To a casual observer, selling a gym membership probably seems fairly straightforward, much like handling retail or service transactions.
But those who run gyms, clubs, and studios know that it can be much more complex than it seems. Each member considers signing up based on different factors—one might be looking for a short-term commitment, while another prefers lower pricing and annual billing.
No matter what their needs, though, there are some basic do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when selling gym memberships:
DO: Track your leads effectively
Every phone call, gym tour, and referral should have a place in your gym membership sales system. Ideally, you should consider software that can organize all these data and capture other details, such as which salespeople are doing the highest conversion volumes and typical turnaround time from call/tour to sign-up.
DON’T: Follow up when you “get around to it”
If someone asks about membership options, the worst thing you can do is sit on that request until you have “more time” to respond. Many people choose gyms based on the level of service that they perceive is in place. If you take a week to answer a simple question, that creates a perception that your gym is unresponsive to members, even if that’s untrue.
DO: Be specific about membership options
In the case of gym membership sales, too much information is always better than too little. Outline exactly what a membership will include, right down to free personal training sessions, 24-hour access, ample parking, group fitness classes, daycare—whatever your gym provides to members should be covered.
DON’T: Make tiered pricing too complex
Many gyms use tiered pricing to make memberships attractive to all types of people, from those who plan to use the gym almost daily to those interested in coming only a few times per month. Tiered pricing might also be based on what’s included—for example, a higher-level membership will include classes that are usually fee-based, like Pilates or martial arts. Whatever the structure you choose, don’t become too elaborate and develop numerous options that might become confusing. People become frustrated when they’re trying to decide on a membership and don’t understand the nuances of the pricing.
DO: Use metrics to identify trends
Another advantage to bringing software into your gym management is that you can see sales trends over various time frames. You would be able to look at the past few years and notice that sales surge in August, and so does daycare attendance—which means that families are signing up to get older kids in shape for sports. Seeing that kind of trend means you can put more resources into August daycare and also do a major sales promotion in July to attract even more members.
DON’T: Forget to keep up with the competition
Even if your gym offers much more than the gym a few blocks down, it’s important to keep up with that gym’s pricing model, its sales promotions, and its traffic patterns. You don’t need to become a corporate spy, but keeping an eye on the competition can help you see how you can differentiate your gym when new members come shopping for a gym membership.