As leaders, we are constantly looking for ways to motivate and inspire our sales team. Selling is all about the transference of energy, and if your sales team is flat, your club is flat.
One way to increase your teams’ energy is to ensure they practice what they preach. We all know that exercising boosts energy, sharpens focus and reduces stress, however when our business results are down and energy is low, we tend to just work harder and longer. One hour of a great training session is more beneficial than one hour of overtime with the same low energy and stress. I’m not saying hard work won’t get you there, but hard work alone won’t turn your month or year around.
In the book “7 Habits of Highly Successful People,” Stephen R. Covey tells the story of a man who was walking through a forest when he came across a frustrated lumberjack.
“What’s the problem?” The man asked.
“My saw’s blunt and won’t cut the tree properly.” The lumberjack responded.
“Why don’t you just sharpen it?”
“Because then I would have to stop sawing.” Said the lumberjack.
But if you sharpened your saw, you could cut more efficiently and effectively than before.”
“But I don’t have time to stop!” The lumberjack retorted, getting more frustrated.
The man shook his head and kept on walking, leaving the lumberjack to his pointless frustration.
As leaders, we need to create an environment which encourage our sales team to train. Not only does this allow your sales person to live a healthy lifestyle, it creates a lift in productivity in so many ways. Making it mandatory is not the answer, and is actually illegal in some states. They wouldn’t be working in a gym if they didn’t enjoy training, so our job is to build enough value in the business advantages associated with training. What’s in it for them?
- Your sales specialist is now more than just an employee, they are a member and they can now share personal experiences with their guests when communicating your member experience while touring your club.
- While taking classes and experiencing small group or personal training they will increase their product knowledge and speak to specific technical skills your trainers and instructors possess.
- Great sales people build great lasting relationships and some of the best relationships your sales team can create are those on your very own workout floor.
When the pressure is high, we must set very clear and realistic goals, educate our team through role-playing, follow-up immediately on the tasks at hand and ensure that we are creating an environment in which our sales teams are living the lifestyle they are presenting to new guests that walk through our doors.
Ryan Junk is the director of sales for UFC Gym. He can be reached at ryan@ufcgym.com.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
