An update on my physique competition prep…
I’ve mentioned how my trainer talked me into doing a physique competition. In case you haven’t been opening my emails (your loss) I’ve got t-minus 3.5 weeks to go.
And I continue to learn (or at least be reminded) of principles that apply to my business and yours.
Today – we talk about doing the boring work… then doing more of it.
Since we’re closing in on the homestretch of competition prep, we’re in cutting mode. Basically a time to focus less on muscle bulking and more on trimming fat so we look nice and lean on stage.
(PAUSE: If any of this sounds ridiculously narcissistic, I totally understand. But another weird aspect of prepping for these competitions is that you start talking about your body objectively, like it’s one of the miniature donkeys I would show at the State Fair of Texas in high school. It’s less vanity and more pure assessment. Like they literally call the body a “package” as in “We gotta do XYZ to take the best package on stage.” It’s so weird…)
Alright so what do you do to trim fat? Well, you adjust your ratios to eat more protein, fewer carbs, and do more cardio. That’s about it.
New protein? No, the same boring chicken and fish I was eating before.
New cardio? No, the same boring walk on the treadmill at 15 degrees and 3.5 miles per hour that I was doing before. (Just for 60 minutes a day instead of 40.)
“But but but shouldn’t there be something new or fancy?” That’s what I thought.
And apparently the answer is no. Ever. You do the same boring thing that has been working. You just do more of it.
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This has many parallels in the business world. Entrepreneur Alex Hormozi ($100+ million in revenues each year) talks a lot about the benefits of doing the boring work.
Want to grow your practice? Keep doing the same boring thing that has been working. And just do more of it.
Do the followup calls to non-converts.
Write the Thank-You notes to patients.
Recite the same script to every happy patient, asking for a 5-star review.
Do the same intro greeting for every patient who walks in the door.
These things can be… boring. But we do them because they get the result we want.
Few people love a shiny object more than me. New ad platform? New scripting? New treatment options that we can market? LET’S GO! I love the new, the fun, the flashy.
But I have to pump the breaks on myself constantly. “Is this new thing going to keep me from doing the boring things that get me results?”
Most of the time, I take that shiny thing… add it to a list of ideas… and leave it for later. That’s a discipline I’ve had to develop over the years in my profession.
With the competition prep, it’s been much easier because I told my trainer from the start, “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” And what he continues to communicate to me is, “We’re just gonna keep doing the boring stuff, bro.”
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When you are able to focus on doing MORE of the boring thing that’s working, life gets simpler.
For example, I’m on a call with a client the other day to talk about increasing their leads. We have a self-test set up for them that converts at 20%, meaning that 1 out of 5 people who click on it turn into a lead. Pretty solid.
How do we get the result we want (more leads)? Well, I could list off 100 different things we could try. But one very easy and obvious way is to get more eyeballs on the self-test.
Driving people to a self-test = kinda boring marketing. It’s not nearly as fun as doing a silly video for Instagram, shooting a trendy TikTok, or designing a fun new t-shirt. But it’s the process that gets you closer to your surgery goals.
And following up with those folks.. .and leaving messages… and sending texts… and getting them on the phone… and getting them booked… kinda boring process. But it’s the process that gets you closer to your surgery goals.
Sure, there’s room for fun and creativity in the way you get more people to the self-test – various campaigns, different demographics, etc.
As long as all that is geared toward the successful, boring thing that you should do more of.
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The wildest part of doing the boring thing? It tends to generate the most anti-boring results.
My clients that do the boring review-ask with every happy patient? They’re the ones whose 5-star review volume is growing faster than a “Let’s Go, Brandon!” chant at a Crimson Tide football game.
And me doing the boring competition prep…
without any weird fad diets, funky workouts or off-the-wall pills and supplements…
well, I’m in the best shape of my life. And getting a little bit better each day.
In conclusion, do the boring work. And then do more of it.
And if you need me, reply to this email. I’ll be on the treadmill.
– Troy “Treading” Cole
PS – You may think, “Troy, I get what you’re saying. But we don’t know how to even do the boring work. We need a roadmap.”
If that’s you, cool. Email and tell me.
I’ve got the maps. You can have one. Just ask.