I hope that all the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day, and now we are looking forward to the “unofficial” start of Summer – Memorial Day. For me and my wife it’s one of the few days of the year that we have off, but there are so many “house” things to do that it will be just another day. Hopefully it will be nice for all those having cookouts.
The other day my wife went to a hair salon to get a haircut. She mentioned to me that this particular salon is owned by a stylist who rents out space to other hair stylists. It got me to thinking about how many fitness studios have personal trainers that are contractors rather than employees.
What does that mean to the average client? Sometimes nothing; but there definitely is a difference.
Many private personal trainers have no place to train their clients. If they have a client with a full gym (which is rare) then they can train the client in their own home. When this is not the case, then the trainer has to rent out space in a gym. Many times this means that you will be trained in a gym atmosphere with other clients around you, there may be limited options for equipment since the gym’s own clients have precedence, or the session may take longer than needed because of the lack of equipment.
If you, as a client, have a problem with the trainer or are not achieving the results you want, your only recourse is to talk to the trainer. The gym owner has no obligation to settle any disputes. You are the client of the trainer, not of the gym owner.
Some fitness studios only hire contractors. This saves them money in many ways but, again, they are not fully responsible for the trainers that train clients in their studios. When a fitness studio hires contractors many times you will pay the studio, and then the studio will pay the trainer, less rent/space fees. For their reputation’s sake, if a client has a problem with the trainer the studio owner may try to mediate the problem but, again, they are not obligated to do so. You are really the client of the trainer, not the studio.
At Fitness Together we only have employees, not contractors. This means that every Personal Trainer at our Studios has gone through our hiring procedure and has been trained as a Fitness Together Personal Trainer. That is beyond their own certifications.
If you, as a client, ever have any questions or concerns with relation to the Studio or your Trainer, you can always speak to my wife or myself. It is our responsibility to make sure that you receive the best fitness experience possible. We are committed to help you achieve your fitness goals and, if for any reason you are not getting the results you requested, we want to know why.
That is the difference between contractors and employees. What is your preference?
Friday, May 21, 2010
Our Wonderful Clients
What beautiful weather we’re having!! I’m not one to rush the seasons, so I won’t say that Summer is just around the corner; but it is getting closer every day.
One exciting event in May - we are Celebrating our Third Anniversary in Williamsburg. Where has the time gone? I imagine it’s true that “time flies when you’re having fun.”
I know that my blogs are usually about the reasons why you should get fit and healthy. Or why you should commit yourself to an exercise program. This one will be different.
I want to talk about my wonderful clients – both in Williamsburg and Virginia Beach. I certainly admit that I do not know my Virginia Beach clients as well as I know those in Williamsburg. Of course, that’s because I signed up every single client in my Williamsburg Studio, while the Virginia Beach clients were “given” to me.
Does that make a difference? Absolutely not! I may not know every client as well as I should but that is changing day to day. And, of course, all of my clients are benefiting from the expertise of my talented and knowledgeable trainers.
In the past few weeks my wife and I have had some short conversations with our clients. One long-time client told my wife that she loves the fact that my wife and I are so hands-on in our Studios. We genuinely take an interest in each and every client, and watch the day-to-day operations just as we have done from the first day we opened our doors.
One of our clients just returned from a European vacation. This woman came to us over a year ago walking with a cane because she had such bad knees. During her European vacation she was so thrilled that she was able to easily keep up with her travel companions and had a wonderful time. She told my wife that, if this had been a year ago, she could have never gone on such a trip. She knows that it is only through her exercise regimen that she can now easily walk around where before it was a problem.
Then there was the client that has been with us six months, and is rejoining again. She has lost over 45 pounds and is off of 7 different medications!! She hopes to be off her last medication when she sees her doctor in June.
Let me tell you about one of my latest clients. She has needed a knee replacement operation for the past two years but, for various reasons, she has decided to wait. She now decided to get into better shape before having the operation. I give her so much credit for realizing that she needs to get herself stronger and more flexible for this surgery. Right now she can barely bend her knees, but that will change. I can’t wait to chart her progress.
Then, of course, we have our very first client who is still with us. At 75 years young she can bench press 100 pounds; more than many men can do.
Many of my Virginia Beach clients have been with that Studio for years – some of them over 4 – and they just keep joining up year after year. My promise to them is that not only will my wife and I keep the Studio running at the highest level possible, but we will work to improve that Studio, as well as the Williamsburg Studio, in every way that we can.
So….this is what keeps us going day after day and week after week – our wonderful clients.
Why not find out what Fitness Together can do for you. We’re just waiting to meet you and have you become one of our “wonderful clients”.
One exciting event in May - we are Celebrating our Third Anniversary in Williamsburg. Where has the time gone? I imagine it’s true that “time flies when you’re having fun.”
I know that my blogs are usually about the reasons why you should get fit and healthy. Or why you should commit yourself to an exercise program. This one will be different.
I want to talk about my wonderful clients – both in Williamsburg and Virginia Beach. I certainly admit that I do not know my Virginia Beach clients as well as I know those in Williamsburg. Of course, that’s because I signed up every single client in my Williamsburg Studio, while the Virginia Beach clients were “given” to me.
Does that make a difference? Absolutely not! I may not know every client as well as I should but that is changing day to day. And, of course, all of my clients are benefiting from the expertise of my talented and knowledgeable trainers.
In the past few weeks my wife and I have had some short conversations with our clients. One long-time client told my wife that she loves the fact that my wife and I are so hands-on in our Studios. We genuinely take an interest in each and every client, and watch the day-to-day operations just as we have done from the first day we opened our doors.
One of our clients just returned from a European vacation. This woman came to us over a year ago walking with a cane because she had such bad knees. During her European vacation she was so thrilled that she was able to easily keep up with her travel companions and had a wonderful time. She told my wife that, if this had been a year ago, she could have never gone on such a trip. She knows that it is only through her exercise regimen that she can now easily walk around where before it was a problem.
Then there was the client that has been with us six months, and is rejoining again. She has lost over 45 pounds and is off of 7 different medications!! She hopes to be off her last medication when she sees her doctor in June.
Let me tell you about one of my latest clients. She has needed a knee replacement operation for the past two years but, for various reasons, she has decided to wait. She now decided to get into better shape before having the operation. I give her so much credit for realizing that she needs to get herself stronger and more flexible for this surgery. Right now she can barely bend her knees, but that will change. I can’t wait to chart her progress.
Then, of course, we have our very first client who is still with us. At 75 years young she can bench press 100 pounds; more than many men can do.
Many of my Virginia Beach clients have been with that Studio for years – some of them over 4 – and they just keep joining up year after year. My promise to them is that not only will my wife and I keep the Studio running at the highest level possible, but we will work to improve that Studio, as well as the Williamsburg Studio, in every way that we can.
So….this is what keeps us going day after day and week after week – our wonderful clients.
Why not find out what Fitness Together can do for you. We’re just waiting to meet you and have you become one of our “wonderful clients”.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
