Consultants and Mentors

There are two parts to every decision.
The first side is the logical part: What’s the right thing to do? Using historical data, math and surveys, we can forecast the outcome of the decision. We can account for pros and cons. We can measure the best possible outcome and the worst-case scenario.
The second side is the emotional part. This is usually what separates good decisions from ACTION. We try to guess how others will respond; we project our feelings onto them (also our wallets); we analyze and freeze up.
The first side, the logical part, is handled in the left hemisphere of your brain. We can make good decisions and KNOW they’re absolutely the right thing to do. This is what consultants are for: to show you the “right answer.”
BUT the second side, the emotional part, is far more powerful. This is why we get paralyzed. What stops action is fear, misplaced empathy, ego and — well, fear again.
Whenever a gym owner asks the question, “Should I raise rates?” in a public forum, they probably already know the answer: yes, they should. They probably have a great reason to do so: they have 70 members, maybe, and they’re still not taking a paycheck. They deserve to be paid; their kids need new shoes. But they hesitate. They ask for opinion. They analyze and overanalyze. They wait for someone to say, “Just pursue excellence, and everything will be okay.” They settle for faith because acting on knowledge is just too hard.
Here’s the difference between a “consultant” and a “mentor”: a consultant will show you the “right answer.” A mentor will help you reach it. A consultant says, “get your staff on contracts.” A mentor says, “Break down all the roles and tasks in your business. Here’s a template to help. I’ll call you on Tuesday; make sure you’re done. Call if you need help.”
As I near the 1000-affiliates helped mark, I look back on the path of knowledge since 2007:

  •  In 2007, Affiliates didn’t want to use booking and billing software, because it was hard to ask their members to hand over a void check. Now everyone does it.
  • In 2008, everyone said, “I’m not in this to make money.” Consultants and mentors who suggest profitability is important are criticized.
  • In 2009, we thought about buying radio advertising. Some turned to a consulting program for help, and were told to pass the buck to their staff.
  • In 2010, no one used WOD tracking software; people laughed at the companies who wanted to put TV screens in gyms.
  • In 2011, some affiliates argued that putting the WOD on the main page of their site “filtered people we don’t want.” Seriously, I took notes.
  • In 2012, most gyms started to say, “I just need more members” – even if they already had 80. Or 100. Or even 150.
  • In 2013, the same.
  • Ditto 2014.
  • In 2015, callers know they need to do something different, but they’re scared. In fact, 90% of the calls I got in that year were from people who already knew the right answer (even if they struggled to admit it to themselves.) My role changes from “consultant” to “mentor” for most.
  • In 2016, the best businesses are thriving and the weakest are gone.

Are some gyms ahead of their time? Absolutely. Some–who are now good friends–were asking the 2015 questions in 2011. These guys are now buying up other gyms–good locations, great equipment, great coaches, no income–and helping them. But others are stuck in 2011 problems, and not because they don’t know what to do. They just don’t have anyone saying, “Start with this first. Do it by Tuesday.”
Our TwoBrain University courses contain hundreds of modules for coaches, owners, GMs and CEOs. If I wanted to sell knowledge, I could just sell monthly subscriptions to those videos and templates. But knowledge isn’t the problem. As Dave Tate told me in January, “The best experts agree 90% of the time. But the best coaches will get their clients to use the knowledge.”
From Jim Rohn, a great influencer of Tony Robbins (and me): “Knowledge without action makes you a fool. Knowledge with action makes you successful.”
We call our first call a “Free Consultation“, and I still do all of them. I love showing people the right answer for their gyms. But that’s not mentorship. That’s a consultation. I don’t have to hold back any secrets, because I know that knowledge isn’t the problem: action is.
In your gym, new clients probably already know WHAT to do. They know they should squat (in 2009, new clients had no idea. I could do the same timeline for them.) Heck, some new clients might actually know more about the bar muscle-up than I do. So why aren’t they fit? Because they need a mentor.
Our coaches are trained to deal with the right brain (emotion) as much as the left brain (knowledge.) Our goal has always been to keep our clients for 20 years. At the gym, we have clients at the 14-year mark now. And no client has EVER quit our mentorship practice–in fact, many graduate into the TwoBrain group after working with other consultants.
Are you training your coaches to share the knowledge your clients can find anywhere…or to mentor them to success? Are you starting with a free consultation–as I am–or are you simply throwing open the doors every Saturday and hoping people show up, like your service and drop money in your lap?
TwoBrain mentors have to meet a stringent set of requirements to qualify. But those are only a first step. Since we mentor gyms that are bigger than our own, we can’t just be consultants. We have to be mentors. Every great coach has to inspire his athletes to THEIR best, not to match HIS best.
The next time you face a tough decision–like, “Should I raise rates?”– ask yourself, “Do I need more knowledge, or am I just trying to avoid the second part?” If either is true, you need a mentor.

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One more thing!

Did you know gym owners can earn $100,000 a year with no more than 150 clients? We wrote a guide showing you exactly how.