but that original book is still valid. And I still think it's useful today for people to help them grow their business.
[00:05:33] Josh Kennedy: And your final one, um, although I actually might mention a couple more after this, but, uh, your third, your top three, The Pumpkin Plan.
[00:05:39] James Breese: The Pumpkin Plan, yep, by Mike Mikhailovich. I don't know how to pronounce his name. I really don't. He makes a joke about it all the time as well. Mike Smith. Mike Smith, no, it's Mike Mikhailovich.
[00:05:52] Mikhailovich,
[00:05:54] Andrew Wallis: isn't it, I
[00:05:54] James Breese: think. I think it is that. But, it's a really good book. It, [00:06:00] it's more than, it's such an influence on me at Strength Matters and how you're niching down and you want to Cut the weeds away and become that prized pumpkin farmer, and there's a phrase and image in that book that I mean, Andrew joked about off off air before, and it's about you don't want to be that old guy with a dangling ball sack, right?
[00:06:20] He talks about his old life and how he used to be and how he tried so hard. And he has no money at the end of it, where the fact is, it's all about having a business that works and grows with you. And I think that image stuck with me. And I do not want to be that guy with a dangling ball sack at the end of the, my time is straight madness.
[00:06:35] So how about that?
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[00:07:15] Josh Kennedy: today. I was going to say, I don't quite know where that comment is going, but yeah, we definitely don't want to be that person. Andrew, any, uh, like I said, you had a list of 10 in our prep work. Any, any you want to pick out?
[00:07:26] Any others you want to pick out from that list? Yeah,
[00:07:28] Andrew Wallis: I think one that really stuck with me was Find Your Why, uh, by Simon Sinek. Uh, it just gave me clarity and focus on why I, why I've chosen this pathway as a fitness professional. You know what? And it gave me direction. So that was an important book. But I guess one another one to look at.
[00:07:49] And one that perhaps we don't like his fitness professionals. We've got to manage our money effectively. So looking at something like rich dad, poor dad. It is a great [00:08:00] starting point. It gives you the framework again, but in a in a easy to understand fashion. Um, so don't be put off by that. And if, like a lot of fitness professionals, you're not good at managing money, that would be a good starting point because it's not what we make is what we keep and we need to get better money as money managers.
[00:08:23] James Breese: I think I think I'll add to that one as well. Just not the same. Um, Uh, level and like thought process of finances, I think again, going back to Mike, Mike McAuliffe, okay. He did another book before the Pumpkin Plan called Profit First. So Profit First, exactly the same thing as understanding the real numbers in your business, not the numbers that your accountants give you.
[00:08:45] And I think that is a fantastic book. And in fact, we base a lot of those numbers and that method. With all our clients in black belt VIP and elite to help them grow their fitness business because it's that important what you see on the, on the balance and the profit and loss [00:09:00] sheet is not really the real true level of your business and how it's growing because cash is king and you need to have profit first.
[00:09:07] Josh Kennedy: So the fantastic any, any other ones you want to add to the list before we sign off? What about building a story brand? So it's a good one.
[00:09:15] Andrew Wallis: Yeah, story brand was good. Um, building your story brand. It's based again. It's the framework that we use, you know, telling a story that's going to resonate with your audience, making them the hero, not you.
[00:09:29] And that's the mistake that I've made in the past where My first websites were all about me, the services I offer, the qualifications I had. As you've said, Josh, many times, people don't want to know about that, they never ask that. Whereas, if you make out that you understand the problems they face, and that you've got the solutions that, uh, to help them overcome those challenges, those weight loss or whatever their fitness, uh, goals and challenges are, then it's gonna resonate with them and it [00:10:00] lead, the story leads through your website then.
[00:10:03] To for them to take the action you want them to take, which primarily will be a strategy called a consultation on that. So that's a great book. And again, it's an easy book to read and understand. And more importantly to, to, to take action on. Yeah,
[00:10:19] Josh Kennedy: exactly. There we go, guys. That is a pretty comprehensive list of business books.
[00:10:23] Every personal trainer must read, and it'll keep you pretty busy in 2024. That is it for today. Please don't forget to rate review and subscribe. And if you want to find out what's holding you back from growing your fitness business, get yourself a free website audit by going to strength matters. com forward slash audit.