I don’t like to sell.
Not many people do.
And that’s exactly why so many trainers put it on the backburner. It can be tempting to think that your in-person or online services will sell themselves. If your clients get great results, shouldn’t more clients flock your way?
Sometimes this does happen, but if you haven’t rehearsed your sales script, I can guarantee you’re missing out on sales that should easily be yours.
Don’t have a proven script? Here’s one that will easily help you double your sales closing rate:
If you met someone at a party, you wouldn’t dive in with ultra-personal questions. The same holds true when you’re trying to close a sale with a prospective client. Start by asking general questions and progressively get more and more personal.
For example, your questions might flow in a sequence like this:
“So how long have you lived in ______?”
“Tell me about your work. What does a typical day look like for you?”
“What type of exercise have you tried in the past? What did you like? Anything you didn’t like?”
“What’s your health/fitness goal right now?”
“Why do you think you aren’t there already?”
“Imagine that you’ve hit that goal exactly one year from today? How do you think you’d feel?”
Notice how the first few questions were basically just small talk? They are fact-based, so they aren’t intrusive at all.
But, the final questions lead into emotions, failures, hopes and dreams. You want to make this connection, but you can’t do so right out of the gate. Warm up to it, and make it your mission to get your prospect talking as much as possible.
The end of your initial question period should have already gotten your prospect to talk a bit about his or her objections. You’ve asked, “Why do you think you aren’t there already?” but you might need to go deeper.
“What have you tried in the past that didn’t work?”
“Why didn’t that work?”
For example, someone might say, “I really need to lose about 20 pounds but I’m so busy that I have a hard time sticking to an exercise routine. I’ve had a trainer in the past, but when my work gets busy, I end up skipping sessions, so I’m paying for a service that I can’t even use.”
Your goal in this stage is to drill down to the prospect’s main limiting belief. What’s the biggest hurdle in his or her mind?
It could be time, money, health issues, family commitment, emotional baggage, bad experiences from the past, a lack of confidence, or many other hurdles that seem insurmountable to your prospect.
Once you know that main limiting belief, you can disarm it…
Let’s go back to the example we just looked at:
“I really need to lose about 20 pounds but I’m so busy that I have a hard time sticking to an exercise routine. I’ve had a trainer in the past, but when my work gets busy, I end up skipping sessions, so I’m paying for a service that I can’t even use.”
The limiting belief in this case is time. The prospect doesn’t believe that he or she has enough time to consistently exercise.
It’s time to change that negative belief into a positive hope. It’s time to gather “yes” responses. Here’s an example of how this might work:
“I completely agree. It doesn’t make sense to start an exercise routine that you know you won’t be able to stick with. Would you be interested in trying one that doesn’t take up nearly as much of your time?”
Who wouldn’t say, “YES!” to this question?
Go for another:
“Imagine if you had an exercise program that was completely flexible. There was something for your busy days when you only have a few minutes to spare. Do you think you could find 10 minutes on your busy days?”
Now your prospect is intrigued. You’re going to get another “YES!”
I like to repeat this process 2-3 times so that I have several solid positive responses before moving on. If a question doesn’t elicit a confident response, simply reword it until it does.
Your prospect has now realized that their limiting belief is no long limiting. They are ready to take action and to make change.
Make your offer, then immediately reinforce that your service will help overcome the prospect’s limiting belief even though other solutions haven’t worked.
Here’s how this might sound:
“Great. It sounds like you and I are on the same page. The program I have in mind for you is called _______. The reason why I think this will be so perfect is because of its personalization and flexibility. _________ will work around your schedule so that you can succeed even when things get busy at work.
Just to prove it to you, I’d like to offer you at 1-month trial period. I know you’re going to love it, but if you have any concerns within the first month, there’s no commitment to continue. I want to use this month to help you transform your approach to exercise so that easily drop those 20 pounds.”
Notice how the limiting belief was snuffed out several times here? Then, the risk was reduced by framing the program as a trial period. There’s no risk.
Finally, it’s important to go back to that original goal. Show your prospect that you were listening and that the two of you really are on the same page. State the goal using the exact words the prospect used.
Selling isn’t a skill anyone is born with. Even the best closers practice, experiment, and tweak their sales script until they find one that feels natural and works.
You now have a 4-step outline that will guide your sales script. Think through how it could play out with different types of prospects, then practice it, maybe with a friend in the industry who knows what sort of objections are often raised.
A well-rehearsed sales pitch will flow with ease and will skyrocket your closing rate. Make it happen.
Author:
Dave Smith is a professional fitness and weight-loss coach who was chosen as “Canada’s Top Fitness Professional” in 2013. He shares health and weight-loss tips through his blog and podcast at makeyourbodywork.com and helps fitness professionals grow their online businesses at onlinetrainersfederation.com.