If you are not getting the sales results, you want you typically have either traffic problem (not enough leads) or a conversion problem (you are not converting the leads you are getting).
I have previously talked about the membership sales formula - Traffic x Conversion = Membership sales
Now, we are going to explore some ways to improve the conversion of the leads you are generating.
Be sure to capture your leads.
The essence of direct response advertising is generating leads by getting them to put their hand up and identify themselves.
Web opt-in forms
In the current climate for gyms, a large number of leads are generated online. Based on the data we have collected, over 30% of leads are captured online. I would estimate that the number of leads generated online is a lot higher. People tend to do their research online before taking action. They will search google for gyms in their local area and browse a few websites before taking action. Many leads that "walk-in" to your facility have likely already researched your facility online. This makes planning your digital experience and website content very important. You must have a high-quality website that is easy for potential members to navigate. First impressions count!
One of the main goals of a website should be to generate leads in the form of a name and email address.
An email address of a potential prospect is worth considerably more than someone visiting your website and leaving. This is because you can continue to communicate with them, provide them with valuable content and build a relationship with them.
One of the primary objectives of your website should be to capture lead contact information. This is typically done via a form on your website.
You might even offer a "bribe" or something in value in return for the person's contact information. A perfect example of this is by offering a FREE 7-day pass.
Example
Download a FREE 7-day pass and see if our gym is the right fit for you
Name
Email
*The 7-day pass will be sent to your email - Please print or bring a digital copy to the facility to activate your pass.
It is also important to think about the positioning of your opt-in forms on your website.
Some gyms make the mistake of putting an opt-in form on the contact us page or on some other page that is hard to find.
Ideally, your opt-in form should be present on the HOME page of your website and above the fold, so it's visible as soon as the page loads. Simple things like the placement of your opt-in forms are often overlooked, which can have a dramatic impact on the number of contacts you collect.
For example, in our software business on our home page - the first thing visitors see when the page loads is an option to watch a video demo. When they click on it, a form pops open which asks them to enter their name and email address to be emailed a video demo of our software. This allows us to capture the contact information of a lead which we can then use to follow up with further education and valuable content.
You could argue that if we just put the video on our website without requiring an email opt-in to watch it that it would be watched by more people. However, we are interested in qualified leads who are truly interested in learning more about our software.
Ideally, you want your website leads to drop directly into a CRM (customer relationship management) system that can maintain a database of all your active leads.
Our clients use or SalesDesk software www.salesdesk.com.au to drop their leads directly into the SalesDesk CRM. Automated email content can then be triggered to nurture and build a relationship with the lead.
Walk-in forms
Almost 70% of leads are what we call walk-in leads. In other words, they walk directly into the centre. Typically walk-in leads have a high conversion rate as they are proactively taking action by walking into your gym. In saying that, it is still important to collect contact information of all "walk-in" enquiries so you can follow up both digitally and personally via the phone.
Sometimes in my travels, if I have a spare 30 minutes, I will drop into a local gym and observe their processes. When I do this, I act like an interested prospect, and someone will typically take me on tour. I am amazed at how often the sales or frontline person never asks for my contact information at the completion of the tour.
Yes, some people do not like to give our their contact information, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't ask.
The key here is to have a valid reason for asking.
Create a simple script for your team to follow to help capture the contact information of walk-in leads.
For example
Did you have any other questions that I can help you with?
Do you feel the facility fits with what you're looking for? Yes/No
(They might say, let me think about it, or I will come back etc.)
Ok, no worries, well what I am going to do is I am going to send you some information including a summary of all the facilities that we have gone through today as well as a 7-day pass and two other trial passes that you can give to friends and family. Can I grab your email address and I will send it to you shortly? You would also attempt to grab their phone number and say you will follow up with them in a few days.
I literally wrote the script above on the spot so it could do with some polishing. However, the message here is to create a reason "why" you are collecting their contact information such as sending them information and develop a script that your team can learn to use in all sales scenarios.
By collecting your leads both digitally and in the centre, you are putting yourself in a proactive position to improve your conversion rates by applying the strategies we will cover next.
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