06/21/2024
Trust
TRUST
RAY WILSON- The 1st inductee in Fitness Hall of Fame.
With Ray, you had to earn his trust by proving yourself in both good and bad times.
Ray would say: "I want you to tell me everything, every problem that comes up. If you keep a problem from me, it becomes your problem. When you tell me about it it becomes our problem!" I would tell him everything, and over time, the trust started to build.
I saw Ray going through bills from the hotel; I asked: "What are you doing?"
Ray- "I’m looking at what the team has been charging me."
Ray was so kind and liked to invite his key people for vacations and pay for their hotel. He showed me bills with caviar, champagne etc. that staff had been charging.
He said, " Eric, you never even charged one water to my bill."
He looked at me with sincere eyes. I knew I was beginning to win his trust!
Hong Kong:
We were starting our new company, "California Fitness"
I called Ray, I found a PERFECT LOCATION.
Ray- "How much?"
"$250,000."
"How did you get it so cheap?"
"A month, Ray, a month."
He went quiet. I thought he had a heart attack. However, I built up enough trust that Ray agreed without seeing the location!!
When you won Ray's heart, there weren't any limits that he wouldn’t do for you.
06/21/2021
TRUST
RAY WILSON- The 1st inductee in Fitness Hall of Fame.
With Ray, you had to earn his trust by proving yourself in both good and bad times.
Ray would say: "I want you to tell me everything, every problem that comes up. If you keep a problem from me, it becomes your problem. When you tell me about it it becomes our problem!" I would tell him everything, and over time, the trust started to build.
I saw Ray going through bills from the hotel; I asked: "What are you doing?"
Ray- "I’m looking at what the team has been charging me."
Ray was so kind and liked to invite his key people for vacations and pay for their hotel. He showed me bills with caviar, champagne etc. that staff had been charging.
He said, " Eric, you never even charged one water to my bill."
He looked at me with sincere eyes. I knew I was beginning to win his trust!
Hong Kong:
We were starting our new company, "California Fitness"
I called Ray, I found a PERFECT LOCATION.
Ray- "How much?"
"$250,000."
"How did you get it so cheap?"
"A month, Ray, a month."
He went quiet. I thought he had a heart attack. However, I built up enough trust that Ray agreed without seeing the location!!
When you won Ray's heart, there weren't any limits that he wouldn’t do for you.
06/15/2021
$1 million gift!
Partnership with Ray Wilson
I was excited to meet Ray Wilson at his annual blastoff. Hundreds of young people, motivated, and on fire! Ray had created a truly passion-based company! Everyone felt like they would own their own Family Fitness, a multi-million dollar club. Ray and Sonya were their partners. One after another, appearing on stage crying with gratitude, unbelievable night!
A partnership is a commitment to honor, go 100% for each other. It’s a bond that can’t be broken.
Ray and I never had a contract, just handshakes. As we were concluding a deal where we were both 50-50 partners, he looked at me and said thank you. I don’t deserve 50% of this deal. Eric, you are a great partner, and I want to give you an EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS!! And he did. This is what I’m talking about!!
Great partnerships last a lifetime.
06/15/2021
RAY WILSON: The First inductee in the Fitness Hall Of Fame.
My Mentor.
Ray invented the Lifecycle, was the first owner of Jack Lalanne, the founder of Family Fitness, and many other successful fitness chains. He is considered the founder of the fitness industry.
When I first met Ray, I immediately could see his intensity and drive and feel his passion.
I had just sold a successful chain of Gold Gyms, which is to say I thought I knew everything. I joined Ray as a Partner.
I broke all the company records.
Ray called me to Las Vegas to spend the weekend.
I was excited.
I was so sure he was going to reward me for my efforts, BUT I WAS WRONG!
Ray proceeded to give me a four-hour Nose to Nose lecture on emotional intelligence. He asked me how I thought my relationship was with the home office. I told him, "Fantastic. They like me."
Wrong answer!?!
He said, " NO! they never want to work with you again."
I left exhausted. Ray was right. I started to understand where I was in relationship to being what Ray expected as a partner.
I wrote him a long letter, which asked him to be my mentor, I would surrender, put away my inflated ego, listen, and follow his lead. Up until then, I had never fully surrendered.
To be continued........
06/15/2021
SELF-IMAGE
I remember promoting a very capable Assistant Manager to General Manager. Even though he had expressed passionate excitement for that position and the fact that his compensation would more than double, he didn't show up for his very first day!
WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?
His self-image wasn't in alignment with a new position of General manager. He didn't spend enough time allowing himself to accept and visualize, fully seeing himself in that new position.
My experience taught me...
First, they have to believe that they can do it.
Then visualize it. That person has to feel it, feel the excitement of his/her new future. Feel the extra compensation! What can they use that extra money for? Maybe send kids to University, buy a new house for the family, etc. Set meanings behind that achievement. How many more people can they serve? How proud of that are you? Very important, they have to act as if they are already in that new position, at the top of their game. Coworkers, the entire company, even the universe, must believe that creation.
Check on your self-image, and make sure that you haven't put any limits on WHO YOU ARE!
Limitless opportunities will come to you.
05/30/2021
Only Ray Wilson!
$1 million gift!
Partnership with Ray Wilson
I was excited to meet Ray Wilson at his annual blastoff. Hundreds of young people, motivated, and on fire! Ray had created a truly passion-based company! Everyone felt like they would own their own Family Fitness, a multi-million dollar club. Ray and Sonya were their partners. One after another, appearing on stage crying with gratitude, unbelievable night!
A partnership is a commitment to honor, go 100% for each other. It’s a bond that can’t be broken.
Ray and I never had a contract, just handshakes. As we were concluding a deal where we were both 50-50 partners, he looked at me and said thank you. I don’t deserve 50% of this deal. Eric, you are a great partner, and I want to give you an EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS!! And he did. This is what I’m talking about!!
Great partnerships last a lifetime.
07/28/2020
Hard Sales VS Passion
Managing Asia- the biggest TV show in Asia, asked me to be in the interview.
The opening line of the 60-minute live broadcast was;
Hostess: " You are Mr. HardSale, aren't you?
She said that before she introduced me.😔
Me: (smile) " Please to meet you."
"My product is health, happiness, transforming, changing people's lives through Fitness and Yoga. How could I possibly have to hard-sale that?"
"That's a magic pill. You don't have to sell magic pills. It has nothing to do with sales."
People come to us, asking and telling us why they need to change their life or body or attitude! They always want it NOW!!
We've done that to thousands of people.
When the product is right, and you're doing good for everyone, you're making people better at whatever they do.
Better boss, coworker, husband, wife, parent, and so on..... It improves more than the physical. It's an emotional fix too.
Once achieved, the energy comes back to you. You create this FIRE 🔥 that sweeps through your entire company, members, community, country, world.
✅Full belief in your product is called PASSION. It has nothing to do with PRESSURE SALES.
Are you Passion-driven, Sales-driven, or both? Leave your comments below. 👇🏼
07/20/2020
24 YEARS AGO TODAY, Hundreds of thousands of people in Asia started to exercise in fitness centers, and I believe the Fitness Industry will continue to grow forever worldwide.
NEVER GIVE UP! 💪 ONE ANOTHER NOW during this difficult time.
Twenty-four years ago, - "California Fitness Center"- Opened its doors in Hong Kong. The first mega club in Asia.
It was the beginning of the most fantastic experience that I have ever had the privilege to be a part of.
A new industry was born, which gave so many people careers in the Fitness and Wellness World.
Our created California Fitness out of passion, love, belief, and highest octane energy. We expanded big, successfully throughout Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, China.!
So many of the original team are now OWNERS of their successful businesses and became TOP CEOs for huge companies.
I couldn’t be more proud of everything we accomplished.
It took great for successes and to conquer the challenges. The PROBLEM that we are facing now will be SMASHED with YOUR TEAM.
To everyone in the Family, wherever you are: a BIG from the bottom of my heart.
I'd love to hear from you. Please comment below, and tell me how you are doing.
07/13/2020
Why do leaders FIRE the best staff?🤔
Leaders make tough decisions!
"Story Time" 😊
I opened up our first club in a brand new country.
It was 80,000 ft—a huge investment. On grand opening day, the entire staff went on strike.!!! 😱
This was new to me, but it was part of their culture. The demands were unacceptable, double salary, commissions in perpetuity, and many other impossible requests. As a leader, I took the ultimate decision and had the entire team terminated.
We were in many countries. We wanted to start this country correctly. We rehired and with a small delay opened to a world record grand opening, and first-year record!👊🥳
Serious infractions, dishonesty, unsafe behavior, theft, harassment in any form, etc., the only answer is to let that person go!
The big mistake that's made many times is to give the superstars, best salespeople, managers, Group X, etc. a second and third chance. We treat them differently, a costly mistake.
The critical mindset of the leader is to keep up the spirit, energy, belief, integrity of the whole team.
Make the right decision for cohesiveness, alignment respect, and achieve long-term success.
Your team is always watching you!