Local Gym’s Membership Explodes
January is normally a great month for gyms and fitness centers; people are eager to get started on their New Years resolutions to get fit. Things have gotten off to a super hot start at Strong River Bend Fitness this January. I caught up with the owner, Richard Simmons, this week. Simmons said, “January is always a good month for us, but this January is our best month ever. We have had 30% more new members sign up this January than any previous January in our 15 year history.” Simmons is using some good ole mind games on his members this year, and he is not ashamed of it.
Simmons said, “I was tired of seeing new members sign up each January, and then they’d ditch their memberships by March or April. It happens every year. Our revenue would be great for the first half of the year, and we’d limp to the finish line in December. I decided that I was going to use reverse psychology on my new members this year in hopes that it would help my bottom line, and it’s working big time so far.”
The gym’s new policy mandated that all new members must pay for 6 months dues in advance when they sign up. If new members work out at least 3 times per week on average for the first 6 months of the year, they get half off their membership the final 6 months of the year. That’s 25% off the full year’s membership dues. Simmons thought people would be willing to take the deal to prove a point to themselves and others that they were going to stick to their New Years resolutions and get fit. He even went so far as to post a sign outside the gym about the deal, and at the bottom it read, “Bet you can’t stick with us for 6 months.” Time will tell if Simmons is right on his bet. Simmons said, “You learn human nature in this business, and you know most people aren’t gonna stick with it.”
One new member said, “Richard thinks we’re not gonna stick with it, but we’re gonna show him. My workout partners and I have been in here at 5:30 am sharp every weekday so far. We ain’t going nowhere baby! It’s all about accountability! Can’t wait for that 50% off the second half of the year. We’re gonna show that jerk, and I’m gonna take that stupid sign and shove it where the sun don’t shine!”
Membership has exploded so much that Simmons is having to require members to reserve workout times. Some longtime members were complaining about the gym being crowded, so Simmons started requiring members to reserve a workout time online. Now some longtime members are complaining about the reservation time slots which are a maximum of 1 hour in length. One longtime member said, “I know Richard is trying to get all these new members in and everything, but he doesn’t need to forget about us old loyal members. It’s impossible to get my workout in, flex in the mirror, take Instagram pics, and talk to all my boys in an hour. He needs to increase the time slots.”
Simmons said, “I bet we can stop reserving time slots in April, maybe before. We’ll see.” I told Simmons that we’ll do a follow up story in July or August to see if his big bet worked out, and he agreed to participate. I hope 2024 has started well for you Valleyans! Stick to those resolutions to get fit and prove Simmons wrong!