The Missing Link In Your Gym's Growth (and one of my biggest regrets) Ep 125

In the podcast, the host emphasizes the importance of recording all aspects of business operations, drawing from his regret of not documenting over 4000 fitness sales at his gym. He advocates for capturing customer interactions, training sessions, and sales processes to create a standard for staff training and to improve consistency. By comparing it to NFL teams analyzing game footage, he suggests using recordings as a tool for refining and standardizing business practices. He also stresses the significance of maintaining the basics for business success, as highlighted by a story about a customer's decision to cancel a gym membership due to poor service, underscoring the impact of every team member's contribution to customer experience.

• Recording business operations is crucial for improvement and standardization.
• It provides a baseline to measure progress and identify areas for improvement.
• Recordings can be used as training tools to demonstrate ideal practices to staff.
• The process of recording can be applied to various aspects of business such as greeting customers, training sessions, and conducting sales.

"So one of the biggest regrets that I have is that I have done that. And I did nothing to record it. I did nothing. I have nothing to show for it."

Explanation: The speaker expresses regret for not having recorded over 4000 fitness sales they closed, which would have served as valuable material to show for their efforts and as a tool for reflection and improvement.

"And so my biggest ask for you right now today that you should start doing at your gym is record everything."

Explanation: The speaker advises others to start recording all aspects of their gym operations to create a reference point for what ideal practices look like.

• The practice of recording in business is likened to sports teams analyzing game footage.
• Sports teams use recordings to improve future performances by studying past games.
• Businesses can similarly benefit from reviewing recordings to enhance their operations.

"What do they do? They look at game footage, right? They look at how they did last week and try and get better this week."

Explanation: The speaker uses the analogy of NFL teams reviewing game footage to emphasize the importance of businesses reviewing recordings to improve their practices.

• Recordings can be used to train staff in sales and customer service.
• The best sales training involves reviewing actual sales calls and using scripts.
• Highlighting parts of the script while on a call can help in mastering the sales process.
• This technique is particularly effective for phone sales and setting appointments for high-ticket sales.

"The best selling training that I have seen is when you actually, and it works best with phone sales is when you can actually take a recording of you yourself."

Explanation: The speaker shares their experience that the most effective sales training involves self-recording during phone sales and using a script as a guide.

"You can put your phone on speaker and then you have the script in front of you and you highlight what portions of the script you're saying as you're closing someone over the phone."

Explanation: The speaker describes a technique for sales training where one records the call, uses a script, and highlights the spoken parts of the script during the sales process to reinforce effective communication and closing techniques.

• Recording and documenting processes are crucial for scaling a company and ensuring consistency.
• Live footage alongside checklists can be used to train new team members effectively.
• Documenting soft skills and sales interactions is valuable but often overlooked.
• The speaker regrets not recording past sales interactions and emphasizes this practice in the current company.
• Recording live events and real interactions is highlighted as particularly beneficial.

"And so it basically makes the words on the page, the words on the checklist real for them."

This quote illustrates the value of pairing written instructions with live visual examples to enhance understanding and training for new employees.

"I feel like all of this effort that I had that I put into training my team to do all this, it's gone. I have nothing to show for it."

The speaker expresses regret about not having recordings of past training sessions, which would have served as valuable resources for ongoing training and demonstration of successful practices.

• The speaker does not run ads or sell products on the podcast, relying on audience support to spread the message.
• Listeners are encouraged to rate, review, and share the podcast to help other entrepreneurs.
• The speaker believes that audience support can lead to significant positive impacts for others.

"And so the only ask that I can ever have of you guys is that you help me spread the word so we can help more entrepreneurs make more money, feed their families, make better products, and have better experiences for their employees and customers."

This quote is a call to action for listeners to support the podcast by spreading the word, with the aim of providing broader benefits to entrepreneurs and their communities.

"It would means the absolute world to me. And more importantly, it may change the world for someone else."

The speaker emphasizes the personal significance of audience support and the potential wider impact it could have on others.

• The speaker advocates for the recording of live sales interactions and other business processes.
• These recordings serve as a resource for training and preserving the effort invested in developing a team.
• Recording theoretical explanations is good, but capturing live interactions is considered more valuable.

"Record everything. Record. And the best ones are recording live things."

This quote encapsulates the speaker's strong recommendation to document all aspects of business operations, especially live interactions, for their practical training value and the preservation of institutional knowledge.

• Demonstrating procedures with actual footage enhances learning and retention.
• Recording onboarding or daily operations can be a useful training tool.
• Security footage may be repurposed for staff training with appropriate privacy measures.
• Gaining consent from individuals featured in training videos is important for compliance.

"Set up a camera somewhere in your facility so you can see onboarding stuff and so that you can see, I mean, some of you guys already have security footage, but you can also mic up the area."

This quote emphasizes the practical step of setting up a camera to capture onboarding processes and daily operations, suggesting that existing security footage could be utilized for this purpose with added audio recording for a more comprehensive training tool.

• Ensuring privacy in training videos is crucial, which can be done by fogging out faces.
• Alternatively, obtaining permission to use someone's footage for training purposes is an option.
• Compliance with privacy regulations is necessary when using real footage for training.

"And then all you have to do is if you want to be compliant about it, you just have to make sure that you fog out the person's face, you protect your identity and whatnot."

This quote details the necessary steps to ensure privacy and compliance when using real footage for training, highlighting the option to obscure identities to protect privacy.

• Video editing can be easily learned through online resources.
• Condensing footage to show only the essential parts, similar to editing game footage in sports.
• This technique can be applied to various aspects of the business, such as sales, orientations, and daily greetings.

"You can Google iTunes video, you know what I mean? And watch a ten minute trailer on how to just cut out pieces so you can condense them together."

This quote suggests that learning to edit video is accessible and straightforward, indicating that even a brief tutorial can equip someone with the skills to create effective training materials.

• Visual aids in training can lead to quicker standardization of procedures.
• By showing the ideal process, staff can replicate the desired behavior more consistently.

"And you'll be amazed at how much more quickly you can get things consistent at your facility."

This quote implies that using video training aids can significantly speed up the process of achieving consistent practices within a facility.

• The speaker's neighbor's decision to cancel a gym membership highlights the importance of customer experience.
• Despite liking the workouts, trainers, and overall vibe, there can be other factors influencing customer retention.

"And she was like, yeah, I'm about to cancel my orange theory. And I was like, what made you do that? And she's like, I love the workouts. I love the trainers. I love the vibe."

This quote illustrates that even if customers appreciate the service, there may be underlying reasons for them to discontinue, emphasizing the complexity of customer experience and retention.

• Customer service can significantly impact a business's retention rates.
• A single interaction with a staff member can influence a customer's decision to continue patronizing a business.
• Consistency in service is highly valued by consumers.
• Inconsistencies, even in small details, can lead to customers leaving a business.

And she was like, you know, the front desk girl is just a little. Every time I walk in, she's just not super nice. She's just a little standoffish.

This quote illustrates how a customer's perception of a staff member's attitude can affect their overall experience and loyalty to a business.

And it's like the devil's in the details. It's just that the best businesses always do the basics, and that's what makes them advanced.

The quote emphasizes that attention to detail and consistently performing basic functions well is what distinguishes successful businesses from others.

• Mastery in any field is often achieved by perfecting fundamental skills rather than learning numerous advanced techniques.
• Repeated practice of basic skills leads to refinement and expertise.
• The concept is applicable to business processes and staff training.

You teach someone how to squat, and then you go back to zero, and then they get better and better, and you go back to zero, and you teach them more and more refinement on the same idea.

This quote highlights the process of continuous improvement by repeatedly refining a fundamental skill, which is a principle that can be applied to business training and operations.

And as Bruce Lee said, I fear the man who's done one kick a thousand times, not a thousand kicks once.

The quote from Bruce Lee is used to illustrate the power of mastering one skill through repetition versus being a jack of all trades but master of none.

• Documenting processes and procedures is crucial for business efficiency.
• Proper documentation facilitates faster onboarding and scaling of the business.
• Recorded trainings allow for consistent reinforcement and accountability.
• Documentation can increase the value of a business for potential sale.

Record all your stuff. Make sure you document it. Put it against what ideal scene looks like in a checkmark, and then you can always update these trainings if you get better and you improve processes.

This quote advises businesses to thoroughly document their processes, which allows for continuous improvement and provides a benchmark for ideal operations.

And then when you bring people on, it takes you way less time to get them onboarded, which allows you to scale faster.

The quote explains how proper documentation and training materials can streamline the onboarding process, contributing to the growth and scalability of the business.

So I wasted so much time, and I wish I had recorded all these things from our facilities that I do not have. So please don't make the mistake out.

Reflecting on past experiences, the speaker regrets not having recorded processes and emphasizes the importance of not repeating this mistake, highlighting the value of documentation for efficiency and knowledge retention.