The Most Important Sale You’ll Ever Make in Your Gym Business

Every gym owner, studio operator, personal trainer, and fitness entrepreneur wants to make more sales.

We work on generating more leads. We improve our follow-up. We train our staff. We practice overcoming objections. We create better offers. We work on our closing skills.

But before you make your first membership sale, personal training sale, or coaching sale, there is another sale that has to happen first.

And it may be the most important sale you will ever make.

It’s the sale you make to yourself.

You have to be completely sold on what you do, who you help, and the value you provide.

Because if you’re not completely sold, eventually it will show up in your behavior.

And if you’re consistently not hitting your gym sales numbers, the reality may be that, at some level, you’re not completely sold yourself.

Your Prospects Can Tell When You’re Not Completely Sold

This is something I see all the time in the gym business.

An owner tells me they believe in their gym.

A salesperson says they believe in the membership.

A trainer says they know their personal training program gets results.

But then you watch what they actually do.

They hesitate when they present the price.

They start offering discounts before the prospect even objects.

They don’t confidently ask the customer to get started.

They fail to follow up.

They accept “I need to think about it” without digging any deeper.

They don’t ask for referrals.

They don’t recommend the program they genuinely believe would give the customer the best result because they’re afraid it costs too much.

That’s where I always come back to one question:

Does your behavior match what you say you believe?

Because belief isn’t simply something you say.

Belief shows up in behavior.

Three Questions Every Gym Owner and Fitness Salesperson Should Ask

There are three questions I would pose to anyone reading this right now.

And I want you to answer them honestly.

1. Can You Get Your Customer the Results They Want?

Can you genuinely help your customer?

Can you help someone lose weight?

Can you help them become stronger?

Can you help them improve their health?

Can you help them build confidence?

Can you help them move better, feel better, and live better?

Can you give them the coaching, accountability, structure, and support they haven’t been able to create on their own?

If the answer is yes, that should dramatically change how you view the sales process.

You’re not simply selling somebody access to a building.

You’re not selling treadmills.

You’re not selling dumbbells.

You’re not selling classes.

You’re selling the opportunity for a result.

And if you know you can help that person achieve something important in their life, you should feel an obligation to help them take the next step.

2. Do You Have the Best Venue to Get Them Those Results?

The second question is:

Do you believe your gym, studio, coaching program, or training environment is the best venue for this person to get the results they want?

Notice that I didn’t say you need the largest facility.

You don’t need the most expensive equipment.

You don’t need 50,000 square feet.

You don’t need marble countertops in your locker rooms.

The question is whether your environment gives your customer the best opportunity to succeed.

Maybe that’s because of your coaching.

Maybe it’s because of your culture.

Maybe it’s your accountability.

Maybe it’s the expertise of your trainers.

Maybe it’s your community.

Maybe it’s the personal attention customers receive.

Maybe it’s simply that you care more about helping your clients succeed than the competitor down the street.

Whatever your competitive advantage is, you need to know what it is and believe in it.

If you honestly believe that a prospect has a better chance of reaching their goals with you than they do trying to figure everything out on their own, why would you be hesitant to recommend your program?

3. Is Now the Best Time?

This is the third question:

Is now the best time for them to start?

Whenever I ask gym owners or salespeople this question, I almost always get the same answer.

“Yes.”

Of course it is.

But then I ask:

Does your behavior match that answer?

Because if now really is the best time, why are we so comfortable allowing someone to put off getting started?

People say:

“I’ll start next month.”

“I’ll start after the holidays.”

“I’ll start when work slows down.”

“I’ll start when the kids go back to school.”

“I’ll start when I have more time.”

“I’ll start when I’m more motivated.”

And what usually happens?

Nothing changes.

Six months later, they’re still trying to solve the same problem.

A year later, they may still be unhappy with their health, their weight, their energy, or their fitness.

If you truly believe your customer needs help, you can provide that help, and now is the right time to begin, then your actions should reflect that belief.

Everyone Says Yes. But Watch What They Do.

Here’s what I find interesting.

When I ask gym owners these three questions:

Can you get the customer the result they want?

“Yes.”

Do you have the best venue to get them that result?

“Yes.”

Is now the best time?

“Yes.”

Almost everybody gives me the same answers.

But now we have to look at behavior.

Are you aggressively following up with leads?

Are you asking people to come in?

Are you getting prospects in front of your best salesperson?

Are you recommending the solution that will actually get them the best result?

Are you confidently presenting your price?

Are you asking them to get started?

Are you following up when they don’t?

Are you asking your successful members for referrals?

If we’re saying yes to those three questions but our behavior doesn’t match our answers, then we may not be as sold as we think we are.

And that’s where the first sale has to happen.

You Have to Sell Yourself Before You Can Sell the Customer

The best gym salespeople I’ve ever seen aren’t necessarily the slickest.

They’re not necessarily the people with the fanciest scripts.

They’re often the people who genuinely believe in what they’re doing.

They believe the prospect needs help.

They believe their gym can provide that help.

They believe the customer will be better off after joining than they were before.

And because they believe that, their communication feels different.

There’s conviction behind it.

They’re comfortable asking for the sale.

They’re comfortable asking somebody to make a decision.

They’re comfortable following up.

They’re comfortable saying:

“Based on what you’ve told me, I really believe this is the right program for you. Let’s get you started.”

That’s very different from pressuring somebody into buying something they don’t need.

You’re recommending a solution that you genuinely believe will help them.

Pressure and Conviction Are Not the Same Thing

There is an important distinction between pressure and conviction.

Pressure says:

“I need you to buy.”

Conviction says:

“I believe you need this.”

Pressure is about the salesperson.

Conviction is about the customer.

That’s one of the most important distinctions in fitness sales.

If you are only thinking about your sales quota, your commission, or whether you’re going to hit your monthly revenue goal, prospects can often sense it.

But when you’re focused on helping someone solve a real problem, the entire conversation changes.

That’s when selling becomes service.

If You’re Not Hitting Your Numbers, Look Inside First

Gym owners frequently look externally when sales are down.

We blame the leads.

We blame the economy.

We blame competition.

We blame pricing.

We blame seasonality.

We blame social media.

We blame the marketing company.

And sometimes those things absolutely matter.

But before you blame anything outside your business, take a look inside.

Ask yourself:

Am I completely sold?

And then ask the same thing of your staff.

Because if your staff doesn’t believe in your product, it doesn’t matter how good your lead generation is.

You’ll simply generate more prospects for people who aren’t confident enough to close them.

Your Staff Needs to Make the First Sale Too

This is also why sales training shouldn’t begin with scripts.

It should begin with belief.

Before teaching somebody how to overcome objections, ask them:

Can we get our customers results?

Is this an excellent place for them to achieve those results?

Is now the best time for them to begin?

If they don’t genuinely believe the answers are yes, figure out why.

Maybe they need to hear more customer success stories.

Maybe they need better product knowledge.

Maybe they need to experience the program themselves.

Maybe you need to show them exactly why your service works.

Maybe there are legitimate operational problems that need to be fixed.

But don’t overlook the issue.

Because an employee who isn’t sold on your gym will have a very difficult time selling anyone else.

Belief Changes Your Behavior

When you’re completely sold, your behavior changes.

You follow up faster.

You make more calls.

You ask more questions.

You listen more carefully.

You recommend the best solution instead of the cheapest solution.

You confidently state your price.

You ask for the sale.

You ask for referrals.

You don’t give up after one unanswered phone call or text message.

Why?

Because you believe you’re helping someone.

And that is one of the biggest differences between average gym sales performance and exceptional gym sales performance.

The Most Important Sale Happens Before the Customer Walks In

So before your next prospect walks through the door, before your next phone inquiry, before your next personal training consultation, or before your next membership presentation, make the first sale.

Sell yourself.

Ask yourself:

Can I get this customer the results they want?

Do I have the best venue to help them achieve those results?

Is now the best time for them to start?

If your answers are yes, make sure your behavior matches those answers.

Because those three questions should tell you exactly what the next step needs to be.

Help the customer move forward.

The most important sale you’ll ever make isn’t the membership.

It isn’t the personal training package.

It isn’t the coaching program.

It’s the sale you make to yourself.

Once you’ve made that sale, selling everyone else becomes a whole lot easier.

Need help building systems, improving your facility, or turning around your gym business? Contact Jim here.

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