A GOOD COACH CAN CHANGE A GAME --
A GREAT COACH CAN CHANGE A LIFE.
- John Wooden (UCLA Basketball Coach)
As coaches, changing the game requires that you adapt to your client’s needs.
- But how do you move your client's goal, to get that first pull up, from wish to reality? It takes a CLEAR plan and action, and results in both of you creating a powerful moment you will never forget.
- How do you change clients' lives in a way that relates fitness to a sustaining deeper purpose?
- How can you be sure that you’re dramatically shifting their world, in a systematic way, that gets results, every time, guaranteed?
- How do your clients feel connected to you, your gym, and never want to leave?
This is where Success Sessions come in.
Success Sessions is a built-in tool in the Level Method app, available for every coach and owner to use with their members.
Consider it a tool for showing your members how much coaches at your gym truly care.
With this one-on-one time, you build limbic resonance with your client, and you activate their dopamine circuit!
The Success Session tool gives your clients not only clear steps on how to achieve measurable outcomes -- it also magnifies the priceless asset of trust, when they experience such great value in such a short time.
Success Sessions can take as few as 20 minutes, and clients finish feeling on top of the world.
Your clients feel seen, heard & empowered, and they leave with a physical copy of a clear, simple & effective plan!
And you can email their Success Session plan to them, as another reminder that you’re on top of it, and have their best interest in mind. All of this is done within the app.
We use the acronym COPE to remember the Success Session Formula:
- Establish a CLEAR OUTCOME (C.O.)
- Uncover their PURPOSE (P.)
- Plan steps to EXECUTE (E.)
“Easy as 1-2-3”
“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care”
- Theodore Roosevelt .
STEP 1: CLEAR OUTCOME
The first task of a Success Session is to identify what clients want to achieve -- their goals.
--Ask what their clear outcome is. “Clear” means it can be measured, by a metric.
--Wait and listen for their response. Usually, goals are vague or generalized. “I want a stronger Front Squat.” This sounds specific (because it's about a Front Squat), but it's vague (because "stronger" is a limitless category).
--Ask follow-up questions:
- “How will you know when your Front Squat is stronger?”
- “What does ‘stronger’ mean to you specifically?”
- “Does ‘stronger’ mean 1 pound heavier, or what?”
- “How can we word this so you know exactly when you’ve met your Front Squat goal?”
Questions like these guide your clients to the clear & measurable results they want. The importance of clear (again, measurable) outcomes can’t be overstated.
--The more specific, the better. State a clear outcome, with a metric, a timeline & a definitive (defined) way to know exactly when you all get to celebrate. “Add 10 pounds to my Front Squat 3-rep Max, so that by September I and level up to BLUE II.” Celebrate!
When your clients experience success, they keep coming back. When they succeed, you can share their success, celebrate them, capture that powerful moment. And better than saying, you can show it, via social proof. “See what happens when you join our gym? Our members are valued, they get results, and they are happy!”
Clients need clarity. How can they win if they don’t know the “rules” for success?
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou .
STEP 2: CLEAR PURPOSE
It's common for coaches and clients to sprint through a goal-setting session, given the demanding and fast-paced world of numbers, weights, lifting and gym-life.
Don’t do that.
Slow down the pace when you get to this part of the session. Take time. Listen more than you speak. Get curious to learn about your clients -- rather than be the expert who determines all the answers.
The coach is the guide. The client is the hero.
When you take time to understand what makes this client tick, you establish rapport, which makes you even more effective as a coach, and communicator.
Most importantly, the time you take to learn their true purpose allows them to connect more deeply with themselves.
Not to mention, showing that you care increases their appreciation of perceived value -- it reinforces and solidifies their reasons for choosing your gym.
Begin Step 2 by restating their Outcome. Ask why they care: “Why do you want to achieve BLUE II Front Squat by September?”
It’s common to get yet another external answer, like “I want to fill out my jeans and feel strong!” But this is not a Purpose, it's an Outcome. You know it’s an external outcome because it's about something they'll eventually gain -get -have.
As a skilled coach/listener, you develop an ear for the difference between an External Outcome, and an Internal Outcome/Purpose.
Purpose is always motivated by a client's internal desire.
“I want to lose weight because I’m more confident when I’m comfortable in my body. And when I’m more confident, my spouse and I have a stronger relationship. Plus I’m more productive at work.”
A response like this reveals layers of internal motivations. It's a fantastic start to finding their Purpose.
But it’s important to dig a bit deeper, to show that you truly want to understand.
--Questions help clients put their purpose into words, with deeper clarity:
- “Why is being productive important to you?” (this reveals a value or an emotion)
- “What does (or would) it feel like to have the most amazing, fulfilling and exciting relationship with your spouse?” (this allows them to feel the emotion or imagine the recognition they attach to achieving the outcome)
Knowing a client’s WHY is more than asking “Why does that Outcome matter to you?” -- getting an answer and moving on.
You must truly understand the internal motivation -- by asking follow-up questions. This does NOT mean keep asking “Why.” That's just annoying and seem like you're not listening
Seek to understand them as humans. This may seem like it's going beyond health and fitness coaching. But it's all about being effective, giving your clients so much more than they expect -- and it's good business. Before people live in the world, or even in their bodies, they live in their thoughts and their feelings.
--More Ways to Ask “Why”, Without Over-Why-ing:
- “Imagine you just Leveled Up your Front Squat. You've come to class consistently for months, your fitness is great, and you fill out your jeans just as you imagined. What does this make you feel and think about yourself?”
- “You care more about X than other people do. What does doing X mean to you?”
- “How will your life be different once you achieve this?”
You know we’ve defined a CLEAR Outcome because there’s a metric attached to it. And you know when you’ve hit a CLEAR Purpose because there is an emotion or value attached to it. Right data + right emotion = how the right things get done.
Personal standards are attached to values or beliefs about life. Wait until you hear a person speak about an emotion. “I will just have more peace and feel confident when…” It can get emotional.
This matters because it connects with deep truth -- a prime motivator.
You can pick up on an emotion in tonality. If they get choked up, have tears in their eyes, cry -- you know you are in the spot for naming their purpose.
As they speak and answer your questions, make notes -- write down their words.
Of course, not everyone cries or speaks about emotions. In that case, listen for their values, beliefs, and personal standards.
“I'm committed to improving it because this is my lowest Level. How can I say ‘always do your best’ to my kids, if I don’t walk the talk?”
Through this answer, you hear a belief system focused on excellence and effort. They live by the value of being an example to others.
“To be responsible, keep your promises to others.
To be successful, keep your promises to yourself.”
-Marie Forleo
STEP 3: EXECUTE
After Steps 1 and 2, it's the easy part -- Executing the plan! Ask clients what they think needs to happen to achieve the outcome. When you ask the question, restate Outcome and Purpose in their words. “What needs to happen first to get your Front Squat up to BLUE II -- so you're more confident and a solid example to your kids?”
From here, it’s just a brain-dump session.
Clients reel off ideas to realize their Outcome goal. Always ask them, rather than tell them. This is crucial so they feel empowered -- they have ownership of their plan. You are just a guide, with questions and suggestions.
When it comes time to close the session and print out the Success Plan, clients know that it's their plan, but they have trust in you. When they sign their name at the bottom of the plan, it is like a contract with themselves -- more powerful than a promise to, or from, someone else. It’s important to consistently check in (quick text is good) with your clients, pick an interval that works, but generally monthly works well.
If you already have the Level Method, login to our app and explore how it works! When starting, we recommend having all the coaches run themselves through it, creating success sessions for each other to gain experience. A success session will work with ANY goal.
If you want to see how our planning tool works in action, check this out.
Feel free to schedule a free discovery call to see if Level Method is a good fit for you.
