On Sunday, I went for a stroll in the "OASIS" known as Central Park. The New York City Marathon was taking place, the weather was perfect and I couldn't imagine wasting the morning on a treadmill. Being one who loves to do "re-con" work in fitness, I decided to stop in a few fitness centers to get a sense of the culture.
Posing as a potential new member, I simply wanted a tour of the facilities and some information regarding pricing & personal training options?
My first stop was at "BOOM" Fitness. I was stopped at the front desk and asked to fill out my name, address, & email information before meeting with a "manager."
The manager "Tony" was a mostly-awake 20 something year old who introduced himself as we walked the facilities. BOOM certainly had a lot of stuff in it's spaces which are accessed by walking up & down a labyrinth of winding steps (some steps feeling sturdier than others.) Tony gave a less than energetic/enlightened description of the rooms. "This is the cardio room. It has cardio machines." (No Sh*t? I thought this was the pool area!) He (Tony) was pleasant enough asking where I lived and me (lying to him) replying "85th & Madison." Note: (If you're going to lie, at least have a decent address!) We then walked up & down various stairs to see the "free-weight room" which contained?.......(wait for it)........."free-weights & stuff." The facility wasn't terribly busy, but did have a few clients sweating on some machines (at least I assume it was their sweat?) Mostly it looked like it needed a good cleaning job along with some enthusiasm from it's staff & members.
In the office, I asked Tony "How long have you been here?" He replied that "I've been around for about 7 months." I asked "How's it going?" Without hesitation he responded with "It's just a paycheck, I really don't like sales & commissions or the hours." He went on to tell me that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but that he needed a job. Maybe he would try to get a job with the NYPD or NYFD? The Coach in me came out and asked him "Tony, when was the last time you thought about what you wanted to do?" He said "It's been a long time." I told him "When you know what you are looking for it's much easier to find it." My final question to him was "What's good about this facility?" He told me that "You get a lot of machines & weights for not a lot of money." I shook his hand, thanked him, and wished him luck.
The problem wasn't Tony: The problem was the schmuck that hired him for that position. I'm sure Tony has ROCKSTAR potential (we all do) but it's obviously not in something that he has no passion for. ATTN: BOOM hiring department - "Hire Passionate Advocates of Fitness Who Love Coming to Work if You Want to Increase your Sales. Your $29.99/month ain't going to do it."
My second stop on this tour was at an EQUINOX about 2 blocks away. I went up some clean, well-lit steps to the 2nd floor. I walked in to see a juice bar with 2 workers, a boutique, and 2 front-desk people. "Jeremy" at the front-desk smiled, introduced himself, and asked "How can I help you today?" I advised him of my (BS) NYC Address and asked to see the facilities as I was thinking of joining. He went to get me a sales person but 1st asked if he could get me some water or coffee? "Uh, water would be great thank you." Jeremy informed me "All 3 of our membership people are with guests right now but you are free to walk around and I'll advise them that you are waiting." He then handed me a bottle of Poland Spring and returned to the front-desk. Now I'm not trying to sell anyone on EQUINOX (unless they hire me to do so) but the culture was obvious. I walked around the 2 floors only to find members working, sweating, & smiling in a much happier, cleaner, & safer environment. I even snuck a peak into the locker room and was surprised to see how well-maintained it was.
Back at the front desk I approached Jeremy. I asked "How long have you been here?" Jeremy informed me with great enthusiasm that he not only had been working here for over a year, but he has been a member for almost 5 years in this facility. I asked "What's so great about this facility?" He replied "Everyone here is very friendly, from the front desk people 'like me' to the trainers & membership department. Everyone says HELLO, the place is very clean, I know because I see how often they are wiping things down each day, but the best thing is that people love coming here." I looked him in the eye and said "Jeremy, if people love coming here as much as you love working here, then I can see how one enables the other!" He smiled and shook my hand. I told him I would be back. (I kinda felt bad, but I got over it!)
Clearly EQUINOX puts a much greater emphasis on WHO is representing their brand at this checkpoint. Bravo to them for that.
Tom Davin, Former CEO of Panda Express has a saying "The way you do ANYTHING is the way you do EVERYTHING." While we should never judge a book by it's cover, in reality we do. And Should!
How do YOU do ANYTHING?
Frank Pucher
CEO, Fitness 121 Personal Training
Fitness 121
5 Becker Farm Rd. Roseland, NJ 07068
Office: 973.535.1177
Email: Pucher121@aol.com
Web: www.Fitness121online.com
Named "Best Exercise Studio" 2010 & 2011 - New Jersey Monthly Magazine.
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