Since I opened CrossFit FUNCTION ten years ago, I have crossed paths with thousands of people coming through the doors. In one episode of One Percent Better we spoke about Barriers To Entry – things that strike fear or uncertainty within people that would make them hesitate about joining the gym. One of the top five – but not the most common – barriers was the expense. They had trouble understanding or justifying the price of the commitment.
“Expensive” is a subjective term, just like if we labelled something as hot or cold. Both subjective terms which ultimately might differ between my opinion and your opinion. The same goes for expensive. Some will question the $6 latte you pick up from Starbucks every morning, but you won’t second guess it. It’s just a natural part of your day.
So why is a gym labelled as expensive? What is it being compared to?
Accessibility
Regular gyms can charge cheap fees because they naturally just sell accessibility. Pay your membership, walk through the door during any business hours, and workout on your own. Convenient if you know what you’re doing and enjoy that type of aloneness, and have no problem with motivation or accountability. But what if you don’t have the gym knowledge, or the motivation to stay accountable and keep attending? Did you know some gyms like this actually hope you pay your membership and don’t show? They actively recruit members who would fit that demographic – show up for the first few weeks and then disappear, too lazy to quit their membership because the cost of it is so insignificant. Meanwhile, the great business plan continues to collect your membership dues.
Health and Disease Management
Is “expensive” compared to the cost of disease management after it’s set in? Having a gym that you attend consistently, paired with a nutrition program proves time and time again to be your best defence against disease and health detriments. But yet, we don’t question the expense of medications, insulin, and medical supplies after the fact. Those bills add up, but society accepts that expense, and will question the price of what it takes to be proactive.
What would you pay to add years to your life? What would you pay to improve the quality of your life?
At-Home On Demand Fitness
I think it’s great that in the last few years, at-home on demand fitness videos have become a regular thing for some. It’s certainly introduced more people into the fitness world than before, and at the end of the day, the more people that are active, the better. See point above.
But when the price of a gym membership is compared to these programs and is “too expensive” – what factors are we considering? How successful have you been sticking to that for a long period of time? How motivating was the atmosphere or the individualized program for you? For some, it is, and that’s awesome. For most, it’s not. It’s a short-lived time in their life, but a great entry into the fitness world that’s available to them.
You Get What You Pay For
The old-age saying couldn’t be more true. These excuses for “expensive” fail in that, you get exactly what you’re paying for. You’re paying a cheap rate because all you’re paying for is accessibility, that they’re hoping you won’t show up for. Big Pharma is hoping you won’t be active, so they can continue to make money off medication used to treat things like obesity and diabetes.
At CrossFit FUNCTION, you are paying for the coaching. Our Coaches will guide you through your entire session. It’s like having a Personal Trainer for the fraction of the price (or maybe you are a Personal Training client – then good on you! You got the most complete meal deal we offer!). You are paying for the accountability. Miss a class? You can bet your bottom dollar that your workout friends will be texting you wondering where you were. And if it’s not them, you’ll hear from a Coach, because we care why you weren’t there!
You are paying for a complete program that yields results. Because at the end of the day, that’s why you’ve sought us out. You want results, and it’s our job to provide that for you. We’ve been at this for 10 years. We know how to get you results.
Ready to make a change? Are you ready to reprioritize a few of your $6 Starbucks lattes, or a couple meals out each week? Life is about priorities. How do yours align with the things you want for yourself?
If you’re ready to focus on yourself, book your FREE No Sweat Intro here and let’s chat.
