How to get the best deal — The deal maker

You found the right club, got all your questions answered, now the tough part; How to get the right price.

Back to our tour. Over the course of the tour, take note the following:

• Does the club look and smell clean?
• Is the locker room clean a spacious?
• Does the equipment appear to be in proper working order?
• How is the lighting? Do you feel like you’re lurking around in the dark?
• Were you greeted when you came to the front desk?

As the tour concludes, ask your salesperson if you can talk to any members. Watch their face carefully. If they don’t hesitate, that’s a good sign. If they do, then that may be cause for concern. They should feel they are serving their current members properly and have no objection.

At the conclusion of the tour, the salesperson expects to regain control of the conversation. They will start with dollars per month and the number of months. Most clubs will offer 12 and/or 24 month agreements (they don’t like to use the term “contract”, but that is exactly what it is). In addition, they will give you information about “start-up fees”. These can be disguised as enrollment and/or processing fees, or some other similar terminology. (A club may advertise as having no enrollment fee, but you will still have to pay a processing fee).

Before you even step foot inside of a gym, have a dollar per month rate that would be acceptable and one that you can afford. After the tour and listening to the salesperson drone on about the great rates, see how this compares to the rate in your head. But, don’t sign anything just yet.

Now is the time to take control of the conversation again, by asking questions such as these:

1. If I move, do I still have to pay the remainder of the contract? (No, you shouldn’t).
2. If I sprain my ankle and can’t work out for a month, what do you do? (A quality club will add the length of time you cannot work out on to the end of your agreement. For example, if you sprain your ankle and can’t work out for a month, they should extend your agreement for one month).
3. I have a teenager who might come once a week, or once every two weeks. Do I need to sign him/her on as a member? (No, you shouldn’t. Clubs can offer one-day, one-week and two-week guest passes for just such a thing).
4. When it comes time for me to re-enroll, can I re-enroll at the same rate. (Clubs will vary greatly on this, but some clubs will use this to entice members on a long-term basis).
5. Do you offer corporate rates? (These are generally up to 25% off with a certain number of people signing up from any given business).

If, at this point, you are blown away by the club and your questions have been answered, now you can make your decision whether to enroll or not.

If not, tell them you’d like to think about it. With this response, the salesperson will generally rehash all that you’ve been over and what you might have to think about. Stick to your guns. You don’t want to make a decision right now. At this, expect a visit from the General Manager or some other bigwig who will go through the same process. Again, stick to your guns. You will NEVER have to pay more than what is on the table right now. The GM (or selected bigwig) may, at this point, waive one of the start-up fees or offer you a one or two-week free pass. They know if you walk out that door with nothing right now, you will in all likelihood never come back.

These are general guidelines to help you avoid the pitfalls of hidden charges and other ugly surprises. Armed with these questions and knowing what to ask, will let them know you have certain expectations. Good luck.