An Interview with Lawrence Biscontini

Award-winning international fitness presenter Lawrence Biscontini shares some tips from his new book on customer service for fitness professionals, Running the Show: Excellence in Service.

We all lead busy lives, but Lawrence Biscontini is a really a busy guy. Lawrence travels the world providing top-notch fitness training opportunities to industry professionals and in the past few years alone has racked up the prestigious titles of 2004 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year, 2004 Can-Fit-Pro Specialty Instructor of the Year, 2002 ACE Fitness Instructor of the Year, Reebok University Master Trainer, and a host of other industry nods (check out Lawrence's website at www.findlawrence.com for more info).

Lawrence kindly took time out of his whirlwind schedule to let us know about his latest book, Running the Show: Excellence in Service.

FitCommerce: Somehow amidst all of your traveling and teaching, you managed to recently write a book for fitness professionals. Tell me about the book.

Lawrence: I was giving this lecture for Dr. Cooper and his staff in Dallas, Texas, and they all asked for my ideas in a book. I was so moved, and then that prompted me to start thinking of putting all of my customer service thoughts down on paper. Before long, I had quite a little book! I think it's really practical, unlike other service books that just speak about giving optimal service. I actually tell you how, starting early in the book with practical things to say.

FitCommerce: What gave you the idea for the book? Did you see that customer service was greatly lacking among the many fitness professionals that you deal with worldwide?

Lawrence: It's not that I see that customer service is lacking; it's that I see so many ways in which it could be better with a few simple things. Sometimes it just means rephrasing what we say to a client that means so much about giving red-carpet service. And with the importance of NLP these days (neurolinguistic programming), those chapters fit right in that alley. What's neat about the book is that this is my first book in over ten years that is not just for fitness: I'm selling to hospitals, restaurants, hotels, airlines, and even the spa environment.

FitCommerce: Who exactly is the book targeted toward?

Lawrence: Anyone who believes that we are all each other's customers, guests, and clients. I don't believe in the words "customer service" anymore, just "service." We all should hone the ways in which we give service in all of our different tasks everyday.

FitCommerce: Can you give me an example of the type of guidance the book provides?

Lawrence: One of my favorites is to ask a company what is the systematic, approved answer to a guest's "Thank you?" If it's "You're welcome," then this book definitely is for you, because that reply is so very last century!

FitCommerce: What's next on the horizon for you, Lawrence?

Lawrence:An exciting new infomercial is getting ready to peak its head on the air nationwide in the following weeks. This is a program for every-body and it's the first to take mind-body and mindful movement from the classes to the masses.

FitCommerce: Anything else you'd like to add, Lawrence????

Lawrence: My website doesn't just sell things…it has tons of free stuff, including almost every article I've ever written, so please stop by!

So many times people ask me if I consult for clubs and help them improve their schedules and give them more ideas. I do consulting services in two ways: via email (making it so possible for people around the globe) and in-house as well (where I visit and do in-house staff training).

Check Out Lawrence's Website

Check out Lawrence's website at www.findlawrence.com

More Like This…

Customer Service Excellence: PRIORITY ONE! by Mike Campetelle
How to Improv(e) Your Member Service by Molly Cox

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