The saying “what goes in MUST come out” has never been more appropriate than when you describe the function of the Sales Funnel. However, it would probably be better to say the more that goes in the more that come out…….
Many people ask me what is the best sales process to get the greatest traction or how often should we contact a prospect and when.
Here are my answers below:
1) First Point of Contact
Respond to a new Prospect immediately via an Email or preferably a phone call. An automated email responder is a great confirmation that the enquiry was received and being dealt with. The first person to respond to an Enquiry increases their chances of getting the business by 50%. Whilst an automated responder is great a phone call is always the preferred method of activity.
2) Book a Date
The goal is to book the Prospect in for a tour within 48 hours, ideally today or tomorrow so you can strike whilst the iron is hot. Leave it longer than 48 hours and you run the risk that the lead will go cold or join another club.
3) Confirm the Appointment
Confirm the prospects appointment with a text to add importance and value to the tour. Prospects who have their appointments confirmed are far less likely to be a “No Show”. If they are a “No Show” then it is imperative to call them immediately to ensure that you keep the heat turned up under the pot….
4) Not Ready to Commit
If your Prospect is not ready to commit at the tour stage then you need to agree a time with them to follow up. This should be no longer than 48 hours from the tour. Again this keeps the topic hot for the prospect. A phone call is best but if this is not possible or there is no answer do not leave a voice mail message but instead send them a text. Stats tell us that 95% of texts are opened as opposed to emails.
5) Get them on a Trial
If the Prospect is not ready to commit at this stage then you can offer a Trial, try and keep this under 7 days so you can manage the communication. Ideally, you should communicate with the lead in the middle of the Trial and again at the end. This is a Touch Base to see how they are going and whether they are enjoying the trial. It is important to get the Prospect to confirm that they like the Gym. Once the Trial is expired you need to ask “What’s Next? Now you need to get them across the line quickly with a close out offer.
6) Close the Prospect Quickly
This is when it is important to create that sense of urgency to get the Prospect across the line whilst they are still hot. Create a sense of urgency by putting a closing date or time frame around the offer. You can keep contacting this prospect but make the gap between contact longer and longer, once a month, once bi monthly then quarterly or bi annually.
7) Ask for the Referral
Once the Prospect is now a Sale you can contact the New Member and ask for a referral “Do you have a friend just like you who could benefit from the service that you have purchased”?”Referral is your strongest tool to gain new members and is often forgotten or neglected when filling the Sales Funnel.
8) Member Engagement
Once the prospect has converted and referred their friend we can forgot them and then we are likely to lose them much quicker. It is imperative that you keep the new member engaged in the first 30 days. The more engaged in the first 30 days the new member is the longer they are likely to stay at your club. A 7 or 10 day call is a great way to keep the member feeling important. A 21 0r 30 day touchbase to see if they have booked a PT yet or “liked” the club on Facebook. Get the member involved as much as possible into the community atmosphere by inviting them to attend buddy nights or member evenings.
Now the biggest question is how do you manage all these stages of the Sale and ensure that none are missed. How do you ensure that you spend quality time working on your business rather than in it? How do you spend the valuable time you have on keeping members or generating new leads?
GymSales will take away all the stress, pressure and give you back that valuable time you need to invest in your business. Well strike while the iron is hot and book a 14 day trial and watch your sales funnel swell.
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