Each month, Gym Source is featuring an employee who exemplifies the passion for fitness innovation and dedication to customer service for which the company is known.
EMPLOYEE: Norm Morrison, product manager, trend advisor
LOCATION: Newton,Mass.
SINCE: August, 1998
QUOTABLE: “Never be too busy to lend a hand, or answer a question. When you build trust and confidence with your clients, they’ll never shop anywhere else.”
If we were to describe Norm Morrison, product manager and trend advisor at Gym Source, in a single word, it would be this: Focused. At times, he’s singularly focused on researching the competition. Other times, his sights are set toward industry trends and up-and-coming manufacturers. Many days, he’s focused entirely on Gym Source staff training or on strengthening bonds with fitness industry leaders.
But hands down, the first task that sits atop Norm’s “things-upon-which-to-focus” list is this-answering the phone at his Newton, Mass., Gym Source showroom.
“That phone will never go to voicemail here in the Newton store,” Norm insists. “If a call goes to voicemail, then the customer thinks we’re too busy for them-and that will never be the case. Not at Gym Source.”
It doesn’t matter who’s calling or why. “No customer question is too small; if you take the time to help, you’ll find a customer for life.” That’s why he develops staff training programs-and fosters a corporate culture- focused on strong relationships through customer service and technical expertise. The result, he explains, is a showroom environment that exudes credibility, trust, and confidence among clients. “It works. I gain so much satisfaction in the strong relationships I’ve built among my longtime clients. Their success and faith in us matters a great deal to me. And I can’t explain the pride I feel when sales associates I’ve trained experience similar success because they’ve built better relationships, too.
Norm takes that trust and confidence a step further, having developed strong partnerships with major fitness equipment manufacturers over the years. With a unique balance of nearly equal commercial and retail sales, Gym Source holds particular influence with manufacturers. Norm is typically at the center of those relationships-serving as a trusted source for major brands, interpreting marketplace needs and putting forth new ideas for development.
Take quad dominance. Norm kept hearing about the same concern from many Gym Source clients-that their glutes and hams were being underutilized on certain cardio machine technologies—to which the Cybex Arc Trainer and Octane Zero Runner responded with practical solution, directly because of Norm’s influence.
What else does Norm enjoy about at Gym Source? His boss, Gym Source CEO Richard Miller. “Not many people can say this about their boss,” Norm explains, “but I can: I learn something new every single time I see him.” With his dedicated focus on customer satisfaction, industry trends and staff training, Norm helps keep those Gym Source phones ringing.
