What Do You Bring To The Table? Know Your Worth

December 12, 2014December 7, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

Original post can be found at

http://www.rxmuscle.com/blogs/the-business-fitness-modeling-and-showbiz/11909-what-do-you-bring-to-the-table-know-your-worth.html

Last month I wrote an article in which I discussed different levels of athlete sponsorship and the tendency of some sports supplement and fitness related companies to use athletes as unpaid salespeople under the guise of being sponsored. This month I am flipping to the other side and discussing athlete value, i.e., what the athlete SHOULD be bringing to the table in terms of marketability, knowledge, and salesmanship when approached for a sponsorship. Both the company and the athlete should have something to offer the other party so that the relationship is a healthy symbiosis which promotes both parties. Essentially, when an athlete and a company work together, they should be working as a TEAM so that everyone can benefit from the union, but this doesn’t always occur.

In some cases, athletes will work tirelessly to promote a brand for little or no compensation, while in others, supplement and fitness related companies put their energies into an athlete, believing that the athlete will enhance the brand, only to have an athlete take advantage and become extremely lazy and neglect his/her end of the deal. While there are athletes out there who have tremendous value and who have built laudable reputations through inspiring articles, e-books, and client transformations, there are countless more who have an exaggerated sense of self-entitlement and who believe that simply because they graced the stage once or twice, they deserve to have everything handed to them for free.

If you are new to competing or to the fitness world in general, you need to be aware that it takes time to build your own brand and to find your place in the industry. Perhaps the best thing you can do at this point is to assess your value and what you truly bring to the table. Companies which are looking for brand ambassadors want someone with a following and a unique presence or message which is congruent with their brand philosophy, so if you aren’t there yet, you had better start working on building your own value.

Let’s start with physical appearance. Those who are successful in the bodybuilding and fitness industry have great physiques which they continue to improve upon over time. Individuals who maintain a relatively consistent weight and conditioning level throughout the year tend to fare best as well since they are close to shoot/contest ready almost all the time. Some of the top signed sponsored athletes are also some of the best looking people on the planet! I’m not saying that you have to have movie star good looks to land sponsorships, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. This is when you need to be VERY realistic about yourself and what you bring into the mix. You should be blessed with good looks or a distinctive, appealing look, or at the very least be photogenic if you expect to land a sponsorship with one of the bigger supplement companies.

Perhaps you are just average looking, or have a face only a mother could love, but you ooze sex appeal and charisma. If you are blessed enough to have such an energetic pull on people, this could work in your favor during booth appearances and videos, and increase interest in the brand you are representing. You are also far more likely to get picked up by a company if you have an enthusiastic and positive attitude. In keeping with this, you should only work with companies which sell products you truly believe in and like, because your enthusiasm for the products will come through naturally as you promote them.

Another valuable trait which increases an athlete’s value is integrity. People who do well in the fitness and bodybuilding industry and who have longevity within it tend to be truthful, sincere, and have strong values. You must have a strong backbone to survive in this highly saturated and fickle industry, and that only comes with knowing who you are and honoring your personal beliefs. If you sell out and take shortcuts, you run the risk of having a very short-lived career.

One of the most powerful ways to connect with your core audience is to show your human side and share stories which allow your followers to relate to you. It doesn’t matter if you show your own body transformations or those of your clients, as long as followers can see a before photo which they can relate to and an after photo which inspires them to take action. Such inspiration becomes even more powerful when you offer to help followers to reach their fitness and wellness goals. People begin to believe in YOU, and that can give you the leverage you need to promote a product line for a brand you represent.

If you have experience and education in fitness, nutrition, business, advertising, medicine, physical therapy, massage, or any other field which may be relatable to your journey in fitness and to the people who follow you, it’s a good idea to fortify such knowledge by becoming an authority. You can do this by creating videos, blog posts and books which showcase your knowledge. This can make you especially valuable to supplement and fitness companies which are considering bringing you on board because you can offer your knowledge as part of the deal which you negotiate with them.

Many companies assess the popularity and reach of an athlete through social media numbers, a tactic which can edge many athletes out of the running for top sponsorship spots if numbers are all they care about. Some athletes have purchased followers or promoted their profiles by paying for them, which has worked in their favor when securing sponsorships, but I don’t recommend this route since many of those paid followers won’t buy products which the athlete promotes. Then there are athletes who desperately want to work in the industry and obtain sponsorships, but have built their following solely on sexy half-naked photos of themselves. These athletes (mostly women) have resorted to using their social media channels solely as a means to post scantily clad selfies which ostensibly generate a ton of likes from the opposite sex. Every athlete who lowers his/her standards to this point where the only value generated is from smutty photos is sure to find that there is no legacy to speak of as time goes on and looks fade.

Even if you build your value and show consistently that you have a strong work ethic, you must continue to meet your end of the bargain. Sometimes companies will give you product as a trial run to see what you will do with respect to adding value to the brand. Some athletes will ramp up slowly, while others will jump right in with social media posts and will do all they can to promote a product. I have also seen some athletes start out as strong cheerleaders for a product, only to fizzle out because they lack self-discipline and consistency. Of course this can also occur on the company’s end, so it behooves both the athlete and the company to check in with each other regularly to make sure that everyone is happy.

Most Hot Women DON’T Go Out And Party All The Time

December 5, 2014November 24, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

I am sure there are plenty of hot women who enjoy going out for a night on the town almost every night. I am also sure that in all of these cases, these young ladies are riding on a fast train to nowhere because all they do is waste their time and energy hitting the social scene to inflate their following on social media, stroking their tender egos and taking advantage of affluent men who are lusting after them.

Those aren’t the gals I am talking about.

There are TONS of hot women of all ages out there who thankfully have the common sense to realize how much more valuable their minds are, who are genuine and who aren’t afraid of rolling up their sleeves and working diligently to achieve their own goals. These are the women I am referring to, and I am fortunate enough to call many of these women my friends. What may surprise you is that many of my fellow hot gal pals don’t frequent nightclubs or have a full dating rotation in place. Like me, many of them would rather stay at home and work on their projects than to go to a bar or nightclub and engage in alcohol consumption and small talk with people they really aren’t interested in.

For those of you who might think that I go out on the weekends, let me bust that myth. A night out for me is a very rare event indeed, and it isn’t because I have agoraphobia or don’t like seeing my friends. Most of the time, I have a ton of work to do in the evenings, such as developing blog posts like this one, writing up client plans, researching articles which I submit to numerous sites, etc. There are times when I would like to go out and do something fun like go to the movie theater, grab a cheat meal, or visit a friend, but my weekends are not characterized by wearing a snug minidress and towering heels and making an idiot out of myself in public. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that is NOT my idea of a good time.

The problem with being a smart, aware, genuine hot woman is that sometimes she is seen as TOO good of a catch, so men avoid asking her out. Many of my beautiful female friends fit this description, and a few of them complain about it. Another issue with being a gorgeous woman who is accessible through social media channels is that the creeps tend to surface, often becoming the only guys who ask these ladies out. Often the propositions aren’t for true dates, but are for hookups, fetish fulfillment and other bizarre requests. It is sad to see how much disrespect beautiful women deal with, and it is no wonder that many women bury themselves in their work to avoid such distressing situations.

Chances are that you won’t see a bunch of “out on the town slut” pics on a woman’s social media profile if she is a woman of substance. Even if you see hot modeling photos on a woman’s profile, that shouldn’t be interpreted as an invitation to be a creep and disrespect her. NO female should ever have to deal with the derogatory comments and attitude which lesser evolved males seem to get great pleasure out of displaying. I honestly worry about the girls who foolishly ride the party wave, because once that ocean dries up, they will not have any foundation upon which to build a secure life. Also, chronic drinking and sleep deprivation ages these poor gals so that they end up looking like they were dragged down the street. In the meantime, my empowered and beautiful friends and I will enjoy the fruits of our intellectual efforts while aging gracefully.

Time Zones, Reasonable Hours And The People Who Ignore Them

December 4, 2014November 24, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

I appreciate being able to meet people from other parts of the United States and the globe because they broaden my perspective and remind me that the world is much larger than what I am aware of as I navigate through a typical day in Southern California. As a result of my travels, I communicate relatively regularly with people who live in time zones that are 3 to 19 hours ahead of me. Whenever I attempt to communicate with them, I try to remain acutely aware of what time it is for them in their corner of the world. That is why I become very irritated when I get text messages and messages on Facebook Messenger in the middle of the night from people who are on the other side of the globe and think it’s a good time to initiate a chat with me. Some people are so clueless that when I respond to a message stating that I am trying to sleep, they KEEP MESSAGING me, causing my phone to clang repeatedly like a bell. I realize that I can (and DO) turn off my ringer, turn off my phone or ignore the messages, but there are two reasons why I respond to such communication attempts:

1. If I don’t respond immediately, I must deal with and endless stream of lengthy messages the next morning, scolding me for not responding.
2. I feel strongly compelled to inform the person that it’s late and that I must put an abrupt end to the conversation stream.

To be honest, I know that I test people when I tell them that it is late and that I am going back to sleep. The way to pass my test is to register a quick apology and allow me to rest, but some individuals seem to lack the sense to drop the conversation. One person who was an acquaintance I knew through Facebook contacted me last night past midnight and kept sending messages and images which woke me up repeatedly, so I told him to please stop. Instead of stopping, he explained to me that it was 12 noon where he was. Okay, that’s fine, but why did he keep messaging me, trying to engage me in a conversation I wanted no part of? I told him to please stop sending messages so that I could go back to sleep. His reaction was to KEEP MESSAGING ME. I have been in situations where I had miscalculated the time zone where a friend was, but as soon as I realized my mistake, I sent a quick apology and then stopped communicating with them. Unfortunately, this guy didn’t have the sense to realize how much of a pest he was, so my reward for his persistence was to block him.

I deal with people who think that because I am in the public eye and a physician, I must be on call 24/7. Not so, ESPECIALLY if someone pressures me to take care of their needs immediately when I have no professional responsibility toward them. The sense of entitlement some people have just blows me away! So-called “quick questions” become long, drawn-out consultation requests, and when I don’t have answers, some individuals cop an attitude after I have taken time out of my busy day to be cordial and helpful. It’s enough for me to consider telling everyone that they must submit questions to me during normal business hours, otherwise leave me alone. I must draw a line in the sand because I tend to sacrifice a great deal of my time and resources to help others, and run myself into the ground as a result.

Are You A Sponsored Athlete Or An Unpaid Salesperson?

November 19, 2014November 16, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

Original post can be found here:

http://www.rxmuscle.com/blogs/the-business-fitness-modeling-and-showbiz/11790-are-you-a-sponsored-athlete-or-an-unpaid-salesperson.html

Most sports supplement companies and other fitness related companies aggressively promote their products through athletes who can sing the praises of their benefits. Who could be better at describing the efficacy of a product and how it enhances training or recovery than an athlete who not only already uses those types of products, but someone who has a following and who can convince new customers to purchase from the company which they represent?

Here’s where things get problematic. The pool of bodybuilding and fitness athletes is pretty massive, and the waters are teeming with athletes who are anxious to get their so-called “big break”. As a result of this, savvy marketing teams from fitness related companies often sweep up these individuals because they are enthusiastic and can propel a brand’s exposure. All the company needs to do is to offer some free product to the athlete and provide instructions on how to use social media to get the word out that these products exist. Then the athletes post images of themselves holding or using products, and add affiliate codes so that any orders which are generated through that athlete’s post are credited to the athlete. This can be a great way for an athlete to make some extra money while competing or chasing down fitness related gigs and projects.

It is important to bear in mind that such athletes really aren’t sponsored, but are instead unpaid salespeople who provide free advertising and generate sales via social media posts which direct followers to product websites. Yes, they get commissions if they have affiliate codes, but such commissions are nothing to write home about unless someone is really blowing the roof off in sales. This is in stark contrast to a true athlete sponsorship, in which an athlete is paid to represent the brand as a brand ambassador. The sponsored athlete is chosen for his or her physique, performance history and awards, facial good looks, charisma, enthusiasm, and often the size of his or her social media following. Usually a sponsored athlete signs a contract which stipulates that he or she will receive a certain amount of free product, and in most cases will also receive financial compensation which is either paid via a monthly salary or via a contest stipend. Though the athlete usually agrees to a set requirement or recommendation to provide social media posts for the company at regular intervals, the company pays the athlete for his or her trouble. Personal appearances and events are also part of the sponsored athlete agreement and clearly described in the written contract. The sponsored athlete is compensated for use of his or her likeness on advertising materials as well.

Obviously it is a far better deal to become an official sponsored athlete for a company. Otherwise, you are just providing free advertising and cheap labor in exchange for products which are sold at a significant markup from what they are manufactured at. If you post a selfie with product that somehow goes viral, the company will certainly love the boost, but I doubt you will ever see any type of compensation if you aren’t a sponsored athlete, which means you provided your likeness for free. The truth of the matter is that there are only a handful of athlete sponsorships to go around, with a massive surplus of athletes vying for those spots. The athletes who end up getting sponsorships stand out from the crowd in some way, or fit a brand’s look and philosophy so well that it makes sense to bring them on board to represent a brand. The rest of the athletes must navigate through all the companies out there to try to find an arrangement which benefits them in some way. Sometimes it is easy to sell a product, usually because the athlete enjoys using it so much that he or she doesn’t mind providing free advertising or labor.

Sometimes a supplement company will launch a contest which is based on social media posts. One company, which shall remain unnamed, launched a huge campaign this year that was patterned on this idea, and decided to award 5 of the entrants $10,000. Sure, that sounds like a good chunk of change, but if there were 8,000 entrants, then 7,995 walked away with nothing. At the end of the campaign, the company got tons of free advertising and all those hashtags they requested for “tracking” purposes also propelled their brand in a huge way. To be honest, this is a brilliant marketing tactic, but not the best move for the majority of athletes who participated. I have also seen companies launch contests in which entrants must purchase a product, then post on social media with hashtags to enter the contest. This is another form of free advertising for the company, a great way to generate sales, a brilliant means for them to boost exposure, and yet another way for athletes to be suckered into doing free advertising. I don’t see much harm in taking part in such a contest if you truly love a product and want to proclaim it, but just remember that it works wonders as an advertising tool for the company without any benefit for you.

One thing I will never advocate is purchasing products, even at a steep discount, while also representing a brand as one of its “sponsored” athletes. If you are asked to pay for a product while also providing free advertising on social media channels, run quickly in the other direction! Basically you are dealing with a company which doesn’t value you enough as an athlete to provide compensation for your advertising efforts. This isn’t the same as purchasing a product, finding out you like it, THEN posting something on social media which lets people know how much you like it. I know of several athletes who had done this, which sparked the attention of the company which manufactured the product, eventually leading to a sponsorship deal. But do not, I repeat, DO NOT PAY for products as a way to get false sponsorship for a company.

It isn’t a bad thing to work as an unpaid salesperson in the fitness industry as long as you know your place and value. Once your following builds, the smart thing to do is to leverage your visibility into getting an athlete sponsorship. The main thing is to make sure that you don’t get taken advantage of in the process.

My Education Never Stops

October 19, 2014October 7, 2014drstaceynaito Leave a comment

For those of you who think that physicians are done with educational pursuits once they complete the rigors of medical school and residency, think again. We must complete continuing medical education credits (aka CME’s) for the length of our medical careers. This means that we must attend conferences and seminars, take online courses, complete quizzes in medical journals and take recertification exams to retain our board certification. Such CME’s aren’t cheap either. The average cost of each credit hour is $25, so when you multiply that by the 150 hours required in each three year cycle for board certified physicians like me, $3,750 has flown out of your wallet, and that doesn’t take into account the association dues for the governing sites which offer the most desirable and relevant CME credits.

Today I decided to chisel away at my ongoing requirements and took two online CME courses. The first was on diabetic foot ulcers and was quite graphic and disgusting, but since I am required to know how to treat this condition, I tolerated the images which flashed on the computer screen. I then took a course on gastrointestinal disorders which was far less graphic but yielded valuable information which was a great review for me. At the end of my two hour review, I received two CME credit hours which will be counted toward the 150 total hours I will need to accumulate by the end of 2015. I wish I could do most of my CME credits online, but there are limits on online coursework. What that basically means is that I am forced to participate in live courses, which means that I must figure out what courses my schedule will accommodate. In addition, live courses are significantly more expensive. I was investigating medical conferences yesterday and discovered that one major conference would set me back by $1,400 just for the registration alone! Since I cannot afford that conference, I must get creative and find other options which aren’t nearly as expensive.

I research CME opportunities every few months for the most respected and accessible opportunities, so I feel confident that I will find cost-effective ways of fortifying my medical knowledge while fulfilling my CME credits before the end of the current cycle. Since I also recently obtained an NAFC Nutrition Coach Certification, I will need to keep up on CEC’s for that as well. Oh, the learning never ends!