The Gym Orientation - Its purpose, its history and why it is good for gyms and bad for members
I am here to set the record straight on gym orientations. If anyone wants to challenge what I am about to say feel free to do so and I will post your response. Most gym orientations are not design to help or to empower members. Anyone reading the article that has been through one or more orientations can attest to this.
Most orientations are designed for one purpose, to sell personal training. Not only do they not help or empower members but also in many cases, gyms go out of their way to use their orientations to exploit a members training inabilities in order to get them to buy personal training. The tragedy of it all is that most members expect their orientation along with those low monthly dues to get them the fitness results they signed up for a one-year commitment. In the end, the sad reality sets in as it is soon realized those low monthly dues, though enticing at first, just gets them in the door.
The state of the orientation was not always like this. There was a period when a gym orientation was a gracious attempt to set members up on a low grade but workable training program. I was on the front lines of a cooperate gym based in Olympia as a fledgling trainer fresh out of the military at the time. Back then, I had up to three sessions with a member to ensure they knew their orientation program though it was encouraged to try to use less. My gym kept track of my income but for the most part, I was an independent contractor who kept the higher percentage of the income I generated. This went on for nearly two years into my training practice, and then suddenly came the change.
The change was initiated by corporate gyms. Corporate gyms realized the sizable revenue being produced by their personal trainers. Furthermore, they also realized the substantial income potential that could be generated from personal training sales with the help of some retooling. The first step was to make trainers full-fledged employees even though they still had to generate their own incomes. The second step caused an Exodus of many experienced trainers like me from corporate gyms to franchised and private gyms because the higher percentage of income produced by trainers was now in the hands of the corporate gyms.
The next step is the one that has been detrimental to new gym members. That step was to change the nature of the orientation. To generate substantial revenue from personal training requires a membership base that is not empowered to achieve their fitness goals. Instead, the new member must be left inept at training and therefore dependent on personal training. Personal training can no longer be service-driven but now must be sales-driven. Furthermore, the gym orientation can no longer support a service model but must support a personal training sales model and the model continues to this day producing as much as half of a gym’s total revenue.
Generally, a new member will encounter two types of trainers during a gym orientation. The first type is the trainer who is literally in training. The upside with this trainer is being fresh in the industry; they are motivated and are eager to help. The downside is the member is for the most part the beta test and therefore subject to the trainer’s trials and errors. The second type of trainer is the experienced trainer usually of three to six years. Getting this trainer sounds like a good deal at first. After all, there is nothing more beneficial than having someone with experience. However, there are elements in place that are not at the fault of the trainer that can make this scenario far worse than the first.
For the experienced trainer, their time is money and they want to waste as little of it as possible. Giving a new member an orientation offers little to no money for them so their mindset primarily is to get a commitment for personal training. They will put their best foot forward to display their service and expertise but woe, to the member once it is discovered that they are not interested or able to purchase personal training. Sadly, I know this tragic scenario from my own training experience. As I said earlier, this scenario being played out in practically every gym is not generally the fault of the trainer. Whether the trainer is a beginner or an expert, they both face a number of hurdles that can affect a new member’s orientation.
The primary hurdle is competing with other trainers for clients; in some gyms, the number of trainers under one roof can be substantial. Making matters worst, only a limited number of a gym’s member base, generally 10-15%, are going to be willing or able to pay anywhere from $350.00 to as much as $1500.00 a month for personal training. In many cases, quota requirements are placed on trainers not only for training sales but for nutritional supplement sales as well. From this perspective, it is easy to see how a new member scheduled for an orientation can walk into the perfect storm. So to recap the key points, most gym orientations are not designed to help or empower members. Gym orientations are used exclusively to sell personal training which in many cases provides half of a gyms’ revenue. This is why gym orientations are and will continue to be good for gyms and bad for members.