Across the nation, in mainstream gyms, only about 38 percent of all leads end up converting to members. You may be reading this and think to yourself: “We do way better than that.” And you may be right. But do you know for sure? Are you certain? Are you tracking the proper numbers?
Knowing your numbers is critical for understanding where you need improvement.
Your goal should be to convert 65 percent of all leads that come in your door, within 30 days of their first visit, or tour. If you do what I want you to do, from a marketing perspective, you will have a 30-day paid trial offer. For many mainstream gyms, 30 days for $19 is common.
With proper follow up, you can convert many of these people to new members. But you can’t wait for them to come back to you. You need to be proactive and assertive. You need to call them five times in 10 days.
Yes, that may seem like a lot, but bear with me on this.
Monday, February 1: First visit and tour. Did not join, wanted to visit other gyms, talk to spouse, etc. You have contact information from them, both telephone and email.
Tuesday, February 2: First telephone call. If you get a live voice, you will likely get an answer, yes or no, and maybe schedule an appointment to join. You may also get a voicemail. For voicemail, “Hi Jane, this is Jason with Awesome Blossom Fitness. It was great meeting you yesterday and showing you around our gym. I wanted to touch base and see if you had made a decision to be our newest member. Please call me at 612.310.1319. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Thursday, February 4: You have not heard back from Nathalie. You call back. Live voice, find out what’s up and maybe schedule an appointment to join. Another voicemail, “Hi Jane, this is Jason with Awesome Blossom Fitness. I wanted to talk to you for just one minute and hopefully schedule a time to get you started as our newest member. Please call me back at 612.310.1319. I am excited to talk to you.”
Monday, February 8: You still have not heard back from Jane. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t feel like calling again is being too assertive. You need an answer and all you are doing is following up like a good salesperson. Remember, many folks will put off joining a gym. A lot of people are nervous and intimated, even though you feel like you buffered much of it during your tour. You call for the third time. Same script as above.
Wednesday, February 10: Jane is not returning your voice mails. Make the fourth call and say, “Hi Jane, Jason with Awesome Blossom Fitness. My intention is not to bother you, and I am sure you are busy, but it seemed like you were very interested in being a member. I wanted to remind you that the first 30 days are only $19 and there is no obligation to join beyond. Please call me at 612.310.1319. If I don’t hear from you by Friday morning, I will call one more time.”
Friday, February 12: Still nothing from Jane. One more call, and one more voicemail if necessary.
Trust me, if you follow the five follow-ups in 10 days, you will make more sales. After five efforts, email them once per month along with all of your prospects.
Keep changing lives.
P.S. Need help with tracking numbers? Email jason@jasonlinse.com with “tracking” in the subject line and I will email you back a document and spreadsheet to help you track the right numbers.
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Jason Linse is president and founder of The Business of Fitness, a consulting company. He also owns a personality assessment company called People Plus+ Fitness. Contact him at jason@jasonlinse.com or 612-310-1319 for resources on scheduling more tours and personality assessments, or visit www.jasonlinse.com.
