There are people in the world who are naturals at selling and performing in public situations. Personally, I am not one of them. It amazes me when someone seems to be naturally cool and confident when eyes are all on him or her. Also, those people tend not to be trainers or managers working in gyms. I suppose that figures, helping people motivates most of the trainers that I know but they tend to have a history in jobs that are not sales related.
I love working out and hanging out in the gym
So do most of the trainers and gym owners that I know. We all have less experience in getting up in front of a crowd or just asking for a sale one-to-one. If you want to do sales for a living you are probably working business development or in real estate. If you want to be on stage you probably went into entertainment. Here in Las Vegas there are many who are doing exactly that and are very successful.
I wrote about playing a role in your business about six months ago. It is an article worth reviewing and a subject worth revisiting because of the importance of staff behavior in sales situations and how demeanor can make the difference between window shopping and actually committing to memberships. By rehearsing sales presentations through training and role playing exercises, training sessions and extra services (can be sold) that make the difference between owning a business and just scraping by.
The Secrets To Performance In Gym Sales Revenue
The only way that I have found that consistently makes money for the business and the team at a gym is to sell additional features and services to members.
Lawrence, Gym Insight founder and former gym owner
In my gym management experience, time and time again, I have had to persuade and push trainers to do the very thing that will make them earn a decent income and excel at their jobs. Yes, the basic membership covers the cost of keeping the gym open but you have to do more, so that you don’t end up living in the back office.
The thing to remember is that people come to you because they respect you and believe in your gym. By offering extra items for sale, training and studio classes you are leading a community. It’s like you’re at home, you have guests, and they look to you for a lead and advice. Because of this, even when you don’t feel it, you are in control and you are doing a good thing by offering your services and facilities to the public.
If you act the part a little bit and fake it you will be surprised how quickly things can turn to your advantage. Behind the scenes, make sure that you set aside time for training. Set up simple role-playing scenarios where staff pair up and practice together. Also, have them perform in front of the group after rehearsing; the extra pressure of facing a bigger audience will help to make them take the exercise more seriously.
Convenience Is A Good Thing
Another way to increase the income of your team is to have a selection of merchandise at the front desk or a small shop with things like padlocks, lifting gloves, towels, water bottles, sports nutrition and supplements. It is not there to compete with the health and supplements store at the mall. You are doing this to help out members who need to make that minor purchase right now. They are willing to pay a premium for the convenience of having it right here, right now.
The difference between awkwardness and giving great service is sometimes as simple as realizing that the extra items you sell are doing a favor, a good thing that makes life a little easier and better for your customers. That’s probably why you’re working in a gym or owning one. You have to take that mindset. If you can’t see it that way or you feel conflicted you might want to sit down and decide why you’re doing it and what’s holding you back. I don’t recommend selling anything that you don’t believe in 100%. I certainly couldn’t do it and I don’t think you should either.
This post originally ran January 12, 2015 and has been revised.
Bibliography
Fagan, Lawrence. Building The Team That Sells Effectively. 24 February 2014. https://blog.gyminsight.com/2450-building-the-team-that-sells-effectively/ (accessed December 20, 2014).
-. Fitness Trainer Staff & Sales Training. 21 November 2013. https://blog.gyminsight.com/2192-fitness-trainer-staff-sales-training/ (accessed December 20, 2014).
-. Know Your Role And Play It. 8 May 2014. https://blog.gyminsight.com/2650-know-your-role-and-play-it/ (accessed December 20, 2014).
Thank you for reading our blog. It seems as relevant today as eight years ago! Just in case you’re not familiar with Gym Insight, we design gym management software for new and existing health club owners, as well as for personal trainers. Our easy-to-use, affordable software features sales tools, member management, class scheduling, payment processing, access control, and club management. All of our software and hardware is managed in-house – no third-party vendors. We are here for you as a team, every day with a single goal – to create software that makes it simple for you to run a successful fitness center. For a product demonstration, call 1-800-FOR-GYMS and ask for Anthony or Natalia.