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Ron’s StoryFor 12 years, I worked at a Toronto fitness club and thought it was pretty typical of all fitnessclubs. For the most part, I saw little or no change among the general gym population. Even thePersonal Trainers struggled to get clients let alone keep their clients on track with their goals.Generally we sold packages of 10-20 personal training sessions. Many clients did not renewafter their sessions were done happy to have learned some new exercises.Day after day, week after week, month after month, I saw people exercising with negligibleresults. Most had a general routine that they clung to with little variance: the same exercises,in the same order, with the same weight. No real plan, no real goals, no real change was typicalof most Members experience. It was the single most discouraging aspect of my job as a trainer.I knew it took commitment from the client as well as the trainer to effect real change. Wherewas the focus and dedication? It was not uncommon for clients to fall off their routine; theywould take the summer off for golf or cottaging. The winter was just as bad with ample excusesin the form of holidays, bad weather, flu season or general malaise. So why were so few seeingso little results? Was this typical of all gyms? I decided I needed a change in hopes of finding ananswer.I surrendered a long list of established clients and moved downtown to start afresh. I wanted togive it one more try. At a Can-Fit-Pro Conference I was exposed to the Core Values of GoodLifeFitness and thought this was a company that might help navigate me along my path towards afulfilling career in the fitness field.After applying and eventually being hired as a trainer, I was exposed to the fundamental CoreValues of GoodLife. At first, I balked at the idea of only prescription training packages; wherewere the 10 and 20 packs that people loved to snap up for their quick fix (not to be confusedwith "Fit Fix")? This had been my world. My initial reaction was fear. How could I sell suchlarge packages? Who would buy them?It was the passion and integrity of my Fitness Manager and Assistant Fitness Manager whohelped me truly understand why this is the only way personal training should be packaged. It'swhat's best for the client and that's what makes it such a powerful marketing tool. You aregiving the client what they need, not what they think they need. The financial commitment onlyserves to bring into sharp focus the importance of the investment in oneself. Ultimately, theonus is on the client to understand their crucial part in their success in training. Like two peoplein a rowboat each pulling on an oar, if one rower slackens their pace, the progress of the boat isimpeded. Both must be fully committed to the task at hand for success to be achieved. It madesense and was in fact the answer I had been looking for.