A client told me about a dilemma that he’s having.
He’s a fairly new coach in a tight niche, and he’s starting to get traction. He’s been getting a good number of clients, and he has a nice little Facebook group that’s growing and monetizing for him.
One of the bigger players in his niche just requested to join his Facebook group, and my guy is concerned that the other coach will try to undermine him and poach his clients.
His question: should he allow the coach into his group?
My advice is to accept him into the group (with an important caveat – more on that in a second).
It’s always good to associate with the “whales” (top guns) in your industry, even though they are technically competition.
I’ve had a number of “competitors” on my podcast before, and they’ve eagerly shared our interview to their network, which exposed me to a lot of people who didn’t know me before.
I let competitors into The Coaching Jungle too, since they can be valuable contributors and help draw some of their followers into the group.
My client’s group can gain a lot of credibility by having Mr.Whale in it. When people consider joining it, they’ll see the whale listed as one of the members of the group, and they’ll think “oooh, it must be a good one!”
Now here’s the caveat: keep a close eye on your whale so he doesn’t become your Moby Dick.
If he’s breaking group rules or messaging members trying to get business, then harpoon him (boot him out).
There’s no one right answer to this question, but that’s how I would handle it.
If you’re facing a similar dilemma and you just don’t like someone or trust them, reject the request. It’s your group and you’re the captain of your ocean.
I talk more about “The Whale Strategy” in module two of my Group Gold Program. The program has over 70 resources to help you monetize your Facebook group, and also includes 20 interviews with super successful group owners (which aren’t available anywhere else). Grab your copy here:
Good luck out on the water.
