Imagine having an influx of new members flocking into your club, with credit cards in hand, ready to join, on a regular basis. Do you believe there is a marketing method that could produce such a response? In the 80s and 90s there was. And, for a select few of the “prospecting” clubs out there, there is still one that works like that now. It’s called the lead box.
I know, you have a million excuses why lead boxes don’t work. You’ve tried them with little success. It takes too much work to maintain them. They’re too expensive. Your area is different. And, the list goes on. But, what if all of those excuses could be eliminated? What if you could have a way to profit from lead boxes without spending any money on actual lead boxes; without having to maintain them (check them, fix them replace them, etc.) and without having to “wheel and deal” with business owners to house them?
On top of everything, what if the entire lead box process was totally automated and more productive than ever before, i.e., getting new memberships for your club, on a regular basis, without work? Then would you change your opinion about them and give them a try? Before I explain how this is possible, maybe you’re new to the health club industry and you never heard of a lead box, or maybe you’ve heard of them, but you don’t clearly understand how they work. Let me quickly explain.
The traditional lead box typically is a contest box. A small, cardboard or plastic display box that lures prospects to “register” to win a free membership. They see the box in a local retail store; they complete the “personal contact info” slip; they drop it into the box, and go on about their business. Next, the health club collects the slips; contacts the prospects – i.e., people who completed the slips – and offers them a free membership or pass to the club.
The success of the lead box is based on convenience, emotion, impulsiveness, and the prospect’s a desire to look better and feel better. Those are, pretty much, all the things we look for in a new member. Traditional lead boxes take work to manage and maintain. And, most important, it takes sales skill to contact the prospects from the lead box, and set the appointments. Of course, all of the above requires employee training and motivation. By now, you should be able to see why some health clubs have a problem with lead boxes. That’s why you must try this brand new way to automate the entire lead box process, and on top of that, make the lead box more productive than ever before by generating new memberships on a regular basis without work. I’d like to introduce to you the online lead box – a new member attraction technique which could quite possibly blow every other form of member attraction out of the water over the next few years.
Here are some benefits on the online lead box:
• No maintenance
• No work
• No management
• No cost
• Not dependent on employees
• Gets you hot qualified leads on a regular basis.
Here’s how to set-up your online lead box:
1. Set-up a separate website or Web page that offers prospects a chance to “Register to win a free membership!” (For best results, offer a “free year.”)
2. Have a web form on that page where prospects can “Enter to Win.” Collect their names, emails and phone numbers, at a minimum.
3. Offer everyone that registers a free week (or some type of free pass).
4. Immediately after they submit the Web form, send them an email confirming their registration and let them know to look-out for future emails which will reveal the winner.
5. Email the prospect in 24- to 48-hours, explaining they did not win the free year, but they can have a free week (or free pass of some sort). But, they must claim the pass within 48 hours, or it expires.
6. Continue to email the prospect on a regular basis with promotions and enticements.
7. Of course, award a free-year winner once a year. (It’s funny, but nine out of 10 free-year winners do not use the club for some reason. Without the monetary commitment, very little action is taken.)
So, the next question on your mind is probably, “How do I make people aware of the promotions or the contest?”
Easy. Advertise! Place ads in your local paper, do flyers, posters, postcards and everything else to advertise your “Free Year Membership Giveaway” website.
People will flock to your website and register daily. Don’t forget to put links and banners on your main website, linking people to the contest page.
Pat Necerato is a Sales and Marketing Expert with over 15 years experience in the fitness industry. He can be contacted at 866.468.2832, or go to www.MoreNewMembers.com and get his FREE Marketing Video & Report.
