Why that special deal isn’t all that special.
The holidays are in full swing, and with it so too are the gym membership discount campaigns.
My socials are flooded with special deals:
5 classes for $30
Train free until Feb 23
Sign up for 12 months and get a free pt session
These deals are all designed with one thing in mind.
To get you to commit to something you’ll most probably never use.
That’s right!
Never use!
At least not for the full term of whatever contract you have to sign up to get the special deal.
They’re not worried you see, because you signed a 12-month contract so you’ll still be paying regardless of if you don’t actually use your membership.
It could be $7 for 7 days, pay nothing for January if you sign up for a 12/24 month contract or 50% off your first three months.
They all, however, require you to sign up for a 12-month contract if you want to save that super deal.
Now, they know what they’re doing, because you want to get back into shape.
2023 is going to be your year, you’re going to right the wrongs of 2022, not repeat the mistakes of 2021 or the “accident” in 2020 that saw you put on 20kgs.
Plus, who doesn’t like a good deal?
That swipe card you’ve bought is going to be the best thing since sliced bread.
The problem is, this good deal is only any good for approx. 18% of the people who sign up.
Why 18%?
Whenever we start something new, we’re extremely motivated.
We’ve figured out our goals, done some research online and the sky is the limit!
Nothing is going to stop us now!
Then reality strikes!
You realise the best time for you to get to the gym is also the best for everybody else, meaning it’s impossible to find a park, let alone some time on the treadmill or squat rack.
Then work gets in the way, and you have to go in early or stay late.
Then the kids are back to school, and after-school sports start up again, meaning your other job being a taxi driver is back on.
The day you do finally get some you time, guess what, you’re buggered and end up on the couch with a beer or wine.
Sure enough, two weeks have passed and you’ve still yet to get a workout in.
Reality Check
Now, let’s be clear.
This isn’t me telling you what a loser you are.
I own a gym and have the same problems!
It’s not you, or me, it’s human nature at play, and it’s why nearly everyone like you or me needs a guide on their health and fitness journey.
It’s why All Blacks and Silver Ferns have coaches for nearly every eventuality. It’s why business leaders and politicians have staff.
The vast majority of us need accountability, support and care to be successful.
The Swipe Card Model – and why it’s flawed for you
The swipe card gyms know about our tendency to fall off the wagon.
Not only do they know about it, they actually RELY on this behaviour.
Just as some airlines intentionally overbook their flights, swipe card gyms oversell their services, planning on people like you having life get in the way.
The reality is, if everyone who signs up in December turns up in January, you’d be packed in tighter than the Hurricane’s front row at pre-season training.
The swipe card business model is to sign you up at the cheapest rate possible, and have you commit to a long-term contract.
A Statistic Brain survey [paywall] of 5,313 American gym members found that 63% of memberships go completely unused.
The granular stats are even more dismal:
– 82% of gym members go to the gym less than 1 time per week
– 22% completely stop going 6 months into their membership
– 31% say they never would’ve paid had they known how little they’d use it
In fact, their business model relies on a max of 18% of their members actually using their facilities on a regular basis.
That leaves 82% of members paying for a monthly membership and never really using it. These members are how the swipe card makes money…they’re actually the best members they have!
The Real Cost of Discounts
It’s groundhog day.
You’ve fallen off the wagon, old habits return and before you know it, you’re back to where you were before you got back into the gym.
Thankfully you’re only paying $40 a month!
$40 for a return trip to frustrationville.
To the place you told yourself you were leaving for good.
Then there are the social costs.
When you’re fit and healthy, you have less time off work, play with the kids or walk the dog more, and you eat and sleep better.
The Secret Ingredient
Your swipe card guarantees you one thing – access.
That’s it.
Going AWOl is no big deal.
The guy at the counter who grunts at you on the way in or out isn’t going to miss you.
They won’t call or text when you don’t show up.
It’s all too easy to become a number.
Contrast that with a place like Ignite Fitness and Nutrition, where we see 60-70% of members come through the doors on any one day and EVERY client is actively training at the gym.
Progress is tracked, and attendance is noted.
Goal-setting sessions to set targets, review achievements and celebrate successes.
Workout tracking software helps monitor improvements in strength and fitness.
We notice when you’re missing and you’ll get a phone call and text to check in on you.
Your friends from the 6am class also notice and check in asking when you’re going to be back.
After a day or two away, you’re back on the horse and moving forward.
6 months later you feel and look like a different person.
To reinforce this focus on you, we don’t do ANY contracts.
All our services are month to month.
We want you to want to be at the gym and we want to continue to earn your business.
We couldn’t be any further from the swipe card model in nearly every way imaginable.
Discount or Deception?
You don’t need more access, more time watching tv on the treadmill, or waiting for the squat rack.
Access to fitness equipment doesn’t guarantee fitness.
You need care, support, and most importantly, accountability.
That’s the benefit of having a coach instead of a swipe card.
Getting a great discount…..is great, until you realise that what you’re paying for doesn’t fix your problem.
When I was a young man, we used to go to the pub after work on Fridays.
Every now and then, a guy would turn up selling gear out of the back of his truck.
He’d have TVs for a steal, show you a good one and sell you a newly boxed model there and then.
If you were unlucky enough to fall for it, when you opened your bargain, you found a box full of bricks.
That special deal isn’t all that special.
You’re ready to get started and we have your coach ready and waiting.