FBC
UPFRONT» Sales
Help, We Need More Leads!
How about taking care of the ones you have BY PAULA COMFORT
O
ne of the most common chal- lenges I hear from leaders in the fitness industry is, “We need more leads.”
My initial response to this call for
help is always to ensure there is an ex- cellent lead tracking program in place. Due to the ongoing expansion of the
industry, my company recently con- ducted an in-depth club competitive analysis. When we mystery-shopped 40 Toronto-area clubs, we observed two major trends that illustrate a major gap in the sales process:
1) First, almost every membership
advisor offered a guest pass or trial membership prior to even attempting to invite a prospect to join their club. There was simply no effort made to close a lead. How about inviting your prospec-
tive member to join after you present membership types and options? My fa- vourite close is the integration close:
18 Fitness Business Canada September/October 2016 2) The second major gap identified
was lack of follow-up after the tour. Only one out of 40 membership advi- sors actually followed up with their prospect. These numbers may surprise you, but about 70 percent of sales are made after the fourth point of contact. And only about 12 percent of sales- people in any industry persist after the third attempt. In our case, only one person followed-up. There was no phone call or email, and some of the clubs visited didn’t even ask for a name or contact information.
With today’s sophisticated soft-
ware, there is no excuse for lack of follow-up. An automated email, or ide- ally a personalized email, should be sent right away thanking prospects for
“So Mike, it sounds like the yoga and cycle classes suit your schedule per- fectly. What I’d like to suggest now is that we explore the best time for you to get started by booking your person- al fitness consultation. What day of the week would work for you?”
considering your brand and inspiring them with some educational informa- tion or providing reasons why your brand is perfect for them. A phone call should be made no more than a couple of days after the initial visit. They may have questions as they consider their options, and you want to keep your brand top of mind. As an owner or manager, you need
to mystery shop your sales process often. Make the most of the money and time you spend generating leads by helping your membership advi- sors close these two crucial gaps in the sales process.
Paula Comfort has 20+ years of experience in the fitness in- dustry. Most recently she was managing director of Fitness for Spa Chakra Inc., a luxury spa and health club company where she started the division.
Previous roles include area vice-president of The Sports Clubs of Canada/Bally Total Fitness. She is currently a partner in her own consult- ing company, 360 Impact Group. Contact her at
paula@360impactgroup.com or 416-565-6025.
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