How to Overcome the ‘Why is your gym so expensive?’ Objection

HOW TO OVERCOME THE ‘WHY IS YOUR GYM SO EXPENSIVE?' OBJECTION.

Have you ever had a client come into your gym and ask you why your monthly rates are so cheap?

Probably not, right?

But you probably have had someone, possibly many people, ask you why your gym is so expensive. Or even if they don't come out and say that directly, at the very least, you have noticed body language change when you tell someone the price, and at that moment, you know they’re probably not going to sign up.

Sigh. Another one bites the dust because of the price.

Pro Tip: The next time you see someone’s body language change, or they get quiet, or they make a weird look, ask them a question, such as:

Is that the price you were expecting?
Your body language just changed? What were you expecting our rates to be?
Is that in your budget?

This will open the conversation. And from there, they might tell you that their last gym was $30 bi-weekly, so your $250 a month is four times the price of their last gym.

Now is the chance to ask: “Why do you think other gyms are so cheap?”

Hmmm. They probably haven’t thought of it this way before, right?

Ask them to consider this: Why is a Subway sandwich less expensive than the artisanal bakery with the imported prosciutto and bocconcini sandwiches that taste so good? Why is a Ford Focus less expensive than a BMW? Why does Joe Fresh cost less than Lululemon?

The point is: The question we need to get clients asking isn’t why your one-on-one coaching and group programming services are so expensive, but why the other gyms they have been to have been so cheap?

And the answer can be found in asking them this: Why aren't you still at that gym?

Bringing up this question usually gets them talking about what they achieved at their last gym, which cost them just $100 a month. Did they reach their strength goals? Weight loss goals? Did they improve their ability to do push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and deadlifts? Did they even show up three days a week like they intended to? Did their life ultimately get better?

Chances are there’s a reason they left that gym, and it usually stems from the fact that they weren’t getting the value they were paying for. Or maybe they kept paying but stopped going altogether. Because if they saw results, wouldn’t they still be training at the community center near their place?

Food for thought: Have you ever had a client lose 50 pounds or get their first pull-up and quit on you the next month?

The Big Picture: Yes, it’s hard, sometimes even awkward, to dig into the weeds and really discover why this person showed up in front of you today and why they are freaked out at the thought of paying $250 a month for a gym.

But if you’re able to convey value—if you show them that this gym, that your coaching will be different, and will give them what they really want—then the monthly price becomes almost irrelevant.

What would you be willing to pay to get rid of the thing in your life that gives you the most pain?

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