Have you ever taken a prospect on a tour of your fab gym, shown them the ropes, walked them through all the info, and when it finally comes time to sealing the deal, they balk? A flurry of objections pour out of them and you can’t help but wonder how you can possibly get them back on track? If you’ve ever felt like this, don’t stress! You’re not alone. In fact, most gym sales teams find that prospects react this way when they’re about to ask the all-important question.
The good news is that the objections you may face are very common and as a result there are gym membership sales strategies you can start implementing right this second to take your gym sales from zero to hero!
Your memberships are too expensive
If you’re a boutique fitness studio that offers lots of one-on-one training and personalised coaching then hey, of course you’re going to charge a higher price for your services. If you’re a large multi-site gym that is more about letting your members come and go and use your gym as they please, then of course you’re going to charge a lower price since your business model is less resource intensive. At the end of the day, both gyms are offering completely different things and a single gym lead most likely wouldn’t be comparing the two unless they didn’t really know what they were looking for.
This is where you need to conduct a needs analysis for your prospect. Ask them a series of questions about their fitness journey and experience with gyms so far, what their goals are, if they’ve had personal training sessions before, if they feel confident in a gym environment and so much more. Once you have a better idea of who they are and what they need, you can help them see the value in your membership costs. Relate it back to them and their requirements in a gym. Showing them value instead of a cost is what will swat this objection away ASAP.
You’re surrounded by competitors
Whatever you do, don’t enter into a price war you can’t win. Keep your head high and focus on the value you provide to your members. Familiarise yourself with the gyms in your local area and what they offer (maybe even go for a sneaky tour around their gym yourself). The idea is to feel educated when a lead starts questioning you about how your gym differs from the one down the road.
It all ties back into the needs analysis for your lead and what they really need in a gym. Lots of group fitness classes? A decked-out weights zone? A zen-room for their yoga practice? Help them see your difference and show them how you are the best fit for them.
They have self-doubt
The human mind can be your biggest hurdle when it comes to overcoming gym sales objections! If your prospect is at the very start of their fitness journey, they are probably still feeling a little unsure and may not be as eager to say yes and really commit themselves. The tactic here is to be empathetic and help them feel more comfortable in this potentially unfamiliar and intimidating environment.
Try to introduce them to some of your group fitness class teachers and some personal trainers around the gym so they feel like they know a welcoming face or two. Try offering them a free personal training session as well so that the trainer can help them feel more comfortable using equipment they may never have seen before. This will help settle their self-doubt and put their name on the dotted line!
They need to think about it
Either your prospect is a tire-kicker so will never equate to a sale anyway, or they are still genuinely uncertain and don’t feel ready to commit. In buyer behaviour, there are several stages a person will take before they make a purchase. At this point in time, your lead is at the evaluation of alternatives stage – they have all the information they need, now they need time to consider all the facts before they come to their decision.
If you’re faced with this objection when you ask the magic question, don’t stress! You’ve done all you can up until this point. The way to handle it is to have the tools in place to keep track of your leads and make sure you follow them up in a day or two. MyMemberSales gym leads software enables you to keep track of your leads and make notes to give them a call when you need to most!
