Health Club Pro

I do a lot of reading (makes me feel smarter than I really am) and I stumbled upon an interesting article those of us who sell memberships, manage staff or do any people-centric work should be aware of but experience tells me most are not.

In the past I've been turned on to all kinds of tips , tricks, and tactics by the guru's to get the deal, some are great and used frequently some are crap and should be left down in the dungeon from wince they came. But none are effective without the presence of one key factor......

Conversation Control!

A sale, by definition is transfer of emotion. So therefore, we must put ourselves in the best position for the exchange.

In all advisory work many words are exchanged (especially getting someone to prioritize a healthy lifestyle). It is therefore vital to have skills in managing conversations. Such skills can be called conversation control.

This does not mean manipulating other people’s natural conversation although it does imply giving it gentle pushes in particular directions from time to time.

The best way to be effective is to understand what you say and how you say it so you can influence others through your own example.

The essence of conversation control is your ability to manage your own conversation. This is not about overcoming objections or asking qualifying questions and uncovering hot buttons. What we are talking about is the ability to guide the conversation so you can do all of those things effectively.

Here is what you are trying to control.


when to be problem centered or solution centered

when to converge or diverge

when to emphasize facts or feelings

when to speed up or slow down conversations

how to identify cues and clues

how to summarize and move conversation forward

how to recognize, understand and appreciate, but assert your views

how to move from the past to the present to the future

how to manage win/lose aspects of conversations


In all of the various conversation dynamics the most important thing is to remember what the client says about him or herself. That is the key to raising energy levels; openness to your ideas and that is the key to action.

In giving advice, seek to help, not please your friend. ~Solon

Some excerpts from Source : Conversation Control Margerison C J (1988)

Because they are better than ours.....

I bet you've seen the stratagies 80% the clubs out there use to draw prospects in. You know the outdated stock photos and a lowball price. I was about tired of this junk when Jane rocked some sweet legwarmers back in the day.


So what's a smart club owner to do?

Why not borrow from other industries like I do especcially the super effective direct response pros. All direct response folks use these various techniques and get results. Some we have borrowed with success while other we have all but ignored. Here's some ideas!

I) All Marketing:

Irresistible Offer
No marketing campaign to acquire new customers will perform well without a great offer.


Classic Examples:
Free Bonus Gift (i.e. McDonald's toy with Happy Meal, Cracker Jack prize, smoothie)
Money-Back-Plus Guarantee (more than money-back)
Pay Later, Pay Over Time
Get entered to win valuable prize just for stopping by ( iPod, vacation, etc)
Bring a friend, and your Enrollment is free.


Benefits-Make a list of all the key benefits of your club to the user
Highlight the biggest benefit and make a big promise (not a preposterous promise)
But mention all benefits somewhere in the ad.
Emphasize an important "hidden benefit" (i.e a “hidden benefit” of weight loss can cut down on health care costs.)

Proof
Include testimonials from ecstatic members.
Testimonials should be about the difference your club made in the lives of real people – your members.

Headlines and Sub-Heads:
Create intrigue to catch attention of "skimmers."

Photos
People want to see what they are getting.

Stunts, Events and "Happenings":
Example: GoDaddy.com Super Bowl ads are stunts.
Free food, (Free food packs a club).
Free seminar (Nutrition Info is always welcomed)

Call-to-Action:
Every marketing message should have a “call-to-action.” In other words, tell your reader/listener exactly what to do with clear instructions. “Call 1-800-XYZX” is a “call-to-action”
Make your “call-to-action” stand out. Set it a apart in a box. Make it easy to find. People want to know exactly what to do. Once they decide they want something, they want to know how to get it.

II) Direct Mail:
Unusual Packaging
Black plastic carrier
$1 bill showing through window
FedEx, USPS Priority
Big envelopes usually pull better than standard #10 -- often 100% better
Small envelopes (Monarch size) look more personal that #10s
Personalized Package to look like wedding or party invitation
Closed-face carrier to look like personal letter from friend
Hand-address in blue ink (computers can imitated hand-addressing)
First Class postage (real stamps, not meter)

Scannability:
Make your letters and ads scannable, easy on the eye.
Your headline, subheads and photos help
Keep paragraphs short – one sentence, even one word sometimes.
Underline key phrases (not entire sentences, just fragments)
Use bullets when listing items.
No one wants to be greeted with a big block of dense text
Handwritten notes in margins can be a nice touch.

III) Internet Marketing:
Add audio and video to your site.
Incorporate many of the above strategies.

IV) Traditional Advertising:
Make print ads look like articles, this alone can boost response to your ads 500%
Use mass-market advertising primarily for lead generation (not selling).
Offer something of value free to get people to respond.
Make sure your free gift is valuable and exactly in line with what we sell ......Health & Fitness
Add those who request your free offer to your list of hot leads so you can follow up with your "prospect and customer cultivation program."

If you have a ton of prospects you can sell a lot of members.

Happy Marketing!