Negotiating a Gym Membership

It is a Buyer’s Market, and I am not just talking real estate. Pretty much all consumer markets are struggling across the board and gyms are no exception. The economy has made retaining gym members and attracting new clientele especially difficult in an already competitive market. In my local area of Seattle there has been an explosion of gyms opening their doors. The number of gyms has more than doubled in the past few years. I see most of these gyms barren all the time. How long can these gyms survive in this economy? They will  have to do whatever they can to keep new and current members walking through the doors. Learn how to negotiate a gym membership with by following these simple steps:

What do You Want?: What is your budget? What is your preference of gym? Bally’s, 24 Hour Fitness, Gold’s Gym or LA Fitness? Or do you prefer a specialized gym like a yoga studio? How far are you willing to travel? Do you want to commit to a year or is month-to-month what you’re after?

Do Your Research: Once you know what you want, research what is offered in your area. Make sure to research gyms that you prefer not to join, but may have low dues. Knowing the competition will put you in a better bargaining position to negotiate a gym membership with the gym you want.

Make Your Offer: Visit the gym of your choice and determine the Set-Point by making the first offer below your budget. By doing this you will establish the climate of the negotiation and give yourself some wiggle room. If they accept your first offer, great! Most likely they will counter or use the Hidden Table technique to make you believe they don’t have the authorization to change membership dues. In some cases they don’t, but if you are negotiating with a small gym or one in which the salespeople work for commission, they have more power than they lead you to believe. Often you can ask for the student discount even if you are not a student, they can wiggle there.

Better Offer: Now is when the research you did will work to your advantage. They most likely know what their competitor’s are offering, so you can’t bluff your way through this one. Lay out for them how the gym down the road has given you a Better Offer, and that you will be just as happy there (even if you won’t).

Walk Away: If they still don’t take the bait, Walk Away. They will probably be calling you the next day when are more willing to negotiate. If they do not, visit the gym again when another salesperson is working and let them earn the commission when they agree with your terms.

Don’t let the work you put into negotiating your gym membership go to waste. Get your butt into shape!!!

Have you negotiated a great membership deal at Bally’s, 24 Hour Fitness, Gold’s Gym or LA Fitness? Let us know how you did it!