Performing Consultations With Prospective Members
What does your consultation process look like with a potential new client?
What does your consultation process look like with a potential new client?
Typically when I ask this question to gym owners, I get the deer-in-headlights look and a barrage of responses about how great their coaching is and how their On-Ramp program is on point and pretty much sells itself.
That’s great, but what are you personally doing prior to that experience to get to know the prospect? Are you finding their hot buttons, pain points, buying triggers and discovering what really has them at your doorstep?
More often than not, a prospect shows up to the gym, fills out a waiver, is shown around by a staff member, introduced to a few folks and then the class begins. I believe there is a better way to create value and get to know your prospects so that you can best know how to transform their trial class or private session into a membership.
And it all begins and ends with the consultation.
Consultation Framework Step .5 Actually give a shit about people Step 1. WHO are they? Step 2. WHAT has brought them to you? Step 3. WHERE do they want to go? Step 4. HOW can you get them there? Step 4.5 Actually give a shit about people
WHO are they? 3–5 minutes -Keep this informal and very light. — Where are they from? How long have they lived in your city? What brought them to _ city? — What do they do for a living? Are they married? Have kids? Favorite NFL team? — Put them at ease and do not make them feel anymore uncomfortable than they already are coming into a CrossFit gym. The first 5–10 questions shouldn’t even be fitness related. — Make them laugh and make sure you’re smiling (it’s contagious). — Energy is contagious too. Be energetic and welcoming. I don’t care how tired you are — fake it, till you make it! — This is the perfect time for you to establish the role of asking and they will assume the role of answering.
The consultation provides the entire tone for the rest of their virgin experience at your gym. Make them feel at ease, laugh and get to know who they are.
WHAT has brought them to you? ~5 minutes
How did they hear about you? Why are they searching for a fitness solution in the first place?
Something is obviously going wrong in their current fitness routine or they don’t have one at all. Now is the time to deconstruct what that is and how you can provide a solution.
You need to be taking notes. Record the data they provide so that you can personalize your follows up and closings. Remembering the little things is ridiculously important in the customer service game.
Whoever asks the questions, leads the conversations. Make sure that 80% of the conversation is composed of them talking and you listening (ACTUALLY listening).
WHERE do they want to go? 5+ minutes
This is the lengthiest part of the consultation because if done right, it provides the most context into the prospect and what will trigger their buying decisions. — What are their short and long term goals? Are they more motivated by aesthetics or performance?
Dig deep. Don’t let ambiguous answers like “I just want to tone up and be healthy” slide.
Rebut that answer with “Why do you want to tone up?” “Where do you want to tone up?” “What does tone up and be healthy mean to you?”
Ask more questions and you’ll get more answers. *Disclaimer: as an exercise science professional I absolutely detest the term “tone-up”, but remember…we are here to provide a solution to THEIR problem, not OURS.
Try to extract dates and events that have significant bearing on their current interest in your services. It’s easier to help someone establish a fitness routine if they have a goal-oriented date in mind.
For example: Sally Jones shows up for a consult at your gym and has mentioned that she has 6 months to get in shape to fit in her dress for her best friends wedding. All of her college friends will be in attendance and she hasn’t seen them in years and she wants to impress and look amazing at the ceremony. It’s much easier to sell Sally a 6 month paid-in-full membership because it translates to her timeline to accomplish the goal.
Again, be taking notes here because this is the stuff that is going to help justify the cost of your membership — assuming you show enough value in your service via your trial class or private session.
HOW can you help them? < 5 minutes
Now it’s your turn to talk. Time to take what you’ve discovered as the problem and provide your solution (becoming a member at your gym).
Discuss your different service offerings: OnRamp, fundamentals class, personal training, nutrition coaching, endurance class, mobility, etc.
Do not discuss items that are irrelevant to the prospect. Sally does not give a shit about your competitors program and how she’s going to “PR her Rx workout”.
Discuss how your classes flow, the different components of your class, what they can expect on a daily basis, the variety of exercises and equipment used, etc.
Don’t overwhelm them with strength & conditioning jargon. You will probably lose the sale if you intimidate Sally by talking about “working up to 78% of your 1RM Split Jerk”. *Disclaimer: if this is something you say to prospects — you need to seriously re-evaluate your perception of what the average person is looking for in a fitness solution.
Discuss the community and culture of your gym. This is generally the most enjoyable experience for most gym members, but it’s the last thing they think of when they are joining for the first time.
Let Sally know that after her trial class or private session, you two will be returning to the office to discuss membership options, training schedule and setting her up with a membership. This sets you up for a successful closing.
End the conversation with an open floor for any questions that Sally may have, answer them, walk her out to class, introduce her to the group and let your coaching and gym culture do the rest.
The majority of prospective members don’t know the difference between great and subpar coaching. So make sure that your consultation process sets you apart from your competition.
Closing the Sale
After Sally has had time to catch her breath, return back to where you had the original consult (small detail…but very important from a sales psychology perspective).
This is an amazing opportunity as the gym owner to get immediate feedback of your service. What did they love about the class? What did they dislike about it? Did they feel the community was welcoming? Did they receive enough attention from the coach? Again, you ask questions and let them do the answering.
Assume the sale. “So Sally, which membership option best fits your schedule and budget?” “12x/mo?” “Great. Go grab your purse and I’ll get the membership paperwork started”. This is a key mindset to have in any sales profession (which like it or not, you are apart of). It will also help make you numb to the fact that you are going to get a lot of “No” answers when asking for someone’s business. Get thick skin and learn to not let it affect the performance in your next sales attempt.
If Sally presents an objection to buying: finances, needs to talk with husband, wants to think it over, etc. Then she has not not seen enough value in your service or her experience did not keep her in the “buying” mindset. Somewhere along the way, something occurred that removed them from that buying state of mind. It’s your job to analyze the process and make the necessary changes.
Disclaimer: Always remember, anyone can do CrossFit…but it’s not for everyone. You may have done everything right, but Sally just wasn’t the right fit for your program. And that’s OK. Learn from the process and grow from it.
Don’t forget to personally follow up via phone and email with every prospect. Use the data you gathered during the consult to create a very individualized and thorough follow up. Even if they never purchase a gym membership from you, they may know someone who would and your emphasis on customer service is something they will not soon forget.