Five Sales Tips for the Gym Owner or Coach

FIVE SALES TIPS FOR THE GYM OWNER OR COACH

So you have accepted you’re in sales…

And hopefully, you have embraced the idea of sales.

If you haven’t, maybe this definition of sales will help: Sales is an organic conversation between two people to get to the bottom of something. In our case, to see if you have a solution to the prospect’s problem.

Thinking about it this way often helps take the pressure off the process. It takes the sales out of sales and just lets you be you: A genuine, authentic business owner or coach who wants to help the right people get more fit.

With that being said, the reality is you DO need to make sales for your business to prosper. Alas, here are 7 sales tips—learned from Madlab sales guru Greg Mack.

Stop Selling, Start Interviewing

This means asking questions, questions, and more questions about the prospect instead of providing them stock information about what you do.

Mack adds: “If a lead emails you for info, your primary goal is to get them on the phone. I say it like this: ‘I appreciate the convenience of email, (but) does it make sense to speak by phone as this will speed up the process of figuring out if what we do fits your needs?’”

Once you have them on the phone, try to get them into the gym, and from there, the real interview begins to uncover their back story (i.e. their pain) to see if you have a solution to their problem/pain.

Food for thought: Have you ever paid way too much money for a bottle of water? But you’re thirsty, so thirsty, and you value getting rid of that thirst way more than that $6! So you buy that $6 bottle of water.

Similarly, when the prospect sees value—and sees how it will help them—chances are they’re going to be willing to spend a whole lot more money than even they thought they would on starting a fitness program.

Or as Mack says: “Value is not just an objective number. By definition, value is the subjective sense of worth of something.”

That’s what the interview process is all about: A chance to figure out what the prospect really wants, what they value so much they’re willing to pay for it.

Avoid Mutual Mystification

In short, be clear, be concise and transparent beforehand when communicating your intentions for the interview.

“You ensure that both you and the prospect knows exactly what the meeting will be about and what the decision at the end will be based on,” Mack said.

Mack recommends telling the prospect the goal of the interview (in-person interview) is to get a yes or a no answer by the end. This is the best way to avoid spending an hour with the person only to hear, “Let me think about it and get back to you.”

That’s a heart-sinking moment all gym owners could do without…

So, be CLEAR that at the end of the introductory session/interview, the prospect is either going to sign up and pay for your service, or he/she/you has decided you’re not the right fit for each other.

Get Their Back Story, Find their Pain, Before You Reveal the Cost

Mack recommends going through the interview process, finding out the client’s back story, their pain, and why they really contacted you before revealing the cost of training with you.

Because, again, the cost only matters (or in this case maybe no longer matters) once value has been established.

“Get into the prospect’s back story and find out the real emotional need driving their decision. They have to say it or express it out loud today in the interview. Only after uncovering the emotional connection do you then attach your numbers to what you offer. Not the other way around. Establish real value, and stop being a commodity,” Mack said.

Food for thought: A prospect isn’t there to buy a workout. They’re there to see if you have a solution to their problem.

The moment you realize you’re not selling a workout or even a gym membership—be it personal training or a group class—is the moment you’ll become a great salesperson.

Get Some Sales Training To Help You Develop A Trusted System For Your Sales Process

Why do I need a sales system at all? Why can’t I just tell folks what I do? They see the value and then just give me money? All good, right?

“Wrong. A sales transaction, where money or some other thing of value is being traded off for something else, is a psycho-emotional decision-making event, for both you and the prospect,” Mack said.

He added: “In my experience, I have never seen anything ruin relationships faster than disagreements about money…A system helps you and the prospect explore the psycho-emotional and logical process for making a decision.”

Food for thought: “Earning a modicum of trust with a complete stranger in order to overcome that distrust in a short period of time requires some intra- and interpersonal communication skills. A system may prevent the sales transaction from breaking down and going off in irrational directions where neither party wins. Get and use a system,” he added.

Know When To Stop Selling

Real simple: When they say they’re in, stop!

Mack said: “When you are presenting your stuff to a prospect, and they indicate that they want to go ahead and get started, stop, shut up, and let them get started. Don’t keep talking.”

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