Friday, October 30, 2015

Can you give it to me for a discounted price?

Can I have a discount? Vs. I wish to pay full price

I received a request recently from a customer – ‘Can I have a discount?’ Why? 'Because I’m really short of cash this month.'

I’ve dealt with this more than a few times however on this occasion I wanted to share the lesson with more than just the asker.

There was a time when I would have say ‘Sure’ as I felt for the story of challenge combined with want, now.

Or perhaps influenced by the fear of a loss of a sale.

However over the last few decades I have been exposed to a number of mentors who have taught me that I actually do not serve the person by giving them the impression that to have more they don’t need to change.

Here’s one of those influences, Jim Rohn:

“I wish to pay full price for every value…For what it will make of me….If I wish to have more, I must become more….Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better.”--Jim Rohn

Another reason Jim taught was the value in paying fair price or earning something rather than being gifted something:

"The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. That is why I wish to pay fair price for every value. If I have to pay for it or earn it, that makes something of me. If I get it for free, that makes nothing of me."--Jim Rohn

So now I say, as much as it hurts me on earlier values, I am not serving you by giving you a discount for no other reason than you asked for one based on how tough life is for you financially.

I know many teachers who share this value, based first on what they do, and secondly then what they teach. In fact I heard one just a few days ago say the same thing, and another person influenced by Jim Rohn amongst others.

bit.ly/Iwishtopayfullprice

Perhaps the lesson will be received. Perhaps not. And in case you were interested, the full price of the item was 44 dollars….We collectively expended more time in writing emails than the value of any discount could have been…

When I hear something ask for a reduced price simply because they perceive something to be out of their reach, I conclude they have not been exposed to these lessons, so I choose to pass on the wisdom of Jim Rohn and others.

In conclusion, another Jim Rohn wisdom:

"I used to say, "Things cost too much." Then my teacher straightened me out on that by saying, "The problem isn't that things cost too much. The problem is that you can't afford it." That's when I finally understood that the problem wasn't "it" – the problem was "me."-- Jim Rohn

Monday, October 19, 2015

I’ve learnt a few keys to failure!

One of the benefits of talking to people about taking action and potentially experiencing change in life is that you get to learn about how the average person thinks.

Napoleon Hill wrote a famous book called ‘Think and Grow Rich – The Keys to Success’ on the basis of his chats with highly successful people. I believe my chats are leading me to form the content for a manuscript of a similar kind – just the opposite ‘The Keys to Failing!’

So in the lead up to Season 3 of the KSI Leveraged Challenge I have been doing my best to give away $1,000, free training, mentoring with myself - in a program that can and has changed peoples lives.

At the same time every week this year I watch a certain man’s business outperform and out earn mine – despite him passing away over a decade ago. And his wife and children are the beneficiaries of this. Now we will catch up and exceed his business success, and whilst I do feel a bit embarrassed that at least 2 of my former colleagues have passed and still out-perform me from the grave, here I am talking to people who may never take the action to have this potential reward! I can assure you they will not be generating income for their family post their working life, or post their life. They are committed to failing.

I heard a phenomenal quote recently as I studied some seminar footage, where the speakers minimum requirement was they had to be 7 figure income earners per year. Not turnover, personal income. That’s right, a million or more per year or you can’t speak. And yes, it was not a physical preparation seminar….

And one of the speakers said words to the effect:

The average person…

….works out how (or if they think) they can do it..
….says yes…
…and then tells people.

The above-average person….

…says yes…
….tells the world...
…and then works out how to do it.

And the challenge with that is the ordinary person doesn’t know how to solve their challenges, other than using the solutions that got them to their current challenges. So they don’t know how to do it and will never figure it out because the answers only come after you start! So they are right – they can’t take action or change!

So if you are looking for reasons not to take action and not to change, and are committed to being as you are and hoping things don’t change around you too much, you can use this!

So, in case this turns into a series, here’s one of the ‘Keys to Failure’! Say:
‘I can’t do it until I have worked out how to do it!’

Friday, October 16, 2015

KSI L1 Graduate Coach Interview - Tui Katene

Firstly, congratulations on completing the KSI U Level 1 course! And thanks in advance for taking the time to share your experiences with the reader. To get started, I’d like to ask:

1. How long have you been in the industry and what is your current role?

I’ve worked in the industry for over 20 years and held pretty much every position, gym floor worker, Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and Manager. Now I own my own gym and service my local community. When I’m not training, I get a few quality personal training sessions in with some of my members.

2. How did you first get involved in the industry?

The gym thing has always been a major part of my life, I started working out in the gym when I was 15, I had just made the New Zealand Touch Football Team and when I wasn’t playing or running around with my ball, I would be in the gym. I’d hang out there for hours, watching, learning and listening, then I was offered a part time job as a student and, that was it…Hooked!

3. What do you see as the ideal position to be in and why?

My ideal position would be to be coaching high performance athletes. As a four times international athlete myself giving back to the industry that helped build my sporting career would be the ultimate.

4. What type of clients do you deal with and is there anything you are planning to change with regard to your client base?

I work with clients of all shapes and sizes, makes and models, from the everyday person wanting to get fit and healthy to elite athletes representing New Zealand. In the near future I’d like to work predominantly with elite athletes and focus more on high performance sports conditioning.

5. What led you to start the KSI Coach program?

I attended a powerlifting 3 lift course in August this year run by Cathy Millen. Cathy talked about KSI Coach Program and her own experiences in working with Ian King. Something resonated with me about the information Cathy delivered and I decided the best way to learn more was to commit some of my time to starting the KSI Level 1 Course.

6. How was the experience of doing the KSI Coach program?

Wow best decision ever! There were so many light bulb moments, from Milo the Greek wrestler in 6th Century BC to legend Charlie Francis. The KSI Coach program just made so much sense. What have been the biggest lessons you have taken from the KSI Coach program? The biggest lessons have been so many, and I find myself going back and revisiting my notes on a daily basis. If I were to name a few of those key lessons they would be:

• It’s ok to follow your intuition
• It’s ok to trust your instincts and resist the temptation to conform.

Ian King you are a Legacy!

7. In your opinion and experience what makes the KSI unique?

There is nothing like KSI, you will not find the history behind the concepts anywhere else. No one else will be able to give you the detailed facts “no holds barred” like Ian. Ian says it how it is, and makes sense of it. Ian talks from experience, he talks with honesty and integrity. In my book nothing beats that.

8. What are some of the frustrations you have faced in your work and what are some of these that you have found a solution for?

The biggest frustration I’ve had over the years is clients who think they know what’s best for them because they read something on google. They get caught up in wanting to do whatever the latest trend is. I guess I look at the trend now and google and talk a lot more about where these trends or programs have come from. I talk a lot more about the history of where these ideas come from, and the type of people who are writing or developing these trends, commercialism, marketing, to name a few.

9. What are your plans for the future?

Initial plans are heading to Canada in November for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Champs then back into KSI Level 2 for a starter in 2016. I’d really like to increase my athlete client base for 2016 so that’s on the cards.

10. What do you like to do in your spare time?

Hang out with my cats, Rocky and See-me, for relaxing, Surfing for fun and a diving for seafood (kaimoana) for dinner.

11. What do you belief are the greatest challenges facing our industry and or someone in this industry?

People and PTs being influenced by what they see on the internet and following exercise trends. It’s crazy. I see new PTs coming in giving ad hoc advice about trends and making up their own version without knowing the correct technique. It’s scary, creates bad habits, which in turn creates injury. A problem I believe the industry will suffer from in the near future.

12. What advice do you have for anyone considering starting the KSI Coach program? Just do it! Nothing comes close.

Again, thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. Every time anyone completes a task they set out to do they stand out, as not everyone does this. So well done, you deserve a big pat on the back!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

KSI L1 Graduate Coach Interview Sebastien Buttigieg

Firstly, congratulations on completing the KSI U Level 1 course! And thanks in advance for taking the time to share your experiences with the reader.

To get started, I’d like to ask:

1. How long have you been in the industry and what is your current role?

I have been working in the industry for almost 7 years now. I began by completing my Cert III in Fitness to become a gym instructor and work in a gym, which I did for a couple of years. I followed that up by completing my Cert IV in Fitness and becoming a Personal Trainer, which I also did for a period of time. I then decided to go back to study and complete my Bachelors Degree in Exercise and Sport Science, which I completed earlier this year.

2. How did you first get involved in the industry?

I had been weight training for a year or so when I decided to do my Cert III in fitness as a way to develop my own knowledge of training and the processes of the human body. After completing it, I found that I had really enjoyed learning everything and that the fitness industry was something I was quite passionate about. I managed to fall into my first gym job, when a friend of mine was leaving the gym that he worked at for another job. I spoke with the manager who I knew quite well by this stage and said that I had completed my qualifications and that I was looking to get some work in a gym. Things just went from there.

3. What do you see as the ideal position to be in and why?

Ideally I would one day like to be working alongside elite athletes in a strength and conditioning setting within a sporting team such as an AFL club, EPL soccer team or even NBA or NFL team. I love working with regular people that are looking to get into better shape, however, having grown up within such a big sporting family, I would love to be able to get involved at the highest level to help these athletes prepare and achieve as much success as possible.

4. What type of clients do you deal with and is there anything you are planning to change with regard to your client base?

Currently I work with a range of clients from older women looking to improve their lives, lose a little bit of weight and get in better shape, to helping out with teaching/running strength and conditioning sessions for teenage athletes. I have also recently started working at a new studio, which deals more with a fitter clientele and those looking to transform their physiques. In the New Year I am aiming to get my foot in the door at an AFL club and start developing experience working alongside elite athletes.

5. What led you to start the KSI Coach program?

I attended a lecture by Ian earlier in the year, after being recommended to go by my mother and fellow USANA colleagues. I found the talk to be extremely informative and it gave me the hunger to learn more about what Ian has done and how I can get to where he has gotten to within the industry. I did some research in the days following and spoke with Ian on the internet and he told me about the KSI Coach program. I looked into it and it immediately appealed to me, so I signed up.

6. How was the experience of doing the KSI Coach program?

At the time of beginning the program it was a bit hard to keep up with regularly doing things, as I was in the final 6 months of my uni degree at the time and was being bombarded with assignments left right and center. However, once my degree was finished it was much easier to sit down and really absorb as much as possible from the program. Everything was easy to follow and the information presented gave me the thirst to attain even more knowledge about the KSI way.

7. What have been the biggest lessons you have taken from the KSI Coach program?

The main lessons that I have taken away from the program are to not just take someone’s word and believe that it is the be all and end all of it. I found it extremely enlightening that so-called “experts” that I had received information from over the years, had in fact been ripping off information that was developed by Ian in the first place. I have also started adopting some of the strategies that Ian has developed with regards to exercise prescription, techniques and programming protocols within my own training and that of my own clients (obviously being mindful to not claim them as my own ideas).

8. What are some of the frustrations you have faced in your work and what are some of these that you have found a solution for?

The most frustrating thing that I have found is dealing with clients that do not have a strong work ethic and seem to only be training to tell their friends that they are going to the gym. The large majority of the time the clients that I have dealt with have been amazing, they have gotten the results that they want, by putting in the hard work that it takes to achieve those results. It is clients like that, who make it a joy to do what I do. It is frustrating when a client comes along and as soon as the going gets a little challenging they make up a myriad of excuses as to why they cannot do something. I have found that over the years, with more experience and more knowledge, I have been able to gradually change these characteristics in certain clients and help them to develop a better attitude towards their training. I have still not mastered the ability to motivate 100% of the clients that I deal with and to get them to do the hard things outside of the gym (i.e. changing their diet habits, stretching, recovering), but I feel as though I am getting much better at this.

9. What are your plans for the future?

Within the next few months I aim to get a position working within the strength and conditioning department of an AFL team, even if it is only a voluntary part-time position. I also want to complete the KSI Level 2 program and be eligible to participate in Levels 3 and 4 of the program next year. I want to attain my ASCA Strength and Conditioning accreditation as well. Most importantly I want to learn more and more in order to become the best coach that I can possibly be.

10. What do you like to do in your spare time?

When I am not working or training myself I like to spend my spare time with my lovely partner, (as it is hard to spend quality time during the week with the hours we both keep). Playing with my two dogs and I am also a musician and play a variety of instruments along with singing. After a long hard day I do enjoy sitting down on the couch to watch a good TV Show (get into Modern Family if you haven’t already!) and playing a computer game or two with my little cousin.

11. What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing our industry and or someone in this industry?

Working solely as a personal trainer is hard, as you only get paid for the time that you are physically training with someone. Week to week that time can vary quite a lot, as it is highly dependant upon the client, how they are feeling day to day, how busy they are at work, how much money they have, whether they are going away on holidays etc. Whenever people are strapped for cash it is things like personal training that get dropped first as it is not a priority for most people, which is totally understandable. It is not a consistent form of income and at certain times of the year it can be quite difficult, especially during Christmas where their money is going elsewhere or they are going away on holiday. Also through the middle of winter, a large majority of the people I come across lack the motivation to train.

12. What advice do you have for anyone considering starting the KSI Coach program?

The best advice I could give is to simply do it! You won’t regret it.

Again, thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. Every time anyone completes a task they set out to do they stand out, as not everyone does this. So well done, you deserve a big pat on the back!

Ian King

KSI Coach Education Program Learn original material based on real coaching – the best way to become the best you can be! Learn more: http://bit.ly/KSICoachingProgram

Saturday, October 10, 2015

We don’t care, just leave us alone to talk about sets and reps

I've really gone out on a limb in the last 6 months to warn as many who will listen and give them a chance to prepare, to take new directions in life. I’ve taken a real risk because I’ve seen how many people opt out when I dare to write about money. It would be a lot easier to write about popular shallow things, such as how to buff your biceps in 3 days using an little know secret that you can only learn by signing up for my next course…or something as benign and deceitful as that which is typical of what’s offered in our typical industry marketing.

It's amazing how so many in physical preparations shut down, opt out, walk away. They don't want to talk about anything than sets and reps. It will be interesting how that plays out in their 'golden years'.

How that will support them when they are grey hairs....how that will put their kids through education…fund their medical costs…support their parents as well as their kids….put food on the table….

I guess they want things to stay the same, keep getting the average PT income of 20--40k/year....and that was before the potential downturn…and that income will look like a fortune compared to the income they will receive in the later decades of their life.

However things are not going to stay the same, and I believe you have two choices in change. You can choose change and it hurts. Or you can have change forced on you and that will hurts a lot more. And I believe that type of pain is on the horizon for many. Well actually, the majority - based on what I see of so many turning their back on this information, concluding that they don’t need it.

I’ve been studying specifically the risks of 2016 for the last decade and a half, and few were talking about it back then. Now it’s become a mainstream discussion with

When a Harvard professor is writing for the Washington Post singing from the same song sheet as those who have been calling the risks of 2016 for over a decade, you know the evidence is mounting. The author is Lawrence Summers is a professor at and past president of Harvard University. He was treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001 and an economic adviser to President Obama from 2009 through 2010.

There were a few paragraphs that really stood out to me. Firstly the way so many in physical preparation appear to be putting their head in their sand. They are low incomes now, with little upside even in a ‘normal’ economy. In a downturn they will be screwed. But they want to keep doing what they are doing.
As always when things go badly, there is a great debate between those who believe in staying the course and those who urge a serious correction. I am convinced of the urgent need for substantial changes in the world’s economic strategy.
I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, as the role model of success appears at least the fitness industry to be more about the perception of greatness defined by likes and friends, and very little about competence or quality of life.

I’ve been studying the impending financial period and solutions for it for a long time now. And when I see what I see regarding people not wanting to do things differently, not willing to learn new values and skills, I really relate to this statement by the authors:
As always when things go badly, there is a great debate between those who believe in staying the course and those who urge a serious correction. I am convinced of the urgent need for substantial changes in the world’s economic strategy.
So what does this mean to the physical preparation coach? Insert the words ‘;hsyical preparation coach’ for ‘world’s policymakers’ in the below statement, as you truly are your own policy maker:
What does all this mean for the world’s policymakers gathering in Lima? This is no time for complacency. The idea that slow growth is only a temporary consequence of the 2008 financial crisis is absurd. The latest data suggest growth is slowing in the United States, and it is already slow in Europe and Japan. A global economy near stall speed is one where the primary danger is recession.
I will repeat – this is no time for complacency. Reminds me a lot of the stories from the Titanic – when people suggested it was time to leave, most might have thought ‘It can’t be, this ship can’t sink!’. I suggest that is exactly what we are seeing now….

Who are you going to be? The ones in the water drowning or the ones in the life boats?

Read the full article at http://bit.ly/Theglobaleconomyisinseriousdanger