How To Sell Gym Memberships In November

The economic recession in America is taking a toll on health clubs. Many gyms report that sales are down, and renewals are declining as well.

Is economic depression survival possible for the average fitness center? ABSOLUTELY!

The purpose of this blog posting is to examine how to sell gym memberships in November. Adopting a couple of these ideas will help you break the downward trend and start signing up new members today!

For one good example of how to sell fitness in November we need to check out the industry experts at 24 Hour Fitness - Join Today


All 24 Hour Fitness locations will be running a Thanksgiving sale November 26th at 12:00 noon through December 1st. This time period encompasses Thanksgiving, Black Friday and "Cyber Monday". (NOTE: If you're not familiar with the term, "Cyber Monday" is the one day where the most Christmas shopping online is done.)

What's so smart about the 24 Hour Fitness approach is that they are taking advantage of Black Friday 2008 (the day after Thanksgiving, known in the retail world as Black Friday). Without a doubt, the day after Thanksgiving is the single biggest sales day for many retailers. From Amazon to Wal-Mart, Black Friday deals pull shoppers into stores like moths to a flame. Mountains of Black Friday ads fill up the newspaper, and television ads run nonstop. It's been true for years, and Black Friday 2008 will be no exception.

So, knowing that Black Friday deals will entice shoppers into spending, the question becomes WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

24 Hour Fitness locations will be promoting four different offers:
Offer 1: $0 initiation and $19.99 monthly dues for a One Club Sport month to month membership.
Offer 2: $0 initiation and $29.99 monthly dues for a All Club Sport month to month membership.
Offer 3: Three-Year Prepaid Membership with four 50-minute Personal Training Sessions for $549.99 and access to over 390 Sport clubs.
Offer 4: We are offering the bodybugg calorie management system for $149.50 (requires subscription to web based tracking tool). Good while supplies last.

The folks at 24 Hour Fitness aren't dumb. They know that Black Friday deals will bring in the new members, and they're ready!

The moral of the story is that you NEED to be open on the day after Thanksgiving, you NEED to have some Black Friday deals ready in advance, and you NEED to run some Black Friday ads prior to Thanksgiving.

The Black Friday ad you run should be a GREAT price and it should be valid for just one day. If you're short on promotional funds, at least come up with a sale and send it out to everyone on your email list. (If you don't maintain an email list of members AND potential members, you should!) Don't forget to promote your Black Friday deals in the gym, too.

So how else do you sell gym memberships in November?

Most Gold's Gym locations are promoting a concept they're calling "Beat Recession Depression". On their website and in some of their health clubs, Gold's Gym is boosting November sales with information like this: "The economy. The election. The war: Don't let today's bad news drag your attitude down with it. We'll show you how an hour-long escape to the gym can improve you physically and mentally."

Need another idea about how to sell fitness in November? Keep reading!

Another way to sell gym memberships in November is to focus on holiday weight gain, and how you can help your members stay trim this Thanksgiving. "Researchers now say they have some good news for us -- and some bad news. The good news? Most of us gain less weight over the winter holidays than we think, only one pound on average. The bad news? We never take it off" (source: archives.cnn.com).

Almost everyone is concerned about gaining a ton of weight over the holidays, and you're in a position to help them! First of all, you can help them exercise properly so they're burning fat. You can also educate them about what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat so they can minimize weight gain. The fact of the matter is that you have the knowledge to help the average person on the street avoid holiday weight gain. Are you bragging about that? You should be!

There you have it.....Three ways to sell gym memberships in November:
1) Use Black Friday ads to your advantage,
2) Teach the public how exercise helps beat depression,
3) Emphasize how exercise keeps off the holiday pounds.

By the way, it's not too early to start planning how you're going to sell gym memberships in December! Be sure to read our How To Sell Fitness In December article so you can have a very merry Christmas this year!