Beachbody coaches

MCDerin

dmmihelcic,
I AM a coach, and you are totally correct. NOT on the point that you should be suspicious of Beachbody as a company, but that so many coaches on MFP ARE trying to sell the business or the product with their own profit and benefit being above that of the person they are trying to "help".

Beachbody itself is what it is. It is NEVER hidden that it is an MLM and that to make money you must have a team that produces and that you must constantly build your team.
It is a business plan that can and DOES work, but those who enter into the business need to do so with complete and total understanding of how they are going to be most successful and profitable.

As stated, I myself am not looking to be able to quit my dayjob and live off of Beachbody earnings. And, if I ever can do that, it will be a long time from now and due to a slow and honest building of my team.
More so, I am looking to support my "beachbody habit" *(I LOVE so many of their products) and be able to use my earnings to buy more products and put a tiny bit aside for a rainy day.

I think that many of the coaches are good and honest people who DO mean well and honestly want to help people by sharing their experience and knowledge of the products and aren't "all about the benjamins" so to speak

I guess I am just a little frustrated at how the bad apples are making it harder for those of us with modest and true intentions to do what we love without being lumped together with them.

00trayn

00trayn,
I knew you were a newer coach, and therefore, you might not realize or known to look for the mention of no links in signatures.
Congrats on becoming a Coach. I hope you have a supportive and positive sponsor coach and that you are provided with all the tools to help you grow your business the way YOU want to.

About the links.....There are a dozen or so coaches that DO know better (about the link in their signature) and just blatantly disregard. That is what angers me.
Oh, and I DID report this thread so that the admins could see and contact those who are in violation.
I have no problem admitting that.

I don't see anything that says you can't link in your profile though, so you should be fine.

OK, I'll keep the link in my profile. I checked the T&C for MFP and I didn't see any specific rule. I definitely decided to coach as a way to encourage other people, I'm really not in it for the money at all. I'm gonna drink Shakeology and use the workouts regardless of coaching. I'm happy for the supportive coaches that are on MFP, the bad seeds definitely make it harder for the rest of us, and even made me wary of wanting to be a coach because of the negative attention some were getting. But, it's about sharing success, I'm sticking to that.

PJilly

I guess I am just a little frustrated at how the bad apples are making it harder for those of us with modest and true intentions to do what we love without being lumped together with them.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

MCDerin

PJilly,
Thank you.
I know I kind of went off on a tangent, but I am very frustrated right now.
I am letting it get to me too much I guess. I should just do what I do and let the rest be

HealthyChanges2010

PJilly,
Thank you.
I know I kind of went off on a tangent, but I am very frustrated right now.
I am letting it get to me too much I guess. I should just do what I do and let the rest be

That's very hard to do sometimes:frown:

Loved what you shared though about those signature lines though, (seems many don't care what the rules say), they are everywhere except I notice not ALL the coaches have them, it's so in the face and when that's the case many of us are far less likely to want to pick those coaches. Just keep that in mind mcdfitness:flowerforyou: those of us not yet involved in BB products are a pretty smart bunch and can see and are pretty turned off on the pushiness etc. You're doing great Girl:drinker:

HealthyChanges2010

I definitely didn't notice that links weren't allowed, whoops!!! I've promptly removed mine, I don't want to get in trouble for it since I've only been a coach for a week. I haven't seen anything about links in profiles though.

If you look down and click on 'report abuse' you'll notice one of the drop down choices is 'Spam/Advertisement;' which is exactly what links in signature lines are considered on here that are selling products. In fact there IS a rule about advertising on this site and including links in your signature line. You're welcome to contact Mike directly and I'm sure he'll be happy to discuss it if you have questions.

Because others do it doesn't make it right!:noway:

HealthyChanges2010

At this risk of bringing down much hate and discontent, I am a little bit suspicious of the Beachbody Coach thing. Seems like 50% of the folks on MFP are Coaches... and by definition are looking to not only sell you something but also to convince you to sign up as a Coach under them. This kind of reminds me of Amway. Both Amway and Beachbody have good products, but the pyramid marketing approach overshadows this.

You're not imagining the site being FULL of coaches, it definitely is a place many have congregated for a number of reasons, some being to push the products, others being here legitimately to get fit. It can get old quick the longer you're on the site. After awhile you learn how to ignore it, till it bugs you again, then you ignore it. :laugh:

MCDerin

[/quote]
You're doing great Girl:drinker:
[/quote]

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback of one of the (apparently) few non-coaches on this site

HealthyChanges2010

You're doing great Girl:drinker:

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback of one of the (apparently) few non-coaches on this site

Oh gosh, I didn't mean my comment to come out snarky, I'm so sorry if it seemed that way. Just sometimes the more aggressive BB folks ...can well, just spoil things is all and make everyone else look bad, which is truly unfortunate for the hard working coaches.::frown:

I guess to me and others may view it completely different.. I see aggressive as not something so positive and assertive I see as a positive approach.:drinker: :happy:

MCDerin

HealthyChanges2,

I totally didn't take your comment snarky at all : )
I was stating the obvious. You are one of the (apparently, based on what I see NON Coaches on this site.
As such, I TRULY appreciate your honest comments.
SO, thank you.
Sincerely

HealthyChanges2010

HealthyChanges2,

I totally didn't take your comment snarky at all : )
I was stating the obvious. You are one of the (apparently, based on what I see NON Coaches on this site.
As such, I TRULY appreciate your honest comments.
SO, thank you.
Sincerely

:flowerforyou:

dmmihelcic

dmmihelcic,
I AM a coach, and you are totally correct. NOT on the point that you should be suspicious of Beachbody as a company, but that so many coaches on MFP ARE trying to sell the business or the product with their own profit and benefit being above that of the person they are trying to "help".

Beachbody itself is what it is. It is NEVER hidden that it is an MLM and that to make money you must have a team that produces and that you must constantly build your team.
It is a business plan that can and DOES work, but those who enter into the business need to do so with complete and total understanding of how they are going to be most successful and profitable.

As stated, I myself am not looking to be able to quit my dayjob and live off of Beachbody earnings. And, if I ever can do that, it will be a long time from now and due to a slow and honest building of my team.
More so, I am looking to support my "beachbody habit" *(I LOVE so many of their products) and be able to use my earnings to buy more products and put a tiny bit aside for a rainy day.

I think that many of the coaches are good and honest people who DO mean well and honestly want to help people by sharing their experience and knowledge of the products and aren't "all about the benjamins" so to speak

I guess I am just a little frustrated at how the bad apples are making it harder for those of us with modest and true intentions to do what we love without being lumped together with them.

MCD,
Thanks for showing the positive side of things. Look forward to seeing more from you in the message boards. Plus as a former Southern Maryland (now Northern Virginia) resident, I know you are a kindred spirit.
Dave

glfprncs2

I think what we're seeing a lot of, especially on social networking sites such as Facebook, are 'true' coaches and those who abuse the coach status and then drag the true coaches down along with them. I can't tell you how many Facebook posts I see that promise you to "Make tons of money while you lose weight" and the like. It's ALL they post on their FB status, and I personally find it nauseating. Do these coaches really think that they're going to build their business by spamming people? Do people really respond to that? The kicker is that oftentimes, I've fun into people who could use a good coach, but they're so turned off by another Beachbody Coach that they think all of us are money grubbing a**holes.

I've been coaching for about a year and a half. I've been a product of the product for two years...P90X, P90X+, Insanity, CLX, Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam, etc. My goal as a coach is to help others on their journey. Period. If I make some money along the way, that's awesome. However, I agree with a lot of the same things that many of you have stated above.

Dragging people in as coaches just to get more people coaching isn't the way to accomplish the goal of fighting obesity. You truly do need people who CARE about that aspect, and who are actually willing to coach their 'coachees' towards those goals. I see a trend with Beachbody that's pushing two aspects: Coaching and Shakeology. While I think both are great things (seriously, I LOVE my Shakeology and it really has improved many aspects of my health), but Beachbody has to be more than that, and I do think that coaches who really do coach should be rewarded for that aspect, rather than by how many coaches they sign or how many people get Shakeology on HD.

I currently have a customer base of about 280 'coachees.' I have personally sent 'welcome' e-mails to each of them, I friend them on Facebook, I check in regularly, I chat on FB, etc. Many of these people have become people whom I truly care about...they're people that I would consider to be my friends. I know their life frustrations, their current injuries, the names of their kids. They also know that when they're discouraged or frustrated or overjoyed with their progress, I'm someone they can share it with. That, to me, is what makes the entire coaching thing worthwhile.

You said you
I currently have a customer base of about 280 'coachees.' You have that many COACHES signed under you? Or, did you mean customers? If coaches...wow.

Edited to add - I have noticed SEVERAL of the coaches commenting on this thread have links to their sites (shakeology and coach site) in their signatures. MFP has a policy that states "no links allowed" in their signature.
I mention I am a coach in mine, but do NOT link to my site.
Just sayin'.
See for yourself:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/signature (on the right it states "signature rules".)
Thanks!

"Coachees"--people that I coach. My coaching downline is a very small group of people who want to help others.

MCDerin

Ah, got it. I wasn't sure if that was a type-o or not.
So, you call your customers/clients coachees

Thanks for the clarification.

MCDerin

MCD,
Thanks for showing the positive side of things. Look forward to seeing more from you in the message boards. Plus as a former Southern Maryland (now Northern Virginia) resident, I know you are a kindred spirit.
Dave

Thanks, I appreciate that , Dave!

Spydor

...I am a little bit suspicious of the Beachbody Coach thing. Seems like 50% of the folks on MFP are Coaches... and by definition are looking to not only sell you something but also to convince you to sign up as a Coach under them. This kind of reminds me of Amway. Both Amway and Beachbody have good products, but the pyramid marketing approach overshadows this.

What makes you suspicious about the coach thing? Why does a coach by definition mean they are trying to sell or recruit you? By definition, I would think a coach would be there to help you. Do some coaches try to sell/recruit, yes. But not all.

What would be a better marketing approach? Putting it on the shelves is no better, and in some cases worse. Of course, retail stores are a basic pyramid also, so maybe you're including them. Pretty much any business is a "pyramid" if you look at the management to employee layout. Now if you're talking pyramid scams, that's a whole different animal, and none of these businesses are in there.

While I'm sure there are a lot of coaches on the site, I would guess the percentage is much lower than 50. In this thread maybe, but across this site, much lower.

Stooooo

stoooo,
It is still self promotion whether or not it's a link or you have to copy and paste.
DO I make mention that I am a coach and my group x certifications? Yes....but I don't link to sites or profiles, whether an active link or not.
I actually HAVE contacted coaches to gently remind them of the policy however. I just think that this particular thread is SCREAMING with all the self promoting coaches. What better way to get so many of their attention than to post in the very place they are all congregating?

And, we are NOT all in this together. Some of us are in it for different reasons. I am in it to meet new people, share my love of the products I personally use, and to answer questions from those who ask.
I am not in it to be the next Christine Dwyer (no offense to her or her success), multi-diamond coach.
So, I am NOT in it with those kinds of coaches.

Thanks though

Well I have taken your advice to heart and removed the website from my signature. I agree with you on the self promotion. What always gets me are the coaches who don't add anything to the conversation other then just saying buy from me. If I came off like that (although I don't think I have) I apologize. As I stated before I orginally became a coach strictly for the 25% discount on P90X and the Results and Recovery Shake. I was 260+ pounds and was looking for an answer. At about that same time I started blogging about my weight loss journey. Next thing I know I made a sale and I didn't even know what I did to do this. So I contacted the person who bought from me and asked why they chose me. They said that they identified with my struggle. Well this ignited a fire in me. Not only to help people, but to continually learn more about health and fitness. So for me, sure it is nice to make a buck here and there, but that is not why I became a coach, or why I am proud to call myself a coach. I refer to my time prior to wanting to help people as being a "preferred customer". LOL! Do I want to become a multi-star diamond coach? Heck yeah, but not at the cost of people becoming just another number to me. I had that experience once with another MLM company (Primerica) and swore I would never do that to someone. For me being a diamond coach means I have a team of people all wanting to help other people. Which is why I am building very slowly as well. I hope this explains where I am coming from.

All the best,
Stu

MCDerin

stoooo,
(sorry if I am missing some "o"s...I didn't count LOL

I appreciate your response and I sincerely apologize if we got off on the wrong foot.
I totally respect and appreciate where you are coming from and the kind of coach you are. THAT is the kind of coach that I respect and relate to and APPLAUD for being in this business for what I consider the "right" reason.
I would love to roll in the $$ too, if it comes as a by product of me doing what I want, and love to do anyway. I just don't like the coaches where that (the $$) is their sole focus.

You are a good one in my books and I didn't mean to sound like such a b*tch (to anyone).
I have just become very frustrated with the coaching system and how so many of them are going about things lately that I can't hold back sometimes

Thanks for listening to my rants, and i have found the feedback from this thread to be VERY enlightening, so for that I am appreciative.

mmtiernan

Saw this guy had posted photos of his truck on Chalene Johnson's facebook page, so looked up his web site - this is so blatant and it is so clear that he is only in it for the money: www.prestofitness.com Wonder if he's ever actually helped anyone other than his own pocketbook!

I've have to say that I appreciate all of the genuine coaches that I've met on this site. It's so unfortunate that the company is encouraging folks like prestofitness - it really cheapens the company.

telcochik

Stooooo - thanks for sharing your story! You definitely are one of the good guys!

Sharon