Every gym has its own terms and conditions, therefore to get the best offers on a gym membership requires careful research on various membership offers. Before you get down to negotiating on rates, it is important to check out on various factors.\
Gym Type
There are different kinds of gyms so you have to look into what it is that you what to achieve by going to a gym. Do you want to enroll into a specialized gym, where you have a separate training instructor for yourself and a training course that is specially designed to help you meet your fitness goals else do you want to enroll into a regular gym where you are trained along with others. Those looking for a completely new approach to fitness training should consider enrolling into something like Yoga Studio.
Compare Gym Rates, Check Discounts and Other Offers Carefully
Plan ahead and see what you can spend and establish a budget for yourself and then compare gym rates. Some gyms have discount offers during the off season, while some give special offers to attract people. Look into the gym rates for various programs and check what their competitors are offering. Usually gyms offer membership discounts at the time of the New Year and some of the offers can be really lucrative like a couple of months of free membership, availability of free gym gear, or a two year membership available at the price of one. The best way to gain information on discount offers is to sign up for the gym’s newsletter and have a close watch. Most gyms have their own websites, where they will put up information on monthly contracts and almost zero-enrollment fees.
Negotiate
Once you have chosen a particular gym, you have to negotiate with them. Make an offer that is below you budget. Most often staff will state that they cannot change rates because of the gym policy on membership dues, but if the gym is a small gym or has started recently, they will be ready to consider. In case of larger gyms, you have to skillfully convince the staff that you expect a discount on enrollment. Specify competitor rates, but most often gyms are aware of what their competitors are doing, but it is a good approach to get a reduction.
In addition to bargaining on the membership rates, you should think about negotiating on trainer’s fees. Usually trainer’s fee is negotiable and it is not unusual to see free personal trainer sessions offered for those who become new members. When you decide to continue with the trainer’s services, negotiate a rate that comes within your budget. Trainers are usually flexible and usually accept member rates.
What you need to understand about gyms in general is that they will always show out that their rates are non-negotiable, but the thing is that you can bargain with them and bring down the rates. The competition is high and every gym has to meet its monthly targets to keep it going. Usually gyms employ a staff of commission-based sales team with whom you can negotiate and they will be flexible, if you skillfully make your point on rate reduction.
As someone who is going to be using gym facilities on a regular basis, you should get your money’s worth, so if you find a gym with rates that are satisfying to you, check out others.
