Would you like fries with that?” There’s a reason that fast-food eateries – and even white-tablecloth restaurants – are in the habit of asking you if you’d like something extra with your meal: it works! The process that’s often referred to as “suggestive selling” has consistently been proven to increase per-customer sales. Because the customer is already in the restaurant and has already made a purchase, those extra sales are also more profitable. Learning how to adapt this familiar technique to the fitness center environment can have a dramatic effect on both your bottom line and customer retention. After all, it’s always easier to upgrade your loyal customers than to bring new ones through the door – and you’ll discover that it’s more profitable, too.
Often, customers are more receptive to offers of a “deal” because they know that spending just a little bit more can get them a lot extra. Even if the actual cost to you is fairly low, it will have a higher perceived value to the customer, making it even more appealing. Tanning is a service that’s particularly well-suited to the suggestive selling approach, because people who are interested in staying fit are often enthusiastic tanners. Offering them a deal on tanning is an ideal complement to the other services you offer, giving them another way to improve their selfimage. When you make that deal in the form of a perk or reward to thank them for their patronage, it also builds appreciation and improves their view of the business.
One particularly effective way to do this is to offer an extra service like tanning without cost for a short period of time. Explain that you consider the individual to be one of your best customers and thank them with a gift certificate for free tanning sessions. Once they’re in the habit of regular tanning and they see how good they look, they’ll happily start paying for the service. You can also offer a brief free trial of your tanning services. One approach is to set up a “Try Me” day where regular customers can partake of a free session in your tanning beds. Not only does that give them a chance to see whether they like tanning, it’s the perfect opportunity to show them that you use top-quality equipment and follow rules designed to protect their skin.
Services like tanning can be used as an inducement to build new business through referrals. Start a referral program through which existing customers will get five free tanning sessions for each new customer they refer who signs up for a certain contract level. You can sweeten that bonus if the initial contract is a longer or more expensive one. In addition, you can do a “one for them, one for you” deal in which both the existing customer and the new one receive the same bonus.
If your goal is to move current customers into higher-cost or extended-term packages, services like tanning can often be the extra that seals the deal. Telling the customer that you’ll throw in a month of tanning sessions if they upgrade to your premium membership will convince them that they’re getting an even better value. It’s also a particularly effective tactic during the initial sales process. If a prospect seems to be hesitant to commit to a fitness package, offering to throw in a certain number of tanning sessions may make the difference between landing a longtime member and losing a sale.
When trying to sell a new or existing customer an additional service like tanning, you may encounter price resistance. The best way to head that off is to present the cost in a more attractive way. For example, instead of saying that a particular service costs $120 a year, tell the customer he or she can have it for less than 35 cents a day. While people tend to think twice before plunking down $120, 35 cents is nothing more than pocket change. You can even amplify that technique by comparing the cost of the service to the price of other things the customer buys: “Think about it. It’s just a dollar a day. That’s half of what you probably pay for your morning latte!”
Suggestive selling can help you retain customers, too. By offering those additional services to your customers, you’re demonstrating that you actually care about them and that you are interested in their well-being…They’re not just another person that visits your business every day. Fast food may not do a lot of good for the fitness of its customers, but one of that industry’s most successful sales tactics can sure pay off for fitness center operators!
Bill Pipp is the CEO of ETS, Inc. He can be contacted at 800.668.5193, or by email at wpipp@etstan.com, or visitwww.mag.ETStan.com.
