Why we Struggle Selling a Membership to the Deconditioned Consumer

Its generally human nature to migrate towards things that make people feel good rather than bad. This makes fitness a hard sell for the deconditioned consumer. This concept is completely foreign to a purist who is addicted to the euphoria that they feel exercising. This euphoria doesn’t exist for the deconditioned consumer.

Almost everyone has experienced or known someone who has experienced these things and it’s created a barrier between their need to exercise and actually doing it. Checking out a gym for the first time is not an enjoyable experience for most deconditioned people. In fact, most deconditioned consumers will look first for the weight-loss options that are the least painful ala pills, supplements, goofy infomercial machines, easy(or so they are pitched) diets, etc.

Many feel a lot of anxiety and most often they ask the staff random questions because they really don’t know what to ask. “Do you have a pool, do you have group power, and the ultimate, what are your prices?”

Maybe they were in line at the grocery store and saw a tabloid magazine on the shelf with a celebrity on the cover who said she lost her weight by doing XYZ Program and in their mind That is the only thing that will get them into shape, so that is what they ask for.

Or maybe, one of their friends a lost weight swimming laps and told her that that is the only way she’ll get results, so she asks for a pool. Or maybe they ask for prices because they don’t really know what else to ask and since they see commercials on TV all the time for the low-dollar chain club for $9 a month, they have a reference point to compare you to.

Should price be the main point of making a decision for a deconditioned consumer who might have a weight-loss career the length of Tony Soprano’s rap sheet?

Many times a prospect is on a tour or perhaps calls the club and asks the obvious question about prices and the staff member just answers the question.

That prospect just became a dead lead!

Most of my clients are priced higher than a traditional gym. They focus on personal training and group and team training. The deconditioned consumer can’t compare us to the competitors in town based on price because, of course, we are priced higher. The consumer is not yet aware of the culture that has been created in the gym, the quality and education of the staff or the camaraderie and support they will receive from the other members.

Many times the club’s staff is not trained well enough to adjust their conversation based on the prospect’s questions, body language, tone of voice and tells. Yes, “tells” like poker. The prospect will give you subconscious cues as to what they are thinking as you are interacting with them.

Call your club right now and ask a question about something that you don’t offer and see how they handle that call. Have one of your friends or family members take a tour and throw some of those questions at them and see how they handle it.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve shopped clubs over the years and asked one question, a question like, “Do you have a pool?” or “Do you have Zumba?” and the staff person responded with “No, we don’t have that” and I said, “OK” and then we said goodbye and that was the end of the conversation.