Answers (8)
1
Hi Denny,
Selling PT in a club environment is one of the easiest forms of PT selling. There are so many options available which a FM can utilize that should make it easy for the trainers working under them to gain new clients. For example:
-Free sessions where the trainer can show the client something new and make a connection.
-Offer discounted session packages so members can try out the trainers and see if this is something they would like to spend more money on.
-Offer workshops and educational sessions where members can participate so they can learn about the benefits of PT. It's also a great way of introducing the trainers to the rest of the members.
-Each new member that signs up must go through a fitness assessment as part of their orientation where the trainer can assess them and explain to them how he/she can help them improve their weaknesses (this is actually the best time for trainers to get in front of a member and promote themselves).
-Have trainers walk around and talk to members offering them some new ideas, routines and advice.
-Hiring trainers with the right certifications, education and experience makes selling easier because members will get what they pay for.
In the end, it's up to the FM to motivate the team and lead. There are numerous books out there on how to become a better sales person, but you don't need those--you just need to show the value of what you offer. I hope this helps.
Selling PT in a club environment is one of the easiest forms of PT selling. There are so many options available which a FM can utilize that should make it easy for the trainers working under them to gain new clients. For example:
-Free sessions where the trainer can show the client something new and make a connection.
-Offer discounted session packages so members can try out the trainers and see if this is something they would like to spend more money on.
-Offer workshops and educational sessions where members can participate so they can learn about the benefits of PT. It's also a great way of introducing the trainers to the rest of the members.
-Each new member that signs up must go through a fitness assessment as part of their orientation where the trainer can assess them and explain to them how he/she can help them improve their weaknesses (this is actually the best time for trainers to get in front of a member and promote themselves).
-Have trainers walk around and talk to members offering them some new ideas, routines and advice.
-Hiring trainers with the right certifications, education and experience makes selling easier because members will get what they pay for.
In the end, it's up to the FM to motivate the team and lead. There are numerous books out there on how to become a better sales person, but you don't need those--you just need to show the value of what you offer. I hope this helps.
1
Hi Denny,
I like Harris' answer. While people can learn selling techniques, not everybody will become equally good at it.
It sounds to me that your trainers are on your staff, and that provides you with an opportunity to put them out there in front of the members. You could also have a weekly trainer profile where you describe the area of expertise that a trainer brings to the job.
Even though I agree that many people can benefit from the expertise of a trainer, it is also a matter of economy for some. And some people simply want to be left alone and enjoy the 'alone time' that the gym provides.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
I like Harris' answer. While people can learn selling techniques, not everybody will become equally good at it.
It sounds to me that your trainers are on your staff, and that provides you with an opportunity to put them out there in front of the members. You could also have a weekly trainer profile where you describe the area of expertise that a trainer brings to the job.
Even though I agree that many people can benefit from the expertise of a trainer, it is also a matter of economy for some. And some people simply want to be left alone and enjoy the 'alone time' that the gym provides.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
1
I'd recommend is Ish Cheyne:
http://www.ishcheyne.com/
Another worth checking out is JT at Active Management:
http://www.activemgmt.com.au/
http://www.ishcheyne.com/
Another worth checking out is JT at Active Management:
http://www.activemgmt.com.au/
0
Check on ACE & ISSA (If you or you trainers are certified through them ) CEC/Webinar section good information on sales/promotion etc
0
Okay, so I have an answer for you and it is quite different from anything any one else has said. When it comes to the art of selling, personal training is no different than any other sales job. Whether its personal training, real estate or as little as selling someone a book, before anything you need to discover what the person WANTS. Walk around the gym, start up a conversation and have your trainers actually LISTEN to what the people are saying. Unfortunately, most personal trainers are already thinking about the money aspect to the deal, before they even find out the members name. And 75% of the time, a trainer who doesn't get the answer they were looking for leaves the conversation with no memory of details of the conversation. Let me explain, as told in the famous book HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE by Dale Carnegie, he stresses the importance of two major factors that helped him conquer the psychology of human influence. The 1st factor was REMEMBERING A PERSONS NAME! I can't stress the difference between approaching someone and addrssing them by their name, instead of by "hey there" or "hey man". As told in the book, a persons name is something that is solely theirs, it is what identifies an individual. If you don't believe how strong an influence simply saying a persons name is, try it in one of your next sessions with your client. Instead of saying good job, or I will see you next week. Address them by their name as often as you can. Things like "MARY great job or Mary, your doing great". The difference in response over the long term will be significant. So to the personal trainer who doesnt get that initial personal training sesh with a member, try remembering their name and addressing them with it next time you see them. You will see the more you address them by their name, the more comfortable they will become with you. Also, remebering details of the conversation is a significant addition. Thus, you address clients by their names and remember one or two details about them, you will notice a huge increase in influence. And to be honest it really isnt hard. Dale Carnegie used to keep a notebook on him, so when he met someone, he would write down their name and important information. He was often so good at it, that he would run into someone two years later, remember there name and a little info about them, and the result would be that they would seek him out for services. HE DIDNT EVEN HAVE TO SELL!
Another way personal trainers can really step up their game is through a process called "SELLING FOR PURPOSE". In Spencer Johnson's book called "THE ONE MINUTES SALESPERSON," he describes this process of wanting to help and change peoples lives. If any sales person, let alone a personal trainer can do that, the sales and money will inevitably follow.
Sorry for the grammer, but it was a lot to write and the main ideas are what are important. So ill leave you with this:
1. Find out first what the customer WANTS, nobody cares what the salesperson wants, the only thing that matters is what the client wants
"Action springs out of what we fundamentally desire ... and the best piece of advice which can be given to would-be persuaders, whether in business, in the home, in the school, in politics, is: First, arouse in the other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot walks a lonely way."
-Dale Carnegie
2. Remember NAMES!
"A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language."
-Dale Carnegie
3. SELL FOR PURPOSE!
"If you treat him or her as a commodity, or as anything but a person, you reduce yourself to a peddler"
"When you feel you’re being sold you question the intent of the other person and don’t feel that you’re in control of what’s happening"
"When I take good care of customers, they take good care of me – with referrals galore"
-All three by Spencer Johnson
Well overall, you don't have to agree, but I'm doing this because I am SELLING FOR PURPOSE, my intention is to help anyone who reads this because I actually care.
Another way personal trainers can really step up their game is through a process called "SELLING FOR PURPOSE". In Spencer Johnson's book called "THE ONE MINUTES SALESPERSON," he describes this process of wanting to help and change peoples lives. If any sales person, let alone a personal trainer can do that, the sales and money will inevitably follow.
Sorry for the grammer, but it was a lot to write and the main ideas are what are important. So ill leave you with this:
1. Find out first what the customer WANTS, nobody cares what the salesperson wants, the only thing that matters is what the client wants
"Action springs out of what we fundamentally desire ... and the best piece of advice which can be given to would-be persuaders, whether in business, in the home, in the school, in politics, is: First, arouse in the other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot walks a lonely way."
-Dale Carnegie
2. Remember NAMES!
"A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language."
-Dale Carnegie
3. SELL FOR PURPOSE!
"If you treat him or her as a commodity, or as anything but a person, you reduce yourself to a peddler"
"When you feel you’re being sold you question the intent of the other person and don’t feel that you’re in control of what’s happening"
"When I take good care of customers, they take good care of me – with referrals galore"
-All three by Spencer Johnson
Well overall, you don't have to agree, but I'm doing this because I am SELLING FOR PURPOSE, my intention is to help anyone who reads this because I actually care.
0
Aloha Denny. And thank you Steve for the fantastic advice on reaching prospective clients. I enjoyed reading it. (Your grammar was fine. I understood everything you were saying.) It has been a while since I reviewed my copy of Dale Carnegie's book. I have a terrible time with names and have to make a huge effort to remember them. Your bit here is serving as a reminder of how important it is to remember and "use" someone's name. Not only to influence/connect with them, but to give them a boost of the "I matter" feedback using their name gives them.
I would like to add that most Personal Trainers dislike even the idea of "selling". But that is not the perspective that I take on turning a person that I meet or know into a "client".
First, I am a Fitness Instructor and I help people. I have never worked with a person that did not significantly improve their quality of life. We possess (or can acquire) the knowledge and skills to really impact the lives of anyone we come in contact with and train. I am not "selling" people sessions. We are changing lives.
Second, this means that in order for me to help people I have get through to them that helping them is what I am all about. People are creatures of habit. We don't like to change our day to day way of doing things. And the more sedentary someone is, the more they resist becoming active again. (The law of inertia in many respects.) I take this aspect to be a personal challenge. I see it as a competition. And I win if the person becomes more active.
Third, you can't reach everyone on the first (often second or third) attempt. If it was easy it wouldn't be as rewarding (just like getting fit). Once you have found out something someone needs that you can provide, be sure to bring it up whenever you see them. I am very good at reading posture and movement cues for things that are causing people discomfort. When I see someone that has signs of say shoulder/neck pain, I come right out and ask them about it. I introduce myself, ask them their name if they don't offer it, and then ask if their shoulder/neck gives them trouble. This rarely gets me a client on the first meeting, but after running into them a few times and bringing up the issue, I almost always end up getting them to give me a chance to help them. The same can apply to seeing someone using poor form in the gym or on the tennis court, etc. Be the little voice in their ear reminding them that they can do something about their issues.
I remind my cert prep students and CEC course participants of these things every chance I get. We are not "selling". We are changing lives. Good luck to all and thanks again Steve for your attempt to reach us as well as others. If those of reading these comments are not feeling inspired, I ask that you read them again and maybe even two or three more times. Remember, it can take several times of being exposed to good advice to take action.
I would like to add that most Personal Trainers dislike even the idea of "selling". But that is not the perspective that I take on turning a person that I meet or know into a "client".
First, I am a Fitness Instructor and I help people. I have never worked with a person that did not significantly improve their quality of life. We possess (or can acquire) the knowledge and skills to really impact the lives of anyone we come in contact with and train. I am not "selling" people sessions. We are changing lives.
Second, this means that in order for me to help people I have get through to them that helping them is what I am all about. People are creatures of habit. We don't like to change our day to day way of doing things. And the more sedentary someone is, the more they resist becoming active again. (The law of inertia in many respects.) I take this aspect to be a personal challenge. I see it as a competition. And I win if the person becomes more active.
Third, you can't reach everyone on the first (often second or third) attempt. If it was easy it wouldn't be as rewarding (just like getting fit). Once you have found out something someone needs that you can provide, be sure to bring it up whenever you see them. I am very good at reading posture and movement cues for things that are causing people discomfort. When I see someone that has signs of say shoulder/neck pain, I come right out and ask them about it. I introduce myself, ask them their name if they don't offer it, and then ask if their shoulder/neck gives them trouble. This rarely gets me a client on the first meeting, but after running into them a few times and bringing up the issue, I almost always end up getting them to give me a chance to help them. The same can apply to seeing someone using poor form in the gym or on the tennis court, etc. Be the little voice in their ear reminding them that they can do something about their issues.
I remind my cert prep students and CEC course participants of these things every chance I get. We are not "selling". We are changing lives. Good luck to all and thanks again Steve for your attempt to reach us as well as others. If those of reading these comments are not feeling inspired, I ask that you read them again and maybe even two or three more times. Remember, it can take several times of being exposed to good advice to take action.
0
Lesson 7: Scripting- What comes out of your mouth is the most important thing you can say.
“The basic building block of good communications is the feeling that every human being is unique and of value.”
A script is a conversation tool that helps gather necessary information when someone calls, emails or walks into your facility for the first time. Phone and email scripts lay the foundation for great customer service and makes everyone feel important. When I first learned this concept I thought this was an impersonal way of doing business but as I started to implement it I realized how terrible my conversations were prior to potential clients. No wonder people weren’t signing up! As I got better at them I began to feel more comfortable talking to strangers.
EXPERT TIP: Many of our business is gained just by answering the phone. People don’t like to leave messages anymore. They want to talk to someone and rightfully so. Return all missed calls.
Almost 99% of the time the first word out of a prospects mouth is “how much do you cost?” Without a way to redirect those conversations you will always lose on the basis of cost. This is why a script is a great way to help guide a conversation. The three most common scripts that we teach our coaches are a phone script when answering the phone, an email script for prospects reaching out from our ‘contact us’ page, or when they walk-in to check out our facility. Each is completed a bit differently but the end goal is the same; gather enough information to see if the prospect is right for our program.
The truth is not everyone is NOT right for CrossFit and we want to be ready to offer different services that will help them progress through our program effectively. Having ten Intro’s lined up in which were never screened will become frustrating and a waste of time when you spend a whole hour of your time to realize at the end that they aren’t going to sign up. In those moments your time could be used more wisely.
All of our Intro’s are set with high priority prospects because we have screened every single one of them. Because we have done the scripts for so long we don’t need them anymore. Our conversations are much more natural now than they were years ago but it still serves the same purpose as mentioned before. We are always “scripting”. It’s just more natural.
Typically a prospects first point of contact is typically phone or email. Most email prospects aren’t as serious as phone prospects. We have found it takes much more courage to pick up the phone than it does to shoot off a one sentence email, “how much do you cost” and yes we get emails like that all the time. In those cases we send the prospect a canned email thanking them for contacting us and ask that they call us to set up an Introduction. If they call then we know they are serious about possibly becoming a member of my gym.
On the phone we are trying to gather information such as:
How did they hear about us?
Do they currently work out?
What are their goals?
Most importantly, do they sound coach-able?
From there we work on providing information such as:
What they can expect at our gym
The range of our memberships cost
If they are still interested we try to book a Complimentary Introduction to our our program.
Those that are serious will book an Intro. Those that are on the fence will ask if they can call back. Some do and some don’t. Those that are screened properly and aren’t right for your program will never call back. There is nothing you can do about them. They aren’t ready yet. The idea is that if you provided a professional experience when they are ready they will call back for an Intro. At the worst they like you on Facebook. At best, a year down the road with the automations we will teach you to set up they will get a hold of you and want to sign up.
Homework
Implement a phone, email, and walk-in script immediately.
Practice in-person scripts.
Hope that helps!
-Mario Ashley
www.warehousegymexpert.com
“The basic building block of good communications is the feeling that every human being is unique and of value.”
A script is a conversation tool that helps gather necessary information when someone calls, emails or walks into your facility for the first time. Phone and email scripts lay the foundation for great customer service and makes everyone feel important. When I first learned this concept I thought this was an impersonal way of doing business but as I started to implement it I realized how terrible my conversations were prior to potential clients. No wonder people weren’t signing up! As I got better at them I began to feel more comfortable talking to strangers.
EXPERT TIP: Many of our business is gained just by answering the phone. People don’t like to leave messages anymore. They want to talk to someone and rightfully so. Return all missed calls.
Almost 99% of the time the first word out of a prospects mouth is “how much do you cost?” Without a way to redirect those conversations you will always lose on the basis of cost. This is why a script is a great way to help guide a conversation. The three most common scripts that we teach our coaches are a phone script when answering the phone, an email script for prospects reaching out from our ‘contact us’ page, or when they walk-in to check out our facility. Each is completed a bit differently but the end goal is the same; gather enough information to see if the prospect is right for our program.
The truth is not everyone is NOT right for CrossFit and we want to be ready to offer different services that will help them progress through our program effectively. Having ten Intro’s lined up in which were never screened will become frustrating and a waste of time when you spend a whole hour of your time to realize at the end that they aren’t going to sign up. In those moments your time could be used more wisely.
All of our Intro’s are set with high priority prospects because we have screened every single one of them. Because we have done the scripts for so long we don’t need them anymore. Our conversations are much more natural now than they were years ago but it still serves the same purpose as mentioned before. We are always “scripting”. It’s just more natural.
Typically a prospects first point of contact is typically phone or email. Most email prospects aren’t as serious as phone prospects. We have found it takes much more courage to pick up the phone than it does to shoot off a one sentence email, “how much do you cost” and yes we get emails like that all the time. In those cases we send the prospect a canned email thanking them for contacting us and ask that they call us to set up an Introduction. If they call then we know they are serious about possibly becoming a member of my gym.
On the phone we are trying to gather information such as:
How did they hear about us?
Do they currently work out?
What are their goals?
Most importantly, do they sound coach-able?
From there we work on providing information such as:
What they can expect at our gym
The range of our memberships cost
If they are still interested we try to book a Complimentary Introduction to our our program.
Those that are serious will book an Intro. Those that are on the fence will ask if they can call back. Some do and some don’t. Those that are screened properly and aren’t right for your program will never call back. There is nothing you can do about them. They aren’t ready yet. The idea is that if you provided a professional experience when they are ready they will call back for an Intro. At the worst they like you on Facebook. At best, a year down the road with the automations we will teach you to set up they will get a hold of you and want to sign up.
Homework
Implement a phone, email, and walk-in script immediately.
Practice in-person scripts.
Hope that helps!
-Mario Ashley
www.warehousegymexpert.com
0
Great answers. I would only add that you can check with local community colleges with a business department to see what classes they offer. This would give you not only the classroom experience but may also enable you to network with local businesses and potential clients.
Good luck.
Good luck.
