At my gym, I often see the Membership Representatives leading prospective members around the club. The majority of the time, the prospects looked dazed and confused and a little lost. The reason for these blank stares and silent prospects is something that all salespeople are guilty of at one time or another.
Now, I came from a background in Membership Sales at different health clubs. I know the exact drill these guys are going through when a new member comes in the door, and looking back, I could have made a killing by changing the way I gave those tours.
The Rut
Many of the membership salespeople I knew (and most general salespeople) have a script and a familiar path through the club. You started in the cardio rooms, went by the pool and ended up with the locker rooms. You sat down at the desk, showed them the pricing options and pushed for the sale with whichever monthly deal you were offering. Sound familiar? When you're presenting to a client, are you following the same path and saying the same things?
If I were to go back to membership sales now, I would make a killing by letting my prospects lead the tour. It sounds simple, but I think could be so powerful. Following the gym motif, people join a health club for a reason. They're usually not there because they have some extra money lying around and may want to give it to you. They have goals, insecurities, events, lifestyles and sincere problems that they need help with. These membership reps aren't doing enough to find out what really brought them in. What made them get up off the couch and deliberately place themselves in front of a salesperson (which we know that all people are deathly afraid of...more than clowns). Finding out what that prospect wants or needs is the key.
It Bears Repeating
If that prospective member wants to really lose weight and has had a hard time in the past doing so, do not, under any circumstances show them the Daycare, lockers rooms, Cafe or tennis courts. Spend your entire visit in the workout area talking about programs, about personal training, about group exercise classes, about availability of equipment. Don't go back to your membership desk to show them pricing options. Sit on a bench press bench and go over them. Find the clients need and then do everything you can to show them that you have the solutions to fix their problems.
How much more successful would we be if we spent the bulk of our time diagnosing instead of prescribing? Instead of simply repeating your value proposition and hoping that something sticks, why not delve deeper into the reasons they may need you in the first place? I can promise you that if you committ to asking more questions and getting more information, your sales will be easier and more frequent than ever before.
Jared Willis
Comments