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Barbie Decker (Tues)

August 8, 2012 By Barbie Decker

Yesterday I gave a play by play of my day, but I’m not really sure that was enough to give a just impression of what it is I do as a Team Beachbody Coach. There are a handful of core activities that drive my business. At any given point, depending on the day, on the needs of my customers, individual team members, or organization as a whole, I may be involved with one or all of these:

Making Contacts and Inviting People to Get Involved:
Finding people who are looking to get in shape and getting them started on a fitness and nutrition regimen using Beachbody’s fitness videos and nutritional supplements is at the heart of what I do. Coming up with ways to attract and connect with people using social media (almost exclusively) is really one of the most enjoyable parts of my role as a coach. Because I am motivated by a true desire to help people find a solution to their weight and health problems associated with being overweight, I have never felt like a slimy sales person. I simply provide people with the tools (the products) and support that they need to succeed. I have to confess, however, that coming from an academic background, where we were underpaid to provide a valuable service, it took me a while before I was able to give myself permission to make an amazing income by helping others. Today, I’m totally okay with it. I would rather make great money doing something that I love than being underpaid doing something that I’m not very good at (research).

Coaching:
Once customers purchase products from me, I provide support and motivation via private groups on Facebook, email, my blog, and YouTube. Coaching my customers online and building genuine relationships with many of them over the years (even if we have never met) is to put it plainly: just awesome!

Recruiting and Effective Sponsoring:
Finding and sponsoring individuals who want to join my organization as coaches is just as important as obtaining new customers. Once people join my team as Independent Team Beachbody coaches, my job is to help train them to be successful in the business. Helping coaches develop into successful business owners and sometimes leaders is the most challenging and rewarding part of my work. Many people sign up to coach but are not willing to put in the minimum effort required to make it work or they are not willing to risk failing in order to succeed. This can be frustrating for me, especially when what they say the want doesn’t match up with their actions. But this is par for the course and I have come to accept it. On the other hand, working with and mentoring coaches who want to work the business, who are teachable, and who are willing to do what it takes to reach the level of success that they desire is incredibly rewarding. Helping other people be their best, as cheesy as it may sound to academic ears, is what drives me and makes me feel most fulfilled. I really do spend much of my day thinking of ways that I can inspire and motivate both my customers and team to live their best lives.

That’s my job description in a nutshell. ‘Til tomorrow!

Barbie Decker (Mon)
Barbie Decker (Wed)

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Comments

  1. Paul says

    August 16, 2012 at 12:34 AM

    I think it sounds very interesting, being a Beachbody coach but how did you learn to be a leader so you can also teach your coaches to be leaders. Did you get it from being a teacher, “research” like you hate and how did you learn to build yourself up as a confident leader and help your coaches do the same.

    Reply
    • Barbie Decker says

      August 16, 2012 at 12:26 PM

      Great question and One I wish I had addressed in one of my entries. I never expected to build this business and I didn’t start off as a leader. Opportunities are constantly presented where you can step up or shrink. Each action leads you to become a better leader. I didnt shrink at the opportunity to lead meetings, webinars, my team, even when I was a newbie. With time and failures, I learned and got better. Not everyone, I admit, has leadership potential, but we can all be better leaders. Oh, and I read a lot on leadership. :)

      Reply

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Barbie Decker, PhD

Independent Coach & Business Developer
Team Beachbody

PhD, French Literature

The Name of the Father: Retif de la Bretonne and the Representation of Paternity in Late Eighteenth-Century France

New York University, 2007

Connect with Barbie

If I knew then what I know now…

… I would have left academia sooner with less of an internal struggle.

My Professional Philosophy:

Don’t stop until you get what you want and reassess what you want periodically to make sure you are pursuing the right goals.

Barbie's "Week in the Life"

  • Barbie Decker | One Year Later
  • Barbie Decker (Fri)
  • Barbie Decker (Thurs)
  • Barbie Decker (Wed)
  • Barbie Decker (Tues)
  • Barbie Decker (Mon)
  • Barbie Decker | Team Beachbody

Which is more important: luck, smarts, or know-how?

You really can’t say it’s just one. It’s what the individual does with all three that determines the outcome.

Best career advice ever received:

From a self-development book (can’t remember which): When you do what you’re passionate about, work feels like play. And when work feels like play, you’re happier, more creative, and more likely to produce great money.

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