When giving a tour of your club, do you find yourself explaining the same things over and over again? Are you confident you are showing all the benefits the club has to offer? Often, the tour of your facilities can make or break someone’s willingness to join.
With that being said, it’s important that each tour be personal and purposeful for each individual (potential member) you show around. It all starts with your introduction — introduce yourself and make sure to learn and use your guest’s first name as much as possible. Addressing them by their first name creates a stronger, more personal connection with the guest. Find out what their goals are and what brought them into the club. This can determine the entire direction of your tour. The guest may be experienced in working out and may only want to see the free weights area, so, you may start and even end your tour there. Some may be complete novices and want to see the areas where they will get the most guidance while in the club.
While touring, it is important to maintain the lead role and have your guest get used to saying “yes.” You can do so by asking the guest questions throughout the tour. Getting the guest to frequently say “yes” increases their willingness to join, so that when your tour is finished, you may use that information to help close the sale.
In each area of the club, introduce your guests to other members and employees of the club. This is called the “TO,” or the “Turn Over,” according to Daniel Odom, one of our sales staff here at Gainesville Health and Fitness. This method allows members and employees to talk about and describe the club more, and often you will find that this information will be what sells the club the most.
When presenting areas of the club, avoid just pointing out features only, but focus on the benefits of those features as well, and what it can offer the potential member. Here is an example of how you could use the feature-benefit-feedback system, along with getting them to say “yes”:
“This is our aquatic facility. We offer a variety of programming for our members, including X number of classes. We have our hot and cold therapy pools and our spa area including the Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. We also offer a swim speed clinic with a swim coach. We offer the only public indoor aquatics facility in Gainesville, so that you can exercise in a climate-controlled facility year round, 24 hours a day. This means that you will have a low-impact environment for your workouts and an opportunity for cross training.”
Then continue with, “So, John, could you see yourself exercising if you were in a buoyant, pain-free environment? How would you feel?”
OR
“Do you remember your swim team practice and how they made you feel? Can you see yourself getting motivated by having a swim coach again?”
Lastly, always sit down with your guest and review the tour and the benefits that you have noticed for your guests. Also, bring up all the “yes’s” they have mentioned to help lead into the sale. And, when you are finally presenting all the membership information, never forget to simply ask for the sale.
Adrian Antigua is the operations manager for Gainesville Health and Fitness in Tioga, Fla. Formerly a desk manager, Antigua is heavily involved in customer service and staff training. For questions on operations, e-mail Antigua at AdrianA@ghfc.com.
