Through out my professional life as a physical preparation coach I've focused only on servicing the athletes and organisations that hire me, in their highest and best good and continually improving myself.
Marketing more broadly than word of mouth refferals has never happened. In fact, I can count on less than one had the number of times I've applied for a coaching position in over 12years! Nor have I ever advertised. If they haven't been reffered to me from an existing or former athlete, they miss out.
The growth of the internet during this time, upon reflection, has resulted in an interesting duality...
On one hand, it's allowed people to connect with information and resources previously out of reach and even unknown (such as now!), from our own homes.
On the other hand, everyone is an expert! In my industry, keyboard worriors have built their reputations not in the gym, on the oval or in consultation with competitive athletes (as they'd get caught out in the day to day training of a competitive athlete/team!), but sitting behind a computer tapping away, copying and paraphrasing real coaches work and passing it off as their own. You can be a fly on the wall as one example is slowly bought out into the light over the next few months: http://bit.ly/aY2nv3
Dr Denis Waitley teaches, the line between personal values and professional values no longer exists. In today's world they are one and the same - period.
Your challenge is to not be a product of marketing. Doing what eveyone else is doing, saying what eveyone else is saying, folowing the trends, being a small part of someone else's life grand plan instead planning your own. Pulling sleds recently? Swinging kellebells the past few of years? Doing 'cerrective exercises'now? No, you're not a product of marketing...
The career of an athlete or sports person, is typically a reletively short time span and is fragile enough without some fuckwit bullshitting about his/her skills then slowly distroying you physically and your career at the same time. Happens far too often...
But you as the athlete or cleint have to take responsibility and source out appropriate coaching/guidance either as a dominant influence or a 'quite' one on the side (in team/squad situations for example). It is you body and career after all.
The same goes for people who train seriously through out life.
Bottom line, as coaches, we can only teach or share that which we are, so make sure the person or people you allow to influence your training/performance have personal values that serve you, in your highest and best good.
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