Every year on Black Friday, gym owners feel pressured to run sales and slash prices—because everyone else is doing it.
But should you offer huge discounts and wild deals?
If you’ve read anything I’ve written over the last decade, you know my answer:
No, you should not offer discounts on Black Friday.
Or on any other day.
Discounts don’t build gyms. They destroy them.
I’ve seen owners panic in November: “I’m not making enough money. I need more clients. Maybe a sale will help.”
Then they offer discounts and wonder why they’re still broke in January.
Here’s the truth: You’re probably already underpriced. A discount only makes that problem worse.
At Two-Brain, we never recommend discounts. Let me show you why—and tell you what to do instead.
Why Discounts Don’t Work for Gyms
Services Aren’t Products
Amazon and Walmart can run Black Friday deals because they sell products. The more they sell, the cheaper production gets.
That’s not how coaching works. You don’t have infinite time slots. Every new client means more costs: staff, space, equipment. A discount just eats into your profit margin.
Coaching is not a commodity. It’s a high-value, finite, time-based service.
The Five Dangers of Discounts
1. You’re already underpriced. Most gyms are charging too little, and a discount compounds the problem. What’s 15% off “not enough to feed my family”? It’s worse, right? When you chase more clients with discounts, expenses rise but margins shrink, and suddenly the math doesn’t work.
2. Discounts attract the wrong people. Bargain hunters show up for the deal, then leave when they find another one. These aren’t the clients who stick around. You want people who are looking for value and coaching, not coupon clippers. Fitness is for everyone, but you do not have to deliver your coaching at a loss to help people. My advice: Earn a good living and help people from a position of financial strength.
3. Discounts teach the right people bad habits. When you slash rates every November, loyal members start waiting for sales. They think, “Why pay full price? I’ll just wait for the next deal.” This is awful: You are literally teaching people who already value your service to think of ways to pay less for it.
4. Discounts devalue your professionalism. Your dentist doesn’t run 20% off coupons. A brain surgeon doesn’t hold Black Friday specials. You’re a professional coach, not a bargain-bin alternative. So present yourself like a true pro and get the big, red “half price!” sign out of your window.
5. Discounts can lead to a death spiral. Lower average revenue per member means you need more clients. More clients raise expenses. So you need even more clients, and you feel pressure to offer discounts to acquire them. You’re more focused on acquisition than retention, so churn goes up. Soon, you’re running a marketing machine instead of a coaching business. And eventually, you run out of road.
What to Do Instead
1. Focus on Value, Not Price
Compete on results and relationships, not price. Measure client outcomes, celebrate them publicly and tell your clients’ stories. Build lasting relationships based on elite service and progress toward important goals.
Give knowledge away for free—just like I’m doing now—and sell coaching. That’s how you position yourself as a premium service.
Remember: Your best clients don’t think like broke gym owners. They want value, not bargains. So set your prices to reflect value—and then deliver in spades.
Stop projecting your own wallet onto the market. It’s a huge mistake to think, “I couldn’t afford this, so nobody else can.”
2. Run Alternative Promotions
When you’re positioning yourself as the best steakhouse in town, you have lots of great ways to attact clients without slashing rates:
Bring-a-Friend Campaigns—Run a one-day event to leverage trust and community. Promote the event intentionally with current clients, collect waivers and contact info at the event, and book No Sweat Intros before guests leave (or perform them then and there!). Done right, this produces high-quality clients who stick.
Value-Added Offers—Instead of dropping price, add bonuses such as a nutrition habits challenge, a mobility clinic, an AI-created healthy-habits workbook or extra goal review sessions. You could even offer a two-for-one PT session so members can bring a spouse or friend. The key here: Never give away for free what another client is paying for. That erodes trust.
Cause-Driven Campaigns—Tie sales to community impact. Donate a percentage of sales to youth sports, a local charity or a memorial event. You’ll build goodwill and strengthen your brand. It should be obvious but I’ll say it anyway: Don’t use this tactic if your gym is struggling.
Highlight Professionalism—Use a little humor and honesty to set yourself apart from the bargain basement. For example, I make a post like this every year at this time: “Our Black Friday deal: Buy any membership and we’ll invest 35% of it into hospitals, roads and schools through our taxes.”
3. Use the Prescriptive Model
Forget gimmicks. The best “promotion” is simply giving people exactly what they need:
- Start with a goals conversation.
- Build a customized plan based on metrics.
- Walk them through it step by step and ask if they are ready to start.
- Schedule check-ins every 90 days to measure progress.
- Celebrate progress and adjust the plan as needed.
This is what clients truly want—coaching and results—and it’s what makes them stay.
Bright Friday, Not Black Friday
Last year, some gyms reframed the season as Bright Friday and used the tactics I listed above to build value instead of slashing prices.
That’s the playbook I want you to run.
Our data is clear: Black Friday discounts don’t help gyms. They sink them.
So don’t chase headcount this November. Build value. Your best clients want results, not bargains.
And if you want help setting the right prices and building value so you can make every season profitable, book a call with my team.
