This is a great article from Marc Wayshak.  He is an avid Crossfit goer and gives some great advice on why their business model works so well.

1. Target only your best clients. Crossfit is not for everyone; it’s for a very specific type of person. Someone interested in moderate exercise for a few hours per week will be happier at a typical gym such as Work Out World than at the local Crossfit. That’s because Crossfit demands a commitment to hard work and the desire to achieve an exceptional level of physical fitness. As a result, Crossfit gyms can demand a higher price than typical gyms. Crossfitters are willing to pay top dollar, since they know they won’t find the same type of athletic community, commitment to hard hard work or intensity of exercise anywhere but at Crossfit. Consider this: The average Crossfit gym membership costs anywhere from two to five times as much as the average gym. By catering their business model to the right clients, Crossfit can charge more and customers will gladly pay more. (I gladly pay my own $275/month Crossfit membership!). How can you focus your business model on your best clients?

2. Offer more value so you can charge more. Most typical gyms offer workout machines, free-weights, large group classes and showers – that’s about it. Crossfit gyms, on the other hand, give members heaps of individualized attention with small class sizes and lots of personal instruction. This not only safeguards that members are properly performing the Crossfit movements, but it also ensures that members are getting the most out of their gym time, thereby improving personal results. Most Crossfit gyms also host nutrition clinics and workout challenges, as well as running competitions. All of these features offer far greater value than a typical gym does, which is what allows Crossfit gyms to charge so much more than typical gyms. How can you offer more value to your clients so they will pay more for your services?

3. Focus on your clients’ results. When people work out, what are they looking to achieve? The answer is results. While many typical gyms boast about their top-of-the-line machinery, clean facilities and friendly staff, very few boast about their ability to help members achieve specific workout goals. Crossfit, on the other hand, focuses exclusively on helping members achieve results. Because of this, most new Crossfitters are in better shape than they’ve ever been within just a few months. This personal success reinforces members’ willingness to invest so much money – often the equivalent of a monthly car payment – in their Crossfit gym memberships.What results do your clients really want? Focus on helping your clients achieve desired results, and you’ll become infinitely more valuable to them.

About Marc Wayshak:

Marc Wayshak (www.MarcWayshak.com) is the author of two books on sales and leadership, Game Plan Selling and Breaking All Barriers. He is a sales expert who created the Game Plan Selling System based upon his experiences as an All-American athlete, Ivy League graduate, startup entrepreneur and years of research, training and selling. Marc has established a revolutionary selling system for salespeople, entrepreneurs and companies alike. He is a regular contributor for Entrepreneur.com and the Huffington Post Business section and holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BA from Harvard University.