#1 Mistake I'm Seeing Gyms Make Right Now Ep 178

In the Gym Secrets podcast, the host emphasizes the importance of gym owners understanding the sales process to maximize membership and personal training sales, particularly during the peak months of January through March. The host outlines a strategic marketing approach, advising against direct, repetitive sales pitches and instead advocating for a phased approach of 'whisper, tease, and shout' to build anticipation and engagement. This involves starting with subtle hints in warmer audiences, followed by a structured countdown and targeted communication across emails, texts, and social media posts, culminating in a high-energy launch. The host also stresses the importance of addressing potential customer concerns and pain points through content, leveraging the trust built with existing clients, and the power of in-person selling. The podcast concludes with a reminder to avoid rushing promotions and to follow the outlined strategy for successful program launches.

• Gym owners often repeat the mistake of not knowing how to position their offerings effectively.
• They fail to create a structured marketing strategy and instead post sporadic, direct sales pitches.
• The lack of a deliberate approach and addressing customer beliefs or questions leads to ineffective promotion.

"I see so many gym owners make the exact same mistake again and again, and it's forgetting how to position stuff to sell."

The quote highlights the repeated error gym owners make in not properly positioning their products or services for sale, indicating a need for a more strategic approach.

• January is a significant time for gym industry due to New Year's resolutions, but service-based facilities see a peak in February and March.
• Big box gyms experience the highest membership sales in January.
• Personal training sales increase after the initial resolution rush when individuals seek additional help.

"Typically the biggest months for service based facilities is actually like February and March."

This quote explains that service-based gyms often see their biggest sales after January, suggesting that marketing efforts should not solely focus on the New Year rush.

• Speaker A presents a framework for creating hype to increase sales, which was successful for Prestige Labs.
• The framework involves a countdown and strategic communication to build anticipation.
• The process includes whispering, teasing, and shouting phases to promote offerings effectively.

"So what I want to go through is the number one mistake that I'm seeing gyms make right now... forgetting how to position stuff to sell."

The quote introduces the need for a structured marketing strategy, which will be further explained through the launch hype framework.

• The technique starts with a whisper to a warm audience, such as a simple post with a countdown timer and logo.
• The promotion then moves to a tease with occasional reminders leading up to the event.
• The final phase is shouting, with heavy marketing in the last 10 to 14 days before the launch.

"I heard this recently, I don't know who it's from, but whisper, tease, shout. And I actually just really liked the way that that sounded in terms of how to promote stuff."

This quote introduces the promotional technique of whisper, tease, and shout, which is a structured approach to creating anticipation and excitement for a product or event.

• Starting heavy marketing more than a month in advance can backfire by peaking interest too early.
• A 10 to 14-day window before the launch is optimal for maximizing hype.
• Regular communication, such as every other day, is recommended during this period to keep the offering top of mind.

"I feel like ten to 14 days is where you crescendo into Max hype."

The quote suggests that the most effective period for intense marketing is within 10 to 14 days of the launch, as it builds maximum hype without overwhelming potential customers.

• Speaker A suggests sending five or six emails during the 10-day countdown.
• Emails should be sent every other day, which is a balance between keeping attention and not overloading customers.

"So there's kind of the five or six emails that go out I like every other day works fine for me..."

This quote outlines the recommended frequency of email communication during the final countdown to the launch, indicating a strategy that considers customer engagement without causing fatigue.

• Start the email campaign 10 days before the launch.
• Send emails every other day to avoid overwhelming recipients.
• Address potential customer concerns and interests in each email.
• Focus on the pain points that the product or service alleviates.
• Use storytelling to exaggerate the difficulties the customer faces without the product.
• Segment the emails to address different aspects of the product (e.g., nutrition, fitness, accountability).
• It's acceptable to repeat content in different ways as not all emails will be read by everyone.
• Use a countdown structure in emails to build excitement towards the launch day.
• The final emails can be brief reminders of the launch.

But if you're starting ten days out and you're like, email one day off email two, day off email three, that tends to work very well.

This quote explains the recommended pacing for an email campaign leading up to a product launch.

And what you're trying to do is you're trying to address ahead of time what concerns someone might have, right.

This quote highlights the importance of preemptively addressing potential customer concerns in marketing emails.

So it's like if you're including meal prep, for example, and it's like, don't have time to cook, don't have time to count your macros, don't have time to go to.

The speaker is illustrating how to empathize with customer pain points, using meal prep as an example.

And sometimes it's better to be reminded than taught, right? And so it's okay to recycle the same thing, kind of hit the same points again, just say it in different ways.

This quote emphasizes the effectiveness of repetition in marketing communications to ensure the message is received.

• Email multiple times on launch day to remain at the top of the inbox.
• Simple reminder emails without extensive copy can be effective.
• Use subject lines as the body copy to draw attention.
• Coordinate emails with text messages for a dual-channel approach.
• Avoid selling via webinar for in-person businesses; leverage face-to-face interactions instead.
• In the last 48 hours, push for sign-ups or scheduling appointments.

Really important. I, if anybody saw for the meals, I emailed like six times on that day, right? And I've got that from Frank Kern. I got that from Russell. I got that from every big Internet marketer that I know is that on launch day they email like six times.

The speaker is sharing a tactic learned from successful internet marketers to increase email frequency on launch day.

You just want them to see the inbox.

This quote explains the goal of frequent launch day emails—to ensure visibility in the recipient's inbox.

Now the text need to be super short and you're basically trying to distill down that entire email into one bullet right now, the last 48 hours.

The speaker advises that text messages should be concise and focus on the most critical point, especially in the final countdown.

The easiest thing is just have them opt in and then schedule a time. Or just have them straight schedule a time.

This quote suggests a strategy for converting interest into action by having potential customers opt-in or schedule a time to learn more about the offer.

• Utilize the trust-building advantage of in-person selling for physical businesses.
• Tailor the sales approach to the business model, avoiding tactics that don't align with the business type.

So please, God, like Alex doesn't have us do what he does because he's trying to hold something back from us. No, if I had a fucking in person business, I would sell in person.

This quote advises against using webinar selling for in-person businesses and suggests leveraging the advantage of personal interaction.

I would use the biggest advantage ever of having trust face to face.

The speaker emphasizes the significant benefit of building trust through face-to-face interactions in an in-person business context.

• Emphasize having a strong start by getting clients to sign up for one-on-two consultations every 30 minutes.
• Suggests a direct and straightforward approach rather than trying to be overly creative or fancy.
• Encourages the use of a referral system by having clients bring a friend to increase sign-ups.

"This is the best way to launch your facility. Have a huge momentous starting."

This quote underlines the importance of a significant launch event to kickstart a facility, emphasizing the impact of a strong beginning.

"You can close the friend and get them signed up because if they're coming with someone, they're not going to not buy unless you're an absolute idiot."

This quote suggests that bringing a friend increases the likelihood of both parties signing up, capitalizing on the social aspect and pressure.

"So have them bring people with them. They can schedule for themselves and just bring their friend with them. It just makes it logistically very easy."

This highlights the practicality of having clients bring friends, simplifying the process of acquiring new clients through existing ones.

• Encourages listeners who enjoy the podcast to leave a rating or review.
• Stresses the importance of listener support for the growth of the podcast.
• Uses humor to lighten the request but underscores its significance.

"You should feel absolutely terrible about yourself and everything else in the world."

This is a humorous exaggeration to emphasize the importance of leaving a review or rating.

"It would mean the absolute world to me if you guys would go ahead and do that."

This quote conveys the host's appreciation for listener support and how valuable it is to them.

"The only way that podcast grows through word of mouth, this is you joining hands with me and helping as many entrepreneurs as we possibly can because no one is coming to save us."

This quote emphasizes the role of the audience in the podcast's growth and the collective effort to support the entrepreneurial community.

• Suggests a structured approach to promotion, including a sequence of communication leading up to the launch.
• Advises against a simple and repetitive call to action, advocating for a buildup of excitement.
• Recommends using a combination of emails, texts, and Facebook posts to reach the audience effectively.

"Have a sequence, whisper it, tease it, build excitement."

This quote highlights the importance of creating anticipation and interest before directly promoting a new offering.

"Then in the ten days leading up to your registration opening...you have this nice cadence inside of Facebook groups."

This quote outlines a specific strategy for communication frequency and the use of different channels to maintain audience engagement without overwhelming them.

"The first two are really just whispers. I don't really say anything. And then the last two before the 24 hours countdown is me kind of doing a high level overview of how cool the program is and all that."

This quote explains the gradual reveal of information, starting with subtle hints and building up to a comprehensive promotion as the launch approaches.

• Emphasizes that the fundamental rules of selling do not change, even for exciting new products or services.
• Advises focusing on the client's goals and needs rather than the features of a product.
• Illustrates with an example of a gym owner who purchased an expensive piece of equipment, highlighting the importance of addressing customer objectives.

"The rules of selling don't change, right?"

This quote reinforces the idea that core selling strategies remain consistent regardless of the product or service being offered.

"Clarify why they're there...no one cares. There's literally like, are they trying to lose weight?"

This quote advises to focus on the customer's purpose for engaging with the business (such as losing weight) rather than the specifics of the equipment or service being sold.

"Cool. So they're going to need to exercise, and you need to work out. The fact that you're using this thing makes no difference whether it's cycle or it's spin or it's kickboxing or whatever, weightlifting, crossfit, whatever."

This quote illustrates that the type of exercise or equipment is secondary to the client's ultimate goal, which is what should be addressed in the selling process.

• The core selling point of a product or service should be simple and clear.
• Emphasize benefits that save customers time and reduce commitment.
• Highlighting reduced time commitment can enhance perceived value.

"The only thing that you're going to sell, like, that you can have in addition to this as a benefit is that it takes less time."

This quote stresses the importance of a clear value proposition that focuses on time efficiency as a primary benefit to the customer.

• There's a common mistake in marketing to assume product excellence will sell itself.
• Customers do not automatically gravitate towards a product's features without being guided.
• The sales process is necessary even for outstanding products.

"Don't make that mistake when you are trying to market your new programs, don't think because this thing is so awesome, and I think it's so awesome, people are just going to can sign up because it's so awesome."

The quote illustrates a common marketing error where the inherent value of a product is overestimated, leading to a neglect of the necessary sales efforts.

• Humans have an innate desire to be sold to and enjoy purchasing.
• Sales strategies should cater to this desire by guiding customers through a 'dance' of sales.
• Creating anticipation and excitement is key to effective selling.

"We like being sold. We want to be sold. People like buying stuff."

This quote emphasizes the psychological aspect of sales where customers enjoy the process of being sold to and the experience of buying.

• Start by whispering the message, then tease it, and finally shout it out loud.
• The approach should build anticipation and ensure visibility over time.
• Marketing efforts can go unnoticed, so repetition and visibility are crucial.

"So build anticipation. Whisper it first, then tease it, then shout it, which is going to be the last three days where you're just pumping it and making sure that everyone sees it."

This quote outlines a strategic approach to marketing that involves gradually increasing the volume and intensity of the promotional message.

• Not everyone will notice marketing efforts despite extensive promotion.
• Continuous marketing is important for ensuring maximum visibility.
• Personal reminders can be effective in reaching out to potential customers.

"You can market your face off. And still there will be people who don't see jack shit, right?"

This quote acknowledges the limitations of marketing reach, highlighting that not all promotional activities will be seen by every potential customer.

• Adequate preparation time is necessary for successful marketing campaigns.
• Rushed promotions can lead to disappointing outcomes.
• It's better to delay the launch and properly hype the product than to rush and fail.

"If you have done this wrong, right, I honestly would recommend you take ten days from now and just make that a little bit of your hype and then follow that process at least the last ten days."

This quote advises on the importance of allowing sufficient time for building hype and properly executing a marketing plan.

• Both internal and external marketing can employ the same or different strategies.
• Trust with existing clients can be leveraged for internal marketing.
• The key is to make clients excited and committed to the product for better results.

"It doesn't really matter, right? If you do a 42 day tread, it's going to work externally and internally."

This quote suggests that the distinction between internal and external marketing strategies is not crucial, as both can be effective.

• Trust with clients is a significant advantage.
• Engaging clients in the marketing 'dance' enhances their excitement and commitment.
• Trust leads to better client participation and results.

"You have trust with your clients. Just do the dance that they want you to do."

This quote highlights the importance of leveraging existing trust with clients to engage them in new offerings effectively.

• Failure to promote effectively can lead to poor campaign performance.
• Inadequate promotion can result in fewer people benefiting from the product.
• Proper promotion is necessary to avoid disappointment and poor results.

"If you don't do it that way, then you will be really sad and less people will lose weight and you'll be sad face at the end of January, which you don't want to be."

The quote warns of the negative outcomes of not following proper promotional strategies, such as reduced impact and personal disappointment.