OK, Beachbody Coaching - What the heck is it?

tbb_business If you're reading this article you've probably, in some capacity, heard of "Beachbody Coaching." I get a TON of inquiries as to just what it is, what it entails, what is required to be a "coach" and of course, how much money can be made doing it.

In its simplest form, being a Beachbody Coach means that you're an independent distributor of Beachbody products. Beachbody has taken a very interesting and innovative approach towards the marketing of its products – rather than spend a great deal of money on advertising, Beachbody lets its customers market their products for them and then they compensate those customers. As a coach, it's your responsibility to guide and assist others through their exercise programs, and in doing so, Beachbody pays you a commission of 25% for any Beachbody products your customers purchase. In the beginning you develop your own "customer base," and over time as you progress as a coach (Emerald status or higher), Beachbody will eventually assign customers to you, for free!

25discount Beachbody coaches are also given a 25% discount on all Beachbody products. This is in fact how I got started as a Coach. I never intended to "coach" anyone, but rather, I just wanted the 25% discount on Shakeology. However, I found that more and more that I was telling everyone I knew about P90X (or they were asking me!), and as I started to do so I developed a "customer base" from which I started to receive commissions. Yes, it was (and continues to be) pretty darned cool. I get paid to refer people to the great products that basically turned my life into another, much better, direction. And, on top of that, I get a pretty big discount on the products I would be using and paying full price for anyway, if I wasn't a Beachbody Coach.

So how much does it cost to be a Coach?

Great question – to sign-up initially it costs a fee of $39.95, this is called a "processing fee" to set-up your account and web pages. As a Beachbody Coach, you're given two web pages to use as sales tools, one is your "coach" page and the other is your "Shakeology" page (my Shakeology page is HERE - just to give you an idea). I did branch out and create my own website (Xcellent Fitness), from which I basically do everything rather than using my web pages. After your sign-up fee it costs $14.95 per month in "maintenance fees," which are basically the costs of running your two web pages and the fees associated with the plethora of training material, calls, webinars and promotions that Beachbody offers to its coaches.

To be an "active" coach (eligible for commissions) you have to generate 50 Personal Volume (PV) points per month. This is a fancy way of saying that you have to purchase $50.00 worth of Beachbody products every month – but, if you intend to use Shakeology anyway, you're "good-to-go" because every month Shakeology is worth 90 PV. With my Coach's discount and using the Home Direct feature (auto re-ship and re-billing every 30 days, FREE shipping), Shakeology costs me $97.83 per month (that includes sales tax here in California – some states don't have sales tax and it's $89.96).

Bottom Line: if you're going to use Beachbody products, especially Shakeology, you should become a Coach. Why? Because it saves you money, even if you never intend to "coach" a single person. Most people, like ME, do in fact end up coaching in some capacity and make a little money.

Okay, the question I KNOW you're wondering: "Are there a lot of successful coaches?"

Success is a matter of perspective I suppose. If your question relates to "are there a lot of coaches making mid-five or six-figure income-type money" the cash_baby answer is "No." Most people define success in this business by what's important to them. A lot of coaches are happy reaching Emerald status, getting their assigned customers from Beachbody every week, using their product discount on stuff they would be buying anyway for full price if they weren't a Coach and then making a few hundred extra bucks per month to spend on whatever.

Personally, I'm aiming much higher! The first check Beachbody ever wrote to me was for $38.03 for the week ending August 4, 2010. Today, most of my household bills are paid from checks I receive from Beachbody!

Contact me if you're interested in learning more – I'd love to have you join the Team Xcellent Fitness "coaching staff."

Get fit, get product discounts, help others and make a little cash – what could be better than that?