7 Do-or-Dies of Selling Personal Training

Selling, contrary to what many non-sales people often think, is not a magical gift that only a certain few possess. It isn’t about superhuman powers of perception or manipulation, and it doesn’t require decades of training. While it definitely isn’t the easiest thing you’ll ever learn, it does, however, follow a relatively rigid formula.

sales formulaAnd you can learn that formula.

Rather than intuition or natural talent, learn to see sales as building blocks and memorization. Once you begin to understand the components of a sale, you’ll be able to reproduce a positive outcome over and over again.

To help you get started, I’ve put together seven of the most important components of any sale. Start memorizing and practicing these essential building blocks, and you’ll begin to understand the successful sales formula.

Component #1

Become the Assistant Buyer.

Break down your perception of yourself as the salesperson and start picturing yourself as the assistant buyer. So what does that mean?

Think of it this way: Imagine one of your good friends has just moved across the country and is searching for a new personal training program. He’s sent you an email explaining all the options around him and he wants your advice on which program is best for his needs. Because you know each other well, your friend trusts you. He feels that you will know what his needs are, what he can afford, and which program will get him the best results. So you make a couple recommendations and he makes the purchase based on your guidance.

Make your prospects feel exactly like a friend asking for your advice.

You aren’t trying to convince them that they need this program with so many sessions. Instead, you are doing them a favor and recommending a particular option based on their wants, based on their needs, and based on what you know about them.

Be the helpful expert rather than the pushy salesman.

Component #2

Learn what the prospect wants and sell it to them.

From the moment you lay eyes on someone you probably know right away what they need, right? Immediately, you see three key areas a prospect should work on, what it’s going to take for them to lose a certain amount of weight, or the kinds of exercising you will have them do during your sessions.

But your prospect doesn’t know that. All they know is that they don’t want their arms to jiggle when they wave goodbye, or that their favorite jeans don’t make it around their waist anymore. They don’t care about the machines or the dumbbells or the battle ropes, they just want to be sure they’ll get the results they asked for.

squatsObviously, then, you need to know exactly what your prospect wants. Because you can spend all day explaining how you’ll make them squat without lifting their heels and bench 300 lbs., but if all they want is a less flabby stomach, they aren’t going to care.

The sales process isn’t about what they need (your actual training should be, but not sales). It isn’t about what you know they should be working on, it’s about selling them the results they’re hoping to get from your training.

And how do you know what that is? Easy. You ask.

One of the first questions you should ask any new prospect is: “What are you hoping to get out of training with me?” And when he tells you he wants to lose 20 lbs., or she wants to fit into her favorite dress, then you plan your entire sales pitch around that want.

Component #3

Sell the outcome, not the service.

This is the secret to Fit Body Boot Camp’s success. We teach our franchisees that you never tell a prospect about how awesome their workouts will be or how great the equipment or the facilities are. The way we see it, if someone is looking for equipment, they’ll get a regular gym membership.

A person looking for training wants results. Odds are, they’ve had gym memberships. They’ve gone through all the self-accountability programs and none of them worked. That’s why they’ve come to you in the first place.

Post 22So don’t sell them your gym. Don’t sell them your boot camp or whatever training you have. Instead, sell them a flat stomach. Sell them energy, health, the sense of accomplishment and the way it will feel to be fit. Talk about how great they will feel and look because of the training, but don’t simply sell the training on it’s own.

As we all know, most of these people hate exercise. They can’t stand the gym. So don’t sell it to them.

Component #4

Identify and overcome objections before talking money.

When it’s time to close the sale, you should already have every other step of the sales process out of the way. Once you make that offer, you don’t want anything standing between your prospect and the sale. That’s why you’ve got to deal with any objections before you ask which package they would like to purchase.

There are three objections you are most likely to encounter in the sales process: money, time, and spouse. Prospects will tell you they can’t afford training or they need to look at their finances, they might say they don’t have enough time, or they’ll tell you they need to go speak with their spouse. You need to have a prepared and ready response to deal with each of these objections.

Component #5

Put your money where mouth is and offer a guarantee.

Every trainer should offer a 30-Day, money back guarantee. Doesn’t matter if you do group training, boot camp or one-on-one. I promise you, no-one will train for 30 days and then cancel their agreement with you. They might come in a couple days later, or after a week of missing appointments, and say they have changed their mind, but they aren’t going to make you train them for weeks, free of charge.

However, they don’t have to know that. You can tell them, while you’re making the sale, that they could train with you for an entire month and then get their money back. When you offer the limited opportunity to back out of a commitment, prospects are much more likely to make a commitment. It shows confidence in your training and legitimates your commitment to their satisfaction.

Component #6

Ask for the sale— you’ve earned it.

Ask for the SaleWhen all the training and talking and evaluating is over, and closing the sale is the only remaining step, don’t shy away from it. Don’t be afraid to come right out and ask for the sale. You don’t want to look timid and you don’t want this extremely delicate section of the process to go wrong. You need to remain in complete control.

But, you don’t want to ask the wrong question.

When you’ve reached the end of your whole sales process, and you’re about to either make that sale or never see the person again, the way you ask for your sale can make or break the entire process.

First of all, never put the prospect in a situation where they might use the word, “No.” How are you going to do that? By steering clear of yes or no questions.

So, never say, “would you like to make a purchase?” or, “do you think one of these options is right for you?” Instead, you are going to take the two packages that best fit their needs, and you are going to ask: “Would you prefer package A or package B?” This way, no matter their choice, they’re choosing one of the options. And if you’ve properly dealt with all of their prior objections, there shouldn’t be any reason for them to refuse the sale.

So never ask for the sale with a yes or no question, because a 50% chance of success is far too low.

Component #7

Learn a process that works, then use it. (Like This One)

As I said at the beginning of this post, sales is a series of steps— building blocks that stack. It’s the same blocks and the same order every time; all you need are a few minor adjustments each time through the process.

So it isn’t about becoming an incredible manipulator, it’s about becoming incredibly familiar with your process.

But before you can do that, you’ve got to have one.

If don’t already have one and aren’t sure how to make one or where to find one, I have an awesome program for you here that can make it incredibly easy for you.

I have a training program that I’ve used and developed over the past decade. I came up with it way back, when I was selling tens of thousands of dollars in personal training every month. I’ve been perfecting it ever since.

I’ve taught it to trainers and fitness pros around the country, and one of those times I had the bright idea to record myself teaching this process.

That’s what Close Clients is. It’s a training program that can show you the exact sales process that I found extremely powerful.

Close Clients

It’s a seven step process that takes you through the entire sale, from beginning to end, and arms you with the right tools to deal with any situation. Check it out here if you’re looking for help with your sales process.

Committed to your success,

Bedros