HACKS You Should Know About Selling Remote Fitness Ep 196

In the latest Gym Secrets podcast, the host delves into strategies for increasing gym sales, particularly in the context of remote fitness services. The host shares insights from Gym Launch's data, emphasizing the importance of scheduling tactics, like 15-minute appointment increments, to improve client booking and attendance rates. They discuss the significance of mastering sales scripts and the necessity of practice to improve close rates, highlighting that experience in in-person sales doesn't directly translate to phone sales proficiency. The conversation also covers energy management during calls and the tactical use of pricing and offers to encourage continuity sign-ups. The host advises on ethical negotiation techniques, such as adjusting commitments and leveraging testimonials or referrals for price flexibility. They stress the importance of adapting sales strategies to the current recessionary climate, focusing on deals and bargains to attract customers. Finally, the host touches on the potential of building a substantial remote fitness business within a 90-day period by effectively converting free offer sign-ups to higher-value services.

• Tonality is crucial in differentiating effective salespeople from ineffective ones.
• Good salespeople excel in how they deliver their words, not just in the content of their speech.
• The way words are said can significantly impact the listener's perception and the outcome of the sale.

"The thing that separates good salespeople from bad salespeople is how they say the words."

This quote emphasizes that the key to successful sales lies not just in what is said, but in how it is said. The speaker suggests that tonality and delivery can make a significant difference in sales effectiveness.

• The podcast focuses on customer acquisition, maximizing profits per customer, and customer retention in the gym industry.
• It also shares failures and lessons learned in the process.

"Welcome to the Gym Secrets podcast, where we talk about how to get more customers, how to make more per customer."

The quote introduces the podcast's purpose, which is to educate listeners on various strategies for business growth within the gym sector, including customer-related strategies.

• Gym Launch has access to extensive data that allows rapid testing of sales strategies.
• The community approach enables quick sharing of insights and faster implementation of successful tactics.
• Notable improvement: tripling average upfront revenue per show-up or phone call in the last 14 days.

"And so we can rapidly test things."

This quote highlights the advantage of having access to a large pool of data, which enables the speaker and their community to quickly test and adapt sales strategies for better performance.

• Scheduling should be arranged in 15-minute increments to increase appointment bookings and show rates.
• The perception of shorter time commitments and greater availability encourages more bookings.
• The theory is that smaller time blocks fit better into people's schedules, making them more willing to commit.

"So make sure that you are putting your scheduling or scheduler, whatever you have on your thank you page where people should be opting in to book a time with you as 15 minutes increment between the actual appointments."

This quote provides a specific tactic for optimizing scheduling by using 15-minute increments. The speaker believes this approach leads to higher engagement and commitment from potential customers.

• Achieving a high close rate requires practice and overcoming a learning curve, especially when transitioning to phone sales.
• A noticeable increase in sales proficiency is observed after 20 sales attempts or phone pickups.
• The transition to phone sales can be challenging for fitness professionals accustomed to in-person sales, but the skills are transferable with practice.

"What we're seeing at Gym Launch is once people cross that 20 sale threshold or 20 at bats, so 20 pickups on the phone, their close rate is really going up."

The quote suggests a correlation between the number of sales attempts and the improvement in sales success rates, indicating that practice and experience are key factors in becoming proficient at phone sales.

• The importance of maintaining consistent energy and enthusiasm throughout multiple sales calls.
• Techniques for managing one's state to perform well in sales and increase profitability.

The next piece on the phone is energy management, especially the guys who are doing or working with us. They're getting 1015 calls a day that they're attending. And so you have to make call 14, just as fresh as call number two.

This quote emphasizes the challenge of maintaining high energy levels across numerous sales calls, which is crucial for success in sales environments.

• Current strategy involves starting offers at $199 and using AB offers to close sales.
• A trend is observed where customers prefer rolling into continuity plans over paying an upfront fee.
• The advantage of signing customers on continuity for a remote service business with high gross margins.

What we're seeing right now is we're telling people to start with 199 and we're doing AB offers. So that means that we're closing $200 tickets or rolling them into continuity.

The speaker is detailing their current pricing strategy, highlighting the use of AB offers and the effectiveness of getting customers to enroll in continuity programs.

• Using dual offers to facilitate easier decision-making for prospects.
• The technique of 'assumed close' to guide customers towards choosing an offer rather than deciding if they want to purchase.
• The benefits of this method for both experienced and less skilled salespeople.

So when you're getting on the phone, having two offers, and that way you make it an assumed close makes it much easier for a prospect because it's not like yes or no, it's which one do you prefer?

This quote explains the tactic of presenting two offers to make the sales process smoother by framing the customer's decision as a choice between two options, rather than a yes-or-no to a single offer.

• Ethical considerations when offering different price points.
• The necessity of having justifiable reasons for price variations.
• Strategies for offering discounts without compromising the service quality to maintain customer lifetime value.

So for you to ethically be able to charge a different amount, like, let's say someone says, you know what? I can't do $49 a week, but I would do it for $39 a week, you have to ask yourself, would you be willing to take on a member for $169 a month, right, for remote services, if the answer to that question is yes.

The speaker is advising on the ethical aspect of offering different pricing options based on what the customer is willing to pay, ensuring the business can accept the offered price.

• Utilizing commitment as a value proposition for discount eligibility.
• Offering discounts in exchange for customer commitments to maintain service standards and value.
• The practice of using commitments to justify price reductions while fostering customer loyalty.

Number one, you can remove a commitment. So instead of saying, hey, it's $49 a week to stay with us at our gym, instead of it being $49 a week, just period, it's $49 a week for twelve weeks.

This quote illustrates the concept of offering a discount in exchange for a customer commitment, using the duration of the commitment as a negotiating point.

• Leveraging customer actions such as testimonials and referrals in exchange for discounts.
• Creating ethical incentives by requiring customers to contribute something of value to the business.
• Structuring offers so that the business gains marketing or growth benefits in return for price concessions.

Second bullet you can use is like, all right, instead of 49, I'll let you do it for 39, but you got to leave me a testimonial at the end, right?

The speaker suggests an example of how to ethically offer a lower price by asking for a testimonial in return, which provides value to the business through customer feedback and potential marketing material.

• Discusses the importance of push and pull in negotiations.
• The speaker suggests using perceived fairness to make the other party seem unreasonable if they decline an offer repeatedly.
• Three strategies to negotiate lower prices ethically are mentioned: waiving the commitment, asking for a testimonial, and asking for a referral within the first four weeks.
• These strategies serve as tools for salespeople to close deals effectively.

"And when you say these things and when you make these kind of negotiations, which are essentially what this becomes is closing a deal, it's push and pull."

This quote explains the dynamic nature of negotiations, emphasizing the give-and-take aspect of closing deals.

"And so you should use that to your advantage when you're trying to close sales over the phone and having these things in your holster."

The speaker advises salespeople to be prepared with strategies to use during phone sales negotiations.

"One is you can waive the commitment. Second is you can ask them for a testimonial. The third way is you can tell them they just got to give you a friend within the first four weeks or something like that."

The speaker lists three specific tactics to offer value in exchange for a lower price, which can help in closing the sale.

• The community is experiencing an increase in revenue per pickup, which is significant on a percentage basis.
• Successful sellers have raised their prices from $199 to $299, demonstrating the effectiveness of price adjustments.
• The speaker highlights the importance of understanding and utilizing data to inform sales strategies.

"And so it's these tiny little things that we're figuring out now. The guys who have been selling the most successfully have gone from 199 to 299."

This quote points out the impact of minor adjustments and learning from top sellers' pricing strategies.

• The speaker discusses different ways to make offers and monetize products, referencing a book with 38 methods.
• The "free bribe" offer is introduced as a tactic to provide high perceived value and encourage membership sign-ups.
• The strategy involves presenting a high-value program as a free addition to membership, leveraging the concept of added value for continuity.

"And a free bribe offer is very simple. You say, hey, I've got this amazing program that we sell for $500, right? And so you can either get that program and all that stuff for $500, or you can just become a member today and get that whole $500 value for free by becoming a member."

This quote explains the free bribe offer, which is designed to entice customers by offering a high-value program at no additional cost with membership.

• The speaker details how to use price anchoring to make one option appear more attractive than the other.
• A high-priced initial offer serves as an anchor, making the continuity offer seem like a better deal.
• The strategy is tailored to either maximize immediate cash flow or encourage continuity sign-ups, depending on the seller's objectives.
• The current economic climate's focus on deals and bargains is emphasized, suggesting that offers should be positioned to appear as good deals.

"Because when you present option b, option b will be way cheaper because it's me. Continuity play, right. And when you go there, most people will automatically do that and they will value option b at the same value that you had option a."

This quote describes how the perception of value is influenced by the initial high-priced offer, making the continuity option seem more appealing and valuable.

"And so flip side, if I wanted to get more cash up front, then I might make the two prices equivalent, right?"

The speaker suggests an alternative strategy where both offers are priced the same to encourage upfront payment, providing flexibility in sales tactics based on desired outcomes.

• Different pricing strategies can be adopted based on a business's cash flow needs.
• Businesses more constrained by cash flow may prefer strategies that generate immediate revenue.
• Businesses less constrained by cash may push for continuity in revenue streams.
• Volume is a critical factor for businesses, especially for those with lower-priced offers.

"So, like, if you're more cash strapped, then you're going to probably want more cash flow. If you are cash strapped at all, you're going to try and push everything into continuity."

This quote highlights the relationship between a business's cash position and its pricing strategy, emphasizing the need for immediate cash flow for those with tighter budgets and the preference for continuity for those with more financial flexibility.

• Adapting to a virtual selling environment is necessary due to changes in market conditions.
• Cold traffic and lack of market positioning require different sales approaches.
• Successful sales strategies can involve closing deals on the first phone call.
• Leveraging cheap leads and high call volumes can result in significant business growth.
• The same sales rules apply in both physical and virtual environments.

"And so our guys are able to sell 200, 300 on the first phone call, won't call close comfortably."

This quote explains the effectiveness of closing sales quickly over the phone, even with prospects who are not previously familiar with the business (cold traffic).

• Businesses, especially gyms, need to adapt to extended periods of disruption.
• A 90-day period is a practical timeline to build or pivot a business.
• Successful franchises like Orange Theory use a three-month launch system.
• Setting membership goals for a 90-day period can be a benchmark for success.
• Businesses may consider continuing remote operations based on their success.

"Gyms launch on 90 day timetables. So if you look at Orange Theory, which is one of the most successful launching of franchises, they do a three month launch and they require their franchisees to have at least 250 signed up members before they open."

This quote provides an example of a successful business model that utilizes a specific launch timetable, suggesting a similar approach could be effective for other businesses looking to adapt or start anew.

• Free offers are currently the most effective lead generation strategy.
• Upselling to a higher-value service is a legitimate strategy after initial sign-up.
• Educating customers about the benefits of a superior offer can lead to upsells.
• The right upselling approach can lead to lower acquisition costs and higher customer volume.
• The aim is to help more people, generate revenue, and emerge stronger from the current environment.

"Now that being said, just because someone signs up for a free offer does not mean that you don't have every right to upsell them into a higher value service, right?"

This quote emphasizes the acceptability and strategic advantage of upselling customers to higher-value services after they've signed up for a free offer, as it can lead to better business outcomes and customer satisfaction.

• Continuous learning and adaptation are key in the remote fitness industry.
• Data and active testing by multiple gyms provide insights for effective strategies.
• Offers and sales tactics must be adjusted to fit the current selling environment.
• Sharing knowledge and updates on successful strategies is essential for community support.
• Embracing changes, such as using a green screen for recordings, is part of the adaptation process.

"There's a million more things that we've kind of discovered because we have the beauty of having lots and lots and lots of data and lots of gyms that are testing things actively for us."

This quote underscores the importance of data and active experimentation in refining sales strategies for remote fitness, suggesting that continuous innovation is driven by real-world testing and data analysis.