Fitness' Dirty Secret: The High-Ticket Lie (Exposed)
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Ever feel like your social media is being bombarded with 'high-ticket' this and 'high-ticket' that?
Everyone's telling you it's the only way to really make it as a fitness coach, right?
I get it – the idea of ditching the hourly grind and selling premium packages is tempting.
You're a great coach, you care about your clients, and you deserve to be rewarded for it.
But here's the thing that's been bugging me lately: is all this 'high-ticket' advice actually legit? Or are we just repackaging the same old stuff and calling it something fancy?
Because let's be honest, a lot of these 'high-ticket' programs I'm seeing… they're just 3-month or 6-month commitments disguised as something groundbreaking.
The secret-formula being touted by the Gurus is often a simple 'repackaging' of the service you already sell.
And dare I say…I sometimes wonder if the 'High-Ticket Brigade' spin this line simply to justify their own over-priced, low-value offerings as a means of 'proving' the to the buyer (You) that high-ticket sales works.
All the while, you're missing out on strategies that actually work long-term. Strategies built on creating real, lasting value, fostering genuine connections with your clients, and building a sustainable business that doesn't rely on constant sales pressure.
Let's be real, the stress of constantly trying to "close" high-ticket deals, the fear of being seen as a fraud… it takes a toll. Are you willing to sacrifice your passion for fitness for a fleeting sales gimmick?
That's why I wanted to write this.
I want to pull back the curtain on the 'high-ticket' hype and show you what's really going on.
We'll break down why this advice could be hurting your business, and more importantly, explore the strategies that actually build a thriving, fulfilling fitness career. Let's focus on creating something real, something lasting, something that makes you proud to be a fitness professional.
Is It Really High-Ticket? Exposing the Fitness Industry's Misunderstanding
'High-Ticket' is a phrase, like many, that gets thrown around social media and is treated as 'common knowledge'.
Of course you know what high-ticket sales is….right!?
Probably not.
You'll have heard the term - but many don't know what it is.
Let's start by fixing that…
A simple example of this is cars.
Depending on your preference, the typical price point for a new car is somewhere between £30k-£60k
(Using the definition above, these could be considered 'standard offerings')
However, if you happen to be a fan of Lamborghini and Ferrari, you're probably looking at £200k+
(These are high-value products that would be considered high-ticket)
There are examples of high-ticket items and high-ticket selling all around us…
> Some holidays are 'standard offerings' - others are exclusive 5* packages costing £25k+
> Some clothes are 'standard offerings' - others are limited edition £10k handbags
> Some coffee is a 'standard offering' - Black Ivory Coffee is £1,800/kg
With the definition above, and these examples in mind, we can start to explore why (in my opinion) most of the 'High-Ticket Coaching' you're seeing sold online isn't high-ticket at all.
A Typical 'High-Ticket Coaching' Example:
I took this screenshot from a Facebook ad as a working example of how most 'High-Ticket Coaching' offers are sold…
The ad doesn't mention high-ticket, but the ad copy does and the creator of the ad often discusses this topic.
Let's break this example down and ask the question, is this high-ticket?
The example shown is £997 for a 6-month program.
With some simple maths (let me grab my calculator) we can see that this is equal to £166/month.
A quick Google search will give you typical ranges for 1-1 online Coaching of £150-£300/month.
(Some are lower, some higher)
So, at £166 per month, is the example above high-ticket?
…I would argue, no - it's a 'standard offering' packaged to look high-ticket.
There is one caveat here…
In the example above, the screenshot mentions PIF (Paid In Full) which isn't typical for most Fitness Coaches. It's not common practice to collect payment for a 6-month plan upfront.
This, and this element alone, is the only part of this 'package' that would make it seem 'high-ticket'. But then again, having collected the £997, you still have to provide 6 months of delivery at what is considered a 'standard rate'.
Also, many of the £997 high-ticket packages shared online aren't paid in full, and in fact, are sold as 'payment plans'. They're no different than a Fitness Coach selling monthly coaching.
So What Would A High-Ticket Offer Look Like?
Something high-ticket needs to be high-value.
Therefore, taking a standard service and adding a few quid on to it won't do.
A true high-ticket offering in the Fitness Coaching space would probably include additional services or experiences that allow the Coach to charge the equivalent of £1k+ per month.
It would need to be the Ferrari of Fitness Coaching.
Those addition value-added services might include…
> Food prep service
> Personalised supplement protocols (with supplements included)
> Additional 1-1 access to you in-person
> 1-1 access to other Professionals in your network
> Additional health-related screenings and reviews
> On-demand elements within the service
…the list could be endless!
There are coaches out there who do charge £50k/year per client for coaching. I interviewed one of them (Dax Moy) a while back and you can listen to it using one of the following links if you like: Apple Podcasts - Spotify Podcasts.
They are often offering access to much higher level services than your typical coach would offer. In the case of Dax, this included (but wasn't limited too) exclusive retreats, training in his high-end studio, expert-level coaching.
Here's the key thing to take away here…
It's unrealistic to say that 'anyone' can offer a high-ticket service.
By it's very nature, a high-ticket offer needs to be high-value, and to offer that, you need to be a fantastic coach, with experience, and the willingness to build something special.
Pulling Back The Curtain On The Gurus' Core System
Going back to the £997 package example from earlier.
Why are Business Mentors telling people to sell this way?
I think there are a few reasons.
Some - perfectly fine, some - not so.
Let's start with the positives…
Selling a 6-month package allows you to lock-in a commitment from your client ahead of time (assuming they see out the full package). It bypasses one of the issues most Online Coaches face - poor retention.
When someone 'pays in full' it allows you to re-invest the money to quickly get your next clients (ads). This is a common strategy encouraged by these mentors. It's not terrible advice by any stretch, but does have some drawbacks we will discuss in a moment.
It looks good. This isn't necessarily a positive for you, but it is for the Business Mentor. If you sign up 5 'high-ticket' clients, they'll happily share a screenshot showing how you made £5k in 3 days. They'll miss out the part explaining that this is for 6 months worth of delivery though!
On to the drawbacks…
Selling in this way rarely gives the Coach a predictable monthly income. Some months they might make £10k in sales - but then they have to deliver all of that service over the next 6 months - they won't get £10k next month unless they sell another 10 packages.
Encouraging Coaches to reinvest the revenue from their core service straight back into ads, to attract clients quickly, can be risky. I am not against doing paid ads for clients (I do it myself) but it isn't as easy as it seems and it WILL eat into your profit.
I want to expand on this a little further…
We've already established that a £997 package is in fact a £166/mo service.
If you take that £997 and reinvest in ads, you might get 3-5 new clients. Brilliant! Sounds great, right?
But do the math - You've made 1 initial sale to generate 3-5 more.
In this scenario there is no profit from that first sale, just the 3-5 further sales you generated.
This means you now have 4-6 clients to service over the next 6 months for a grand total of £3k-£5k. This takes your monthly fee, per client, down to £139.
This is why, personally, I prefer a 'front-end offer' to be used as the main source of revenue for an ads budget. This is a shorter-term offer that can quickly turn a lead into a long-term client, with the upfront cash reinvested in new clients. The money from the core service is kept by you.
A false sense of success - this is the worst drawback in my eyes. I've met coaches who felt an initial success from having sold £10k worth of coaching in a month, only to find themselves feeling the opposite when they had very little profit, lots of service to deliver, and the pressure to do another month of sales like this the following month. It stinks.
Let's Bring This To A Close…
I'm not against high-ticket sales. They exist in many forms.
I am not against high-ticket coaching.
You can do very well selling those kinds of services.
What I am against is the idea that a '6-month £997 program' is high-ticket.
…it isn't.
And if it's no more fancy, or fulfilling, than how you currently package and sell your service. Why bother paying £5k to a Business Mentor to learn the 'secret' to their high-ticket sales system?
My advice to you is this…
Forget the idea of high-ticket, low-ticket, and whatever else may exist by the time this gets published.
Instead…
Build a service offering that is perfect for the type of people you want to serve.
Make sure you can deliver a high level of perceived value.
Price that service at the upper-end of your market.
Get people amazing results.
Rinse and repeat.
Over time you can increase the price for a service like this as word spreads and demand increases. It doesn't make you high-ticket per se, it just makes you more expensive.
And then, should you wish to, having spent years honing your craft and understanding exactly what 'your people' want and need - maybe then you will be in a position to build something truly high-ticket, and charge accordingly.
Becoming a high-ticket coach happens in steps.
…not by watching a few loom videos a Business Mentor shares with you.
Until next time, take care.
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