A Conversation With Scheffy

You’re going to hear a lot more about the power of Success Links this year, as the concept has caught on fire within the coach community.

Today I was describing the concept of Success Links to a friend over breakfast and she said “it’s kind of like AA sponsorship – where you’re far less likely to relapse yourself if you are accountable to helping someone else succeed.” Well put!

This year’s Top Coach contest is all about building Success Links, where every coach has an incentive to get the person they recruit to build accountability. Every time I describe it to someone I can see the “aha” moment”. Accountability – that’s what has been missing!

Our first Top Coach winner in the new format shocked us all: Jason Scheff, the lead singer of Chicago. He topped the list and has built momentum like we would have never expected from a guy who already has a full time job and who you would never expect to embrace a peer-to-peer marketing concept. Who knew cool people could dig MLM too?

In a recent exchange with Jason, I was again reminded that people who want to help people really understand the value of connecting via Success Links. That’s why Beachbody’s growth plans have the potential of such a dramatic impact – but only when coaches focus their efforts on creating Success Links.

Here’s an excerpt taken from a string of Jason’s emails. He created a whopping 12 Success Links last month, and as you will read below, the guy is excited and as passionate about helping people as he is about rock and roll!

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Hey Carl,

Sorry I had to run today so quick. I am back out on the road again, (what else is new, right?) and in Tampa right now.

I'll tell you brother, it's funny that Horton was my trainer back in the day and I *was* in the best shape I'd ever been in, up until that point... but it didn't stick and you know why? No support system other than my trainer, Tony. Once I stopped hiring him it was only a matter of time before I slipped back into being a fat slob! And that isn't a good thing for someone on stage. Nothing worse than seeing a fat, middle aged rocker. As I said to you today, one of the things I really dig is how transparent I've become. I've put my life out there for fans. I had to do something DRASTIC. I had to ANNOUNCE to my fans before I'd lifted a FINGER I was going to get in shape. It's all in my blogs here on MySpace.

I really *got it* at the coaches summit. I'm sitting there thinking, "What are you keeping your mouth shut for?" You see I'm VERY careful to not go after my fans for money. I've kept my reputation and image very pure because that's my heart. So it was a bit of a hurdle to talk about what I'm doing as a coach and all that, but I got over it, OBVIOUSLY! I thought, "What good am I doing ANYBODY by keeping my mouth shut? NO ONE!"

It was in my Scheffy Show webcast that "The Scheffy Challenge" was born. I'd love to say I'm smart enough to come up with something like that but it was ALL the fans. Their idea, their PRIZE they named. It was PURE collaboration in the biggest Web 3.0 sense. EXACTLY what I've been working for. Once I launched the challenge I offered the business opportunity side of it and went through my stumbling of how to present that. I did my best by putting your videos and everything up but, in my culture, there are always naysayers and haters. You got ‘em too bro! You get big and they wanna come after you! So I've been getting the email here and there with the fan that tells me there is talk out there about this *pyramid scheme* I'm involved in. I see it as a GREAT opportunity to explain myself – That’s why I LOVE the web! Because I get to put it all out there so NO ONE can do their own P.R. smear! What great technology we have these days... I can press a button RIGHT NOW and be streaming a live broadcast/webcast and settle the score. For me, this is about helping people – by showing that I was getting myself fit first - and that’s it!

Dude, I wanted to stop eating candy on the back of the bus. I wanted my fingers to stop tingling. I have a 10 year old and a 7 year old that I wasn't playing with because I just didn't have the energy. So that's been my vision brother... I wanted to WORK for my results so it would *stick*. I am self appointing myself to be the *celeb* that finds the *right* way to do this so that it sticks – not just for me, for everybody who cares to listen.

We all know the truth... This WORKS! It's not snake oil or a scam. Since Horton was my trainer back in my FIRST heyday, haaaa, I know what his programs do and how effective they are. I just didn't have the support system back then. So I know first hand how legit this all is... I've been doing it for 10 months now! I'm not saying that the ONLY road to nirvana is *this* product... I'm saying that doing SOMETHING and attaching a supportive group of people to it is the answer. I happened to choose this one. It’s working for me. But I don’t care if people want to climb trees together and support each other from day to day – just do it and help each other!

I'm going to be touring with The Doobie Brothers this summer, just finished a Japan tour with Huey Lewis and The News... and don't think THOSE guys were ALL over me about how I look right now! Huey was flipping out...

The best part about it... it's ALL about just WORKING for it. Get in SHAPE! Everything falls into place. But a funny thing happens on the way to the office when you're doing that... the MUSE happens and the sky's the limit. Talk to you soon... your friend and brother... Jason