If you haven't read it yet, the full story on PushupsForCharity™ is here, but first check out these answers to some questions we've received:
Question: I’m not completely clear on what PushupsForCharity™ is exactly. Please explain in more detail.
Answer: PUC is a lot of things. I’ll list them out.
- It’s a simple, viral marketing campaign that leverages word of mouth marketing using proprietary, done-for-you marketing tools (primarily online plus some flyers) to engage your local community at a deep level and get them interested in participating in a one-day (1-2 hours, actually) event where everyone bangs out as many pushups as they can do in 90 seconds. Every pushup generates donations (from 50 cents to $1 each) from their family, friends, co-workers, etc. You don’t solicit donations, they do. All the marketing and fulfillment tools you need are provided by us. And there aren’t too many. Remember, this is a simple campaign based on a simple idea. That makes it easy to execute for you, and easy for folks to “get their head around”.
- It’s a way to introduce fitness to a lot of local people, but not in the “traditional” way. We have incorporated a unique hook to this that “flies under the radar.” Most people are inured to traditional fitness marketing. They’re bombarded with so many different messages and offers, don’t really believe any of it, and therefore don’t respond to most of it. Their skepticism gets in the way, and all the shrill marketing messages only compound the problem. PUC offers them a way to engage with fitness in a non-threatening, fun way with a “higher calling” – raising money for children in need. Then the tools we provide you, and the experience you provide them at your event and through your relationship building (in the tools), gets a percentage of them to move forward and buy from you because now they trust you.
- PUC is a brilliant publicity hook. “90 seconds of pushups, each one raises money for children with life-threatening illnesses.” Anybody can wrap their head around that. And the media will love it. It’s fun, it’s a community event, it’s about health and fitness (hugely popular topic), it’s local (your media wants cool local stories) and about helping children in need (hugely popular topic). It’s easy to do. No 12-week programs. No dieting. 90 seconds of “discomfort” – that’s it. Anybody can do it. And when they know that by doing it, they’re helping children, that’s what I mean by a “higher calling.” It’s WAY different than doing something to help themselves only. Now they have a BIGGER reason, a more compelling reason to get engaged…with the smallest possible commitment…just 90 seconds of pushups. Are you beginning to see the power here?
- PUC is a local/national/international movement. Yes, we’re just getting started. But that’s how you eat the elephant. This will grow into something more substantial than anything else you’ve ever seen or been a part of. And the publicity and goodwill and lead generation from PUC will be very, very significant for Founding Partners. Very significant.
- PUC is a LOCAL lead generation system. Each time you run the campaign, your PUC message will reach a MINIMUM of 500 local people because of the viral world of mouth (prompted and precipitated by the marketing tools). And that’s if you get ZERO publicity. The only way you will get zero publicity is if you don’t use the publicity tools we give you. And that’s not gonna happen. And to reach those 500 (minimum) local people, all you have to do is get 25 folks interested (again, the tools do this for you). Those 25 then become your “evangelists” and spread the word for you (using the tools). Nothing is left to chance. As you’ll discover on the first live webinar training class, we have two very cool “aces” up our sleeve that I just can’t talk about publicly (prying eyes and all). You will soon see why people will be HIGHLY MOTIVATED to participate in PUC, tell their friends about PUC, donate to PUC…and fall in love with YOU! (Can’t wait to tell you all about it!)
- PUC is a NATIONAL lead generation system (for Founding Partners only). As momentum, awareness and recognition grow from the local events of all 100 Founding Partners, and national media campaign we roll out, plus the raising of big chunks of cash for charity (which really stimulates that process), more and more people will be coming to www.PushupsForCharity.com (currently under construction). From there, they will be funneled to the Founding Partners based on their geographical location. This won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. And as long as you’re a Founding Partner, you will benefit. So you’re getting huge local lead generation and ever-growing national lead generation. We’re hitting this thing from both sides to create critical mass rapidly.
- PUC is fun for you and for your community. Look, the reality is that NO marketing tools can out-pull what you can produce by “putting yourself out there.” Sean and I have been teaching this principle since DAY 1 of NPE – YCDBSOYA: You can’t do business sitting on your ass! But when you combine your “outreach” efforts with our marketing tools and the PUC system “secret sauce”…you get an EXPLOSION of attention, publicity, leads and clients/campers! That’s just the bottom line truth. Outreach alone, without systems and tools that give you leverage, will give you B- results. Excellent systems and tools alone, without outreach, can give you B- results. Outreach PLUS systems and tools give you A+ results.
Question: What if I don’t live in the U.S., can I still participate as a PUC Founding Partner?
Answer: Yes. Absolutely. There is no geographical limitation whatsoever.
Question: How much will it cost to implement PUC?
Answer: One million dollars! Just a joke. Really, the answer depends on how big you want to make this. My suggestion is, unless you’ve done GOLD RUSH™ or some other large event in the past and have that experience to guide you, just keep it simple the first time (February 2010). Simple is good. And then scale up for the next event (later in 2010). If you keep it simple, you can execute the entire campaign and raise thousands of dollars on a tiny, shoestring budget. I’m talking a couple hundred bucks at the most. Your marketing costs will be very, very small.
Question: Will my fitness business (or the fitness business I work for) be listed as a Founding Partner on www.PushupsForCharity.com, or will it be my name personally?
Answer: You choose. We can use your business name (recommended), or your name personally. PUC is a business driven fundraising and business-building program, so it makes sense to use your business name.
Question: Is PushupsForCharity like GOLD RUSH?
Answer: One of the many really cool things about PUC is its flexibility and scalability. You can start very small, holding your PUC event in your studio/facility, outdoors, in a small rented/bartered space, etc. It's a casual event - folks are doing pushups (among other things), so there's really no need for chairs, a stage, A/V equipment, food, etc. like you'd have at a GOLD RUSH event.
And the same goes for the marketing. With PUC you can rely almost exclusively on the VIRAL marketing tools and the publicity tools. Essentially, your own "house" list plus the media can be enough as long as you have a reasonable sized house list and a good relationship with them (frankly, just going through your existing clients can be sufficient, as you'll see). So as compared to GOLD RUSH, it's very simple.
With that said, though, I know many of our Founding Partners are planning to go very big, leveraging their strategic alliances, among other things. We'll discuss this in greater detail during the training calls, and outline the tactical elements for small and large campaigns.
Question: How many times a year will we be doing PUC events?
Answer: In 2010 we are planning on 2 events. The first will be in February, the second is still to be determined, but probably in September time frame. Depending on how things coalesce after the first event, we might do 3 events in 2010. We'll see. And what we learn in 2010 will determine how many events we do in 2011 and beyond. We'll dial this in based on the feedback we get as we move forward.
Question: Why should I grab a Founding Partner position now when you told us that you'll re-open PUC later on?
Answer: A couple reasons...
1. Founding Partner positions are limited to 100. When they're gone, they're gone. And Founding Partners get ALL the best and biggest benefits (lead generation, publicity, training, cross-promotions, and more).
2. If for some reason we don't fill all 100 Founding Partner positions now, when we re-open the investment will be substantially more than it is now.
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