Build Your Coaching MDP

Key Points:

0:00 – Opening and Workshop Setup
John opens Workshop Wednesday and asks how many coaches have formally created their own market-dominating position.

0:40 – Courtney as MDP SME
John explains that Courtney is considered the MDP subject matter expert at Focused.com, and they will tag team the training.

1:09 – Dashboard Tour Reminder
John shows where coaches can retake the basic navigation tour and dashboard tour from the question mark icon in the upper-right corner.

1:34 – Step One: Who You Serve
The first step in creating an MDP is defining who you serve.

2:02 – Lead Generation Training Resources
John points coaches to the Introduction to Lead Generation section, including the Ideal Client Avatar training.

2:20 – Niche or Not to Niche
John highlights the debate between Courtney and Debbie Hart on whether coaches should niche or not niche.

2:39 – Buyer’s Journey Training
The Buyer’s Journey video helps coaches understand future buyers, soon-to-buy buyers, and now buyers.

3:02 – Messaging by Buyer Stage
The training explains how to adjust messaging based on where the prospect is in the buyer’s journey.

3:25 – Prospecting Resources
John points to Wally’s videos on in-person prospecting, door-to-door prospecting, new neighborhood client-finding, list building, and follow-up.

4:21 – Business Academy MDP Training
John shows coaches where to find Market Dominating Position training inside the Business Academy.

4:45 – Jumpstart 12 and Virtual MBA Locations
The MDP training is available under Jumpstart 12 and also in the Virtual MBA series.

5:14 – Ideal Client Persona Lessons
Lessons four through eight in the Virtual MBA walk through ideal client persona development, including demographics, psychographics, desires, and where prospects spend time.

5:48 – Two Reasons Coaches Do Not Convert
John says coaches often fail to turn conversations into clients because they are not talking to the right person or they lack confidence.

6:28 – Download the MDP Workbook
John asks coaches to download the workbook for MDP Part Two and prepare to work through it interactively.

7:43 – Strategic Position in the Market
The first workbook step is determining strategic position, which means identifying who the coach serves.

8:35 – John Castillo’s Audience
John Castillo shares that he works with small and mid-sized business owners who are growing but not profiting.

9:00 – Revenue Range Clarification
John narrows his focus to businesses doing roughly $500,000 to $2 million in sales.

9:27 – Experience in Consumer Products and Retail
John shares his background in consumer product goods, retail, big-box retailers, manufacturing, and taking companies private to public.

10:08 – Specialty Retail and Brand Growth
John considers whether his best fit may be specialty retail or businesses trying to grow products into a brand.

11:10 – Problem-Based Niche
The group identifies that “growing but not profiting” can itself become a niche based on the problem.

11:58 – Pricing and Cost Issues
John explains that many prospects have not looked at pricing or cost structure in a long time.

12:11 – Inconsistent Lead Flow
Another common issue is business coming in inconsistently because there is no consistent lead generation or drip program.

12:49 – Niching by Challenge
John points out that John Castillo is niching by problem or challenge, even if he has not chosen a specific industry niche.

13:03 – Naming the Emotional Pain
The group begins identifying the emotional pain behind growing without profit.

13:23 – Frustration and Negative Cash Flow
John Castillo explains that some clients are growing revenue but creating negative cash flow through costly customer acquisition or fulfillment.

14:26 – Busy but No Cash Visibility
Sociata adds that many clients are busy but do not know where their cash is going.

14:54 – No Confidence and Reactive Decisions
The emotional pain includes no visibility, no confidence, uncertainty, anxiety, worry, and stress.

15:29 – Why Emotion Matters
Naming the emotion helps prospects feel understood and creates connection.

15:51 – People Buy Because You Get Them
John references a Karl idea: people do not buy from you because of what you do, they buy because you get them.

16:30 – Emotion Interrupts the Thought Pattern
Emotional pain acts like a trigger that interrupts the prospect’s mental noise and gets their attention.

18:18 – Step Two: Primary MDP
The next step is creating the primary market-dominating position statement.

19:07 – Courtney on Capacity to Deliver
Courtney adds that before moving into the MDP statement, coaches must ensure their business can actually fulfill the need they are promising to solve.

20:22 – Lance’s MDP Draft
Lance shares an MDP focused on helping stretched-thin business owners double profits without spending more on marketing or advertising.

21:00 – Deep Respect Brand
Lance explains that “deep respect” is part of his brand, rooted in valuing others above yourself.

22:14 – Deep Respect as Differentiator
Lance wants his coaching to model respect for customers, teams, suppliers, and even competitors.

23:09 – Christopher’s Marketing Position
Christopher shares a draft around replacing trial-and-error marketing with proven growth frameworks.

23:56 – Wasted Advertising Spend
Christopher explains that many business owners do not know which parts of their marketing are working and which are wasted.

24:20 – Marketing Mystifies Business Owners
Many owners throw things at the wall, fail to track results, and do not calculate customer acquisition cost.

25:51 – Interrupting With a Question
John suggests framing the marketing pain as a question that gets attention.

26:59 – “Are You Profitable?” Example
John shares that at a business expo, asking “Are you a business owner?” followed by “Are you profitable?” stopped people in their tracks.

27:17 – Wasted Lead Gen Example
A coach shares that they spent $7,000 on lead generation and wasted the full amount.

27:57 – Marketing as the Shiny Lever
Christopher notes that marketing is often the shiny, fun lever business owners focus on, even when cost control may create profit faster.

29:52 – Sociata’s Positioning
Sociata shares her positioning as a CPA helping service-based business owners and contractors gain control of cash flow, understand true profit, and make informed decisions.

30:55 – What Makes Sociata Different
John pushes Sociata to explain what makes her different from other CPAs and coaches.

31:21 – CPA Background and Cash Flow Systems
Sociata explains that her CPA background helps her understand financials and build cash flow visibility for clients.

32:07 – Most Accountants Tell What Happened
John sharpens the distinction: most accountants tell clients what happened, while Sociata helps them understand why and what to do next.

33:03 – John Castillo’s Sales Expertise
John points out that John Castillo’s sales expertise is a major differentiator because many coaches lack sales experience.

33:31 – Rejection as Part of the Business
The group discusses that coaching involves rejection, and confidence grows by running toward enough rejections.

34:16 – Mark’s MDP Draft
Mark shares that he helps exhausted, overworked, frustrated business owners who want a profit improvement strategy.

35:30 – What Makes Mark Different
Mark explains his Navy background, manufacturing experience, operations experience, and ability to identify inefficiencies hidden from leadership.

36:48 – Systems Perspective
John identifies Mark’s unique strength as bringing a complete systems perspective.

38:05 – Navy Operations Background
Mark explains his Navy experience, including shipboard operations, departmental leadership, and command-level work.

40:31 – Business as a Combat-Capable System
John connects Mark’s Navy background to helping businesses operate more effectively and lethally as systems.

42:33 – Christopher Uses Gemini
Christopher shares that Gemini helped him refine an MDP draft and then adapt it around the problem the client is having.

43:16 – Courtney on Business Diseases
Courtney introduces the idea that businesses have diseases, not just symptoms.

43:48 – Diagnosing Below the Surface
Courtney explains that business owners often think they know the problem, but they may only be naming symptoms.

44:27 – Profit Erosion Disease
Courtney gives the example of profit erosion disease, which can lead to cash flow cardiac arrest.

45:13 – Client Misdiagnosis Trap
If coaches rush to fix the symptom the client names, they may fall into the client misdiagnosis trap.

45:40 – Use the Assessment to Diagnose
The PAS assessment helps coaches ask deeper questions and find the true underlying issue.

47:07 – Give Them What They Need
Courtney emphasizes stepping back instead of rushing into the client’s requested tactic, such as a Facebook ad or website.

47:43 – Faith and the Entrepreneurial Blind Spot
John adds that entrepreneurs need faith, but that same faith can blind them to problems inside the business.

48:32 – Success Can Hide the Problem
Business owners may believe they are successful because they reached a certain revenue level, but they may be far below what is possible.

49:21 – Final Resource Reminder
John encourages coaches to revisit the lead generation and MDP trainings, especially ideal client, buyer’s journey, and messaging resources.

50:15 – Niche by Business Type or Problem Type
Coaches can niche by industry, such as home services or automotive shops, or by problem, such as growing without profit or wasting marketing money.

51:24 – Secret Sauce of MDP
John says MDP, the conversion equation, and profit acceleration are the secret sauce.

52:18 – Conversion Equation Is Rare
John challenges coaches to find ads in the real world that actually use interrupt, engage, educate, and offer.

52:39 – Delivering the Core Promise
Coaches need the business model and support structure to deliver on the promise in their MDP.

53:13 – Take It to Your Advisor
John closes by encouraging coaches to complete the MDP work and review it with their advisor.

Five Key Takeaways

• Coaches should create their own MDP, not just teach the concept to clients.
• A niche does not have to be an industry. It can also be a problem, challenge, or emotional pain.
• The best MDP starts with knowing who you serve, what problem they have, and what emotion that problem creates.
• Your background matters. Sales, CPA, Navy operations, digital marketing, leadership, and systems experience can all become differentiators.
• Do not rush to solve the symptom the client names. Use the assessment to diagnose the deeper business disease.

Notable Quotes

“Without knowing who you’re reaching out to, what problems you solve, and where you can find these folks, it’s rather pointless to have a market-dominating position.”

“There are two reasons that coaches don’t turn conversations into clients. Reason one is you’re not talking to the right person.”

“People don’t buy from you because of what you do. They buy from you because you get them.”

“Uncertainty is an emotion.”

“You’re niching without knowing you’re niching.”

“There will be no MDP shaming in this group.”

“Most accountants tell you what happened. Sociata helps them understand why.”

“This is a business of hurt feelings.”

“You can niche by problem or challenge.”

“If you can’t diagnose it, you can’t fix it.”

“They think they know what’s happening. They’re suffering from symptoms.”

“You can give them what they want, or you can give them what they truly need.”

“MDP truly is our secret sauce.”

Action Steps from the Call

1. Retake the FBS navigation and dashboard tours if needed.
2. Go through the Ideal Client Avatar training.
3. Watch the Niche or Not to Niche training.
4. Review the Buyer’s Journey training.
5. Study how messaging changes for future buyers, soon-to-buy buyers, and now buyers.
6. Review prospecting and outreach training.
7. Open the Market Dominating Position training inside Jumpstart 12 or Virtual MBA.
8. Download the MDP Part Two workbook.
9. Define who you serve.
10. Identify the problem they have.
11. Identify the emotional pain behind that problem.
12. Name the result they want but do not have.
13. Decide whether your niche is an industry type, problem type, or both.
14. Identify what makes your background different.
15. Connect your unique experience to the problems you solve.
16. Write your primary MDP statement.
17. Make sure you can actually deliver the promise in your MDP.
18. Create a supporting business model that fulfills the promise.
19. Avoid rushing into the client’s requested tactic before diagnosing the true issue.
20. Use the PAS assessment to uncover deeper problems.
21. Run your MDP through the conversion equation.
22. Review your draft with your advisor.

Resources & Tools Mentioned

• Workshop Wednesday
• FBS Dashboard
• Basic Navigation Tour
• Dashboard Tour
• Coaching Portal
• Client Portal
• Lead Generation Training
• Ideal Client Avatar Training
• Niche or Not to Niche Training
• Buyer’s Journey Training
• Future Buyer
• Soon-to-Buy Buyer
• Now Buyer
• Wally Prospecting Videos
• Door-to-Door Prospecting
• New Neighborhood Prospecting
• List Building Training
• Follow-Up Training
• Prospecting and Outreach Training
• Conversion Equation
• Market Dominating Position / MDP
• Jumpstart 12 Training
• Virtual MBA
• MDP Workbook
• Ideal Client Persona Lessons
• PAS / Profit Acceleration Software
• Profit Acceleration
• Domino’s Pizza
• Starbucks
• The Matrix
• Gemini
• Deep Respect
• CPA Cash Flow Systems
• Navy Operations
• Digital Marketing
• Profit Erosion Disease
• Cash Flow Cardiac Arrest
• Client Misdiagnosis Trap