I get it — you went to the globogym and they told you that if you sign up in the next 33.5 seconds, then they would waive the new members fee but if you waited till 34 seconds from now, the offer would expire. You’re used to hearing that BS so now you figure that all new member’s fees are bogus.
Sorry, but you’re wrong. Just because the globogym’s fees are bogus doesn’t mean that all gym’s fees are. Yeah, I know. The worst example I’ve heard of was the local fancy-pants gym had a “typhoon special” where, if you signed up the day after the typhoon, you could waive the new member’s fee. How crazy is that?
Here’s what our new member’s fees are for:
1. most people don’t realize this but the overwhelming majority of issues presented by gym members comes from new members. This just makes sense if you think about it. All new members have to get used to the gym. They ask more questions, need more assistance, take more time and resources, and in general take more of an effort to help them adjust to the gym. Of course we’re happy to do it, but we have to be compensated for the effort, as well.
2. Contracts, member’s cards, computer software to check you in at the front desk, computer systems, etc. all cost quite a bit of money. The gym has to make that back.
3. And the final huge one — marketing. Every new member the gym gets comes from our marketing, which takes up a chunk of time so huge that it’s hard to describe. For example, I once traded 25 emails with a potential client before he came in. How much is your time worth? We have to make up for that somehow and the new member’s fee is how we do it.
Facebook, Youtube, and other social media are platforms that allow immediate access to us but they also take up tremendous amounts of time that has to be compensated. Want an example? One of our Youtube videos got a question, so we answered it. The guy then asked about our classes. So we answered and told him he should visit the gym if he had any more questions. He then asked what was the gym’s phone number? Yes, seriously. He couldn’t even bother to look at the website or our Youtube homepage. We gave it to him in another comment answer. Know what he asked then? He asked if it was okay for him to call now? All of this happened in a Youtube comment thread. How much time do you think that took? And that was one guy.
Outside of actual training people in the gym, most of our time is spent marketing and with social media, we never stop working. You might go home at 5pm but we answer questions, emails and posts long into the night.
All of that activity is NOT compensated for by the gym fees.
We try not to tell people this stuff because it shouldn’t be your concern. Let us handle the behind the scenes stuff and you worry about getting a good workout. But realize that new member’s fees, at least at our gym, are NOT bogus and actually pay for real things that we do everyday to make the gym better.
Thanks for your understanding.