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Getting the best deal on your gym membership

By Mario Hostios

The other day I ran across an old health club trade publication I used to subscribe to and thumbed through it for a few minutes. It only took that long to remember why I stopped buying it. A vague sense of annoyance followed me through the rest of the day. Nothing had changed. The big club chains too often continue to sell glitz, amenities, and technology to a prospective member as an enticement to buy a gym membership rather than investing the clubs resources in a precise model for teaching and practicing effective exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies and offering that to the public.

Too much of what exists in the fitness industry relies on trends, fads, and hype. It reminds me of the difference between a used car salesman who only wants to close the deal on your purchase today when the real opportunity is to provide the kind of service and value that creates a lifetime relationship and inspires you as the buyer to tell others. Many health clubs overbook their square footage (if they can) recognizing that only a percentage of their members will actually use the facilities on a regular basis. But if you don’t show up to take advantage of the gym membership, how likely are you to keep investing in it? If you do show up but don’t know how to make it work for you- how long would you keep that up? Every gym or health club runs their marketing based on a percentage of people who won’t buy again.

Why not alter the focus of what is offered at the facility to support the member who wants to make a change? Most clubs compete with each other by showcasing what is great about them. We need to stop looking at ourselves in the mirror and start paying attention to the person who comes to us looking for answers. Who really cares if gym A has the next generation of treadmills with the computerized dispy doo that tells you if you are getting tired? How does that benefit the overworked mom who needs to be able to recognize how to shop at the grocery store or select choices from a dining menu when she is eating out?

Instead of accepting member attrition as a way of doing business, why not create a process that positions each member for success? Equipment and amenities are an afterthought to expertise and strong support.

In selecting a gym/health club to invest your time and financial resources in, the real key to return on investment lies in how effectively the staff can listen to your needs and outline a fitness program that touches not just on exercise, but also nutrition and lifestyle habits that can fit into the current demands of your life. Getting tickets to the party is only step one, there has to be someone their who can teach you how to dance.

A good rule of thumb when selecting where to buy your gym membership is to ask yourself the question: is this gym/studio in the business of selling memberships or creating success stories? Do you want to buy a membership, or do you want to create your own success story?

If driver’s education schools functioned like the typical health club where you buy your key and walk up to an empty car with no one to tell you how to drive it things would get ugly on the road in a hurry.

We have the opportunity to do something better. With the advantages of digital technology, greater support for health club members is easy to facilitate and an environment where people can learn, sweat, and succeed, Taking a step in that direction however will require that health club owners adopt a view that places greater value on their members and staff instead of their equipment and amenities. Empowering the staff to support the members in realizing the aim of why they joined in the first place will create better success for everyone.

Your gym membership is only a good deal if it can deliver results you are happy with. How many floors it has, how many treadmills, neon lights and shiny equipment don’t mean squat if the staff cannot teach you an effective fitness lifestyle.

About the Author:

Mario Hostios is a certified personal trainer in Los Angeles, Ca. To get more Mario, free ebooks, and audio, go to www.livefitla.com.