What is in this article?:
- Health Club Sales Today Requires You to Know Your Members and Their Differences
- Review Your Findings
Today's health club sales environment is different than it was in the past. The days of selling your facility to everyone based on price or equipment is gone. Other health clubs offer the same brand name equipment that you have, and some of these businesses offer it at even cheaper rates than you. So how should your staff sell your facility to potential members?
Today's health club sales environment is different than it was in the past. The days of selling your facility to everyone based on price or equipment is gone. Other health clubs offer the same brand name equipment that you have, and some of these businesses offer it at even cheaper rates than you.
So how should your staff sell your facility to potential members? They need to sell based on your facility's uniqueness and how that uniqueness benefits your target demographic. But does your staff know what makes your facility different, unique and special, and do they understand your target market? If they do not, then they cannot be successful.
Start by reminding your staff of who should belong to your facility. You have built your amenities and programming around those people. Does the staff know who they are? Can they recognize a good prospect from a bad one?
People who are not a part of your targeted market will not be happy in your club, will not continue as members and will not refer friends. Their membership could do your club more harm than good if they share their dissatisfaction about your club with others. Focusing only on prospects in your targeted market allows you to draw in members who can be successful in your culture and who will help you build a mighty clientele that will refer other people who fit your culture.
Once your sales staff understands your target market, they must understand what makes your facility stand out from your competitors for your targeted prospects. To understand this, you have to know what the other clubs in your neighborhood offer. So, require all members of your sales team to visit your competitors. Give them a list of questions to answer about these other facilities, and ask them to list the features and benefits of the other places.
The list should at a minimum include the following questions:
- What did you see that amazed you at this business?
- What were the strengths of this business?
- What type of person would best fit in at this club?
- What is their price-to-value story?
- Why would you join or suggest this club to a friend?
After your staff visits these clubs, ask them to answer the same questions for your facility as if they are looking at your club with a fresh pair of eyes. Answering these questions will help highlight how you differ from your competitors and how their members differ from your desired members.
