Have you ever asked yourself, “Why didn’t they join?” You’ve done everything correctly. You shook their hand, built rapport, and smiled. You were enthusiastic, you put them on your equipment, and they even told you that they were going to join… But, when it came time to pull out their credit card, for some reason, they bailed out with some logical reason why they couldn’t possibly join “now”. Sound familiar?
There’s nothing more frustrating. How about when at the beginning of the tour, the prospect outright tells you that they are joining, then at the last minute, bails out. You ask yourself, “What happened? What did I do?”
It may not be what you did, it may be what you didn’t do.
Here are three things that “we” sometimes forget to do which causes us to miss sales (even in a fitness buying frenzy like January or February):
1. We don’t ask.
Seventy-five percent of all tours end without the salesperson outright asking the prospect to join today! Many show membership options, explain packages and give details about the memberships. However, many tours end without the salesperson asking the prospect to join right now. The sales presentation must be like a story that indirectly asks the prospect to join throughout; then ends with the salesperson directly asking the prospect to buy a membership that day.
You’ll find that many are not asking for the sale. Instead, they’re waiting for the prospect to ask them. Because the prospect is often unsure, they bow out gracefully and assure the salesperson they’ll be back. The salesperson believes them and congratulates them for stopping by. The end result is both parties lose.
The correct scenario would be completely and thoroughly giving the prospect all the information they need to make a logical decision, and then strategically asking the prospect to join right now.
In order for this to happen, the sales presentation and especially the “close” must be rehearsed and practiced by the salesperson regularly. Make sure your salespeople are not “winging it” each time. Have them role play with you, and listen to the way they specifically ask for the sale. Make the proper adjustments and watch their closing percentages increase significantly just by ensuring they ask members to join today.
2. We assume.
The worst thing we can do is to judge a prospect by the way the act and look. You have to admit that sometimes when a prospect walks into your club who appears to be uninterested, rushed, or in a hurry you automatically think, “This person is definitely not joining.” Or, maybe they drive a junky car, or have dingy clothes, or they simply don’t look the part. You also have to admit that sometimes these unsuspecting prospects are total joiners. They quickly join and become the best members! We call this, “pre-judging” prospects, and it’s wrong.
Making assumptions goes both ways. In January and February especially, we think everyone is joining! We shortcut tours and presentations and get fooled by thinking prospects don’t need to be “sold.” They do. The second biggest thing we forget to do is tour everyone the same.
Treat every tour and every prospect as if it’s the last tour you’ll ever take. Give them the best, most complete sales presentation, regardless of the time of year, or the “look” of the prospect, or what they tell you during the tour, don’t be fooled. Don’t assume.
3. We believe excuses.
Not to say that some prospects do not have a legitimate reason why they cannot join today, but 99% of all excuses fall under one giant category: Procrastination.
No time, no money. I’ll think about it. I have to talk to my spouse. I have to check out other clubs. I want to try it first. I have home equipment. Most excuses are variations of procrastiation. Believe it. It’s true 99% of the time, if the prospect has walked into your club under their own volition.
If they are there by choice, they are interested. It’s now your job to eliminate all their variations of procrastination by developing the rapport to “tell it like it is.”
There’s only one way to destroy procrastination…confront it head on. Here’s how: First, develop a rapport with your prospects. Get them to like you. Second, get them to tell you all about their goals and desires and what will change in their life when they achieve them. Thirdly, tell them frankly that procrastination will be the only reason why they do not reach these goals. Fourth, tell them that they can avoid becoming a victim of procrastination by taking action and avoiding all the excuses. Fifth, tell them you will give them a chance to take that action today. Then, show them your club and frequently remind them of your talk on procrastination. When this is done correctly, it becomes difficult for them to believe their excuses in the end. But, first you must commit not to believe their excuses, and know they are all forms of procrastination in disguise.
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.
