A month after I started a new group, Lisa called. Lisa had heard about my weight loss group from her best friend and insisted that I start a new one immediately because she couldn’t wait for the next group I’d scheduled. I responded that I didn’t have enough people for a new group, so Lisa promised to bring ten friends to the meeting. I declined politely, but Lisa wouldn’t give up. She called every day, telling me that she already had a group of fifteen friends eagerly waiting for the group to start. Eventually I gave in and agreed to start a new weight loss group.
Five of Lisa’s closest friends attended the meeting, but guess who didn’t show up.

I know it’s hard to believe, but Lisa didn’t come!
Lisa called the next day and promised to attend next time.
Three women attended the second meeting, and Lisa was not among them. Now I was forced to continue leading this small group on an inconvenient day and at an inconvenient location.

All leaders who use the Kosloff Method have experienced this puzzling phenomenon. Some people are willing to trouble themselves to convince the leader and their friends to start a group, but they’re not willing to make even a small effort to lose weight. There is a simple solution to this situation: ask the person who claims to represent a group of potential members to give you a list of names and telephone numbers. Call each person to find out if she is really interested in joining the group.