Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog

I wrote this over a year ago and have been a little hesitant to post it. A recent Strengthcoachblog.com post got me to sit down and finish this article. Tim Edgerton, a UK strength and conditioning coach, named me the most influential man is strength and conditioning the other day which was cool. However the rest of the list was at least half non-coaches. There were a bunch of academic NSCA types, a few internet marketers and a few coaches. As I said in my previous post, this made me think.

The “how to get rich on the internet” business is thriving in fitness and strength and conditioning. New products are launched every month. I’m sure many of you reading this are saying “ you have a paid website, you just did FSC 3.0, who are you to talk”? Legitimate questions. However, the fact is my website sells content. Good content, updated every week. I’m not simply picking up affiliate commissions for using my list to sell another program.

I’m actually a bit tired of internet marketing. It always seems to be similar guys selling similar products. The same resumes.

“__________ is one of the worlds most sought after experts in the field of strength and conditioning and ….”.

Next time you consider buying a product, ask yourself a few simple questions.

1-    Is the seller actually one of the world’s most sought after experts in any area?

2-    Does the seller make his or her living in the area in which they are selling a product or do they make their living selling the product? In Alwyn Cosgrove’s words “have they been there, done that and, are they still doing it?”

3-    Has the seller ever made a consistent living actually coaching, training or helping people lose weight?

4-    What does the seller do every day? Do they sit at a computer and write effective sales copy or do they work in the field?

5-    Are they making money by telling you how to make money?

6-    Did they ever make a substantial amount of money doing what they are selling?

7-    Is their resume legitimate or have they inflated their qualifications and client list?

If you don’t know the answer, do a little searching and find out. You might be surprised at what you learn. I think there are a lot of Bernie Madoff’s in fitness. Look at the last name, Madoff. Like “made off” with your money?  I may sound cynical but, I don’t want to bankroll some twenty five year old who just read Four Hour Workweek. Buying products is great. I have bought many and sold many. Just be sure when you buy that you are buying a product from a person who has done the work and succeeded.

This entry was posted on January 13, 2011 at 5:32 am and is filed under Random Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.