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This morning I got another email from a vendor who has been trying to sell me something through their email funnel.  I opted-in a few weeks back and I get about 2-3 emails per week.  This is fine with me.  I understand exactly what they are trying to do, except for one very important point.  It is plainly obvious to me that these emails have not been given the attention they deserve.  They lack substance, passion, and anything of true value.

In my opinion, everything you send out should hold at least some value on its own for your clients, prospects, and others in your personal network.  I’ll admit  that I’ve been guilty of the same myself at times in the past – but no more!  I value your precious time as a reader and follower of my work too much to waste it.  And I am certainly not interested in wasting my own time dolling out pure drivel in a weak attempt to make a sale.  I want your trust and respect and I need to earn it.  I, like you, also have only a limited amount of time in this life, and I don’t plan on wasting any more of it.

This mission is important, as pointed out by marketing expert David Meerman Scott in his recent blog post.  He makes the point that we’ve moved beyond the age of email broadcasts to huge lists.  In fact, as he points out in his story.  When you do that, you hurt your business more than help it.  In his story he shares a marketing email he received from American Airlines that should have never been sent to him if they were paying more attention to what they were doing.  You should read it, it’s a good lesson in the important of list segmentation.

So, if you’re strapped for time and looking for a means of creating more remarkable content for your fitness blog, your newsletters, etc. I encourage you to stay tuned to this blog and the launch of my new membership site.  I just approved the final art today and in about two weeks I hope to go live.  This site, and my career as a fitness professional will continue to move in a more powerful direction of creation starting right now.  The creation of a mountain of content designed to make your life better and more productive as a fitness pro and beyond.

If you’d like a two week sample of the kind of content I’ll be creating for you, you can try it for FREE by going right now to WriteLikeANomad.com.  I’ve left some for you there.

Before you finish spending time on this blog post today, I also highly encourage you to check out the Khan Academy.  This guy is awesome, and a perfect example of what I’m talking about.  More about him later.  For now, I’ll save you some time so that you can go see what he’s doing.  It’s a great example of what just one person can do to change the world in today’s information age.

The really cool thing about what this guy is doing is that he’s doing it all for FREE because he can, and most likely in the end, he will be a very wealthy man.

WriteLikeANomad.com

The system I used to capture this idea is a perfect example.  The dictation software I used is an iPhone app called Dragon Naturally Speaking.  You open the app, hit the record button, speak your thoughts, and then Dragon generates text that you can email or text to yourself, or wherever else you might want it to go.  It’s beautiful.  Seamless.

I had just been to Starbucks to buy my espresso beans for the week, and had an inspiration during my exchange with one of the baristas.  As a writer, these inspirations are frequent for me.  Often, I’m writing in my head all day long.  It’s nice to capture some of those thoughts and ideas when I can…

I had purchased my own gift for Christmas this year – a really nice espresso machine.  I put down about one and a half months worth of lattes purchased over the counter and took hold of ‘Serena‘ and a new love affair began.  It has taken a couple months to build my own system around making lattes, but the practice of building this system has been well worth the work.  I now prefer my version of the latte even more than the one I used to ask the barista to make for me.  And it costs about 75% less!

As an aside, I encourage you to read, “Pour Your Heart Into It ” by Howard Schultz.  Howard is the CEO and founder of Starbucks and will give you a very close look at what it takes to build a true system and why it is vital to your success.  Not just your success as a business owner, but your career success in general.

OK, back to my story…

I have two Starbucks within my daily life radius.  There used to be three but as I heard someone say in an interview recently, the recent downturn in the economy has forced on all of us one giant enema, and ALL of the excess is getting trimmed down and eliminated wherever necessary.  And this will be good for all of us even though it might not feel like it right now.

Anyway, I’ve discovered that one shop does a much better job at grinding my espresso beans then the other.  And because I read Howard’s book, and because I’ve read many others that discuss the importance of a duplicatable system, I asked one of the baristas today why their beans come out so much finer, fluffier, and ultimately tastier than the beans I’ve purchased from the other shop.  “I buy my beans here directly as a result of this.”  I said.  To which the general manager replied with a big smile, “I don’t have any problem with that!”

Her answer was telling.  In fact there seemed to exist in the answer a sense of pride that resulted directly from the implementation of a system that they were proud to follow because of the results that it produced.  “We calibrate our machine weekly.”  One of the manager’s staff replied, almost before I could even finish asking my question.

Now, I have no idea whether or not the other store on University Avenue is calibrating their machine on a weekly basis.  It certainly seems they are not.  What it seems to me instead is that the shop out near my fitness studio is doing a much more effective job of following and implementing the system that has been created for them.  And as a result, I’m shopping there more often.

Can you see why I love these systems so much?

John

PS  I’ve created many systems in my businesses but so far the one I’m about to tell you about next is the one I’m most proud of so far.  It is the system I use to sell personal training at my fitness studio here in Madison, WI.  This system is so good, so fine tuned, and so effective that potential clients actually pay me to sell them training.  That’s right, I get paid to sell fitness training at my studio.  If you’re interested in reading more about this system, just follow the link below.  I’m planning to offer a very small teleseminar where I will give you this system…

Here’s the link:  CloseLikeANomad.com

Of course, any time something like this happens it’s an excellent opportunity to re-assess on many levels all of the systems that take care of staff management, etc.  These systems are NEVER perfect and ALWAYS need more work, especially in my case.

You may have already heard the expression that “People Respect What YOU Inspect.”  And if you’re a studio owner or manager of anyone, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.  For me, this part is difficult…there are so many other more interesting things I’d rather do than check-up to see if you washed the toilets last night.

Managing a lot of people is NOT what I do best and is NOT my preferred activity, EVER.  This might sound a little brash or insensitive.  Tough!  Over the last year I’ve worked very hard to contract my business model down to the point where it feels much more manageable, and where I can spend good productive time building my way into more and more information marketing.  From the day I started my first paper in graduate school, I have been madly in love with the work of researching, reading, and then writing about what I know.  This is what I like to do best.  I always will…

Still, I realize that I will always need a small number of staff members to help run my operation (which will always include the fitness part).  As such, like it or not, I’ve got to get better at managing my people.  But first, I need to make sure and hire the right ones.

Which brings me to my point…

Far too often in my own career I’ve experienced the job interview as a potential candidate and realized something very profound – most people doing interviews have absolutely no idea what they are doing.  Really, it’s true.  I learned early on that if I took advantage of my strong and intense personality, that I could easily take control of the interview and end up asking more questions than my potential employer.  Great for me, but not for the employer.

Remember, the person who is asking the most questions and talking the least is the person who is in control of the conversation.  So, as an interviewer, your first job is to Shut Up!

To keep you interested, I uncovered a list of really cool, fun and interesting questions that I encourage you to work in to your interviews.  It is just these types of questions that will tell you more about a candidate than any of the other basic ones.

In fact, my favorite question to ask, which tells the best story about a person is this one…

“What is your most powerful personal asset?”

You would be surprised at how this one weeds out the weanies.  I actually had one girl tell me that it was her “good looks.”  That experience told me that I needed to do better with my screening process but that’s a different blog post I’ll write another time.

In the mean time, be sure to check out these interview questions from Microsoft, Google, and IKEA.  They’re awesome!

Interview Questions from Microsoft, Google, and IKEA.

And here’s the one I promised that’s not written into that article…

“Why are man-hole covers round?”  I’ll look for your answers in the comments section of this post.

In the mean time, here’s a list of simple questions I use.  They get the conversation started and then I look for places where I can dig for gold…

“Tell me about yourself?”

“What are your strengths?”

“What are your weaknesses?”

“Have you worked with clients before. If so, What’s your favorite part of the work?”

“What do you like about working with people?”

“Why did you choose fitness as a career?”

“Why aren’t you in better shape than you are now?  And what do you plan to do about it?”  And how do you think this will affect your work with clients?”

“What is your most powerful personal asset?”

“Why should I hire you?”  (This one always tells me a lot about how good a salesman this person is and how well they can or cannot promote their personal brand)

OK, now go find some great people….ExerciseCareers.com is a great place to start

This time, there’s a giant new red shed staring right back at me. It’s not mine. I would never plant something so obtuse in my backyard. The new little ‘Red Barn’ (as I’m calling it) belongs to the neighbors behind me. I don’t like it!

That was my first reaction though. Now, I’m trying to embrace it’s presence, because like it or not at the moment, it landed here for a reason. Possibly, my guides decided that it was time my kids learned how to plant some trees, or learn new landscaping techniques. Because there’s no doubt, something will need to be planted to remake the view.

Or, there are other reasons I cannot see yet. And I suppose it’s possible that in the mean time, it makes damn good blog content One reason is for sure – I’m listening…

As a fitness business owner, Dad, and Husband, I have much to balance in life. Especially when presented with big challenges like the ones I’ve tackeled in the last few weeks. Most present in my mind today is the experience of having to let a long time trainer go. I’ll share those details another time. For now, it’s important that my focus stays pointed in the right direction almost every minute of the day.

If you’re a fitness business owner, I’m know you can relate to the challenges. I hear regularly from many of you who share the passion.

One of the most important lessons so far, is the fact that as a business owner, you are no longer simply a practitioner of your craft. You are now a “marketer in the business of fitness.” This was an important lesson I learned when studying in the NPE program with Sean Greeley and Eric Ruth. Eric especially drilled this message firmly into my head. And since then, I’ve heard and read it in countless other books written by leading marketing experts.

The problem, of course, is that often, it is extremely difficult to manage my time effectively enough to take care of clients, staff, and my family. When days get long, and staff changes like the one that happened this week present themselves, there is not a lot of time left over in the day to craft effective marketing messages and get them out the door.

You can waste a lot of money in a short amount of time, sending innaffecitve marketing messages to the wrong market, the wrong media and with the wrong message, especially when you’re in too big of a hurry. That is why these headlines you read about promising to double your income in half the time are so compelling. And if you’re working at your business and studying the way I do, you find them everywhere.

I’ve said in the past that this does not mean that the programs behind the headlines are not for you, or that the content and the information is not excellent. Often it is, and as I said, I learned a lot from my work with NPE. The important thing is that you have to remember at all times that your business is YOU and your unique situation, and that any message you model, program you purchase, product you buy for business building, MUST be molded to fit your business, in YOUR market, and through the media that makes sense for YOU.

The most important thing you can do right now is to LISTEN closely to what your current clients are telling you. Because there is pure gold in there, right in your own backyard. And if you’re listening closely enough every day, you won’t even have to dig for it…

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If you’re interested, I still have a few spots available for my 30-minute consultation offer.  I promise that this offer will have to come down soon.  I’ll be entrenched over the next few weeks making up for a lost trainer and in working on the new products and services that are comine down the pipeline.  So, if you would like to take me up on my offer, you can use the order form at: http://www.WorkLikeANomad.com

If you’re a business owner or aspiring individual personal trainer trying to build your clientele, be careful. Don’t misunderstand me. Building your personal brand will not magically bring you more business or help you land your dream job. Direct response marketing is still my favorite. And the boys at NPE can help you with all of your needs there. Remember though, your personal brand is an essential part of any marketing campaign, because without it, your marketing is void of the vitality and personality it needs to ensure that you stand out above and beyond your competition.

For example, none of my competitors in town are doing what I’m doing with video. And they will probably never catch up. Some of them have TV spots like I do (after I started the trend 3 years ago), but none of them leverage that coverage the way I do.  And I would guess none of them have the plan for how they want to use this exposure like I do. All good for me, but make sure you learn from their mistakes.

There is also one other very important concept about developing your personal brand that I want you to understand. It will help you build your business in two very important ways. Yes, it will help you attract new clients, but even more important is this…

“Effective Personal Branding creates unmatched customer loyalty and even evangelism for you, your product, and your business. ”

Keeping your customer’s attention is essential for your long term success as a fitness business owner. I think we all know how challenging it can be to maximize client lifetime value.

So, ask yourself two questions today…

1) How and what can I do to further develop my personal brand?

2) How can I use more video and a blog to reach more potential customers, deepen my connection with current customers, and have a little more fun?

Here is an example.  Look for more of these soon…

Watch This Video To Discover The Secrets Behind The Lies Your Scale Tells You Every Day, and How and What You Can Do About it

“Of course it will.” You think to yourself.  “Why else would I be working on it?”  And then you stop to really think about the question and you realize that it is vital to your on-going success.  Is what I’m working on right now really going to move me toward my goals?  And if not, how can I shift my puruit of this project in a way that will truly help me build my personal brand.
Even if the current project you’re working on right now is monotonous, boring, and difficult to get excited about, how could you change your relationship with it so that it truly began to make a difference for you personally?  Because when you can do that, there is no doubt that it will make s difference to someone else.  Your pursuit of mastery in anything will inspire others, produce productive results, and ultimately help you build your personal brand.  And like it or not, you are a brand, and your development of this bra

nd is essential for your ultimate career success.

Let me give you a simple example I just experienced on the way to the coffee shop this morning…

I’m on my way to EVP after dropping my son off at a summer school science class.  I’m thinking and planning on what I will write this morning and how best I will use the three hours I have before I have to get to the studio and start seeing clients and managing staff people.  I want to be productive and I don’t want to focus on the wrong stuff.  Time is precious and I have lots to do.

The sun is beating down a little hotter than it was yesterday, and it has created a pretty good glare through my windshield.  It feels good.  Mineral Point road has picked up its pace like a marathon runner at about mile 9 when he’s feeling good, like he might beat his personal best today.  Cars whiz past me in the opposite direction, and I’m doing my best to keep up with the flow of traffic myself.  Thoughts are streaming now and I’m looking forward to the writing.
Then, suddenly, a shadow of an old man appears in front of me waving something in the air.  I’m instantly glad I wasn’t reaching for the radio or into my bag in the front seat.  I would have run him down for sure.  Wow, I think.  Is he crossing in the middle of no where?  Actually no, as I apprach him and finish slowing down, I can just now make out that there is in fact a cross walk and he is now groping for the end of the curb so that he can make his way onto the sidewalk.  He has made it!

Here’s the amazing part….

The guy must be about 80 years old and he’s blind.  That cane he was waving was the same one any blind person uses to feel his way around town.  An amazing project itself on any day.  This guy has just crossed one of the busiest streets on the west side of town and in the middle of the morning rush hour (not a big city Chicago style rush hour, but still…).  He found is way to the edge of the street and without the benefit of a traffic light or stop sign, he had the courage to step out into the road because I guess his ears and instincts told him it was OK to do.  Then, he began to wave the cane li

His courage astounded me.  Can you imagine?  That’s what I call mastery!

It takes mastery to find your way around town when you can’t see.  And it takes mastery of one’s fear to believe you can actually do it.  This guy inspired me and he’ll never know it.  All he was doing was crossing the street. All he was doing was following through on a mundane project.  Something that was important to him (he needed to get to the other side of the street to get where he was going), and at the same time something that probably for him is routine.  Which means that it is somethign that is easy to take for granted and easy to push aside as unimportant, irrelevant, and not worth pursuing with mastery.  Of course, in this case, the mastery is still important because if he steps out at the wrong time, he’s dead!

Every day there are opportunities for you to ask yourself what you can do to re-invent your work and make it sing.  Forget the words job or task, they’re limiting.  Now, repeat after me, “I am my projects.”  I know, it feels a little silly but I’m trying to make a point.  Will the project you’re working on right now make the world a better place, advance you toward your goals and leave you feeling fulfilled?  If not, it’s time for a gut check.

Start thinking about what you need to do to become the absolute best at what you do.  That is mastery, and when you are consumed with mastery, you are truly living.  And if that is simply crossing the road without getting killed, hey, you are still living.

PS  For an example of a simple, yet fun and good for the world project that I’ve begun myself,
check out the cooking demonstration video series I’ve started on my fitness blog at:

http://tiny.cc/1mEJc