The following overview of Custom Built personal training company will help you make an informed decision about teaming up with Custom Built Personal Training to provide personal training services to your members. Obviously, as a health club owner or manager, your primary interest is how we can benefit your business. Our objective is to maximize your personal training revenue and service, while eliminating the headaches involved with managing your personal training department. We understand that you are competing against other club owners, and our goal is to be an asset to you in that competition. First we’ll give you a brief overview of how our system works, and then we will highlight some of specific benefits to your organization.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS.
Custom Built will pay you a guaranteed rent and/or a percentage of gross revenue each month in exchange for the exclusive rights to sell personal training services in your facilities. The rent we pay is based on several factors, but primarily depends on the average number of new members a health club enrolls in a month, the number of members who use the facility on a daily basis, and total membership base. We guarantee to pay the highest monthly license fee of any national training company, and in many cases, the rent we pay can double or even triple the current net profit realized by many health clubs from their current personal training operations. As part of our agreement, Custom Built offers anywhere from one to three orientation sessions at no charge for all of your new and existing members. Our initial one-hour introductory workout and fitness assessment is structured as follows:
First 5 minutes:
Interview designed to ascertains member’s fitness goals, workout history and health history. The interview process is specifically designed to deepen the member’s emotional commitment to achieving their health and fitness goals.
Next 20 minutes:
The member receive a body composition test, then goes through an educational segment that dispels many of the common myths regarding the three most important components of any effective fitness program—strength training, cardiovascular training, and nutrition. This segment is designed to help members avoid the most common pitfalls that prevent health club members from achieving their objectives.
Next 30 minutes:
The member is given a choice of either an overview or exercise equipment (typically one line of selectorized equipment and two pieces or cardiovascular equipment), or a workout targeting the member’s “problem” areas.
Final 5 minutes:
We present to the member the personal training programs offered by Custom Built.
During a follow-up visit thirty days later, we re-test the member’s body composition, update their program, and clarify any questions the member may have regarding the first month of their program. Our orientation package can be customized to provide the level of service you desire.
THE KEY:
The key to our system stems from the fact that we realize that few good personal trainers are either good managers or good salespeople. Consequently, we have essentially two divisions of our business which work together: sales and marketing, and personal training/customer service. The sales and marketing division is managed at each location by a General Manager. Depending on the membership count of the facility, that G.M. may be solely responsible for sales and marketing, or may have anywhere from one to three Assistant Mangers working with him or her. Since we sell training programs at the end of our introductory workouts, only our mangers meet with new members in the initial orientation; our staff trainers do not perform introductory workouts. With nine years of experience in this type of system (detailed in the biography), the senior management of Custom Built have designed management training programs that thoroughly prepare our mangers in the areas of professional sales skills, leadership, and interpersonal communications. Therefore, we believe we offer a superior experience for new members during their introductory workout. Our sales system, based on building relationships with members and building product value through effective demonstration, generates high sales volume while maximizing member satisfaction for those who do not purchase a training program. The personal training/customer service division is headed at the club level by our Fitness Director. While the General Manger is responsible for enrolling new members, the Fitness Director is responsible for retaining current members through the administration of customer satisfaction surveys, improving the quality of training among the staff trainers, and enforcing standards of professionalism within the facility. Again, depending on the size of the facility, a Fitness Director manages anywhere from 5 to 30 staff trainers at any given location.
THE OTHER KEY:
All personal training organizations focus on hiring qualified employees. Custom Built certainly agrees with hiring qualified personnel—all of our trainers either hold exercise-science related degrees, or are certified by a nationally recognized certifying body--but our primary focus is on hiring good people who have character, are friendly, are approachable and are helpful. After ten years of experience, we have developed training protocols that give employees the technical skills to perform the job; however, we cannot train someone to have an appealing personality or good character. As a result, our recruiting system emphasizes hiring warm, friendly people with integrity and humility. To ensure that all Custom Built managers are thoroughly trained in our systems and company culture, we have opened a centralized training school in Atlanta, GA, from which all prospective managers are required to graduate before being placed in your facility.
HOW DO YOU BENEFIT?
Here are the top ten benefits your organization will receive should you decide to enter into a relationship with Custom Built Personal Training:
- Increased Revenue.
To reiterate, in most cases Custom Built can pay rent that will double or triple the current gross profit generated by your personal training operation. Even where our rent payments are roughly equivalent to your current net profit, remember that, unlike revenue generated from operating a personal training department, the rent payment is guaranteed regardless of the time of year or economic conditions and requires absolutely no effort on your part.
- Decreased Costs.
Many health clubs pay staff trainers to perform new member orientations. This cost is completely eliminated as Custom Built provides this service at no cost to you. Additionally, Custom Built incurs all costs required to operate a personal training infrastructure, including phone lines, office supplies, credit card terminals and discount fees, liability insurance, employment taxes, etc., as well as any and all human resources costs and labor required to manage your training infrastructure.
- Higher quality new member orientations.
Often, it is indeed true that “you get what you pay for.” Custom Built introductory workouts are performed by well-trained, well-paid managers, as opposed to staff trainers. This results in a higher quality new member orientation.
- Increased focus on your core business.
By allowing Custom Built to provide personal training services to your members, you can devote all your time, money and personnel resources to maximizing production from other areas in your organization. Custom Built primarily serves club owners who prefer to put their effort and expertise into expanding and/or improving their core business.
- Increased membership sales.
Custom Built trains its managers to work closely with the management of the health club. Since our mangers are well-trained in the art of generating enthusiasm in individuals contemplating beginning a fitness program, our management teams can work together in convincing skeptical prospects to join the facility. We are also happy to provide introductory workouts to individuals on with passes in hopes of increasing their commitment to fitness (and by extension, a health club membership).
- Reduction of liability.
As a national company operating in several different organizations, our insurance policies truly protect against any liability concerns relating to personal training within your facility. If an independent contractor operates only within your facility, you may still be at substantial risk if any liability issues arise.
- Greater uniformity.
All Custom Built employees wear the same uniform—crimson shirts with black trim and black athletic pants. Unlike an independent trainer system, Custom Built presents a uniform, professional appearance within your facilities.
- Greater control.
Our success relies on your satisfaction, and our company culture strongly emphasizes a level organizational discipline required to satisfy the level of professionalism you expect to experience in your facilities. Rest assured, one phone call to the Custom Built district manager in your area, or our corporate office, will rectify any and all issues you might have with appearance or behavior of the trainers in your facility. Again, as opposed to an independent contractor system, you have greater control over the behavior and professionalism of the trainers in your clubs.
- Atmosphere.
Because we focus on hiring energetic, enthusiastic, friendly and approachable people, and because we do sign a high volume of personal training clients, we will create a high profile, positive and energetic floor presence that will enhance the atmosphere in your facility. This will help convince touring prospects that your club is the best health club option available.
- Member retention.
Someone can only train with Custom Built if they are a member of your facility. Because we primarily sell EFT training programs, we focus on building an EFT base of satisfied, loyal clients and have instituted an aggressive, results-based client retention program that emphasizes continuous customer satisfaction surveys. This will ensure that our clients remain your members for years to come.
OPPORTUNITY FOR TRAINERS CURRENTLY WORKING IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
Most health club operators are concerned about the welfare of their existing personal trainers, fearing that utilizing our services may displace those employees. Any personal trainer working in your facilities, whether they are independent contractors or employees, will be given the first opportunity to fill positions with Custom Built. In many cases, once we have explained the available career opportunities with Custom Built, many of your current trainers will welcome the change, as we are a national company with exciting and varied career paths from which they can choose.
CONCLUSION
Many companies talk about what they can do. The management of Custom Built realizes that the difference between average companies and great companies is the ability to execute, and the senior management of Custom Built is steeped in a culture of execution. Our company is a principle-based company emphasizing integrity, gratitude, loyalty, humility, service and good old-fashioned hard work. You will not be disappointed if you give us a try.
