Don't Buy Ads: Grow Your CrossFit Box

Running On Empty?

In the last few weeks, I've been advocating for promotion through education: be the expert; teach; build on trust. 

I haven't always felt this way. In the early days, especially, I believed knowledge to be a gem in other ways: concrete, solid, edged, finite. The last one had me worried most.

In other words, "What if I run out of stuff to write about?"

I imagined, one Sunday afternoon, sitting at my computer, fingers hovering...and nothing to draw from. I imagined my knowledge to be exhaustible, and my experience almost ended.

In the most dangerous trap of all, I believed that I knew a little bit about everything, and that connections made between subjects required only multiplication to calculate; that they, too, would eventually run out.

I was wrong. You'll never run out of things to learn and, ergo, things to teach. When you think you know a lot, or enough....you'll be wrong about something, and that correction will turn the whole volcano inside out. 

It's funny, in hindsight, to consider that I was writing 'diets' based on caloric intake when I struggled with this concept. I was using a box to teach people to squat. I was wondering why, when new female clients saw chains draped over a chalky barbell, they'd never return.

The danger is NOT running out of material. Don't worry.

Put it out there. You'll be knocked off, ripped off, have strips TORN off, and brushed off (perhaps the worst option.) Yes, you will. And it won't matter, because you'll still be ahead. 

"The moving hand writes, and having writ moves on. Neither all your tears, nor all your wit, shall lure it back to erase half a line, nor change a word of it."

When you have a great idea, share it. Please. While its tracks are being dissected, the beast moves on.

Cyber Monday - 30% off Enrichment Through Exercise!

450 pages of great stuff on the brain, learning, coaching, and education. This is the program that we created to help kids (and adults) learn better through CrossFit; to our great surprise, it's also been a huge growth area for our Box.

The Ignite! Enrichment Through Exercise book is a glimpse into the brain, including anatomy, chemistry, circuitry...and easy to understand. If you want to get your message into schools; get teachers into your gym; or deliver more education-based programs to supplement your CrossFit and CrossFit Kids offerings, there's nothing better than Ignite!

Today, get started for 30% off: click http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/focusstrengthatyahoodotcom and use the promo code, "CYBERMONDAY"

Read more about the Ignite! Academy: IgniteGym.com

Have something to contribute to the conversation? We'd love to hear it. Join the facebook group and let's chat! 

What Your Members Aren't Saying

About a month ago, I issued a challenge to Affiliate owners: choose 10 random members, and let me call them. Nine answered the call. 

Our survey went like this:

"Good morning. It's Chris Cooper, and I'm calling on behalf of CrossFit WetBlanket. Can you spare a couple of seconds for a quick satisfaction survey?"

 - Yes - 

"Great, thanks. Your name was randomly drawn, and anything you say will be carefully considered, but your identity will be kept a secret."

If a member couldn't be reached by phone, we left this message:

"...I'd like to send you an email with a quick survey on it; if you'd like to fill it out, that would be terrific. If not, no problem; just keep CrossFitting!"

Our questions (narrowed to four, upon recommendation by an expert)

1) Would you say you're completely satisfied by the service at CrossFit RipTorn?

2) How often are you able to attend?

3) Any changes you'd like to see at the box?

4) Any comments you'd like to leave (anonymously) for the coaches/owners?

The comments were overwhelmingly positive, of course. There exists a built-in bias in any type of survey: people who answer are more likely to give positive responses than people who don't. Even more so, people who are disinterested or "in the middle" - neither overjoyed, nor upset - are the least likely to answer the survey; email, especially, seems to encourage participations by the extremes.

Given those constraints, there were a few responses that will really help Affiliates improve their Boxes, keep their clients, and make better first impressions.

Some of the most helpful comments, unedited:

"Mood and attitude is (sic) contagious. Trainers should be aware of this at all times. I think  trainers should be aware of this at all times. Sometimes their mood can affect the members perception of the business."

"I'd love to see us tighten up the wam-ups - maybe add some practice of the Oly lift moves and fewer reps of more varied exercises to warm up. Also specify "5 minutes to practice things you suck at." 'Cause we all have something. :)"

"more stretching or guidance on what to do on our own before class to warm up"

"All floors should be cleaned more often. Dog hair is a problem."

"I'd love to bring my friends, but I'm too embarrassed" (to show them the bathrooms)

"I'm worried about the heat situation in the winter. I hope it's not too expensive for them to heat the place properly."

"Yes, I hate the online schedule thing. It takes too long and I come the same time every week. I thought I did a recurring appointment but no one new I was coming."

"I think coaches have to be more consistent. Some allow people to show up late, or do different warmups than the rest of us."

"The only thing that comes to mind are the hours. Although they work for me, I think a 7:00AM (after the 5:45AM) and a 5 or 5:30 PM session might be appealing to current or prospective members. "

"I think we should be allowed to come in and do our own workout while the CrossFit group is going on."

Conversely: "People should have to leave the gym completely when the group time is on."

...and, just to make everyone feel good, the positivity stuff:

"love it! Cold turkey to crossfit!"

"Besides the awesome workout and very helpful staff, there's a great feeling of community within the walls of CrossFit X.  I think that's what draws me back""

"I love the coaches! Especially M!  I wish she was there full time.  The guys are great too.  R is awesome and I am really starting to like JD.  They are all very knowledgeable and interested in individual goals."  

"They do a great job—they make a point to get to know us so they can encourage us in meaningful, personal ways. They need to continue to pay attention to our form and make sure we’re doing exercises right before we do more, faster, with more weight. But they keep learning, offering more options, and trying new things with us—good people."

"Overall though workouts are always challenging and the trainers are great. I've had private trainers and paid as much as $75/hour -- this is a far better value.  "

"You guys have literally saved my life. I was depressed and spiralling out of control. Then I found (CFX) and I feel like a different person now."

A Proposition For The Bold

In the past few days, I've been hit four times with problems to which I had no answer. However, I think I've found one stone to slay all four birds. But first, the stimuli:

• Drywall had a post in which he referred to a girl at a bar as "...dirtier than a CrossFit bathroom." If we struggle anywhere in our business, it's shower cleanliness. Luckily, a few clients whose honesty makes them duty-bound to report issues in our Box are quick to point out the state of our bathroom when they visit, or else I'd never know about this stumbling block.
• Charles made an astute observation about this blog: if you're a newcomer, how do you jump right in? Which posts are most relevant; which provide perspective on all the rest? Which 'frame' the conversation? 
• Nicki Violetti posted about a CrossFit 'secret shopper' who had visited several Boxes and noticed some common insights.
• After this post, Enterprise Rent-A-Car noticed their own name and passed it around internally a bit.

When I sold fitness equipment, the store owner (thankfully) lived in a city three hours away. Sometimes (about once every fifteen minutes) she'd call the store, and I'd be too busy to answer the phone. Usually, she'd leave a terse message about calling back immediately. Code red. Stat.

Once, though, she got through to me: "Chris, every time you don't answer the phone, you potentially lose a client. Every phone call is worth ten thousand dollars."

To this day, an unanswered phone call drives me crazy. How many am I missing?

Solutions: 

1. We're going to take all the posts from Dontbuyads.com and put them into a book, in an order that makes sense. This is going to take some effort, so it won't be free, but it won't be expensive either.
2. We already make a lot of our materials available here (and, after many requests in the last 48 hours, we'll post our 2010 business plan and Trainer contracts soon.)
3. We're going to make you an offer: for 5 Affiliates, we'll try something: we'll call your Box five times, over the course of a few days, at different times. If you like, we'll call 10 of your clients, too, using a blocked number, and ask them a few questions about their experience at your Box. We won't store their numbers, and if you're up for the challenge, we'll send you a list of their responses. Want in? Respond below, or email me privately ([email protected]). No charge, all in the name of science.

Let's keep making this whole thing better.

Loving Thy Neighbour, by Rich Vos

Rich Vos reminds us of something important. With all this talk about intra-CrossFit competition, it's important to remember that two (or more) CrossFit boxes in the same area can have a synergistic effect.....

Three athletes of CrossFit Covington compete in a CrossFit Total Party at CrossFit Hustle

Allow me to gush. I absolutely love my competition! Technically, CrossFit Covington is my business rival. They’re 10 minutes away and close enough to a big city to draw potential athletes. But we see it a different way (much to the surprise to bankers and people with an MBA).

We’ve been working together for the last five months to promote CrossFit to the surrounding areas and grow each other’s box. In just that short time, here are things we’ve done to grow our communities:

• We took competed together in the Queen City Sectionals, a self-named version of the Reebok CrossFit Games Open.

• We challenged each other to a facebook race to 500 “likes” with a 1,000 burpee penalty to the loser.

• We lend each other equipment for events.

• We are hosting Fight Gone Bad 6 at one location because the other’s is too small.

• We promote and attend events at the other’s gym.

• We suggest potential athletes become members of the other’s gym due to budget, location or training needs.

Yeah, you read the last one right. With the different types of training and costs, we actually suggest people train at a competing gym.

What’s great about the CrossFit HQ business model is that it gives each gym the liberty to price, train, program and advertise how it likes. Because CrossFit Hustle and CrossFit Covington are so different, we can connect in a way that benefits us both.

There’s very little overhead (relatively speaking) for CrossFit gyms, which means we don’t need the entire city knocking our doors down for training. We need anywhere between 30 and 75 athletes to pay the bills. The more the better, but keeping to yourself won’t help as much as engaging with other affiliates.

If Covington picks up an athlete, that’s great! They’ll tell all their friends about their training and perhaps one lives closer to Hustle or has different training needs that make my gym more attractive.

If you’re a gym with a neighboring CrossFit, don’t be shy! Connect with them and find ways to promote the brand that will benefit you in the long-run. And, hell, it’s more fun when you have more CrossFitters in competitions.

 

Continuing Education

Once upon a time, I did a Level I CrossFit Certification. It was fun.

Next, I lived happily ever after.

Possibly the #1 reason that people stick with CrossFit for longer than any other fitness endeavour? The learning curve is steep. Even the first ascenders - Amundsen and Co. - set a solid example by seeking coaching often.

One of the top 3 reasons to open a CrossFit box? The learning curve. Most people list 'boredom' as their main rationale for opening a small business, ahead of 'making more money' or 'self-satisfaction.' They want the challenge.

One of the hottest topics on the Affiliate discussion board this week is the requirement for Coaches to recertify after 5 years, at a cost of $500. Some Level 1-Certified Coaches hadn't anticipated this requirement, and their responses ranged from, "I don't like it, but it's worth it anyway" to "I'm calling my lawyer!"

Why recertify? The answer should be obvious: demonstrate that you still know the bare minimum. Should a Coach be qualified indefinitely, forever and ever, amen! after they've completed a weekend course, even if they NEVER practice their Coaching skills? Of course not.

Why retest? It's the only way to find out. 

Why every 5 years? Because things change, baby. Let's consider the landscape five years ago, in 2006:

• CrossFit Kids didn't yet exist online (August, 2006 was their first posted WOD.)
• CrossFit Endurance, CrossFit Football, MobilityWOD, Powerlifting with Louie Simmons, POSE running, Paleo...these things weren't around yet in 2006. 
• The CrossFit Games hadn't yet been invented.
• Nicole Carroll still performed most of the Certification weekends herself, as I understand.
• There were less than a QUARTER of the current number of CrossFit Affiliates.
• Facebook was around....but you weren't using it.
• Twitter, LinkedIn, the iPhone...none of these were around yet.

With all the things we've learned from these, I'm confident that we'll have some new material by 2016. 

If for no other reason, mandatory recertification will cull the herd. That girl who opened up down the block, after only a weekend course, who doesn't know anything about anything? Well, if it's true, then she won't recertify in 2016. 

Be The Best In Your Market

By Rich Vos, CrossFit Hustle

Pricing is such a tricky issue in niche service markets. Chiropractors, personal trainers,task liberators and cleaners are all out to earn money serving someone else. So, how do you go about pricing yourself?

I get calls and emails frequently regarding the cost of monthly dues at CrossFit Hustle. The current rate is $150 a month. For those who don’t know about this emerging niche market, that price is $25-70 higher than other CrossFit gyms. And yes, it does mean that some people will go elsewhere. But there are three serious benefits to pricing your services higher than the rest of the market.

1. The best costs more. If you truly believe that you’re the best in the area, market or world, your price should reflect that. People know the difference between Taco Bell and Don Pablo’s. Take note, though: if you say you’re the best, you better be able to back it up.

2. The higher the price, the less you’ll work.  If you clean people’s houses and you price yourself at $10 an hour, you’ll need to work twice as much than if you had a $20 price tag. Who doesn’t enjoy working less?

3. You’ve got freedom to move. Setting your price near your competitors’ doesn’t allow you much room to drop for discounts, specials or incentives. Having the freedom to make a 20% cut in rates without taking much of a cut in the business plan is a market-owning benefit.

As small business owners, it’s scary not to see people flocking to you en masse the wayyour business plan intended. But don’t bow to the masses of discount shoppers. Let them know you’re priced that way for a specific reason. Occasionally, you’ll need to create incentives to obtain their business and cut deals, but don’t make it permanent. Once you go down, it’s much harder to go back up.

Be known in your market as the best, but the best who is also willing to work with their customers. In the end, this will go much further than the alternative.

 

The Bandwagon

How do you define, "Legit"? What's "Cred" mean, anyway?

For the last two years, my younger sister has been sending Vancouver Canucks clothing for my kids. Sure, they wore it around the yard. Last week, though, when the Canucks seemed poised to take the Cup, both were covered with Green and Blue every hour of every day. 

Are we bandwagon jumpers? I prefer to believe that we were 'converted' - temporarily - by the team's victories.

You may be seeing new Affiliates crop up in your town. Can we blame people for getting excited about CrossFit? We're winning, and not just by the classical definition; this is "Winning!" with a capital 'W,' as- seen-in-the-Charlie-Sheen-Dictionary winning. 

In the margins, though - in private emails through this blog; in conversations at events; in facebook messages - Affilate owners worry about competition. They HOPE for collaboration, and in the best cases, it happens fluidly and automatically. Good CrossFit Affiliates in the same town are like fraternal twins: carried in the same womb, educated through the same school...but the eyebrows are different. 

In most cases, it's not the CrossFit family that should be worrisome. It's not the Affiliate; it's the knockoff. It's "SuperWOD" or "St. Louis AMRAP" - those who dangle from the fringes of the true CrossFit world - who can do the damage.

Rolling out the Ignite! NeuroMotive Coach certification program, I've been given a keyhole perspective into the start of the CrossFit universe. I see the attention given to online 'brain games' like lumosity.com, and I'm happy for the attention.....but. Three years ago, I was thrilled to see tire flipping, sled dragging, and car pushing appear on The Biggest Loser.....but. 

I don't know Greg Glassman. I'm sure he has bigger things to worry about now; but I wonder, in the early days, what it was like to see an incomplete or inferior product emerge as a competitor.....

Delivering Pride

Yesterday, a large part of the Catalyst Family attended a local 5k/10k.

This is not a course on which records are set: on almost 80% of the run, you're either climbing or descending. Climbs are steep; rocks are plentiful. The scenery, though, is gorgeous; the company can't be beat; and the kids' race is a stroke of genius.

Warming up at home, we had a 'family stretch' after breakfast: me, on the floor with my six-year-old, my three-year-old, and my wife. I was preparing for my first 10k race; my daughter, for all the cookies she'd encounter at the finish line. My son - three - wondered why HE didn't get to run in "the big race."

Perhaps tempted by all the cookie talk, he maintained that he wanted to participate all the way to the event. The $5 entry fee got him a backpack, granola bar, water bottle, vitamins....but the REAL payoff was the pride.

Finishing the 10k in fifty minutes, I barely had time to recover before the start of the Kids' event. The under-5 class ran 500m; halfway, my son asked for a ride on my shoulders. I reminded him of his Bright Spots (he'd already run halfway,) showed him how close he was to finishing ("after this corner, you'll see the big clock!") and then let him make the decision. He chose cookies. Let go of my hand. Sprinted. Crossed to dozens of cheering grown-ups. I choked up.

My daughter, during her 800m run: "It's easy. Do I sprint now? Now? Now?" - when it was finally time to sprint for the finish, she tripped over a hole in the ground at full speed. For a very brief moment, doubt crossed her face; but she jumped up and ran her fastest to finish. It was exhausting for dad, but liberating for her, and she went straight to the cookie tent, wearing a new medal in Catalyst green.

Last year, this was her first race. We signed up for 2011 immediately. 

We had over a dozen first-time "racers" on Sunday. Some had never done 5k before. Some had done a 'time trial' with our Beginner Running Group. Those people all had a Personal Best - a first-time finish, or a fastest time. A few of the bravest ran their first 10k on that rock-hard course. Returnees - including many who were first-time racers LAST year - had personal bests. Our fastest (10k over hills in 38 minutes) was two minutes faster. And then we all went for fish and beer.

When I see an opportunity for pride - in myself, in my kids, in my Catalyst family - I jump on it. I doubt I'm alone there....

Grassroots Expansion

A year ago, I posted on a book I'd been reading called, "Blue Ocean Strategy." I compared CrossFit boxes to McFits everywhere: the drive-thru, elliptical-and-pec-deck "fitness" sold by most chain gyms.

What I didn't compare - because I didn't yet have the experience - was differentiation between CrossFit boxes in the same locale.

I'm always excited to get emails from readers of this blog - frankly, I'm always surprised to see just how MANY come through here daily - and the most common theme goes like this: "I run a great program here at CrossFit Pluto. This other guy, at CrossFit Uranus, doesn't. You wouldn't BELIEVE the stuff this guy pulls!"*

The greatest insight I got at the CrossFit Level 1 Certification was via Jon Gilson, on the muscle-up: "Okay, so you've been coaching this woman for three months. She can do a chest-to-bar pullup on the rings. She can do a deep ring dip. She just can't transition. She watches videos; she listens to you; she just can't do it. One day, a visiting coach walks into your box, walks up to her at the rings, and says, "look down earlier." Instant muscle-up. Does that mean you're a bad coach? Nope. Different things have different meanings to different people."

Rather than arguing over the technical proficiency of your triple extension, or your gymnastics prowess, or the brand of bars you use....why not do something slightly different?

Any disagreement based around a fine technical point will be lost on the community: "We use an Ivanko Super Slick Billion-Bearing Wax-Packed Gold Medal Bar for all our lifts. They use the inferior Ivanko Super Semislick Billion-Bearing Wax-Packed Gold Medal Bar.  They obviously don't care about your progress!"

Worse, no one wants to attend an argumentative Affiliate. What's the best way to win a fight online? Don't get into a fight online. Move in a different direction.

Adult program options:

• Martial Arts
• Gymnastics
• Competitive (competitive training group - 'Team' - or an annual points series, OR league play)
• Sex-specific  (Barbell Bettys)
• Endurance
• Powerlifting or OLY Lifting
• Beginner
• Intertwined personal training and CrossFit as a package
• Rehabilitative
• 'BootCamp' option - travelling CrossFit roadshow at hours around the "office" schedule

Youth program options:

• CrossFit Kids (possibly the best expansion you could offer.)
• High school leagues
• Martial Arts
• Sport-specific
• Cognitive

There are more, I'm sure. Specialization in one area doesn't preclude another. There's a good chance that your neighbourhood Boxes aren't doing all of these things, and may not even have an interest in doing them. That's fine.

Even if you're the only kid on the block, program expansion means more revenue from people who you already care about. It means a better offering to your GFPs; more excitement around your Box; and easier usage from current clients ("I can bring my kids to CrossFit and they'll do their own program while I do mine? Awesome!!!")

Part of your mandate is to increase the number of people in the world who can look after themselves. Build that number instead of fighting for every Karen Kantchoose. There are enough popsicles for everyone.

*Look: if there really is a CrossFit Pluto, I owe someone an apology. And I want to buy one of your t-shirts, too.