Hey super Trainers, yesterday I was hanging out with a few if my friends and former FitBody boot camp franchise owners Chris Amaro, Mark Lopez and Raz Slaughter. So naturally I had to ask them WHY they (and so many others) have dropped out of the Fitbody boot camp franchise. As a matter of fact I remember clearly that the first time I exposed Fit Body boot camp on my blog Mark Lopez actually defended them and called me OLD? Oh no……

Well I guess I can now say “I told you so” Mark Lopez ;)

Old simply means experienced ;) I am simply glad that these guys were able to figure out for themselves why Fitbody boot camp wasn’t the right fit for their fitness business.

Best of luck to Belton, Raz, Chris and Mark with their fitness business. It seems like they found a better fit for their needs. Again I think the big take away from this interview is take care of your clients and customers and do what you say you’re going to do.

At the end yes marketing is important but don’t get caught up so much in marketing that you forget the treasure that’s in front of you. YOUR CURRENT CUSTOMER AND CLIENTS.

As we all know by now in this day of social media, youtube, etc…. you can’t hide. If you don’t live up to your promises word will spread
like wild fire.

This is straight from their blog as their vision statement:

“The year is 2015, we’ve just celebrated the opening of our 5000th Fit Body Boot Camp location with a party in Las Vegas. Over 800 franchisees attended. Our team celebrated by giving awards to top franchisees, and welcoming new franchisees

That means Fitbody boot camp needs to open 4850 locations to get there in the next two years. Sorry ain’t going to happen.

 My Prediction: 2015 (maybe even earlier) Fitbody will be SOLD to an investor that knows absolutely nothing about the fitness business. Shortly after it will be a part of history.

[spoiler]

Male Speaker 1: Hey everybody. It’s Ross Slater [Phonetic]. I’m at Burn Fitness [Phonetic].

Male Speaker 2: Awesome. Mark Lopez, Tampa, Florida; Fitness Revolution in Tampa.

Male Speaker 3: Christopher Ramaro [Phonetic], Fit and Free LLC, also Mercer County Boot Camp in New Jersey.

Sam Bakhtiar: And it’s your main man, Seven-Figure Sam here. We’re here in Kentucky having some fun. We just had a whole day of masterminding and everything. We’re with my boys and hey, you guys before were – you were part of the Pro [Phonetic] Body Boot Camp, right?

Male Speaker: Absolutely.

Sam Bakhtiar: No. You were though, right? We’re not here to bash. But let’s just say you were part of the boot camp, right? But you’re not a part of it now.

Male Speaker: Absolutely not.

Sam Bakhtiar: OK. So I want to ask you. We’re not here to bash anybody or anything like that. But we’re just here to know. Tell me the reason that you left.

Male Speaker 1: Well I can say that the reason that we left, it just didn’t work for us. The model wasn’t fit for the type of clientele that we were used to catering to and boot camps weren’t for me. So that’s the real reason I left.

Male Speaker 2: The main reason I left was basically I came to a franchise for the coaching in the systems. When it came to the coaching, it was 15-minute coaching calls with – sometimes I call and I wouldn’t get a callback for five minutes and now it’s a ten-minute coaching call.

So that threw me off and usually it’s hey, get more referrals. Have more energy. And as far as systems go, it was really – I mean you can go to the membership site and there was a bunch of done-for-you three-minute videos that were posted on the blogs two days before. So it was nothing for the price that I was paying to be in the system.

Sam Bakhtiar: Now to be honest, Mark, I remember I posted. I called them out one time. That’s how I felt, right? And I think you went up there and you kind of defended them and I think you called me an old man, I remember.

[Crosstalk]

Sam Bakhtiar: I am an old man. I’m pushing 40, 39. I’m pushing over but tell me like what changed because I know you got that – you were like a diehard Pro [Phonetic] Body Boot Camp fan and all of a sudden, you changed. So what made that shift from then on? It wasn’t because lack of service.

Male Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. Literally like as soon as like after we had that thing on Facebook, I got my coaching calls together and I was like – no, I scheduled a coaching call two weeks later and it was more referrals, more energy. This is how you grow your business, referrals and energy, and it wasn’t working and the support wasn’t there and if you start falling apart, let’s – it changed me basically.

[Crosstalk]

Sam Bakhtiar: But yeah, it’s [0:02:56] [Indiscernible] to take somebody to stand out and be an asshole [Indiscernible] and call somebody out for other people to see, “Hey, you know what? Maybe I’m not getting my money’s worth,” and then all that kind of stuff. So, are they working out?

Male Speaker 2: Absolutely. We’re here. Sam is here. We’re at the Fitness Revolution, Athletic Revolution Conference and my first experience was last October with Fitness Business Weekend. Pat Rigsby, Nick Berry, the whole [Indiscernible] actually blew me away with the content that they delivered. I met Sam there and it has just been to these guys since then. So it has been great …

Sam Bakhtiar: So you actually get a phone call or an email back when you call them?

Male Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. I was talking to Chris earlier telling him how – it was this morning actually. I was talking to him how when I first got on the phone with Pat, discussing – or our first coaching call, discussing Fitness Revolution. He was just saying, “Hey,” and I was like, “I will reach out to you.” He was like, “Yeah, yeah. Just whenever you need any help, any assistance, you let me know.” I’m like, “So you mean like I can actually call you or you’re too busy?” He said, “No you can talk to me.” I’m like, “Are you sure you’re not too busy?” So I wasn’t used to that personal service from the head CEO of such a big franchise. I mean that’s what this whole organization is about is treating everyone like family and I love that about them.

Sam Bakhtiar: Chris, what about you, man? So what happened to you? Because if I remember correctly, like you were on Facebook. We’ve got a whole [Indiscernible] back.

[Crosstalk]

Sam Bakhtiar: Yeah.

Male Speaker 3: No, they – I think the man got me deactivated from that particular account so I’m starting another Facebook.

Sam Bakhtiar: Oh, there it was. OK.

Male Speaker 3: I think. I don’t know for sure but that’s my guess.

Male Speaker: [Inaudible]

Sam Bakhtiar: So what was the main reason honestly that it didn’t work for you? Because obviously you guys are just a few people here. But I mean there were like dozens and dozens and dozens of people they had a fallout with and they told me kind of – they’re totally on the decline. So what made it for you?

Male Speaker 3: Mark said a lot of things that related to me as well. I think one of the other things that I think is important is who you associate yourself with and they have to have the same kind of objective or mission statement, maybe philosophy.

One thing that started to concern me is I remember in one particular year – I don’t know if it was 2011or 2012. I think a certain somebody of X, Y, Z. That’s what we’re saying. They said some kind of like broad mission statements [0:05:29] [Indiscernible] every corner of the earth. Like if 5000 …

[Crosstalk]

Sam Bakhtiar: They did it in 5000 locations. If they do that, then it means I’m training for the [Indiscernible]. That’s not me saying that I’m going to dump [Indiscernible] but go ahead.

Male Speaker 3: Yeah. So basically, I mean it got to the point where it felt like the money that I’m investing, the time, the energy, is more focused on what they want to accomplish, the fact that they want to get that Bill Gates kind of money put into the fitness industry, if that makes sense.

And whereas say for example where we’re at right now when it comes to the Fitness Revolution, it’s very important that you grow your business, that you learn more. But it’s also important that you don’t forget who you are. You don’t lose your identity. I mean it felt that the bigger they got, it just felt like they couldn’t help people the same way they could in the past before. You kind of lose sight as far as what’s important. It’s kind of like rags to riches [0:06:32] [Indiscernible] or a person is poor then they somehow strike the lottery or grow rich or whatever and then they forget where they came from and it just felt like that.

Sam Bakhtiar: Let me ask you guys [Indiscernible] honest, right? If the CEO of the company would have came and said, “You know what? I messed up. We got too big too fast. I messed up and here’s what I’m going to do to help it. I apologize.” Would you guys [Indiscernible]? If somebody says, “Look, hey, I messed up. I apologize. Here’s what we’re doing and maybe I refund a couple of months that you paid. I just want to make sure you guys are on the service,” because I mean if you call me or you’re paying me and I don’t call you back, I can’t live with myself like that. I just don’t work like that. Do you know what I mean? I don’t think that’s what people [Indiscernible]. I at least will return an email or call. You know what I mean? So what would you say? Yes? No? Let’s go this way.

Male Speaker 1: I could say that – I mean that would have been great. That wasn’t my situation. My situation was just the model wasn’t for me. I felt that some of the systems weren’t able to assist me in growing with that business. So that was my major fallout with that organization and that’s why I’m not with them.

Sam Bakhtiar: And you’re basically the same, right?

Male Speaker 2: Yeah. The same in the sense that actually I did send a couple of emails saying, “Hey, it’s not working. Can you help me out?” this and that. And our relationship basically ended with me talking with – if I can call his name out – Steve. We got in a phone call. He’s like – Steve something …

Sam Bakhtiar: Who by the way is no longer with the company.

Male Speaker 2: Oh, really? Oh, yeah, yeah.

Sam Bakhtiar: You lose a lot of weight. You get [0:08:17] [Indiscernible] no longer with that company.

Male Speaker 3: Well, you got to raise your energy if you …

Sam Bakhtiar: Yeah.

Male Speaker 2: But yeah, I talked with him and he was like, hey, do you want to – if I were to coach you and get you this and that, would you still stick onboard? And I was like, “I’m happy with the coaching I’m getting,” yada, yada. He said, “All right. Well, I will set you up for the call tomorrow and we can see what we can do anyway,” and I never heard from him since. So I was like, “OK, fair enough,” but no apology, no …

Sam Bakhtiar: Yeah. And you Chris?

Male Speaker 3: For me, I’m like an apology would have been nice but it still would take a lot more. There were some like just big voids. I think Mark mentioned a few as far as the kind of content, the help that you put out there that’s supposed to be exclusive and it’s not so exclusive. It’s out there already in the blogs.

Some of this stuff, they just purely rehashed the material that you know. So it’s like Mark says, I mean like there’s 4.05, 4.06 [Indiscernible] as well. Not to suggest that there’s never room for improvement. I’m sure that there is but at that point, it would have been more than an apology, maybe monetarily bring it down compared to the Fitness Revolution, if I can [0:09:27] [Indiscernible], if that’s OK. They’re actually great in my opinion for those who are looking to start a great boot camp model, if you don’t want to lose your identity, don’t lose your culture, don’t lose like who you are.

I mean there’s nothing wrong with making a good living for yourself as long as you don’t lose sight as far as what’s important and I think with this particular model, that was [Indiscernible]. It just didn’t fit with me.

Sam Bakhtiar: Now, if you – now that you’ve gone through this whole thing, if you can tell me one thing that you learned as far as business is concerned from this whole experience. Go through that whole Pro [Phonetic] Body Boot Camp [Indiscernible] and now you’re with FR. What did you learn about business? What’s the one thing that you said you can learn from business about this experience?

Male Speaker 1: Absolutely. I mean I just – do your due diligence. I mean read your homework. Don’t jump into anything. Don’t allow emotions to drive your business, I guess, decisions. That’s something that I learned and I will no longer allow myself to do that. I looked at Fitness Revolution. I went through it. I did my due diligence. I even made calls to Fitness Revolution’s franchisee owners to ask them and I basically interrogated them and they were open and shared with me openly and that’s what gave me the opportunity and decision to make the decision to move forward with that.

Sam Bakhtiar: OK, great.

Male Speaker 2: Yeah. Bouncing off what Ross [Phonetic] said, yeah. I mean what really – don’t believe the hype. If a headline says How to Make Six Figures in Six Months, pay attention and listen to what they have to say first. Do your research before moving forward and that’s what I do with who I’m with now and I’m happy with my decision.

Male Speaker 3: Yeah, and to bounce off what Mark said, I mean like – I mean the top of the line, I mean the one percent out there in the fitness industry, I kind of – not to suggest that it’s not even possible to grow six or seven figures in six months. Maybe there are some special cases. It’s not going to happen every single time. I’m sure big names from Facebook or Coke, Google, they didn’t exactly [0:11:39] [Indiscernible] in six months. It takes a lot of groundwork.

One lesson learned again is basically that there’s no substitute for hard, nitty-gritty work and also as far as the types of like strategies that are out there, really pay mind, pay attention. There are some strategies that may look good in theory. Say you put theoretical numbers, like OK, we can do this, this and this …

Male Speaker 2: Ten percent …

[Crosstalk]

Male Speaker 3: … and just like 10 percent sign off from those 5000, then boom! They’re like bada-boom, bada-boom. Well, in real life, it doesn’t always work out that way. Sorry. It just doesn’t work.

Sam Bakhtiar: Yeah. As far as for me really quick, what I’ve learned from this whole experience going through the whole thing is I was somebody who was all about education, about the craft. Remember I’m the one who went to school. I got my degree. I got my doctorate degree. It was all about the craft and I get out. I didn’t know anything about the marketing. I couldn’t get a client and then later on, I started learning marketing and I went totally the other way. I thought it was all about marketing, right?

But then I learned that no matter what, service beats marketing every single time. You can start two businesses, right? Say one of them is really good at marketing and sucks at service. One of them sucks at marketing but is great at service. The one that sucks at marketing and has greater service is going to take some time to get traction but it’s – in the long term, it’s going to overtake it. The one that has the marketing might take some traction right away, so they will go right off the gate really fast. But if you know how to market, but you have a sucky service, you don’t get back to your clients, you don’t call people back, you’re never to be found, you’re going to market yourself right out of business and that what you don’t want to do.

So obviously you want to have the marketing and you want to know your craft. But it [Indiscernible] do your service, do it right by the people [Phonetic] and the word will get around soon enough. Thanks guys.

Male Speaker: Thank you, Sam.

Sam Bakhtiar: No problem.

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