Selling an Experience

Every gym is branded in its own special way. At least, your gym should have some kind of message or mission that it prides itself upon that all members receive.

But when a prospective member walks in, that special message should be personalized to their experience. Don’t try to make them fit into your facility, but rather use their needs and goals as a way to make your gym fit into their life.

Your competition has the same treadmills and TVs as you do, so do what they cannot and will not do — show that you genuinely care. Having a personalized and goal-oriented approach towards selling will make success much more tangible for your members.

When meeting with a new person for a membership inquiry take the time to get to know them. Find out why they are there and dive into the parts of their life that you can relate to in order to build trust. Humanize yourself to show you are a person just like them with goals, needs and wants. Use what they share to cater to their specific goals. Include services and the tools needed to succeed. This could be something as simple as having a workout already printed for them that is specific to their goal of “firmer quads,” which they told you on the phone to set up an appointment.

Get your trainers involved in the on-boarding process. Tell your team that when they see you are with a prospect to come in and introduce themselves. Use this as an opportunity for the trainer to quickly connect with a new face and share some free knowledge, while also building comfort within your gym.

Also, get members involved in the tour. Have them demonstrate how to use a machine. Show that your team connects with members and has the ability to give each individual person the one-on-one attention needed to achieve their goals. Make it your mission to stand out by making a visit to your gym one of the best parts of a prospects’ or members’ day.

Ethan Smoorenburg is a personal trainer and manager of Anytime Fitness in Upper Lafayette, New Orleans. For questions on sales, he can be reached at ethan.smoorenburg@anytimefitness.com.