Would you like to attend the next and LAST CFLA: The BIZ seminar Aug 2nd & 3rd?
How about for Free?
If you are currently in the military or within 1 year of your separation date you can qualify. It doesn't matter if you are looking to open an affiliate or already run an affiliate.
2 Affiliate seats are up for grabs - each affiliate can bring ONE coach with them - this is a $3000 value.
To Qualify:
- Write a 500 word essay on how you are the best candidate and how you will use the winning seat the best.
- Entries are accepted ASAP.
- Deadline is 24 June 2011 - no exceptions.
- Winners are announced 1 July.
- Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- Subject: MILITARY ESSAY
- Provide best phone number to reach you.
- Winners must provide their own transportation and lodging.
I know you’re thinking I’ve gone soft on ya… that I’ve been in touch with my feminine side so many times that I crossed over for good and now can’t come back. Well, there IS a business point to this post which you’ll see—so keep reading.
Truth be told, the words “elite fitness” and “cry” don’t really seem to mix, but
trust me—they do, and here’s how… I believe that the only way to make a significant
difference in your client’s life is to have them break through…
… break through their own obstacles, history and bad habits to have lasting change.
When this moment occurs for your client, it’s going to be emotional for them.
Have you ever witnessed a client hit a PR that they’ve been working on for months
(if not years)? They may smile or laugh or even cry with joy. I can recall a client who made their first rope climb and proceeded to hug everyone in the room (well almost), beaming and a little moist eyed… then go home and post it up on their facebook page for the whole world to rejoice in.
That’s emotion!
Personally I can’t watch the CrossFit Evolution video without getting stirred up. And
the second Crossfit video I ever watched was Nicole, Eva and Annie doing Nasty Girls… if you’ve seen it and watched until the very end you’ll see Nicole crying… I’ve asked her about this and she says she has an “emotional experience” almost every time she works out…
Who doesn’t want that for as many clients as possible?
You may be asking yourself about now “what in blue blazes does this have to do with my business”?
If you want to be more successful at business, get in touch with your emotions.
Share your joys as well as your sorrow. Yes, I know that last part is threatening
because sorrow exposes us as…
… human. Haven’t we been taught that we must all be Gordon Gekko (from Wall
Street) or Donald Trump to be successful in business? Hasn’t it been instilled in us that to really succeed in business we must be cold, calculating and merciless? Maybe if you’re trading stocks—but not if you’re in a people business like CrossFit.
And if you try to cut off your (perceived) negative emotions, you’ll also blunt your
positive ones. It’s the way the universe works. Sorry, I didn’t create the rules.
See the progressions is this… the more in touch with your emotions you are, the more human you will be to your clients. This will lead to a stronger connection and greater bond. Since this business is about relating and relationships, that will lead to greater success.
Now, I’m not talking about being a drama queen for the sake of “emotion” nor am
I talking about being manipulative, dredging up emotion whenever you see the
opportunity. You can’t force this stuff and think it will work the same.
And I can’t teach a seminar without getting choked up at certain points when
discussing… business… because I’m passionate and passion is an emotion.
So, let your clients see you smile, laugh, leap with joy and even cry if that’s what
comes out. They’ll see more of themselves in you and develop a stronger bond with
you.
Post thoughts to comments.
Here are the videos I mentioned above. Let’s see who gets in touch with their
emotions.
I have to admit... I LOVE articles (see below) like this for the sheer fact that someone out there is stepping back far enough to see the whole picture.
Reading this got me thinking of the necessary elements that you have at your business, which in turn led me to this question... are you working with current tools or are you a year behind? 5 years behind? 10? 20?
Personally I don't believe that technology will "save" us. If you know how to use a car correctly, though, you will probably agree it makes it easier to get around. So, used properly, a car benefits us. I heard a story from a while ago (but I think you can relate) about guy who went to a business seminar and brought in his desktop computer and said he wanted to know what he should do... the confused seminar leader asked him to explain his question... the computer guy responded that he bought a computer now he needs to learn how to make money off it...
Tools will only do so much.
Enjoy the somewhat long article and the video as well and post thoughts to comments.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 | Posted by John Burch
This is just in from Techcrunch:
"It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t even a year ago when I wrote the following post: What Happens When Apple Passes Microsoft In Value? Yes, When. It’s even harder to believe just how many people thought I was crazy for saying that — it happened just two months later! And while plenty seemed to think that the passing of the torch to Apple as the most valuable tech company would be short-lived, let’s look at where we are today. As of market close this afternoon, Apple is now a full $100 billion past Microsoft."
This is the year that I follow through on my commitments of my goals, both business and personal.
This is the year that I finally pull out all the stops, test my limits and am un-scared by the unknown.
This is the year that I am more generous with my staff, wife and children and FIRST look for the positives they do before saying anything else.
This is the year I am a model of a CrossFit Owner and finally stick to Paleo/Zone or whatever else that helps me LOOK the part of a person who has a right to call him/herself a trainer and coach of Elite Athletes.
This is the year of the physical GOAT which I will bravely embrace and make my STRENGTH.
This is the year that my success becomes a beacon of hope for OTHER CrossFit affiliates nearby so they too can believe in the power of their own small but rewarding business.
This is the year that we all have more fun even if we dig deep to find fun in reports, expansion, staff training 'cause it don't have to be fun to be fun.
This is the year that more of my clients hit their goals.
This is the year that my classes are on fire, the electricity is in the air and every moment is a memory that is etched in my brain as well as my clients.
This is the year that my coaches step up and become entrepreneurs.
This is the year of the business GOAT that I will master, become an expert, and be able to teach to someone else.
This is the year that my dreams manifest into reality near instantaneously.
This is the year that people will talk about my effect on CrossFit as stuff of legend.
Do you know the subtle difference between SELLING your program, and potentially alienating a prospect, and ENROLLING your future fire-breather? This 13 minute video, taken STRAIGHT from our CFLA:The BIZ - Raise Your Game! Seminar, gives you tangible ways to identify to have one and not the other.
Thursday, November 04, 2010 | Posted by John Burch
There are only two kinds of game… small or big. Which one are you playing? Here’s where they are both identical; they both exhaust you. The difference, at the end of the day, is that a big game does something a small game can never do… it feeds your soul. It gives you energy, inspires and creates something larger than the sum of its parts. It takes on a life of its own.
Look around you. Are YOU playing a big game?
Post thoughts to comments.
Enjoy this 8 min video discussing how apprenticeships are important in raising the game of businesses in Europe.
Here's a 16 minute video, narrated by Jennifer Shoskes, of CrossFit LA giving you a tour of how the physical space is used as a tool for the staff and clients.
Back in the day, when I was teaching martial arts, the proper way to refer to an instructor was by using the formal “Mr.” or “Miss/Mrs.”. It was a sign of respect the instructor had earned. Regardless of the age of the person I would refer to them by their proper sir name.
When I visited San Francisco CrossFit, Kelly and his team referred to each other as “Coach”. They did this not in an ironic manner, like “Wot up Coach?” but out of respect. I found this interesting because, honestly, that act of showing respect is of a bye-gone era. It’s also interesting to me to find it in an environment with tattoos, Pukie the mascot and the Navy SEALs but here it was. And it felt right.
How do you make sure you show respect to your Coaches in front of your clients?
Amway, advocare, monavie, herbal life, avon, tupperware... do any of these companies sound familiar? Are they in YOUR box? Are you risking the future of your business for a "down line" and hawking products that your clients may not really need?
Here's the scenario, if you're not sure how MLM works... you sign up "under" a person and pay a registration fee. This fee could be anywhere from $180 (back when I did Amway - yes I did it for a short period) to $2100 (what I believe Advocare is now). With this fee you may or may not get some products however you probably will spend more on that first day. Then you're coded as part of a down line... meaning every order you place, buying products (we'll talk about them in a second) from the Mother Company gets the person who signed you a bonus every month.
The products touted are amazing and spectacular and cure blindness... and honestly are just ok. They are, from when I researched them, about 15- 25% higher in price than other products that you could buy in a store. Also, when it comes to supplements like herbal life or advocare, who needs that anyway? Advocare promotes a 24 day Paleo Zone challenge... really? When did the early man have any supplements such as ANYTHING in advocare? Have you actually read the ingredients? What happened to you REALLY supporting a Paleo/Zone lifestyle? Do you see how hawking "miracle pills" is JUST like every other BS artist in the fitness industry?
You're lying to your clients by promoting this!
No one, that I know, promotes these exact type/amount of products anyway without the MLM aspect... if so, why not just find comparable products from another distributer at wholesale prices and sell them? Because of that darn "down line" is why. Hooking clients on useless products then telling them they will need those products and while you pad your bank account.
Hey, I'm all for doing a more robust business but if you sell MLM in you box you're stepping over wads of cash to pick up pennies. We've documented at CrossFit LA what a client was worth in a 2 year period which is in our free information linked on this blog page.
If you want to make a lot of money and have a secure business have an amazing product, stop charging $150 per month unlimited and charge what you're REALLY worth, work hard, show up when you're supposed to, train your duplicate and repeat.
A client came into the box a couple of days ago and said "there's always something different here" as he looked around. He's right. Andy's response was it's all in "beta" and so should your business. Your business should always be tweaking the experience, tools and methods to refine the process. Your business requires that nothing is set in stone and you are always innovating.
What are you innovating?
Post thoughts to comments:
This video is a Google training video on innovation and is an hour long and worth it.
Andy found this video on youtube about motivating your team. The video sheds light on the traditional "carrot and stick" motivation compared to news ways of thinking which, to me, resembles Maslow's Theory of Motivation - Hierarchy of Needs.
If you haven't read the book GOOD TO GREAT by Jim Collins yet (or his follow up WHY THE MIGHT FALL) I suggest you get it tomorrow and start reading. For those of you who have read the book you'll recognize the subject of my post.
(to get a quick understanding CLICK on Jim's name above - THEN go buy the book to really understand it)
B.H.A.G is an acronym for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. The B.H.A.G. for me is to train every affiliate in CrossFit to Raise the Game! of their business. Below is a video of something we do called an On-Site. I go in for 2 1/2 days and examine every inch of the business and tear it apart... for the good of the business. I then create a plan of action to take the business to the next level. I want to thank Jen and Matt Sharp, as well as Lincoln Brown, for inviting me into their great community. I now have friends for life.
Why do what you do? Not the obvious reason, but deep down inside? While you're thinking about that I'll let you know what my "why" is with running the Raise Your Game! System.
I believe that more people could have more resources to build a better life. That the outcome of a successful business isn't just a large bank account, but a large QL (Quality Lifestyle) account. That more happens within the walls of your business when you learn to lead from the front. The right people will follow you to hell and back if you ask them.
Now. Your turn. Post thoughts to comments after watching this 18 minute video. It's worth 18 minutes of your life to find out your "why" if you haven't already.
Paid your dues? You might rethink your answer after this
Thursday, May 20, 2010 | Posted by John Burch
In a recent conversation, the topic of hard work came up. As the discussion continued I was reminded of how I was when I first opened my first martial arts school. Obsessed doesn't even come close to describing my focus at the time. For the first 18 months I was all martial arts all the time. If I wasn't teaching, I was reading something about how to coach better. And If I wasn't learning a new way to teach, I was working on my own skills. If I wasn't developing my skills, I worked on doing a local demonstration with a school. If I wasn't working with the school districts, I was training my staff. I would listen to books on tape in my car everywhere I went to sharpen my sword on topics such as communication, dream building, time management, and marketing. My dinner conversation were easy to predict since I chose those times to postulate ideas from what I heard other, more established, schools were achieving and how I could duplicate it. Linda, my wife at the time, even told me I was talking about my business in my sleep. I was perfectly happy with not knowing who was playing in any sporting event... or movie... or even watch TV for months on end. My favorite thing to do was be around people who wanted this excellence in their business as I did. The energy from the people I surrounded myself with was palpable. The result. I had 400 clients in a town on 30,000 within 2 years. My school was voted the 2nd best martial arts location in the country and I was 22 years old.
If anyone has read Malcolm Gladwell's book OUTLIERS you may have heard about the famed 10,000 hours to be an expert. I think I put in my 10k in the first 2 years. It's possible (probably not healthy - let's be honest), I did the math.
I've linked two seemingly different videos at the bottom.
One is Gladwell discussing the Beatles. Awesome. The second is the trailer from the movie FAME. Fame was based on Juilliard in NYC. I remember watching this movie when I was young and what stood out to me is people practicing their craft everywhere. Between classes they're rehearsing lines to a play or writing. Spontaneous improvised dance could break out at any moment. People would jam with anyone who could catch their beat because they wanted to be the best. And if you don't know much about the school EVERYONE DOES EVERYTHING.
To me, your box should look like the hallways of Juilliard. Between classes, your staff and instructors-in-training should be jamming together. The reason I say this is because Juilliard produces the best and so do you.
We've just announced that we're holding a special Raise Your Game! Seminar right before the 2010 CrossFit Games in L.A. in July. Seating IS LIMITED and most likely will sell out. To find out more click this link.
Enjoy this 5 minute clip of what we do at our seminars.
This simple home movie has an amazing view count (hence the tile of the post) and I have no idea why. There is no production company behind it like Lonely Girl 15 and the children aren't actors. The only youtube video with more views is a Lady Gaga music video by a mere 8 million views. And Lady Gaga is part of an entertainment machine. She should be ashamed barely beating two children.
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