EPISODE 17 FINAL
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Kyle Coon: [00:00:00] Curiosity is the fuel for great conversations. We, we've talked about already just staying curious for long enough in our conversations, we need to reach. a point of empathy with our clients and with our prospective clients. And then once we reach that point of empathy, that's when we can have the courage to ask for a sale or ask for them to take action.
Chris Hughes: Welcome to How to Build a Profitable Nutrition Business. If you love nutrition and you love helping people and you want to be in the game long enough to keep doing that, then this is the podcast for you. Let's get into it.
Chris Hughes: Imagine conducting client consults with your eyes shut. Do you think you would become a good listener? Do you think you would learn to ask the right questions? Well, that's what our next guest, Kyle Coon, has done his whole life. He lost his vision at the age of six and [00:01:00] has really learned the art of conversation and asking the right questions.
Chris Hughes: He is an inspiration you will soon find out. He's a two time Paralympian. He's climbed some of the highest peaks in the world. He's been featured on Oprah. The list goes on. Coyle is a true inspiration, but today he's coming on to teach us about the art of conversation and about how to ask the right questions and how to be a good listener.
Chris Hughes: Coyle's got some great advice on how to ask the right questions, not just in consults, but in the social media space to help market your services. Let's get into it. Welcome back to another episode of How to Build a Profitable Nutrition Business. I'm sure you'll agree from the intro there that today's guest is, and no disrespect to our other guests, easily the most inspiring guest we've ever had on How to Build a Profitable Nutrition Business.
Chris Hughes: There is a wealth of things that we could talk about here with Kyle, but we are zeroing in on the power of conversation and the impact of conversation. And this is an area that Kyle's certainly [00:02:00] honed over the years, and it's something that I'm really excited to talk about with Kyle. I'll hand over to Kyle, and I'm going to let Kyle introduce himself a little bit, a little bit about his background, but then also where he has, the journey he has taken to really hone in on that art of conversation.
Chris Hughes: Thanks for coming on, Kyle.
Kyle Coon: Yeah, man. Thanks so much for having me on. Looking forward to having a conversation and helping your audience, not just counting up their conversations, but making every single conversation count.
Chris Hughes: Yeah, it's so important for nutrition professionals. It's like the greatest impact you can have on a client's outcomes, which is essentially what we're all in this for is that rapport that you build with the client and the art of conversation becomes so critical.
Chris Hughes: A little bit about your background, mate, just quickly. I mean, it's such an inspiring story. You, you were diagnosed with cancer at a very young age, retina, sporadic retinoblastoma. I think it's. Am I correct? And yep, that's correct. You lost your eyesight, I think, when you were five or [00:03:00] six years old. And then went into the, like, for anyone interested, if you Google Kyle Coon and look at some YouTube videos, there's some fascinating footage of you climbing a mountain.
Chris Hughes: And I couldn't imagine doing that with eyesight. Like I said, some of the things you've achieved is just absolutely phenomenal. You've just come back from the Paris, um, Paralympics. You were, you're ranked second in the world as a triathlete. The list just goes on. You've been featured on Oprah. The impact you're having away from all of these achievements is really what I want to talk to you about today, because you've used your adversity to inspire others and really get them engaged in life.
Chris Hughes: And then, so you're a motivational speaker. You speak to a lot of people. Kids and a lot of people, you're a keynote speaker. So that art of conversation is something that you've really developed as a skill and you're now a certified exactly what to say speaker. So if you could give us a little bit of an insight into that journey and how your thoughts around the power of conversation and why you decided [00:04:00] to become a certified exactly what to say speaker.
Kyle Coon: For sure. You know, like, let me, like you say, I lost my sight when I was six years old and I learned. Very early on that the power of conversation is really critical to all of us, but in particular to me, because I. It's not like I could sit back and just watch and learn what people were doing. I had to learn to speak up and ask questions and be super curious about the world around me and about life in general.
Kyle Coon: So I guess you could say my fascination and my study of the art and science of communication and conversational excellence. Started when I was a kid and I decided to pursue a very adventurous sporting life from a very young age. And I just found myself asking questions all the time and not just. [00:05:00] This, I tried not to say just wow, but instead ask how, and so like, how does a blind person climb a rock face?
Kyle Coon: How does, how does a blind person swim, bike, and run to get into triathlon? How does, how can I improve my own conversations to, to create more of an impact in not just my sporting life or my business life, but my everyday life? And so I actually studied communication in college and then several, probably about five, six, seven years ago or so now, I was in the process of writing my first book, my memoir, discovering a life without limits.
Kyle Coon: And I was listening to a podcast. It heard about, I heard this guy come on the podcast and he was, his name was Phil M Jones and he was talking about. The importance of knowing exactly what to say, when to say it [00:06:00] and how to make it count. And that was just so succinctly said that I just, I decided to dive into it and learn more about this guy.
Kyle Coon: And so I went and picked up his book, which is exactly what to say. I then started reading all of his other books and listening to some of his audio programs, checked him out on YouTube and just really enjoyed his style of writing. Communication and, and teaching people about communication and how it really is the, the bedrock of everything we do from a, a, a business standpoint, from a relationship standpoint, just from a life standpoint, everything revolves around conversations and the word choices that we, that we use.
Kyle Coon: And so I just, I invested lots of time and energy into studying exactly what to say. And a couple of years ago now, Phil and I connected and Phil launched the exactly what to say certified guide program. And I've been very fortunate enough to be a [00:07:00] handpicked by Phil and his team to, to be one of the, I think there's only 40 exactly what to say certified guides in the world right now.
Kyle Coon: It's like you said, we help people. Elevate their conversations. And like I said at the top, we want to make sure that we aren't just counting up the number of conversations we have. We want to make sure that each of those conversations counts.
Chris Hughes: Yeah, I love everything you've just said there, particularly.
Chris Hughes: Your early experience of you couldn't rely on vision for body language and cues, which we know is typically quite a powerful component of conversations. You've had to rely on asking questions, which for nutrition professionals and fitness professionals. Getting to know your client's situation and really understanding where they're coming from is key to helping them find the solutions that they're looking for.
Chris Hughes: You must've had a, like an amazing foundation and then have gone then and added to that through your college and through this coaching program. Exactly what to say. [00:08:00]
Kyle Coon: Yeah, no, it's, it, it really, it is. Just a major foundation of, of my life is just being able to ask questions. Questions create conversations.
Kyle Coon: Conversations is what leads to building relationships. Then it's that development of those relationships. That's what leads to the opportunities that are presented to us. And then it's those opportunities that then allow us to Take action and ask for those sales or ask our clients to take action for what we're asking them to do.
Kyle Coon: So it's this easy little five step dance of questions to conversations, to relationships, to opportunities, to action, and in exactly what to say, what we talk about a lot of the time is curiosity is the fuel for great conversation. And we, in the health and nutrition space. Look, have to be able to get to know [00:09:00] our clients.
Kyle Coon: You have to get to know anything and everything about them. And so starting with that foundation of questions is so critical, getting that conversation going so that you can have that rapport and build a relationship so that that client now trusts you when you can, when you then have the ability and the opportunity to make a recommendation on what actions they should take.
Chris Hughes: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I a hundred percent agree. And I look, I was reading a blog last week, I believe it was by a gentleman called Barrett Brooks. And he was talking about how he despises meaningless conversation, like the weather. So he asked really impactful questions, things like, like what, I can't remember them off the top of my head, but it was things he doesn't like to beat around the bush.
Chris Hughes: And he asked conversation questions that will drive really deep and meaningful conversation right off the bat. And I found that fascinating [00:10:00] because I actually used to be a barista. I had a coffee van there for a little part in my career change. And I found that job was really great at developing conversation skills, but it was, you don't really ask meaningful conversations in a short period of time.
Chris Hughes: Like what, if you're meeting someone for the first time and you really want to get to know them, how do you create the question or ask the question that that's going to drive some really impactful conversation early on?
Kyle Coon: Yeah, I think it really depends. So like one of the, one of the cornerstones that we talk about is like the worst time to think about the thing you're going to say.
Kyle Coon: Is in the moment you're saying it, it's an easy cop out to just have the, Hey, how are you question thrown out there? So what I like to do is I like to look at the what question what's going on with you today, or what's on your mind. And then to encourage conversation, you can go with the and what else question.[00:11:00]
Kyle Coon: So you and I, we've had a little bit of back and forth emails and stuff, but I could, when we were. In the pre show, I guess you could say we, we had a little bit of connection, a little bit of background info on each other. So it was super easy to quickly get connections. I have Australian friends. I work with people in Australia is making that connection.
Kyle Coon: Of mutual acquaintances or something that connects us, finding something that connects you is really important. So once I found out, oh, okay, you are based in Brisbane time and okay. And then where in Australia exactly are you and answer that question, then building on onto that and making the connections of, oh, I know this person and, oh, I've heard of that person.
Kyle Coon: So it's all about. Asking questions that get the other person talking, essentially. Yeah. The what's on your mind, or where are you [00:12:00] from, or what else is going on today, or like what have you, what have you been up to, or where was the last place that you went on your vacation, or there's so many questions that we can start off with, or just the, the classic, what do you do for a living?
Kyle Coon: That, that kind of question. It really just depends on your situation, but any of those questions, any question that gets the other person talking where you can then listen and have follow up questions and getting them to talk. getting, making them the center of attention,
Chris Hughes: which is so critical, isn't it?
Chris Hughes: And, and we're talking about nutrition professionals having an impact on people's lives, but from a marketing standpoint, this is important for nutrition professionals because they need to market their service. And they say that with marketing all the time, don't they? It's about the customer and don't be talking about what you offer.
Chris Hughes: Talk about how what you offer will benefit them. So it's about their story. [00:13:00] Would that be fair to say? So the questions are really about trying to learn that curiosity you talk about, learn about your client drive conversation, and then you've got to listen to really then extend that conversation and drive it from there.
Kyle Coon: Exactly. So one of the things that I talk about and that we discuss a lot is you got to listen and you want it to be client focused. So asking a question that focuses on them and you know, the two main questions that we as sales and marketing professionals have to answer all the time is who are the people that we want to help and what service do we provide?
Kyle Coon: And so if we can answer those questions. By getting our client or getting our target audience to. actually lay that out for us, then we should never ever try to sell anything unless we can first say the words [00:14:00] because of the fact that you said, so because of the fact that you said you want to lose 10 pounds, you want to feel healthier, fitter, stronger, then I recommend Using this meal, I recommend using this meal plan, or because of the fact that you said blank and blank, I recommend X, Y, Z.
Chris Hughes: Yeah, I love that. I love that. So you drive the conversation to learn about the client, so you really understand their needs, and then you discuss, you know, possible solutions.
Kyle Coon: Bingo.
Chris Hughes: Bingo. I love it. Now, mate, with social media, okay, social media is such a critical element these days, particularly when it comes to marketing and nutrition business.
Chris Hughes: How, how do we frame conversations in that space to one, stand out, have an impact, and really engage with our clients? Have you got any advice in that space?
Kyle Coon: Yeah, [00:15:00] so social media is, is very fascinating. I think it's a brilliant thing. It's a wonderful thing and I, I find that there's really. I think there's kind of five ways that we can basically be impactful or interesting on social media.
Kyle Coon: And the first way is just educational. That is where we are sharing, you know, valuable information or tips to our audience. As, uh, you know, as nutrition professionals, it might be sharing. Information about, Hey, these are macronutrients. These are the macronutrients you want to be getting into your everyday diet or something along those lines.
Kyle Coon: The second way of being interesting or engaging on social media is to actually engage. So interacting with our audience, with putting out things like polls or asking questions, putting up a, putting up an Instagram poll or asking, asking a question of, Hey, given [00:16:00] these. Three breakfast options, which one would you feel that is the best option for this situation or this scenario?
Kyle Coon: And it's really to get people to answer the question or interact with the post from just a pure engagement standpoint. And then the third way is just to. Be entertaining and this is we want to entertain our, our clients or our fans or our followers with like humor stories, that kind of stuff. So we want to pure entertainment.
Kyle Coon: The fourth way is I think it's always fun to share embarrassing moments or something along those lines, because it shows vulnerability and authenticity. It's, you know, it's, it's something that we as triathletes, we're all too familiar with these embarrassing nutritional moments. So something I could share on my social media is the, the first time I took sodium bicarbonate [00:17:00] to, to try and enhance my performance, uh, just, it's really embarrassing, but if you don't.
Kyle Coon: If you don't prepare it right and you don't take it in the right dosage or you don't mix it, we have what we call a bi carb blowout. It's uh, it's for you. It's coming out. It's coming out. One or both ends. It's not so much fun, but it's a really embarrassing thing to talk about, but it shows that, yeah, I, as a professional athlete, someone who is really dialed into my nutrition, I still make mistakes too.
Kyle Coon: And that, and then that kind of leads it to some of the fifth way of being engaging or interesting on social media. And that's just your epic fails. Cause that just, that shows that you're human and we all learn. from our mistakes. So, so I, I, so just to go back to the sodium bicarbonate, I was, I use a product called Morton Bicarb and so I learned that, hey, it's actually [00:18:00] really important to read the instructions and follow the instructions instead of just picking something and mixing it up.
Kyle Coon: Um, so
Chris Hughes: there's a post out there. I need to go back and look at,
Kyle Coon: I don't know if I've actually put that up, put that post out there before, but I know several athletes that have, but, but yeah, I've definitely, I've definitely had my moments of, of a bike car blowout. Not fun.
Chris Hughes: Oh, mate, that I could imagine. And I know what you're talking about, but I haven't experienced it.
Kyle Coon: Yeah. So being educational, engaging. Entertaining, sharing some embarrassing moments and sharing your epic fails. Those are like the five, those are five key ways to be interesting and engaging on social media.
Chris Hughes: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. And the questions come into it again. Like it's that engagement that, which drives engagement online.
Chris Hughes: You're asking questions of your audience and then responding with content that appeals to them.
Kyle Coon: Exactly.
Chris Hughes: Mate, you were saying that it's an art that you, that you never master [00:19:00] and you've worked in this space now for many years. What, what are some of the key takeaways around the art of conversation that you could share to pass on?
Chris Hughes: Um, obviously asking the questions, but what, what else from your learnings have. really been the light bulb moments for you when it comes to the art of conversation?
Kyle Coon: I really think it boils down to there's kind of four cornerstones that I fall back to. And these four keys are the worst time to think about the thing you're going to say is in the moment you're saying it.
Kyle Coon: Um, so anticipating what your critical conversations are going to be and thinking through, um, What you can say or how you're going to answer questions or thinking about what questions you're going to ask. Number two is that curiosity is the fuel for great conversations. We we've talked about already just staying curious for long enough in our conversations, we need to reach.[00:20:00]
Kyle Coon: A point of empathy with our clients and with our prospective clients. And then once we reach that point of empathy, that's when we can have the courage to ask for a sale or ask for them to take action. And then the third, and this, Feeds into it. The third cornerstone that I really, uh, think is, is super important is that the person that's asking the questions, that's the person that's in control of the conversation.
Kyle Coon: So again, staying curious for long enough to, to reach that point of empathy, the person who is asking the questions. They're the person in control of the conversation. So, if we as nutrition professionals are asking, asking the right questions, asking pointed questions, direct questions, we're, we're getting our client to talk and share information about themselves and about their hopes, their dreams, their desires.
Kyle Coon: They're [00:21:00] allowing us to now feed into the fourth cornerstone, which is people do things for their reasons and not yours. And we always have to remember that we have to operate in the client's best interest. And so steer, making sure that all of our conversations, we remember that a client is going to make a decision based on their reasoning.
Kyle Coon: Not ours we can help Guide them to a decision, but ultimately it's going to be there. We have to understand where they're coming from in order to be able to make a recommendation. Uh, and I, and I really do believe that our success is in direct correlation to the quantity of quality asks that we make in life, I think those are some key points and some key cornerstones that I have found to be very true.
Kyle Coon: And we teach those. [00:22:00] And exactly what to say, and those are the foundations of what we talk about.
Chris Hughes: I love that. And we'll summarize that in our show notes. So it's nice and like systemized for someone to digest that information. Cause there's some really great points there. So when you're considering like preempting the conversation or asking the questions, like you say, the worst time to think of the questions is during the conversation.
Chris Hughes: It's you're trying to preempt those conversations, but is it a real balance about not preempting the answers as well? Otherwise you lose that art of listening. You've really got to. Have a heap of maybe preempt the questions, but then possible scenarios for those answers and where the conversation might go, but be open to what those answers are, rather than going down the path of what you think they're going to say.
Kyle Coon: Absolutely. No, it's definitely a, it's a tricky balance. And I think that's where the curiosity piece comes in because What we need to do again is to be curious for long enough where we reach a point of empathy. And [00:23:00] I think Phil, Phil Jones, one of my mentors, the guy who started exactly what to say, he said that empathy is caring with the people that you care about.
Kyle Coon: And so we, what we need to do is we need to pause and, and really listen to the answers. And we need to be curious and engaging about it. It is easy to try and come up with Answers to our own questions, but we need to try and prevent ourselves from going down that road. So ask a question, zip it and listen.
Kyle Coon: And, and that's really hard for us to do as people. So, so just it's patience, it's patience. And I use the example of the word listen has five letters an L an I an S a T an E and an N rearrange those letters, spells out another word. S I L E N T
Chris Hughes: Yeah. [00:24:00]
Kyle Coon: Coincidence? Yes. It just happens to make a remarkable point.
Chris Hughes: That's fantastic. Like, I'm actually sitting here as you're talking about that and I'm imagining having a conversation and without my eyesight, like, so that my ears are what they are. What I'm relying on there, there's no body language and it like for what some people might see as a disadvantage, it can be a real advantage to really hone that skill of listening.
Chris Hughes: It's an art that you must have really over the years become so great at. And so you've really challenged me here to make sure that I increase my listening ability so that you can really truly engage what someone's saying.
Kyle Coon: Well, I appreciate the faith. It's definitely an art. It's a science and it's a practice.
Kyle Coon: I will never say that I have mastered the art and science of listening because I can always get better at it. My girlfriend will be the [00:25:00] first to tell you that I can get better at it. So I'm sure that. My triathlon coach, my mental performance coach, my, my dietitian. Everyone will tell you that I can get better at the art of listening.
Kyle Coon: Um, there's that
Chris Hughes: authenticity.
Kyle Coon: Exactly. Exactly.
Chris Hughes: Kyle. Thank you so much for giving up your valuable time to come on and chat to us today about such an important topic for nutrition and fitness professionals. There's a lot to take out of this. That will benefit and not just in their practice, but in the growth of their business.
Chris Hughes: So when they're communicating what their services and offers are to try and help people, I'd appreciate your time for anyone that wants to get in contact with you. I will put the link to your book, discovering a life without limits in there as well. And for anyone that wants to get in contact with you, what's the best way for them to follow?
Kyle Coon: Yeah. So if you're wanting to follow me and get involved in the conversation, get involved in [00:26:00] conversations with me. Okay. Best way to do that is probably via Instagram. You can find me at Iron Kyle. That's E Y E R O N K Y L E. Or you can drop me an email, Kyle at kylecoon.com. Those are the two best ways to follow me.
Kyle Coon: I'm also on LinkedIn. Please shoot me a LinkedIn request and let's get it. Keep the conversation rolling.
Chris Hughes: Love it. Thank you, mate. We'll put those details in the show notes for people to reach out nice and easily. Thanks again. Thank you. Do you find this podcast valuable? There may be other nutrition professionals out there will also.
Chris Hughes: If you like, share and subscribe, it's going to help other nutrition professionals make an impact on the world, just like you. Thanks.
