From McDonald's to Millions: Eric Lofholm's Blueprint for Sales Success in Coaching
How one man's journey from fast food to sales mastery can transform your coaching practice
By Jonathan Carroll, Editor-in-Chief
In a world where talented coaches struggle to fill their practices while less skilled practitioners seem to thrive, what makes the difference? The answer might surprise you: it's not just about being a great coach, it's about mastering the art and science of enrollment.
Eric knows this better than most. From his humble beginnings as a McDonald's employee who dreamed of working for Tony Robbins, to becoming a sales training powerhouse who has trained over 10,000 salespeople across 20+ countries, Eric's story is both inspiring and instructive. His journey reveals a crucial truth that many coaches resist: selling isn't the opposite of service, it's service in action.
In our exclusive interview for The Coaches' Chronicle, Eric shares the hard-won wisdom that transformed him from a bottom-performing salesperson on probation to a million-dollar sales trainer. More importantly, he revealed how coaches can embrace sales as a natural extension of their calling to serve others.
The Interview
Early Struggles and Mentorship
Jonathan Carroll: Let's rewind to the beginning. What was going through your mind during those first two months of struggling in sales and what shifted when you met your mentor?
Eric Lofholm: I went into sales in 1992 and went to work for a real estate investor. When I got there, they offered me a job in sales and I was not good at it. I was very filled with fear because I didn't know how to sell. I had literally quit my job at McDonald's to go work for Dante Pano, my first mentor. And I was the bottom producer for an entire year. At the end of my first year, I was put on quota probation. The quota was $10,000 a month in gross sales and I'd missed the quota two months in a row. And I met my first sales mentor, Donald Moine, who's a brilliant sales trainer and coach. He's been my coach since 1994. When he began to coach me and I was about to lose my job, with his help, I was able to keep my job and ultimately become the top producer at that company.
Jonathan Carroll: What was one core idea from Dr. Donald Moine that still shapes your approach today?
Eric Lofholm: He taught me how to put together a professional sales presentation. How do you open up the call building trust and rapport? How do you identify the needs by asking probing questions? How do you bring the benefits to life with strategic storytelling? How do you craft an effective close? How do you handle the objections? He just taught me how to go in and deliver an effective presentation. I had been doing it without that and struggling. Once I had that, I really got the hang of it and I still use those ideas to this day.
Lessons from Tony Robbins
Jonathan Carroll: What were your biggest lessons from working with Tony Robbins?
Eric Lofholm: One of the big things that I learned from Tony is the intensity at which he operates. I've never met anybody that is like all out level 10. That's just how he lives his life. I learned a lot about how to consistently, powerfully show up. And I created a standard for myself that I play at a seven plus on a daily basis. So 7, 8, 9, or 10 every day. That's my standard. And that became life changing when I made that decision.
Jonathan Carroll: How do you maintain that level of intensity?
Eric Lofholm: It comes down to purpose, vision, what we're called to do. I very much live my life on purpose, and that's really about serving people. I serve whoever's in front of me. I've been going at this pace now for a couple decades. I've never burned out. I'm just very much tapped into what I'm called to do—make a difference in the lives of others.
The Power of Consistency
Jonathan Carroll: You've made over a hundred thousand cold calls, trained over 10,000 salespeople, written 18 books. What drives your consistency?
Eric Lofholm: One of the things I've learned from working with Steve Hardison is declarations. We live into what we're declaring. I am consistent. I am massive action. As a declaration, that's how I show up. I'm committed to doing this work until age 110. I have no vision for retirement and this is what I do. I think there's a lot of power in looking out into the future. In my case, I've looked out to the year 2080, which is the year I turn 110. When I worked for Tony Robbins, Tony talked about that he thinks in decades, and that really resonated with me.
Jonathan Carroll: Your philosophy of continuous sales improvement is at the core of your work. How did you develop that idea?
Eric Lofholm: I think continuous sales improvement is the ultimate sales system. Part of mastery is we're always the student. We've never arrived is my interpretation of mastery. When Dr. Moine trained me back in the early 1990s, something just clicked in me—keep coaching with Dr. Moine. He's been my coach since 94. He's still my coach, and I am committed to working with Dr. Moine for the rest of my life. You never stop learning. And nowadays with AI changing on the daily—talk about never stop learning. I call it stay in the conversation and I encourage clients to stay in the conversation with me, just like what I've done with Dr. Moine.
Mindset and Sales Success
Jonathan Carroll: What role does mindset play in sales success for coaches?
Eric Lofholm: People that are coaches feel called to serve. And for a lot of coaches there's a disconnect between serving and selling. It's like, I just want to coach people. I don't want to sell. But a coach probably isn't gonna have a sales person bringing them all these clients. So they're gonna have to put on their sales hat. When I'm selling, I'm still wearing my service hat. It's my time to explain to this other person the benefits of my coaching. I'm serving them by explaining the benefits so they can make a decision if it's the right fit for them or not. What I teach: selling equals service.
Jonathan Carroll: How do you help students build long-term confidence and authenticity in sales?
Eric Lofholm: If we play the long game and we're relationship focused, what is the easiest person that I can sell coaching to? Somebody who's in my database, they know who I am and they're receiving content from me. I started building my email list in 2002, so I've had it for a couple decades. I'm playing the long game. I have a vision to 110. I'm honing my craft, working towards mastery. When you're working towards mastery and that's how you show up, that's who I want to coach with.

Key Insight:
"When I'm selling, I'm still wearing my service hat. I'm serving them by explaining the benefits so they can make a decision if it's the right fit for them or not. What I teach: selling equals service."
Overcoming Blocks and Creating Transformation
Mindset Blocks
Jonathan Carroll: What are the most common mindset blocks you see with coaches around selling high ticket services?
Eric Lofholm: I think it really comes down to sales and marketing. When did I know that I wanted to coach, mentor, teach? Seventh grade I had my first tutoring client and I loved it. When I worked at McDonald's, I was a crew trainer, which meant I got to train the other staff. So now somebody's a coach and they're lit up about training. Well now there's this other hat we gotta wear: this is a business. The moment you realize I need to embrace sales and marketing for me to get to where I want to get in my career, I have to do this. My philosophy comes from the movie Pursuit of Happiness. If you want something, go get it. I reach out to people proactively. I don't wait for somebody to call me.
Client Transformation
Jonathan Carroll: Can you share a transformation story of someone who applied your system?
Eric Lofholm: I had a client who was in corporate America with a dream to become a public speaking trainer and coach. She left corporate, had never been an entrepreneur and had never been professionally trained in sales. She's struggling, generating about 4,000 a month. Her highest price product was $250. We worked on the sales skills and also on dealing with resistance to implement ideas. We got her professionally trained in sales, grew out her product line and her highest price product is now $25,000. She went out and generated millions of dollars in revenue and she's now debt free, knows how to sell, is a homeowner, and trains all over the world.
Scripts and Freedom
Jonathan Carroll: How can a well-crafted sales script create freedom instead of sounding robotic?
Eric Lofholm: The definition of a script is words in sequence that have meaning. If you're talking and making sense, you're using a script. Everybody is using a script all the time. The question is how effective or persuasive is your script? Once somebody realizes winging it is still a script, there's no reason to resist using a script. Selling is a very intentional style of communication. We go in with a plan to get a desired outcome. You want to know how you're gonna ask for the order when you get to the end.
The Being Movement
Jonathan Carroll: How has working with Steve Hardison and the being movement shaped your perspective?
Eric Lofholm: I learned we're always being, we can observe our being, we can shift our being. And I don't think most people know that. Who am I being in my coaching business as it relates to enrollment? Some coaches are being the world's best kept secret. I'm being shout from the rooftops. I'm being bold and courageous. I reach out to people every single day to grow my business. Steve acknowledges the highest expression of me with statements that seem outrageous. He'll say, "Eric, you lead like Abraham Lincoln." He's seeing something in me that's Abraham Lincoln like, and it creates a different possibility for me to aspire to a different level of leadership.
Final Advice for New Coaches
Jonathan Carroll: If you could give one piece of advice to a new coach entering the industry today, what would it be?
Eric Lofholm: If you feel called to do this, then ask yourself, who do I need to be to step into what I'm called to do? What are the skills that I need to develop? You're probably gonna get an answer of I need sales and marketing. I need technology. So don't avoid those. Embrace those skills that you need to go out and really have the impact that you're here to have.
The Blueprint for Coaching Success
Eric's journey from McDonald's crew trainer to million-dollar sales expert offers a powerful blueprint for coaches ready to transform their practices. His approach dismantles the false choice between authentic service and effective selling, revealing them as complementary aspects of the same mission.
Embrace Selling as Service
Recognize that selling your coaching services is an extension of your desire to help others, not a contradiction of it.
Commit to Continuous Improvement
Never stop learning and refining your sales approach, just as you would your coaching skills.
Maintain High Performance
Set standards for your energy and commitment level, driven by your purpose and vision.
Invest in Development
Seek mentorship and coaching for yourself, modeling the value you provide to others.
For coaches willing to embrace these principles, the path from struggle to success isn't just possible, it's predictable. As Eric proves, when you combine genuine service with professional sales skills, you don't just build a business, you build a legacy of transformation that extends far beyond your own practice.
Watch the full interview with Jonathan Carroll and Eric Lofholm below (52 min).
Jonathan Carroll
Editor-in-Chief, The Coaches’ Chronicle
Jonathan Carroll is a visionary leader, masterful facilitator, coach, mentor, retreat host, author, and the Editor-In-Chief of The Coaches’ Chronicle, a premier publication for conscious, heart-centered coaches, healers, and visionary leaders. With decades of experience guiding transformational leaders toward authentic alignment and full expression, Jonathan curates The Coaches’ Chronicle to be more than just a magazine. It is a movement, amplifying the voices of those redefining success through purpose, integrity, and deep inner work.
As the founder of The Dragonfly Club™, Jonathan has built a global community dedicated to conscious evolution, blending spiritual wisdom with real-world impact. His expertise in intuitive business leadership, energetic alignment, and authentic expression makes him a sought-after mentor for those ready to embrace their soul’s highest calling.
At The Coaches’ Chronicle, Jonathan continues his mission of elevating the coaching industry beyond fleeting trends, fostering a space where depth, wisdom, and transformation take center stage. Click on Jonathan's photo to follow him on Facebook.
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