Geared Up Issue 2 2015 | Page 16

member news Anchor Management’s Planet of Triumphs Champion S amantha Melvin is not only an employee of Anchor Management Group Inc.’s Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, club, she is also an active Planet of Triumphs proponent and one of its success stories. Since becoming a member during the club’s opening in June 2012, Melvin has lost 148 pounds, going from a size 24 to a 12. She credits her transformation to Planet Fitness and Planet of Triumphs. She went on to officially join the PF staff Oct. 20, 2014, as a part-time employee and has since become a fulltime team member. before after 2015 Issue 2 | GearedUp “It’s not just a job; you’re like a celebrity when you put on that purple shirt and it changes you. People know you wherever you go.” 14 “Everything about Planet Fitness just makes me excited! I want to give back to the people that helped me get to where I am today. The members and the people are great. I worked at my previous job for 10 years and I put in my two weeks Jan. 1, 2015. I said, ‘I found something that makes me really happy,’ so I went full-time at Planet Fitness,”enthused Melvin.“It’s so cliché to say it isn’t just a gym, it’s more than a gym, but it really is! It’s a family and it’s supportive. It makes you feel so good about being there. It’s not just a job; you’re like a celebrity when you put on that purple shirt and it changes you. People know you wherever you go.” During peak times, Melvin goes out of her way to educate customers about and register them for Planet of Triumphs. For those who may not have Internet or the tech know-how, she brings in her own laptop to help them register. The club sets up a desk specifically for Melvin’s registration and lines it with Planet of Triumphs posters. When customers come talk with Melvin, she not only shows them how to join Planet of Triumphs, she explains why they should by sharing her own story and the workouts she used to achieve her results. “Quality of service is a direct relation to growth in EFT,” said Anchor Management Group, Inc. franchisee Alex PF Anchor Management staff and Planet of Triumphs advocate Samantha Melvin in a before and after shot of her transformation. Choquette.“Set the bar high then go for the extra value. Value is perceived by most members as the norm. When they go somewhere else they usually realize how valuable a well-run Planet is compared to other clubs.” Melvin aims to provide this extra value with vigor and does so out of an altruistic dedication to Planet of Triumphs and wanting to see other PF members excel as she did. More notable about Melvin’s enthusiasm is that the time she devotes to Planet of Triumphs is in addition to her work hours. She usually spends about two hours after her Tuesday shift to give advice and register members. “I think its [Planet of Triumphs] greatest strength is being able to show results. It gives you goals that you can achieve with people behind you backing you up; not trying to sell you on anything, just trying to push you toward your goal. That’s what the Planet of Triumphs system is about. I’ve run two Dasani half marathons and I’m about to run the Myrtle Beach mini half marathon in October. That was my triumph and I can’t thank Planet Fitness enough for giving me this ability. I can’t thank anyone besides Planet Fitness for making me feel welcomed every day, to be a part of the family and team and now to be able to give back to others with their weight loss goals — that is what the Planet of Triumphs is to me,”said Melvin. G