Firms spend millions of dollars to discover how to get consumers to purchase their products, and invariably, the companies that succeed most impressively are those that understand the importance of appealing to the senses and psyche. Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell -- all play major roles in getting someone to make a purchase. In addition, companies must also cultivate strong positive associations with their product, and do their best to eliminate any negative ones. Consider how a few industries utilize such techniques.
In supermarkets, for instance, the bread and milk - the two items most frequently bought - are deliberately placed at opposite ends of the store. In order to pick up these two necessities, the shopper must travel through miles of aisles, and, as a result, inevitably winds up buying more items than they had planned. By simply positioning two items strategically, the store increases its sales. Clubs can do the same.
Similarly, fast-food restaurants utilize the environment to maximize their returns. Colors are used to trigger desired impulses (e.g., red prompts people to "stop and take action," while yellow triggers hunger), and the seats are made uncomfortable on purpose to discourage lingering.
In the health and fitness club industry, there are five basic areas of concern involved in selling a prospect: They are the information call, reception, interview, tour and close. Some of the most important conclusion that I've reached about each are outlined below.
The information call
Every person answering the phone in your club should be doing it the same way. "Good morning (or evening), (the name of your club), this is (person's name). How may I help you? they should always give their name because callers feel more comfortable dealing with someone whose name they know. The prospect will usually indicate his or her reason for calling (perhaps they saw your ad in the Yellow Pages and would like additional information.) The stafer's response could be, "Great, and your name is? and your number is?" Note that these are statements, not questions. In order to respond to a question, people have to stop and think, if only for a second, which explains why it's sometimes difficult to get a person's phone number. ("Why should I give them my phone number?" they wonder.) Try this technique: make statements. People respond to statements. "My name is (your name)." The other person will nearly always respond by saying, "I'm (there name)," Does this technique work every time? Of course not, but it works most of the time.
The reception
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. How a visitor is greeted by the staffer at the front desk sets the tone for the entire sales presentation. The receptionist should greet the guest with a warm smile and say, "Welcome to (the name of your club), my name is (person's name). How may I help you? Following the introduction, the visitor should be asked to fill out the guest register (printing clearly), while the staffer gets someone to show them the club. The receptionist is the link, the common denominator, here - seeing to the quest's comfort and helping them connect with a membership director (MD).
An important part of the MD's job is to deal with questions regarding cost. When doing so, don't forget that, in this industry, we sell a percieved-value service. We have to help the quest visualize the changes that they want to make - physically, psychologically, even emotionally. We don't sell a tangible product that can be delivered the same day, so we need to eliminate this potential objection to joining before it arises. We do so by presenting the "agenda." Welcome the quest to the club, shake their hand, and ask if they've ever been in before. The MD can they introduce the agenda by indicating that they'd like to gather some information to find out what the guest hopes to accomplish by joining club. "Then I'll take you on a tour of the facility, show you everything we have to offer, and, afterwards, we'll come back and discuss membership rates, okay? (When asking a question that you'd prefer to have answered in the affirmative, nod your head up and down; when you're hoping for a "no", move it from side to side. People often mirror the images in front of them. If, for instance, you smile long enough, the person in front of you will generally start smiling.)
Every presentation should follow this basic agenda. It's very difficult to show the club properly if you don't know what the prospect is interested in, which makes the interview crucial. The idea is not to take them to the area they're interested in first ... but to take them there last. As a result, the level of excitement will be highest at the end of the tour, setting the stage for a successful close.
The interview
The purpose of the interview is to determine what the prospect's goals are, their most likely objections to joining (e.g., time, money, spouse, or "I want to think about it"), and the most appropriate way to effectively respond to their reservations. This can be accomplished by asking five simple questions:
1.) "Are you married? If so, is your spouse in favor of your getting started on an exercise program?" If the quest answers yes to this question, it's going to be a lot more difficult for them to use their husband or wife as an excuse to not join.
2.) "How long have you been considering an exercise program?" Most people will say they've been thinking about it for at least six months, which makes it difficult for them to later say that they need more time to make a decision.
3.) "What stopped you from getting started then?" The answer to this question will probably be their primary objection.
4.) "If I'm able to set up a program that will help you achieve your goals, would you be willing to commit three hours a week to your health and fitness?" The answer will more than likely be yes.
5.) Finally, "in an average week, what do you do for entertainment?" The reply, of course varies, but most people spend money to rent videos, have drinks with friends, etc. "I don't know about you , but I know I could find $1.50 a day, out of that, to apply towards improving my health.: People don't like to have things taken away from them, but they do like gifts, so we're suggesting that they use some of their entertainment money to purchase the gifts of fitness and good health.
The Tour
Every club should have a tour agenda all employees follow that covers everything from how long the club has been in business to how many aerobics classes it offers a week. It's not uncommon for MDs to give different answers to the same question. (e.g., one might say the club has 30 aerobics classes a week, while another will say 40), but there's no need for this to happen if everyone is using the same script.
It's a truism of life, and sales, that people do what they do for one of two reasons - to avoid pain or obtain pleasure. Everything we do - from the clothes we wear, to the car we drive, to the club we join - is predicted on this principle. Therefore, the club tour must assuage any fears the quest may have and replace them with feelings of pleasure. We can accomplish this most easily by putting them on some of the fitness equipment: three pieces of strength equipment and one cardiovascular unit is the minimum I recommend. A club membership, bottom-line, is about physical rewards, and there's no substitute for actually experiencing them. Even if the prospect is dressed in business clothes, they can comfortably try out a leg curl or elliptical motion machine.
The Close
We must learn how to deal effectively with any objections the guest may have. As noted, we can be helpful and responsive about doubts relating to time, money, spouse, or needing "to think about it." Let's use the first objection - that of time - as an example: One of my favorite ways to deal with this issue is to remind the quest that we all have 160 hours in a week. It's simply a matter of priorities. Each MD should have at least four strong responses to deal with each of the four objections. After you've overcome the objection, you should immediately return to the close. You can also avail yourself of what I consider an "alternative" close, one of which is, "How would like to take care of this today - cash or check?" Learn how to ask questions in order to maximize the chance of getting the response you desire. And, when you've asked the critical closing question - stop talking! The next person to speak will lose the negotiation. Don't sell a membership, then buy it back because you didn't know when to quit.
