Attention RKCs/HKCs: Why attend Marketing Mastermind? Let me count the ways… (and give you a recipe, too)

You know that feeling you get when people overlook the value of something for a weird reason?  If you’re an RKC or HKC (or hell, anyone who trains with kettlebells, really), you might have heard any of the following from family/friends/onlookers at the public park, etc:

“Ooo, is that a kettlebell?  Do those things work?”

“Yeah, I wanna get in shape, but I don’t wanna have to pay so much for it!”

“That looks too hard.  I’ll stick with Shake weights and spinning, thank you very much.”

After I’m done performing facepalms for reps, I usually ask myself, “How can I approach them next time so they’ll see the value in this?”

I am asking myself the same question now.

At Marketing Mastermind Intensive (MMI) this past November, there was a total of about 28 RKCs and ONE HKC.  Needless to say, I was sort of surprised.  After hearing the praise from so many RKCs, including Team Leaders, Seniors, and Masters who went to the first one, I was kinda expecting to have to get there early to avoid having to sit in the nosebleed section.  Imagine my surprise that the actual amount barely cracked two dozen.  By the end of the weekend, my surprise only magnified: everyone else doesn’t know what they’re missing!

But odds are that’s because you, much like our affable and well-meaning onlooker, don’t see the value in it.  Maybe it seems like just another workshop or expense, or maybe you don’t see how it applies to you as an instructor.  So let me count the top 6 reasons why I think every RKC and HKC should attend the next MMI.

No. 6: Pick Du Cane’s Brain

The guy’s been in the biz for 20 years, and he knows everything that works, as well as lots of things that don’t.  You get one-on-one time with him and every participant actually participates!  You’ll stand in front of the group, give your ideas, and will get feedback from both John Du Cane and the other participants.

No. 5: An in-depth manual

Just like at your RKC/HKC, you’ll get an in-depth manual.  It’s broken up into sections and is literally hundreds of pages of everything we talk about.  This way, you don’t have to rely only on hand-written notes (though I still managed to take 46 pages of front-and-back notes on standard notebook paper while I was there) and you’ll always have something to refer back to.

No. 4: Your own customized one-year plan

You don’t just go there and listen to a bunch of pump-up speeches that’ll motivate you for a day or two; every section and subsection of the book has you writing up your one-year plan of action on how to apply what you’re learning so you can turn a mammoth workload into a simple, step-by-step process.

No. 3: A marketplace of new ideas 

There were a LOT of very successful RKCs there who came to sharpen their marketing skills.  At one point on Saturday, we were talking about methods that we currently used to attract new clients – specifically ones that cost little to no money to implement.  My favorite (take it and use it, comrades) was from RKC II Laurel Blackburn.  She goes around to local sports stores and puts a coupon on all the kettlebells offering a free lesson with her when they purchase the bell.  Another great one: During the Christmas season, Jon Engum, Senior RKC, gives his students gift cards to give to their friends to encourage them to come in and try out his services.  I can’t even tell you how many times I buried my head in my hands and asked myself out loud “Why didn’t I think of that?!”  That was just the tip of the iceberg, too.  There were so many other ideas I had to write them down for fear of forgetting them.  

No. 2: Network with a variety of professionals

Some of the coolest stuff I did that weekend was just spend time talking and networking with the other RKCs there.  I got a boatload of useful information, but hands down, the most valuable info I got came from two different people.  First, from Team Leader Andrew Read, on popularizing kettlebells in a country that’s mostly ignorant of what they are.  This was especially useful for me as I am planning on moving to Israel by the end of this year.  He sat down with me during one of the breaks, asked me a few questions, and told me that if I want to be seen as an authority on kettlebell training in Israel, I need to do three things: 1) Get a “box” (a studio), 2) become a distributor, and 3) host an HKC certification.  Not only will that be helpful for me for my purposes, but that’s good advice for ANY RKC or HKC looking to make a name for him/herself.  Second, I met an RKC gal named Petra Orloff (check out her site: http://www.petralinaorloff.com/index.html) who has been beyond instrumental in helping me guide myself toward a successful path in my social media outlets.  We’ve kept in good contact and she continually provides me with amazing insight and feedback.  I also got grip strength advice from RKC Kevin Knapp, got business advice from Senior RKC Peter Lakatos and RKC Corey Howard, met RKC II Brandon Hetzler – renowned for the force plate study he did showing the power of the swing – and that’s barely scratching the surface.  Everyone has something to share and something to contribute to your success.  Which leads me to number one…

No. 1: Shine your light

The quote that struck me the most from the weekend was from our guest speaker, Sheri Alexander: “You all have something special to offer to the world, and if you choose to keep it to yourself, you’re being selfish.”

The dawn of a new era was sparked in my life right then.  

The more I thought of it, the more it struck me one of those rare, simple truths.  

What if Pavel decided to keep kettlebells and HardStyle training to himself because he didn’t think they were special or important?

What if John Du Cane decided not to share people like Pavel, Marty Gallagher, Ori Hofmekler, and Paul Wade to the world because he doubted that people would be interested?  

What if their lights never shined?  

How much of your success, health, and happiness do you owe to these and other Dragon Door affiliated people?  All of them contributed something different, something unique to them, and all of them made indelible marks on our health and fitness.  What about you?  You could make that mark in someone’s life!  Hell, you could make it in a LOT of people’s lives!

But owning a business without knowing how to market it is like winking at a woman in the dark: If no one can see it, what good is it?  

Stop winking in the dark.  Shine your light on someone else’s darkness and wink live you’ve never winked before.  Make a difference in people’s lives!  What are you waiting for?  There’s no time like the present, and you’ve got plenty of time to sign up for the next one.  It’s in June and you can click here to read more information.

Since this blog was just one long, riveting pump-up speech, it’s probably making you hungry for an epic meal.  Here’s a recipe that’ll tide over your lust for success just long enough for you to click “Hell Yeah!” on the next MMI:

 The Beef-tacular Mashup

You’ll need:

1 lb of steak – (preferably for stew, otherwise you can chop it up)

1 carrot

1 one head of broccoli

1 handful of fresh green beans

1 scallion stock (isn’t that what it’s called, a stock?  Anyway, one green onion thingy)

1 tbsp chopped garlic

Olive oil

A seasoning of your choice.  Go with: a) Cajun spices or b) salt and pepper.   They’re both delicious.  If you’re adventurous, chop up a habenero or jalapeno and throw it into the batch.

Chop up all the above veggies.  Set them all aside in a big bowl, drizzle with olive oil and add the seasoning of your choice.  Next, brush your steak with olive oil and season.  Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the meat.  Cover the pan with a cookie tray, and flip the pieces over with tongs (you can use a spatula if you’re feeling frisky, but remember, you’re cooking with hot oil).  Once both sides are adequately cooked, throw the veggies in and re-cover.  Mix it around and let it cook so that the meat is as done as you’d like and the veggies are as cooked or crispy as you’d like.  It should look like this:

Enjoy, folks!  Got a recipe you want to share?  Email me at aleks.salkin.rkc@gmail.com with the title “blog recipe” and I’ll have a look.  The best one will be featured in a future blog!  And if you like what you’ve read, share it with your family and friends, and don't forget to subscribe!

Until next time, lift heavy and eat healthy!

Aleks