As a follow-up from our MEGA TRAINING event in Boston, Eric put together a special new report called:

“How To Put Butts In Seats”

we gave everyone who attended MEGA TRAINING a head start on this yesterday, but now they’ve gotten their
hands on it so it’s going public.

Get your copy at:

http://www.FitBizGoldRush.com

Read below for the full story and letter from Eric, then get on over to the site and get your hands on the report pronto!

- Sean

P.S. The sharp fit biz owners and taking action now to capitalize on the BIG opportunities coming with the new year. Do you want to be one of them?

http://www.FitBizGoldRush.com

————–

LETTER FROM ERIC:

First, I want to say “thank you” for coming to the NPE Mega Training Workshop in Boston.

Sean and I were both really happy with the way it went. The atmosphere was electric, everyone was engaged, lots of great questions, lots of great content, and what about those Member of the Year presentations?  Those were absolutely killer.

Conor, Shannon, Mike, Shana and Coach Berry were all outstanding.  Quite a show, eh?

I’ll admit, I’m not the most extroverted guy in the world. And most times, although I love the content, attending seminars and events really drains me.

But not this time. I left Boston feeling really energized - totally pumped up. Seeing a bunch of old friends who I haven’t seen since I spoke at Phil Kaplan’s Forums in ‘05 and ‘06, and meeting the rest of you for the first time in person was pretty thrilling.

Humility aside, I’m proud of the way Sean and I have attracted very SERIOUS business people like you.  More than a couple attendees commented to me that the “class” of people at the Mega Training was unlike any other event they’ve attended.

I couldn’t agree more. We really do have the ‘cream of the crop’ in NPE.  And that’s one of the things that made Boston so stimulating…being around folks of your caliber.

So again, thanks for being there and making the event so memorable.

And by the way, we’re not done yet…there’s two Mega Training follow-up webinars coming up.  You’ll get details on those soon.  For now, be sure to spend time with your materials and do the work in your workbooks - I can’t tell you how much it will serve you in 2009 by preparing NOW to be the dominant (or MORE dominant) player in your local market.

Now, to the campaign I promised you.

During the second session on Saturday I told you about a marketing campaign I created that generated 52 attendees for a little health and fitness seminar right here in my neighborhood.

It was a huge success, and we did it all on a ’shoestring’ budget, in just 17 days.

And in Boston I told you I’d give you the campaign.

Well, I’m gonna do more than that.

I decided to not only give you the marketing tools to model, but also explain WHY they worked so well - so you can be certain you incorporate ALL the little tricks and tactics into your campaigns, and also kinda get a glimpse into how I think when I’m putting together a campaign.

So it’s all contained for you in a PDF download you can grab right now here:

http://www.FitBizGoldRush.com

When you get the PDF, you’ll also be registered for our upcoming GOLD RUSH webinar (no cost).

We told you a little about GOLD RUSH at Mega Training, and you also got to hear all the Member of the Year finalists talk about their GOLD RUSH events, so you probably have a pretty good understanding of just how potent it is.

But what you may not know is that the New Year is the absolute best time to run GOLD RUSH.

So we’re going to be taking a group through the GOLD RUSH training beginning in November. If you want to be part of that, then just attend the webinar for all the details.

Go ahead and grab the PDF download called “Butts In Seats” - and register for GOLD RUSH right here:

http://www.FitBizGoldRush.com

All the best,
Eric Ruth

P.S. Who are you dressing up as for Halloween?  I’ve got the spookiest “melting face” mask that I wear along with overalls, torn plaid shirt and boots and carry a big, bloody cleaver. We light up the front of the house in red, play hillbilly bluegrass and scare the crap out of the kids when they come by.  Brandy gets into the action too. We warn our neighbors who have real little kids beforehand, but the 8 year olds on up absolutely love it.  It’s fright night at the Ruth’s!

Make sure you read this entire post, because it’s an important one.

Shannon Willits is the owner of Pilates Sarasota, in Sarasota, FL and has been an NPE member since February 2008. And boy has she come a long way in that VERY short period of time!

In just 8 months, Shannon has totally transformed her business. She’s gone from being frustrated, burnt out, and on the verge of closing her doors… to record breaking months in revenue, accomplishment, and personal achievement including:

- Increased revenue a whopping 340% September 2008 over September 2007

- Has her marketing pipeline full, leading to a steady 3-4 NEW client consultations each week

- Full groups and classes for each time offered in her studio

- And… the word is out all over town that her facility is ‘the place to be’ for guaranteed results and pilates training!

Each month continues to improve for Shannon and she is now set for a tremendous 2009!

Here’s the products and coaching programs she’s gone through on her ‘rise to the top’:

Maximum Response Fitness Marketing

AUTO-CLOSER™ Fitness Sales System

DUPLICATOR™ Fitness Business Management System

ACT® Database Management System

DEEP CORE™ Fitness Marketing System

Cash Flow Surge System

In addition to investing in those products and coaching programs, Shannon became an NPE Gold Member in February, Gold Plus member in May, and the day before the event became an AREA-EXCLUSIVE VIP Member (more details about VIP coming in the next couple weeks).

Due to popular demand, if you’d like to get your hands on the giant 106 pg. “swipe file” of materials each of the finalists sent in for the Member Of The Year contest (tons of sales letters, ads, newsletters, and other profit-producing client-generating tools) then all that we ask is you make a small donation to one of our favorite charity’s - the Wounded Warrior Project.

Donate whatever amount your comfortable, $25, $50, or $100… it all goes toward a great cause.

So far we received $2,480 in donations at MEGA TRAINING, and we made a pledge to have NPE match that amount… but we’d like to get the total up there before writing the big check. Hopefully you’ll see the value in supporting a great cause and the soldiers that support our freedom which too many take for granted.

Just click one of the links below, and you’ll be directed to an order form to complete your donation. Upon submission you’ll be taken right to the download page of the big swipe file.

Click here to donate $25 to the Wounded Warrior Project and get the 106 pg. swipe file

Click here to donate $50 to the Wounded Warrior Project and get the 106 pg. swipe file

Click here to donate $100 to the Wounded Warrior Project and get the 106 pg. swipe file

Here’s another incentive for you to give… and GIVE BIG!

Everyone who donates a $100 will be put into a drawing for a 1hr. consult with Eric and I (value $800 and not currently for sale anywhere else at this time because we’re too slammed to offer it!).

So click on those links, support a great cause, and get your hands on a tremendous book of fitness business tools and inspiration from all our our Member of the Year finalists!

Best Regards,

Sean

P.S. We’ve still got 3 more vidoes… and some special announements to share with you in the next posts coming up!

Today I’m pleased to share with you the first of 5 killer videos we’ve got over here.

Conor Kelly, from Toronto, ON, Canada, was first up on stage in front of the big crowd. And he represented himself, and the Canadian flag in a BIG way, as you’ve watched in the video.

Here’s the programs Conor has participated in here over the last year:

GOLD RUSH™ Fitness Seminar Marketing System

AUTO-CLOSER™ Fitness Sales System

DUPLICATOR™ Fitness Business Management System

NPE GOLD PLUS Membership Program

Conor also owns 2 info-products from our store:

Cash Flow Surge System & Physicians Referral System

And he’s currently in our DEEP CORE™ Fitness Marketing System class right now, has pre-registered for GOLD RUSH™ 2009, and he’s applied for all 3 NEW VIP AREA-EXCLUSIVE Programs, which we’ll be sharing more about publicly in the coming weeks ahead.

Congratulations Conor on a fantastic year… and we know you’ve got an even BIGGER 2009 ahead!

Sean

P.S. Conor made the comment at the beginning of his presentation that his goal was to inspire everyone he can to make the LEAPS he has in his business (and therefore his life) and I know it would mean a ton to him to hear from you on our blog if you enjoyed his presentation. Take a moment to post your comments (and feedback from his presentation) below:

Hope your week is off to a good start.

I’ve just returned from a nice holiday, and have that ‘refreshed and recharged’ feeling this morning.

Ready for an awesome week ahead.

You know we talk a lot about growing your business, and working hard.

But one of the other most important things you can do for yourself (and therefore your biz) is to schedule regular downtime to relax and recharge.

Over the years I’ve learned that if you’re going to ‘give it your all’ in growing your biz you’ve got to be at your best. And that means scheduling regular downtime in advance so that breaks don’t get missed…

…and you don’t get run down and feeling like your out of gas.

Last spring I scheduled out all my holidays for the remained of 2008. My goal was at least one good holiday a quarter. Might be a 3 or 4 day weekend, might be a week long trip, but it will be something great to get away and unwind.

So far I’ve stuck to that schedule, and it’s been working great.

We’ll be busy-as-all-heck over here, working long hours, but then before you know it, I look up, and it’s time for a break again.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because I’m sure someone reading this needs to hear it.

Work hard, but then make sure you take time to play hard too.

Your business, and your family, will thank you for it.

I promise that when you’re old and grey, living out your last years you will NOT say “I wished I’d put in more hours at the office!”

Ok, on another note…

I want to share with you that tomorrow I’ll be conducting a very special webinar on “Understanding The Numbers In Your Fitness Business” to our Gold Plus members.

And having just ‘tuned up’ the powerpoint and tools for my presentation on the return flight last night, I’ll tell you this is gonna be a VERY good call.

We’re gonna cover key numbers every fitness business owner needs to know more about including:

- How to track key numbers around money, sales, marketing, people, and time in your fitness business

- What you need to know about reviewing and analyzing monthly reports to avoid “major problems” that can cost you thousands of dollars in wasted revenue and lost time each month

- How to update your marketing plan, based on reports and the review process each month… ensuring you ALWAYS have more leads than you need to ‘fill the pipeline’ every single month

- What numbers you need to review monthly, weekly, and daily in your business to stay sharp and hit your goals FASTER than ever before

- And much more..

- PLUS, I’ve got 7 done-for-you tools and templates that you can download and use right now to get control of your fit biz and kiss the ‘roller coaster’ months of uncertainty goodbye.

When you take control, you GET control.

It’s just that simple.

If you’re already a Gold Plus member (or higher), then get ready because this is gonna be one doozy of a call tomorrow.

We’ll be covering the hardcore management you MUST be following right now to take control of your fit biz.

If you’re NOT yet a Gold Plus member, then get on over to the website and sign up today so we can get you registered to join us on this webinar tomorrow at:

http://www.NPEGoldPlus.com

To your success,
Sean

P.S. It’s not as sexy as making big sales, or rolling out a new marketing campaign, but NOT knowing how to track, review, and analyze numbers in your biz is the single biggest reason we see good businesses go south. It’s your responsibility as the biz owner to get educated and stay on top of these things… no one is going to do it for you. If you want a crash course in how to do it right then register for NPE Gold Plus and join us on tomorrow’s webinar at:

http://www.NPEGoldPlus.com

P.P.S. After returning from vacation I’ve got a ton of e-mails sitting in my inbox to get through, but I can see one of them at the top of the inbox here is from our video guy who’s just edited all 5 presentations made in Boston last weekend for the “NPE Member of the Year” contest. We’ll start posting these up in the next couple days, and wait til you get a load of them. As anyone who was there to see it live will tell you, they’re unbelievable stories of personal triumph, success, and victory. Just the ’shot in the arm’ of inspiration anyone can use right now to stay focused and motivated on your goals ahead!

Yesterday I was on www.washingtonpost.com reading up on my Redskins (I’m a Virginia native).

We recently kicked the rear-ends of the Cowboys and Eagles in back-to-back weeks, but then lost to the lowly Rams just last Sunday.

Since I was in Boston for the NPE Mega Training Workshop, I didn’t get to see the game and only found out the horrible news when I got to the airport Sunday evening.

So yesterday I wanted to read what Michael Wilbon and some of the other great sports writers at the Post had to say about the Skins.

As as I scrolled down one of the articles, I saw this advertisement:

The Obama advertisement I saw at washingtonpost.com

And that ad tells you everything you need to know about why Obama may win the election on November 4th.

It’s not because he’s the candidate of “change.”

It’s not because he’s offering to give 95% of Americans a tax cut (36% of Americans don’t even pay any net taxes, so that must be some kind of new math).

And it’s not because he’s an incredibly charismatic politician who’s mastered the art of soaring rhetoric.

No, if Obama wins, there is another reason that trumps everything I’ve just mentioned, and any other issue, including the current economic situation.

Curious?

Good.

You have a fertile mind.

Lemme lay it out for you (this is a truly fascinating MARKETING case study that you’d be foolish to neglect studying, even if you have zero interest in politics).

======MARKETING CASE STUDY=========

If Obama wins, it will be because his team has created the most powerful marketing machine possibly in the history of the world.

His message is everywhere (even in the middle of an article on the Washington Redskins), and his PRIMARY objective - no…his ONLY objective - is LEAD GENERATION.

Here’s what you see if you click on the advertisement I just showed you:

Here

Notice that you are not taken to a website with a bunch of info on Barack.  Instead you are taken to a landing page where you are “squeezed” for your contact info before you get to any of the “goodies.”

Why?

The list, my friend.  The list.

Now, read this excerpt from www.Salon.com about Obama’s marketing machine. It’s fascinating.

=======ARTICLE=======

Barack Obama’s super marketing machine

He knows your neighborhood, your favorite products and even when you open your e-mail. How Obama is betting on vast, corporate-style voter outreach to win the White House.

By Mike Madden

July 16, 2008 | WASHINGTON — About every week or so, you get an e-mail from Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, or top deputy Steve Hildebrand, or maybe Obama himself. They’re breezy and informal, addressing you by first name at the outset (before they ask you to donate money at the end). But that’s just the beginning.

You know, of course, that Obama has your e-mail address. You may not have realized that he probably also has your phone number and knows where you’re registered to vote — including whether that’s a house or an apartment building, and whether you rent or own. He’s got a decent estimate of your household income and whether you opened a credit card recently. He knows how many kids you’re likely to have and what you do for a living. He knows what magazines and catalogs you get and whether you’re more apt to get your news from cable TV, the local newspaper or online. And he knows what time of day you tend to get around to plowing through your in box and responding to messages.

The 5 million people on Obama’s e-mail list are just the start of what political strategists say is one of the most sophisticated voter databases ever built. Using a combination of the information that supporters are volunteering, data the campaign is digging up on its own and powerful market research tools first developed for corporations, Obama’s staff has combined new online organizing with old-school methods of voter outreach to assemble a central database for hitting people with messages tailored as closely as possible to what they’re likely to want to hear. It’s an ambitious melding of corporate marketing and grassroots organizing that the Obama campaign sees as a key to winning this fall.

=======END=======

That article was written in July of this year. I would bet Obama’s database far exceeds 5 million by now.

And with the click of a button, he can rally his entire “army” of supporters to vote. He can mobilize more people, more quickly, easily and efficiently, to take action on his behalf, than any other politician, company or individual in the history of the world.

If Obama wins in November, it will be for one reason moreso than any other…

HE IS THE BETTER MARKETER.

At the NPE Mega Training, Sean and I fielded questions from the attendees throughout the event. One fitness business owner asked us, “What should I do FIRST as soon as I get home?”

My answer…

Get your DATABASE in order.  Compile ALL the information on your past and present clients, your prospects, publicity/media contacts, strategic allies, and entire sphere of influence into one COMMAND CENTER - your actionable database. And then USE the information to market your services.

Here at NPE, we use a solution called InfusionSoft (email us if you want info on this solution). It is highly sophisticated and incredibly robust - and not inexpensive.

There are other, less costly solutions.

ACT! is a fantastic example.  Sean built his 650+ client fitness business using ACT!, and many of our Members now use it with outstanding results.

And there’s also Excel.  Excel limits you in many ways - it’s not a true database, but merely a tool for organizing basic info about your contacts.

But it’s far superior to a “tickler” file, just stuffing names and addresses into your desk drawer, or, of course, doing nothing at all.

Being a successful fitness marketer requires identifying and capitalizing on as many “points of leverage” as possible.

There is NO greater point of leverage than your database of people who know, like and trust you…and could buy from you.

NONE.

So, if you want to win the game of marketing - if you want to dominate your local marketplace and quickly become the “obvious expert” and fitness professional of choice in your area, you MUST start with building and utilizing an actionable database.

NOTE #1: An email list alone is NOT a database.  Refer back to the article about Obama’s marketing machine to see ALL the data his organization is compiling and leveraging about each person on his list.  Sending emails is just one medium of communication that can be used to reach out to and compel folks to take action, but it’s far from the only medium they use.

NOTE #2: Pay close attention to this quote from the article…

“About every week or so, you get an e-mail from Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, or top deputy Steve Hildebrand, or maybe Obama himself. They’re breezy and informal, addressing you by first name at the outset (before they ask you to donate money at the end).”

This reveals three of the secrets to RELATIONSHIP building that are so crucial to effective marketing (and something the vast majority of business owners do incorrectly): frequency, tone and call to action.

If you understand how vital what I’ve just shown you is to growing your fitness business (and making yourself impervious to economic downturns and competition), then I encourage you to take a long, hard look at this database-building resource for fitness professionals:

http://www.fitnessmarketingsystems.com/module-3-08.html

Be a marketing maniac,
Eric Ruth

P.S. This post is NOT intended to convey any kind of political message. I am not endorsing a specific candidate to you. I respect you and your ability to make up your own mind without any prodding or influence from me. I have strong feelings about this election and who the better candidate is, but reserve my comments for one-on-one conversations only.  However, if you are a U.S. citizen, I DO encourage you to exercise your franchise and your responsibility to VOTE!

P.P.S. I’m interested in hearing your comments about this post. Click the “comments” link below to leave your thoughts and ideas.  And have a great weekend.

Their names are Mike Stare, Shana Ross,
Coach RB Berry, Shannon Willits and Conor Kelly.

They’re the five finalists who competed for
NPE Member of the Year at last weekend’s
Mega Training Workshop.

You’ll see them telling their stories from the
stage, in front of what is probably the largest
live audience any of them have spoken to.

You’ll get choked up, just like we all did.

And you’ll get FIRED up, just like we all did.

Seeing these five light up the stage with their
personal stories of overcoming all kinds of
obstacles (not one of them had an easy, smooth
ride) and prevailing in spite of challenges and
hurdles and roadblocks at almost every turn…
WILL light a fire under your rear-end.

And after watching them, you’ll be ready to go
out and conquer your market…seizing what is
yours…kickin’ butt and takin’ names.

I’m not kidding — you’d have to be a corpse not
to get excited, inspired and pump-your-fist motivated
watching these five NPE Member of the Year finalists
tell their stories.

It’s like watching Rocky for the first time all over again.

You may even be tossing back some raw eggs and
pulling on your old sweats and go running in the
dark, wee hours of the morning after you see these
videos.

We’ll have the videos back from our videographer in
a few days, and then we’ll release one a day
(posting to the blog), leading up to the big finale…
NPE Member of the Year for 2008.

These stories are so good, so inspiring and so
meaty — giving rock solid information and guidance
about how to follow their path to a successful fitness
business, how to avoid the mistakes they made, how to
create and capitalize on opportunity, how to think big
and achieve big…with speed! (You’ll see Conor talk
about how he went from 30K in debt to 30K in bank, a
wedding in Bulgaria and a new BMW…in less than 10
months - and that’s just one of our five finalists)

Just flat out great stuff - and it’s all coming your
way in a few days.

Stay tuned,

Eric

P.S. If you’re sorta hanging out by the fence watching
us to see if NPE is the real deal…just sorta waiting
to put your toe in the water…after seeing these videos
there will be no doubt. There CAN be no further lingering
doubt.  I appreciate how important proof is to overcoming
skepticism and cynicism…and you’ll find no more potent
and convincing proof of just how deadly serious we are
about helping those who truly want help…and the results -
the LIFE CHANGING results - they achieve with our help…
showcased in these upcoming videos.  If you’re one of the
smart fitness professionals who is sick of the ‘hype’ and
just wants the meat, the nuts-and-bolts system, the tried
and true tools and the millyun dollar blueprint for success
in the fitness business, then come on in, the water’s fine…

http://www.NPEGold.com

Eric and I flew in last night, had some dinner and a quick meeting with one of our event planners, then crashed.

Everything is looking terrific for MEGA TRAINING.

Hotel just completed $3M in renovations and looks excellent.

In just a few minutes, we’re off to a breakfast meeting with the other speakers.

Then a staff lunch meeting at 1pm, And by 6pm we’ll be celebrating in a special reception here for Gold Plus, VIP, and Platinum members.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because one VERY important component of being a successful business person (and human being) is to ’surround yourself with like-minded people’.

If you’ve ever heard the saying, “your yearly income will be the average of the 10 people your are closest too” - it’s true!

But I think more importantly, having a community of people who are working to achieve the same goals you are, facing (and overcoming) the same challenges you are, and just having a group of folks you can just ‘talk shop with’ is a MUST.

That’s why getting out to live events and networking/meetings with like minded people (like this weekend’s MEGA TRAINING) is so important.

Don’t just sit back and read e-mails, thinking you’re gonna get somewhere.

Get engaged in a community of like-minded folks… and watch how you will grow!

I’m proud to say that Eric and I have been able to build a home for MANY successful Fit Biz owners here at NPE.

If you haven’t joined the club yet, then I invite you to test-drive NPE Gold with our 60-day f.r.ee trial at:

http://www.NPEGold.com

Or if you’re a studio owner, who’s ready to jump right in where the other big players are, head straight to:

http://www.NPEGoldPlus.com

This month’s Gold Plus Module is “Understanding Your Numbers”.

And I can tell you that after speaking with 100’s of independent personal trainers, studio owners, and health club owners the past couple years this is a BIG area where most folks need help.

But before you can “Understand Your Numbers”, you’ve got to know which numbers you need to be on top of!

You’ve got to learn where to find them and how to get them ‘visible’. Once you do that (and we’ll be sharing several worksheets and done-for-you templates on this month’s Gold Plus call), then it’s a whole heck-of-a-lot easier to make good business decisions.

Here’s a quick litmus test for you to see just how well you know your numbers.

Can you take 5 minutes and come up with your last month’s:

- Marketing Campaign tracking numbers (giving you cost per lead, cost per sale, ROI tracking, and more)

- Sales tracking numbers (giving you your close rate, average ticket sale, top objections)

- Financial Statements (showing your profit/loss, plus a budget ‘variance report’

- Studio capacity tracking numbers (or health club, etc where applicable- to show you how well you are utilizing current resources)

- Client and staff tracking numbers (to manage the ‘people’ in your biz)

- Next 3 month’s forecasting report (to know what money you have scheduled to come it, what money needs to go out when, and analyze cash flow, etc)

If you can’t get those numbers in 5 minutes or less, then you don’t have your tracking and review systems organized to where they NEED to be.

And I invite you to register and join us on this month’s Gold Plus call and let us help you fix that.

This stuff is too important to stay in the dark with.

If you own a biz, it’s your responsibility to take control of it (or accept that it will control you).

Join NPE Gold Plus (or upgrade your membership) at:

http://www.NPEGoldPlus.com

When you do that, we’ll send you all the materials and details to join us live on this month’s webinars.

Ok, I’m off to our meeting and the big day ahead.

Have a great weekend,
Sean

P.S. With all the hustle and bustle of this weekend’s MEGA TRAINING event, don’t expect I’ll get to another e-mail or blog post until early next week. But will be back in touch when we’ve returned and recovered from Boston!

New video from NPE Member Shana Ross (see the story below!)

This morning we’ll all moving a little slow after yesterday’s Fitness Marketing Explosion webinar.

Was a big showing (as always) and today’s clean up day.

Then going to get a little rest before Eric and I fly to Boston tomorrow night for this weekend’s MEGA TRAINING event.

The last couple week’s have been so busy here, I’m overdue in sharing this with you.

Here’s the (back)story:

Last year we started an annual “NPE Member of the Year” contest, and all the top members sent in packages for review. Each shared examples and stories of how much they’re grown and why they should be chosen for the award.

This year, since we’re bringing everyone together live for the MEGA TRAINING event in Boston, we thought we’d run the contest a little different.

We invited members to submit packages as usual, but then Eric, Dick, and I had the grueling task of sifting through those packages to choose 5 finalists to present LIVE on stage Saturday night at the event.

This year, the members will vote and choose the NPE member of the year.

And I’ll tell you what, the competition is tough!

Picking 5 finalists out of the 13 LARGE packages we received was very hard.

But picking a winner out of these 5 is going to be even tougher!

First let me thank the 13 members who submitted packages for the contest:

1. Billy Beck II, BB3 Fitness, Weston, FL (Gold Plus)

2. Brad Scott, Melbourne, FL (Gold Plus)

3. Coach RB Berry, Dare To Be Fit, Oceanside, CA (VIP)

4. Conor Kelly, Evolution Fitness, Willowdale, ON Canada (Gold Plus)

5. Ginny Grupp, AlaskaFit, Girdwood, AK (Gold)

6. Kennett Washington, Healing Strength PT, Charlotte, NC (Gold Plus)

7. Mike Stare, Spectrum Fitness Consulting, Beverly, MA (Gold Plus)

8. Scott Allen, Fitness Together, Maple Grove, MN (Gold Plus)

9. Shana Ross, Shana Ross Fitness, Houston, TX (Platinum)

10. Shannon Willits, Pilates Sarasota, Sarasota, FL (Gold Plus)

11. Shayne Cahill, Progress Personal Training, Spring Hill, FL (Gold Plus)

12. Tony Maslan, Custom Fit PT, Evansville, IN (Platinum)

13. Vic Magary, Metro Martial Arts & Fitness, Columbus, OH (Gold Plus)

The 5 finalists chosen are (in no particular order):

- Coach RB Berry, Dare To Be Fit, Oceanside, CA (VIP)

- Conor Kelly, Evolution Fitness, Willowdale, ON Canada (Gold Plus)

- Mike Stare, Spectrum Fitness Consulting, Beverly, MA (Gold Plus)

- Shana Ross, Shana Ross Fitness, Houston, TX (Platinum)

- Shannon Willits, Pilates Sarasota, Sarasota, FL (Gold Plus)

To give you an idea just how well our members are doing right now (we’re NOT making this stuff up) I thought I’d share one of the videos sent in for the contest.

They are ALL good… but this one is really good.

Shana’s a brand new studio owner, and only 1 year in business she’s just exploded. And she’s built a serious foundation to springboard her into ‘doubling’ that success for year 2.

Will have some great pictures (and video) from the weekend I’m sure. And will post with results on the contest next week.

Have a great day,

Sean

P.S. Not an NPE Member yet, what the heck are you waiting for? Check out the 30-day trial at:

http://www.NPEGold.com

Or if you’re serious and want to start off with the real players, then get on over to:

http://www.NPEGoldPlus.com

Happy Monday.

Hope your week is off to a great start and you’re forging ahead even “when the going gets tough”.

I’m pleased to report my weekend trip to Orlando was fantastic and exactly what was needed to recharge the batteries before the busy and exciting week ahead.

As promised, I’ve posted some pictures from the weekend (and a little more info about my trip) to the blog. So, here they are:

Dick, Kit, Sean, Christina @ Season's 52 celebrating my 31st birthday. This is one of my MANY favorite restaurant's in Orlando.

Outside Quiet Flight surf shop at Universal Studio's "Citywalk". Always saw this and thought it was goofy when we lived in Orlando, now playing tourist this weekend thought we'd give it a shot.

Didn't get any good wakeboarding photos from the weekend (iphone doesn't do 'action photography'), but here's an older one for you. Here I am at the Orlando Watersports Complex doing a trick called the 'back roll'. This is what's called an 'air trick', because you get height from loading and releasing line tension, as opposed to jumping off the wake (or a jump ramp/kicker).

Here I am at the 2001 World Championships in Duisberg, Germany. This photo was taken during my run and I'm doing a trick called a 'half-cab roll', which is basically a trick where you take off backwards, flip and twist, landing forwards again. Not the best quality photo, but all I could dig through and get quickly on my computer this am. I was proud of this competition because I landed every trick in my run and finished 31st in the world. Needed to learn more difficult tricks to rank higher, but I landed every trick I had clean and stood up my run.

Ok, enough about me.

Let’s talk about you.

Two big events happening this week you should know about.

1. Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) at 2pm EST Eric and I are hosting a 1-hr open coaching webinar on “How To NEVER Run Out Of Leads!”. We’re calling it the “Fitness Marketing Explosion” webinar, because from the many e-mails we’ve received it’s clear that you guys WANT and NEED more people in front of you right now to grow your biz, so we’re going to show you how to do exactly that on tomorrow’s webinar.

If you have NOT registered yet (and downloaded the report and audio cd we’re giving away) this is your last chance to do so.

Simply follow the link below to register and receive all the details:

http://www.FitnessMarketingExplosion.com

2. MEGA-TRAINING- Our first annual live event is taking place in Boston next Saturday & Sunday and things are looking awesome for the event. Before heading to Orlando for the weekend, I approved final materials for print, plus went through the 13 packages we received for the 2008 NPE Member of the Year Contest. Choosing 5 finalists, out of all the amazing packages and success stories we got, was NOT an easy thing to do. But I’m happy to report that the 5 finalists we choose have absolutely incredible stories, exhibits, and numbers to share. All will be revealed live on stage Saturday night for your viewing and voting pleasure.

If you are NOT coming to MEGA TRAINING, boy you are gonna miss out on one-heck-of-a-show.

But I’m sure we’ll have some good video clips to post to the blog in the following weeks ahead.

Ok, I’m off to our morning staff meeting.

Have a great day.

- Sean

P.S. If you’re a studio or health club owner and need more people in front of you right now to grow your biz, then don’t miss our 1-hr open coaching webinar on “How To NEVER Run Out Of Leads!” taking place tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2pm EST. This is your LAST chance to register (and download the report and audio cd we’re giving away).

Simply follow the link below to register and receive all the details:

http://www.FitnessMarketingExplosion.com

Hope you’re having a great Friday and ready for the weekend.

I know I am.

Eric and I have been on a non-stop work schedule the past couple weeks preparing for our MEGA TRAINING event taking place next weekend in Boston.

Good news is all the work is done now, and we’re gonna kick back and relax a bit this weekend.

In fact I’m celebrating my 31st birthday.

Christina and I are flew to Orlando last night to see some old friends and have some fun.

Hope to go wakeboarding, which I haven’t done at all in the last couple years, so should be a good time.

If I get some decent pictures from the trip, will post to the blog.

Anyway, I wanted to keep today’s message short and sweet.

Most of the country is still in a bit of turmoil over the financial markets, and I don’t know how that may or may not be affecting your fitness business right now.

But I’ll tell you the good news about market corrections - they ALWAYS separate the ‘weak’ from the ’strong’.

And that means YOU have the power to grow right now.

All the folks that are looking for the quick buck, some kinda get-rich-quick scheme, and are too lazy to invest in paying their dues (AKA ‘earn it’) will soon be washing out.

You, on the other hand, can TURN UP THE VOLUME, and take over right now. Just like Cliff Latham (who’s voicemail I posted on the blog yesterday) and all our other top members who are kicking a** and taking names.

The rich DO get richer and the poor get poorer.

With good reason.

When times get tough, rich people aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves, take action, and get things done.

Poor people sit around and wait for the magic bullet to appear.

NEWS FLASH: There is no magic bullet.

You make your own way. And you earn what you’ve got (the good and the bad).

If you’re a studio owner and want to learn how to flood your business with leads over the next 90 days, then I invite you to join us for next Tuesday’s “Fitness Marketing Explosion” coaching webinar taking place at 2pm EST (1pm CST, 12pm MST, 11am PST).

Registration at:

http://www.FitnessMarketingExplosion.com

I’ve also posted our new “How To NEVER Run Out Of Leads!” Report online, which you’ll receive when you click the link below and register for the webinar.

Great audio CD there too, but you’ll need to give us your mailing address if you want to get that sent to you.

http://www.FitnessMarketingExplosion.com

Anyway, hope you have a great weekend and I’ll check back in later.

To your success,
Sean

P.S. My grandfather is an old Navy captain and one of his favorite sayings has always been “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”. I couldn’t agree more and hope more people step up to the plate and grow a backbone - like all our grandparents did when our country (and the world) was going through a lot tougher times than we’re dealing with at the moment. If you want to learn more about what our top studio owners are doing to explode their business, then join us for next week’s “Fitness Marketing Explosion” webinar by clicking the link below:

http://www.FitnessMarketingExplosion.com