Go in with this list of semi non-negotiables:
- I want a trial month for free, please (settle for a couple of weeks and a handfull of guest passes you can use for yourself)
- I want whatever the deepest discount is you offer to anybody.
- I want a month-by-month plan at the same price as if I was committing for a year.
- I want a free health assessment at the beginning and again after 6 months.
- I want a complete walk-through of how to use every piece of equipment, for free. This one is non-negotiable and is a safety issue. It’s required by their insurance company, typically.
- I want a free personal training session, and if I don’t like that trainer, I want a free session with different trainers until I find one who lights my fire (if you want a personal trainer)
- If you tell me my membership price offer is no longer valid if I turn it down today, I am turning it down today.
- I am not going to let you auto-grab money from my bank account if I google up that anybody’s ever had problems getting you to stop grabbing.
Actually your gym should be offering you all of these. From right now through the end of January is the toughest time to negotiate with a gym, because all the couch potatoes are there for their annual pilgrimage of good intentions. So make sure your free month is JANUARY so you can negotiate in February when all the ‘taters have given up.
