How many times have you said to your team, “We’re all in sales?” In the days of old, to get our message out we then had to go to the marketing department, which had to print a piece and then distribute it. Today, communication is much easier and fluid —and it’s time to remind our team that we’re all in sales and marketing.
With the lines between communication, sales and marketing being blurred, our opportunity is exciting. Now you don’t have to wait on your marketing team to get out that message — the communication vehicles are at your fingertips and, in the majority of cases, that’s a great thing. Here are some quick tips to utilize this opportunity to its full advantage.
Marketing is in sales (yep, let’s judo flip that age-old message): Invite your marketing team to your sales planning calls. Copy them on your sales contests and incentives so they can coincide them with communication and marketing efforts. Let marketing hear from every level. When marketing has become synonymous with branding, bring them onto your next sales planning call or to a personal training brainstorm session and prepare them to listen and learn.
Embrace and enhance social media: Encourage associates to post. Gone are the days of restricting associates from saying all the amazing things they want to say about your company culture. Let your teammates shine — they want to tell the market about their specialties, and they will do it on their own pages if you don’t make it easy for them to post on yours. In addition, be the next reality TV — like it or not, the consumer loves it. Share your club’s atmosphere in an authentic way.
Don’t forget about referrals: A great referral program is only great if members know about it. When was the last time marketing buddied up with your club teammates, especially your group fitness instructors, on how they might refer more members to the club? Give them access, and they will sell.
Don’t be afraid to get flashy: You don’t always have to follow the “brand” in this day and age. In fact, consumers now need to see you try something new and different — sometimes you need to do that for them to even notice you.
And remember, every associate is now in sales and marketing.
JoAnna Masloski is the COO of Wellbridge.
