In four weeks, I have concluded that consumers can be narrowed down to TWO categories: those who pay for quality and those who pay for convenience. People can jump between the two categories, i.e. pay for quality when buying say clothing and then pay for convenience when say buying coffee, but when stripped down to the bare bones, those are the two categories of consumers.

How did I come to this conclusion? About four weeks ago, Team CrossFit Modesto decided to become acquainted with small, locally owned businesses in Modesto every Friday. We started with a coffee shop, a market, and a hamburger joint. Four weeks later, we have TWO SPONSORS of our upcoming Grace Challenge Finals and a hamburger named after CrossFit Modesto. This all happened in a month.

Now back to how I have successfully narrowed down an extremely large group of people (which is an understatement because basically everyone who uses money is a consumer) into TWO groups. About two weeks ago, after buying an iced coffee from the Serrano Social Club, I got to talking with one of the baristas there. I’d like to preface this by saying the people at Serrano Social Club love coffee like I love CrossFit, which means they know their shit when it comes to coffee. Anyway, he began to explain the difference between a larger chain of coffee makers for whom he used to work (I’ll let you guess which one… begins with an “s” and ends with a $$$) and Serrano’s. Basically larger chain gets their coffee from a huge plot of land, roasts it all together, and packages it. Serrano’s buys from a local farm who basically hand picks the quality of the beans to roast. You and I could go visit the place where they get their coffee if we wanted to see where it was made. And that’s where quality and convenience come into play.

When I’m in a rush, I go through the drive-thru. I’m not concerned about where my coffee came from. If I’m in a rush and I NEED coffee, I want it FAST, THREE SECONDS AGO. How nice for me there’s two drive-thrus both 5 minutes away from my house. SO when I’m rushing, I pay for CONVENIENCE. On Fridays, when it’s my day to take marketing to the streets and talk to people about CrossFit and enjoy my community, I buy an iced coffee from Serrano’s. It is literally the greatest coffee I have ever had. You can taste hints of chocolate in it. It doesn’t burn your throat. On a hot summer day, it’s just as refreshing as water. Really. It is. I can ask my Serrano’s barista when and where and what time the coffee was made. They can give me the 411 on all things coffee. This is when I pay for QUALITY.

When I started thinking about things on a “quality vs. convenience” level, I saw it fits literally every purchase I’ve ever made. We all know and love lululemon. Lululemon is expensive and I do not purchase the clothing in a hurry. I take my time and think about which color of boogie shorts will match my scoop neck tank top (maybe I’m just weird?). I also know that that particular article of clothing will last me a long time. This is when I pay for quality. Every once in awhile I’ll forget a change of clothes for after I workout so I’ll head down to Sports Authority, right down the street from CrossFit Modesto. I can pick up a pair of Nike shorts for about $20. Yeah they’re cute. Yeah I like them. But do I spend my time debating between two different colors? No. I pick one that sticks out and bolt out of there because I probably have to be at the gym in five minutes. I’m paying for convenience.

And now to relate it all back to CrossFit. At the globo gyms in MY city, what do you get for a membership? Crowded areas. Mirrors! Bicep curls? Confusion!? Some minor results at best, if you’re one of the few people who can work out alone, consistently. But At CFM and most other CrossFit gyms, what do you get with a membership? Excellent coaching. Events. Challenges. Support. In essence, a community.

CrossFit gyms are the QUALITY PRODUCT that can last a lifetime in a world of people looking for a quick fix. So represent your product well, with excellence, and never settle for less.

Hearing “no rep” on a kettlebell swing or a box jump or any kind of movement sucks. Sometimes (and by sometimes I mean most of the time) it messes with my rhythm. Ultimately though I am thankful for it because I know the person calling no rep, be it a coach, friend, or judge, is trying to keep my shit legit. That shows integrity on said coach/friend/judge’s part. Taking that “no rep” and FIXING the problem without losing MY shit, also shows my integrity. Rather than IGNORE or PRETEND that what I am doing is acceptable, “no rep” is just a reminder to let me know that I need to open my hips, get that kettlebell bottoms up, or get my chin over the bar, i.e. keep to the proper standards.

Constructive criticism is kind of like hearing “no rep.” It is an emotionless phrase. By that I mean that the person calling no rep is not saying no rep to hurt my feelings or piss me off. Coming from the right people, it is helpful and needed. Yesterday on the BIZ call, CrossFit Modesto was metaphorically no repped a few times on our daily numbers by the BAMF’s of The BIZ mentoring program. John said we were going to be pretty much naked in front of everyone and that’s what it felt like, but you know what? We got a lot of really great ideas from everyone. Today we took  that collective no rep and put together our plan to fix it. It was pretty energizing and I’m feeling inspired now. I’m planning a few things for CFM and the CFM team is working together to better our box. 

Look at a “no rep” from the bigger picture and it becomes a blessing in disguise. Putting yourself or your work out there can be intimidating, but the benefits of doing so outweigh the discomfort of hearing that you may not be doing something as well as you thought. 

Want to know how to run a really awesome box? Join the BIZ mentoring group and we’ll help you keep your shit legit.

I used to be really scared to take answer the phone at the gym. I didn’t know how to talk to people. I didn’t know the difference between time wasters and people who were actually interested. I had zero confidence on the phone. This all changed about a year ago when Mr. John Burch challenged me to get better at my people skills, which I’ve slowly been perfecting since June 2010.

I answer the phone a lot nowadays. We follow a phone script from CrossFit LA. It makes things easy. I remember at a marketing seminar my step-dad took me to at CFLA I learned, “the person asking the questions controls the conversation.” That has stuck with me since the day I heard it and it is VITAL to remember when answering a phone call. 

I’d say 80% of the time, the first thing people say when I answer the phone is, “Hi, this is so-and-so, I’d like to get some prices for your classes,” or some variation of that. I used to hate this question because I used to think I had to answer it. I wouldn’t say I avoid this question altogether, but I do circle around it. I try to get the person talking about themselves. “What are you training for?” “What do you know about CrossFit?” “Because what we offer is so different from the other gyms in the area we…” and I go from there. The numbers taken out of context can turn an otherwise interested person away. 

I used to hate that question, but I like it because it has the power to separate the serious folk from the not-so-serious. Today a woman called with that question. She didn’t know anything about us, didn’t workout, only wanted to know our prices. I explained a little about what we did and told her we offered a free one-on-one intro session for people who were interested. I asked her when she’d like to schedule that. She asked for the prices again so I gave her a price range. She told me she was in-between places (lol) and didn’t have her schedule in front of her, then asked me to email her a breakdown of our prices. I said, “Let me get your number so we can call you tomorrow to schedule an intro for you,” and she reluctantly gave me her number. 

Anyway I’m either getting more cynical or better at screening phone calls because something tells me she isn’t a potential CFM’er. That one question can take a phone call two ways, but don’t prejudge the person who asks it. YOUR questions can help you figure out what they mean by it, you control the conversation if you ask the right ones.

“Arthritis guy. Older lady swim. Bowling league mom + son. Salomon shoes. 75 year old American guy. Won’t go heavy guy.”

Last summer when I had to hit my quota of five names, birthdays, and numbers a day, I used to carry around this big book of Jane Austen novels to read during downtime. I thought I had lost it (which was a tragedy), but I found it yesterday. I flipped through it and found my business card, which had doubled as a bookmark in Pride and Prejudice, that I had used to keep track of the people I had spoken with during that particular day.

I hadn’t quite realized it at the time, but I was learning how to gather information which is a really important skill to have when answering the phone at the gym. Would a guy who refused to lift heavy weights be a good fit for my gym? Probably not. Would someone who swam? It’s possible. Would I schedule an intro for the won’t-lift-heavy guy? No, probably not. The lady swimmer? Yeah, I probably would. 

Because of face-to-face conversations, I learned how to read different expressions, emotions, responses to things I said. It’s pretty cool how easy answering the phone became after I learned how to talk to people.

I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods yesterday to buy some shorts. As I walking up to the entrance, a girl I recognized from school a few years back was walking out. From what I remember, she was a cheerleader a few grades ahead of me and extremely snobby.

I was in a spicy mood yesterday and by spicy I mean I sorta expected the worst of the situation I was about to put myself in, but I embraced it. I said, “Hey!” and she turned around looking slightly surprised. I expected her to be snobby and unresponsive, but she proved me wrong. I asked, “Hey do you workout?” (which wouldn’t offend her because she was still as petite and tiny as she was in school) and she said she did. So I asked her if she had ever heard of CrossFit and she said she had. I then asked her if she had ever wanted to try it and she smiled and said, “Maybe…” and I said, “Cool! Here you can try it for free.” I gave her a business card and that was that.

I then went inside the store. Picked up some bright orange Nike shorts and proceeded to the register where I talked with the cashier Aeriane about CrossFit. She had also heard of it. She also got a business card.

What did I learn?

Being nice makes me much happier and much more successful than being snobby does. This success put me in a great mood. That great mood led to a 200 pound front squat! YEAH!

Recharging my batteries in Windsor, CA with some wonderful ladies!

I have a tendency to think I can go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go (I have one speed… one gear…) without any sort of rest during the week. I work six days a week. I don’t get a lot of downtime so my Sunday’s are mostly spent physically on the couch doing nothing. Even so, I’m mentally at the gym preparing for the coming week.

Lately, my thoughts have mostly been on the CrossFit Games Open and the Paleo Challenge a fellow coach/friend/sister thunder thighs and I organized and are launching on Monday. I am pretty darn close to making it to the Northern California Regionals. I fluctuate between 59 and 61. It has been and still is a mentally taxing battle and I won’t know for sure until next week. Admittedly, I have had some freak outs about it because I’ve been so stressed about it.

I did 11.5 on Wednesday morning. My mom judged me. Guess what I realized five minutes into the twenty minute hell? My mom will love me whether or not I make it to regionals. Do you know how much weight that took of my shoulders? Well, for 15 minutes I still had to grapple with 100 pound cleans in the rack position, but once it was over, a HUGE weight had been lifted. My worth isn’t tied to how many rounds I did. It was great to realize that. First attempt I got 8 rounds and 17 reps.

Last night, I went to Windsor, Ca for another coach’s birthday. We stayed overnight and ate… let’s just say not paleo. I ate so much candy (an assortment of gummies because I am actually 7 years old and a Tolberone bar because I am Swiss) and a grilled cheese with bacon on sourdough bread, among other non-paleo goodies. I didn’t freak out about. I didn’t and still don’t feel guilty about the choices I made. It was great.

Being there with good friends helped me recharge my batteries. Ironically enough, I gave a lecture on nutrition today and kicked off the first part of CrossFit Modesto’s 45 Day Paleo Challenge which starts Monday with baselines and measurements and before pictures.

After this busy day, I reattempted 11.5 with Michelle and Alison. I got 9 rounds and 5 power cleans this time so I PR’ed. I’m sure I was battling with leaky gut, but I WASN’T battling with any self-worth issues and I wasn’t stressed. I did the workout to the best of my ability and I owe it to the overnight stay and realizing my mom’s unconditional love. 

So what I hope what everyone reading takes away from this, is that if I, at an UNSTOPPABLE 20 years old, need some time to reset and recharge, then you probably do too, ‘cause you’re probably old, no offense (just kidding ;) hahah). It doesn’t mean you have to eat tons of sugar to recharge your battery, but it’s important to take some time to not think about the gym. Doesn’t matter how you do it, just do it.

I feel rejuvenated (and gassy). 45 days strict paleo starts Monday, baby!

I love The Biz.

I could have used this pep talk today. 

A guy called the gym today and basically in a nutshell told me, “I just want to use your gym to do my own workouts, I don’t want to be in the classes. I don’t want to do workouts that burn too many calories, just want your gym for the equipment my -INSERT GLOBO GYM- doesn’t have.” I responded with, “Kudos to you for doing CrossFit on your own, but if you don’t want to be a part of our community, CrossFit Modesto is not the place for you.”

This dude could not handle the truth.

A few hours after this phone call, a colorful message was posted on CrossFit Modesto’s facebook page telling us that (and I’m paraphrasing here) “Erica was semi-rude, uninformative, blah blah blah. If I was on the fence, I’m definitely not joining now.” 

So for about five minutes after reading this, my second workout of the day was “as many f-words in five minutes as possible” 3, 2, 1, GO! After my outrage subsided, the criticism started to settle in and I got a little upset (in Erika-speak, that means I cried).

Totally and completely not worth crying over. The bottom line is the dude couldn’t handle the truth and didn’t like being told our gym wasn’t at his disposal to do the WOD’s that didn’t (and this is a direct quote) “burn too many calories.”

It’s funny to think about me crying about it now, but it also shows me I need to get some thicker skin. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” and Mr. Kindergarten Cop said to turn that mush into muscle. Can’t let the haters stop me from doing my thing. 

I wore my “Bacon is rad. Gluten is bad.” shirt from www.balancedbites.com to the store yesterday.

The cashier, whose name was ERICA, asked, “WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR SHIRT? I LOVE BACON!” Which is funny, because a few months ago I went to San Francisco for a friend’s birthday and we went out to eat. A friend of my friend asked if there was bacon in the clam chowder. I looked at her approvingly and said, “I love bacon.” She flatly replied, “I don’t.”

Ah, but I digress. Diane Sanfillipo, the owner of Balanced Bites, is teaching a Practical Paleo Workshop on April 9th at CrossFit Modesto. I immediately recognized Erica’s question was the perfect opportunity to a) invite someone who loves bacon to a nutrition workshop that debunks the theory that bacon is bad for you and b) tell someone about good ol’ CrossFit Modesto.

Erica went on to further explain that she had once had chocolate covered bacon in San Francisco and that it was the greatest thing she had ever eaten. The bagger, who had lived in SF, overhead our conversation and called San Francisco the land of “vegans and reusable shopping bags.”

I told my story about the anti-bacon girl in San Francisco and alas there was the opening to tell TWO people about the nutrition workshop and CrossFit Modesto. I gave two business cards away… on a Sunday!

I have realized I can get a conversation to CrossFit in six degrees of separation or less. Try me!

On June 30th, 2010 in an email I asked John Burch,

I’m still having a hard time explaining CrossFit in a way that does it justice. What do you tell people?”

His response:

I create interest… honestly, it’s a lot like, hate to say, picking up women… I make people want to listen to me… since you are on the receiving end, being a woman, you never have to get good at chatting up someone and be interesting to get them to listen… and then say just enough, but not more, to leave them ASKING you to tell them more.

I always just say not quite enough to get them to ask me about more… it’s that investment of THEM wanting to hear more that gets you to control the conversation…

Sometimes during the summer of 2010, I felt like the Karate Kid (Ralph Macchio, NOT Jaden Smith). I asked for a canned line I could give to EVERYONE (an easy way out) and Mr. Miyagi’s JB’s response was you have to learn how (not an easy way).

In the beginning I felt like these guys:

Flash forward nine months to Friday, March 11th. I was at Walmart, trying to decided whether I wanted to buy two individual boxes of Kleenex or a four pack when I realize a guy is asking me a question. I look at him, but I don’t understand what he’s saying. After my 4th “What?” I finally realize he’s asking me if I do track. While looking me up and down. Lololol I’m getting hit on.

I take a business card out of my wallet and tell him, “No, I do CrossFit. Have you heard of it?” I give a quick explanation and hand him the card. He points to the number, “Is this yours?” “No, it’s the gym’s number, but you can call us when you want to try it out.” Then I told him to have a good day, grabbed two boxes of Kleenex and walked away. 

I flipped it on this guy. JB has also said, “The person asking the questions controls the conversation.” Doing this in real life (i.e. asking the questions and taking back control), has helped me when people call the gym. Sometimes I used to get calls from people who would ask a million questions and then not schedule an intro. Five minutes on the phone with nothing in return, adds up. Now I’m able to screen calls, flip it on people, and be in control.

Because of Friday, I understand now why this guy thought I was hitting on him. 

P.S. I don’t think, “Hey you look like you workout” is a good pick-up line; HOWEVER, if a guy said to me, “Hey, you look like you’d do Fran pretty fast” or “You look like your clean and jerk is pretty heavy” I’d give him my name, number, and my CrossFit total because the way to my heart is CrossFit. ;)