Provide the Best Club Tour

Q. I feel the tour we give prospects could be improved. Can you give us some pointers on improving the tour to help us close more new members? – Shane Mouton, the owner of Revolution Fitness in Denham Springs, La.

A. The tour is the perfect opportunity to convince a prospect to become a member of your club. Unfortunately, when done incorrectly, it’s also a great way to lose a sale.
I want to begin by saying that there isn’t a “perfect” tour. However, based on my experience, here are some tips that will give you the greatest opportunity to close more sales.

First, the tour strategies mentioned below require a proper tour setup, consisting of a strong greeting and prequalification. Your greeting should make the prospect feel like they are the most important person in the world at that moment. In addition, a prequalification form should be used every time, without exception. By filling out a prequalification form, not only will it help provide you ammunition to overcome any objections they have, it also gives you some conversation points to get them to know you, like you and trust you.

I like to start each tour by letting the prospect know that when the tour is finished, you have a special opportunity for them. This lets them know that you will be asking them to join today, eliminating any surprise.

Don’t give the same tour to every prospect. Based on their prequalification form, you’ll know what interests them the most. If they say they’re interested in getting stronger, don’t start by showing them the cardio equipment. If they say they’re interested in classes, don’t take them to the free weights. Every tour should start in the area in which they will be most interested. If you don’t, they won’t be able to focus on the other great aspects of your club because they’ll be waiting to see the amenities they are looking for most.

Ask a lot of questions that stimulate a “yes” response. Questions like, “It’s a nice club isn’t it?” and, “We have a lot of classes, don’t we?” The idea is to get them to say “yes” as many times as possible so that you create a pattern of positive responses, causing them to say “yes” when you present prices.

Always remember that telling is not selling. You need to stimulate the prospect’s thought process and get them to tell you the reasons they are at your club. If you tell them, it won’t influence their decision. But when they decide for themselves and verbalize it to you, your chance of selling to them increases exponentially.

After you have finished touring the facility, you will ask one final commitment question, which will provide the perfect transition to the price presentation. This question will allow you to gain a final commitment that will remain fresh in their mind before you present prices. Ask questions such as, “You’re going to like it here, don’t you think?” or, “You can picture yourself working out here, can’t you?”

You want to make them feel as if they have already made a commitment to a membership. If they do have any concerns or questions, pause on the floor and address all questions before presenting prices. Once all objections are satisfied, ask them to have a seat so you can help them decide which membership option is best for them.

The tour is typically the area where a sale is won or lost. By controlling the conversation and asking a series of questions, your tour can easily take half an hour. No matter the size of your facility, a tour should never take less than 10 minutes. They have likely toured other facilities, so make sure your tour is the most memorable. They need to feel that your club is the answer to all of their problems. Remember, there is no perfect tour process, but if you implement these strategies and are genuine in your approach, you will find that the sale will be made long before you present prices. -CS

Curtis Mock is the host of www.fitnessbusinesstelevision.com, the TV show for fitness entrepreneurs and is the executive director of GymSuccess.com. Curtis can be reached via e-mail at Curtis@ClubSolutionsMagazine.com.