Sales: Don’t Forget Your MOM

New sales staff can find it difficult to remember all the steps in a sales process. What questions should you ask a prospect? In what order should you ask the questions? When and how do you preempt your prospect’s main sales objections?

Acronyms can help new sales staff get through the sales process. Acronyms are abbreviations formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as one word. For example, IHRSA is an acronym for International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association. SWAT is an acronym for Special Weapons And Tactics. 

In my “PRETTY DIRECT” selling system, we have lots of acronyms to help salespeople remember every step of a sale. 

One of my favorite acronyms for training new sales staff is MOM. 

MOM helps new sales staff remember three of the most important steps in selling gym memberships and personal training packages. MOM reminds sales staff about the level of detail they need to go into. 

The first part of the MOM acronym is the “main” goal — the main reason someone has for joining a club or purchasing your personal training. What is the No. 1 result your prospect wants right now? Is your prospect’s main goal to lose weight? To get fit? Tone up? Or just to be a little healthier?

The second part of the MOM acronym is “onion.” This is where a salesperson peels away the layers of the onion and asks questions about the primary goal. What weight are you now? What weight would you love to be? How long has it been since you were at that weight? Have you tried to lose weight in the past? What has caused you to gain weight?

The third part of the MOM acronym is “motive.” What is the main motivation your prospect has for wanting to achieve their main goal? Why do they want to lose weight? And why now?

If you know your prospect wants to lose weight, if you know they want to lose 40 pounds, if you know it’s been 10 years since they were at their ideal weight, if you know they have tried every diet, and if you know they want to lose 40 pounds because they are going on a holiday in three months, selling is a thousand times easier.

So, when selling memberships and personal training, don’t forget your MOM.

Alan Leach

Alan Leach is the CEO and director of sales and marketing at West Wood Clubs, Ireland. He is also a sales trainer and international presenter on fitness business marketing.