When a Raleigh, N.C. Gold’s Gym needed more personal trainers to meet its members needs, it turned to NFTP. The results proved even better than they’d hoped.
Club Name: Gold’s Gym
Location: Raleigh, NC (North Hills Location)
Phone Number: 919/787-1665
Website Address: goldsgym.com
Name of Person Interviewed: T.J. Spence
Job Position: Fitness Director
Number of Members: Confidential
BACKGROUND
Our gym opened about 3 years ago in a newly renovated mall located on the north side of Raleigh. At the time our gym opened several other gyms in our area had muddied the reputation of the fitness industry in our area. Many gyms were unclean, poorly maintained and only interested making money. Specifically, the personal training departments were not top notch. Trainers were getting paid next to nothing and were not required to have any certification to train clients. Needless to say, this created a lack of professionals in the area and a skeptical population of exercisers. When Gold’s came into the area they brought with it their high standards of quality and service. The problem was that there was a need for good trainers, but they were in short supply.
A little less than a year ago, we teamed up with NFPT and haven’t looked back. There are several excellent certifications out there, but NFPT was perfect for our setting and situation. 95% of our members are trying to lose weight. NFPT trainers get better results faster because they provide you with exact programming that works. They take all the guesswork out of it and produce trainers that are confident, educated, and capable of getting great results out almost any client.
CS: What challenge made your club decide to contact NFPT?
TJS: We have a serious lack of trainers with credible certifications in our area. We have a high demand for personal trainers, but short supply.
CS: What was the reason for the challenge?
TJS: The fitness industry in our area is behind the times due to several gyms that dominated the area for a couple years and ruined the view of the fitness industry in the eyes of our population.
CS: What impact did the challenge have on your club?
TJS: We had a lot of people that needed help and not enough people to help them.
CS: Why was it important to overcome that challenge?
TJS: Without fixing this problem our members would regard us as “just another gym” rather than a gym of high standards and service.
CS: What solution did you implement?
TJS: We teamed up with NFPT and became a State Representative for them. This allowed us to administer testing at our facility and we could get good people certified in a timely manner so that we could better serve our members.
CS: How did you implement the solution?
TJS: We simply required any new applicant that didn’t possess an accredited certification, which was nearly all of them, to become certified by NFPT. New applicants for training positions typically don’t have and accredited certification in this area. This allowed us to be able to take good people, work with them on the information, and get them tested and certified in about half the time that it would take with the standard approach of registering and waiting for an exam to be administered. One problem with other certifications is that anyone taking the test may be required to attend a prescheduled test that could be miles and miles away. This program makes it much more convenient to get a high quality certification.
CS: Where did you turn for help with the solution?
TJS: I spoke with Angie Wickstrom and also with NFTP president Ron Clark. Both were readily available and very helpful. The service that NFPT provides to its customers is second to none. If they are busy and you need to leave a message, they get back to you within a couple hours, rather than a couple days.
CS: How did that company help?
TJS: They provided a lot of support during the process of becoming a State Representative. The process is simple, but they spent time going over the testing procedures and how to proctor exams. They also provide discounts for our prospective staff to get certified. That is a huge help. One problem is that when people are looking for a job they don’t always have a lot of money, so asking them to spend anywhere from $400-$800 or so for an accredited certification is a lot to ask.
CS: What impact has this had on your club and your members?
TJS: The biggest impact is that we now have a full, competent staff of trainers. The day they start they are able to take clients and get them results. We now are able to serve all of our members effectively and we have started to build a reputation as the place to go to get results, not just a workout.
