First Mastermind Conference Call

My first conference call with my mastermind group was great. We talked about pre-framing customers at the beginning to upgrade into higher level programs. I learned a ton of information.

Today, I spend on the action items from the meeting. We needed to write four letters for the first four weeks after a new enrollment. Weeks 1, 2, and 3 talk about the benefits of their training and the added benefits of the Leadership program. The week 4 letter indicates that they may experience an increase in price depending on the plan they select.

I am super excited about this Peak Performers and believe it's going to help skyrocket make my school one of the top schools in the country.

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I joined the Peak Performers - Mastermind Group

I joined a mastermind group. It's called the Peak Performers group.

So what is a mastermind group?
It's a group of non-competing school owners that get together to develop ideas to help each member out and hold each other accountable. I expect great results from this networking experience.

Why did I join?
Well, I am finding the more successful our business becomes the more resistance I receive from the people around me. If I want to change the curriculum, I am told that I am going to cheapen the art. Later, I do it and find that it produces better students and student outcomes. If I believe we are undervaluing our tuition, I am told that I will price myself out of the market. Only to find that raising the tuition has no effect on the number of students and a huge effect on the revenues.

These are all self-limiting beliefs. I need to get around people that are all ready producing the results I want. This is what a mastermind group is all about.

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Thoughts on Mentors

I have an organization attempting to court me into their business mentoring services.

Common knowledge states that you NEED a mentor or coach in order to be successful. The interesting thing is that the same people professing this wisdom are interested in signing you up for their coaching services.

Sounds like a conflict of interest to me.

In my experience, the more expensive the service the less value it seems to add. It's lots of Hoo-RA and no practical knowledge. Also, I think paying for these services hits a point of diminished returns.

What is a business owner to do?

Well here's some better and free options as opposed to spending a fortune

1. Network with Other Successful Businesses - Make sure that you only listen to business owners more successful than you. I keep in touch with a friend that owns a school like mine but is twice as successful. You better believe that I listen carefully to everything he says. One visit to his school gave me enough ideas to work on for a whole year. Each idea added thousands to my bottom line.
2. Have clearly defined goals - Define your goals for the next year. With these goals, create monthly goals that align with your yearly goals. Finally, work off of a daily task list that is created from looking at the monthly goals.
3. Take massive action - Most people hire mentors as a magic pill for their own laziness, only to find that they still need to do the work in improving their business.
4. Be a forever learner - Reading is one of the best and cheapest forms of learning. I glean more ideas from one good business book than any other source.
5. Look for one good gem - Suspend your judgment of other peoples ideas and listen. Even if 99% of their ideas are off base that one gem may generate endless amounts of revenue.
6. Boost your Marketing efforts - Marketing is one of the best tools for boosting your income. Most businesses market themselves too little.
7. Raise your prices - Constantly look for ways to increase your perceived value to your customers. Most people vastly underestimate the amount that customers are willing to pay for a product.
   
8. Find a Niche - This relates to #7. The better you define your target customer the more you can cater to their needs. The end result is commanding a higher price point.

There's my list of eight things to do instead of paying a mentor.

Can you think of more? Please leave us a comment.

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The Method IS The Message

In direct response marketing, experts always talk about the headline, the message, and the offer. The message dictates why someone needs or wants your service. I find that in most services, you find that the message is outlandish claims and maybe a few great testimonials (I always wonder if the best testimonials would have received the results anyway).

With all of these outlandish claims, I wanted to discover how our school could be different and unique from our competitors in delivering our message. Well, I believe…

THE METHOD IS THE MESSAGE

What does this mean? How we living, think, and eating – The method - becomes our message. I am talking about personal branding here. Living in a small community (~2500 people), I understand that almost everyone knows who I am. People call me the “karate guy” or if they know more about karate, “Sensei”.

I could create any slick piece of marketing but everyone knows me. So if I didn’t living the Martial arts way, people would realize that my message is garbage pretty quickly. Blogging is my way of being transparent and accountable. By journaling, you are building your personal brand.

What is my personal branding? I stand for frugality, the environment, and simple living. I also strive constantly for personal excellence in everything I do. I maintain a healthful diet and a high level of physical fitness. I found the karate was my best vehicle for living my message.

Everyone who walks in our dojo will in someway experience my personal branding because it’s unavoidable. I built all of the schools systems so they naturally reflect my attitudes towards life.

Okay now it's your turn.
What is your personal branding (what are you all about)?

What is your method for delivering your message?

Is your journaling in-line with this message?

What systems can you put in place to deliver your message?

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