Picture this; the local government has finally made their announcements that gyms can reopen safely. You’re over the moon excited and ready to restore the lost revenue since the pandemic began by pumping new members into your gym.

You re-up your spending on marketing and ensure you are fully staffed for the influx of new guests. The gym is busy, the vibes are good, and you are ready to close some sales. You do a few price presentations and then they all begin to go sideways:

“I want to think about it.”

“I’m going to keep shopping around.”

“I think I’m just gonna keep working out on my app.”

“I haven’t budgeted for a new gym membership.”

“I’m just hear working out with my friend I haven’t seen in forever”

“I’m still looking for a new job”

And you think to yourself, “What am I doing wrong?”

Let this article serve as your wake up call to avoid this nightmare!

Remember:

• You or your sales team have not been actively selling memberships for 16+ months.
• You haven’t mixed in much sales training or role playing since being away from the club/studio.
• There has been a market shift favouring AI, wearables, tech, and other online training platforms that will raise additional objections to a gym membership.

In a time when so many fitness professionals are craving membership sales, it is now more important than ever to not skip steps or to assume prospects are automatically ready to make a buying decision. Many owners and executives are prepared for the influx of new guests, but have not considered the impact the extended time-off could have on their team’s ability to sell fitness services (memberships and training packages). It will be crucial to take extra time to revert back to the fundamentals of relationship building and consultative selling.

To ensure a successful return from Covid, leaders should organize a sales training bootcamp and promote it as a positive team building event or skill development seminar to help the team gel together and knock some rust off. Listed below are great tips to hosting a successful sales training event:

Pre-frame the Session

• Lay out the expectations at the beginning of the session to allow the audience to adjust their focus and reduce any unnecessary stress associated with the training.
• Outline the skills being covered and highlight why they are essential for success.
• Define the format of the session (Slide deck, lecture, roleplay, etc.)

Keep it Exciting

• Only present relevant information
• Use visual aids (comics/memes and communicate in a variety of styles to engage the audience
• Encourage participation – you do not want your team just going through the motions

Include Lunch

• Breaking for a snack can help with “digesting” the information and realign focus

The Session

• Polls, Q&A, and case studies are all effective learning strategies
• Intense role-play sessions can create a worst-case scenario and make the on-the job performance seem smoother #PracticeHarderThanYouPlay

Finish Strong

• Always ask for feedback
• Reiterate the importance of what was learned (or relearned)
• Compensate staff entirely for their time (this should go without being said!)
• To go above and beyond, leaders can also invest in resources to ensure their team is mentally sharp on day 1!