13 Sales “Basics” for Fitness Professionals
By Jim Labadie
Every successful fitness professional is a proficient salesperson. And by
“successful” I mean those who aren’t forced to find another career because of
their lack of business skills or desire to improve them. Here are 13 sales
“basics” to improve your ability to sell your services.
- Believe in yourself and the service you provide. Your prospective
clients will feed off of your energy and will be much more likely to hire
you if you exude confidence.
- Understand that money isn’t the objective you might think it is. People
will happily pay for your services as long as they value fitness and believe
you will help them obtain the results they’re seeking.
- Selling your services to someone who needs your help is your moral
obligation. Chances are you got into this business to help people. Well, if
they don’t hire you, how can you help them?
- Realize that if you have trouble asking people to pay you for your
services, you may have a negative belief system around money. You can help
fix that by understanding that money is just a means of trading value. They
trade you money for your time and efforts.
- Accept the fact that no matter how much money you charge, if you’re good
at what you do, the client is always getting the better end of the deal. You
only receive money. They receive a happier, healthier life. Which is more
valuable to you?
- Know the difference between a prospect and a client. A prospect is
someone who may or may not hire you. A client is someone who is paying you
for your services.
- Accept the fact that selling is an absolutely essential skill for every
personal trainer to learn. The more proficient you are at closing sales, the
more people you can help.
- Know that people often hire personal trainers after they have exhausted
less expensive options. You may very well find these people to be your best
prospects.
- Understand that you’re free to decide who you want to schedule sales
appointments with. Your time is by far your most valuable commodity so be
sure that you’re only meeting with prospects who are very likely to hire
you.
- Know that people almost always make buying decisions emotionally, not
logically. When selling, it’s your responsibility to make your prospect
emotional so that you can easily sell them your services.
- Realize it’s only a sale when you have the money in your hand in some
form. You should always plan on having your prospect pay before your sales
appointment ends.
- Set the sales appointment as soon as you can when speaking to a
prospect. People are easily distracted in today’s world so it’s imperative
to meet with prospects as soon as you can while fitness is foremost in their
minds.
- Understand that people love to buy things, but they hate being sold
things. Allow your prospects to sell themselves on your services by simply
asking the right questions and guiding them to the eventual conclusion—if
they truly want to achieve their goals, they are going to need your help.
Jim Labadie is a fitness entrepreneur, sales expert, and speaker. You can
download a free copy of his new e-book, “63 Must Have Sales Tips for Personal
Trainers” at http://www.ptsalestips.com.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
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