If you’re a performance coach, gym owner, or in the coaching business, there’s one thing I see get overlooked all the time: creating buy-in.
Most coaches think the hard part is the sale, getting the parent or athlete to say yes. But the real game changer is what you do after that moment. That’s where buy in is either cemented or lost.
And the #1 way to build it? An onboarding process.
Why Buy In Matters More Than You Think
When athletes are bought in, effort goes through the roof. More effort = better results. Better results = long-term retention.
It’s not about nailing one great session. It’s about creating belief, direction, and clarity that keep an athlete showing up hungry every single day.
Step 1: Needs Analysis (Dig Deeper)
Once an athlete commits, we immediately sit down for a needs analysis. This is a series of questions designed to get into their head and uncover what makes them tick.
- What sport and position do you play?
- What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?
- What’s your “big hairy audacious goal”?
For some it’s moving from JV to varsity. For others it’s earning a D1 scholarship or getting drafted. The point is you can’t just talk surface level. Pull it out of them, write it down, and show them you believe in it too.
When an athlete knows you believe in their vision, they’ll believe in your coaching.
Step 2: Show Them the Path
After we get their goals, we share stories of past athletes who’ve been in similar shoes and won.
Example: “I had a sophomore riding the bench who committed to the process. Three years later, he was starting varsity with a D1 scholarship.”
This step is huge. It shows you’ve done it before, you know the path, and you have the solution.
Step 3: Performance Testing + Deliverable
Next, we test. Acceleration, top speed, jumps (vertical, broad, lateral)—whatever’s relevant to the athlete’s sport.
We track everything, build a report, and hand it back to the athlete and parent. Now they see:
- Where they are today
- Where they need to go
- How we’ll get there
That clarity is everything. It’s not just “we’re going to train.” It’s: “Here’s the roadmap, here’s the method, here’s the expected outcome.”
Step 4: Educate & Reinforce
Education is buy in fuel. We explain not just what we’re doing, but why.
When athletes understand the “why,” they’re more likely to commit, more likely to push through tough sessions, and more likely to stay long term. That’s why some kids I started training in middle school are still with me today, even at the pro level.
The Bottom Line for Coaches
Don’t overlook onboarding. Spend the extra hour in the beginning. Lay the foundation.
When athletes feel seen, believed in, and given a clear path, they’ll commit harder, stay longer, and produce better results.
That’s not just coaching, that’s retention. That’s building lifetime value.
This is not just theory it’s 10+ years of application in the trenches, showing you how to train athletes and scale your business. Check the link below to get started.
