Closing The Sale

So what is the difference between the "sales process" and the "closing process?"

Ideally...Nothing. Ideally, there should be a seamless progression in which you create an offer, build value, invoke emotion and position yourself as the "assistant buyer." Really, the only reason that I separate the two is that all too often, fitness professionals get "weak in the knees" when it comes time to ask for the sale - so I feel as if it must be addressed separately.

So here are my thoughts (at least some of them) on closing more sales in no particular order:

• You must understand the concept of building value. As I mentioned in a recent post, my belief is that "Value" is difference between anticipated price and actual price. So if your prospective client believes that your services are worth $20 per session and you charge $75...You won't be getting that prospect to become a client. And, no, that doesn't mean lower your price...It means build more value. Why do you think great sales letters are so long, have tons of bullet points (or some other ways of extolling benefits) and loads of testimonials? To build value. Otherwise, there would just be a picture of what's being sold and a price. Consider your sales process the equivalent of a great sales letter.
• You must utilize "emotional logic." People buy for emotional reasons and then justify them with logic. You must be able to uncover the emotional reason someone has raised their hand as a prospective client and illustrate that you can provide them a solution. My friend Jim Labadie calls it "finding their pain." If you haven't checked out Jim's Ultimate Sales Kit, change that now as it is a required tool for all successful personal trainers (club owners would be wise to buy copies for their sales people as well.) You can learn more about Jim's Ultimate Sales Kit at http://www.fitnessconsultinggroup.com/Labadie.html.
• Handling objections is not the answer to becoming a better salesperson. If you're having to address a bunch of objections when you ask for the sale - you didn't build enough value beforehand. Revisit your sales process and see where you can build more value. Also, don't be afraid to ask trial close questions during the sales process to move closer to the actual close and uncover concerns you may not have already addressed.
• Use the A-B close. Never ask "would you like to become a client, rather ask "would you prefer to meet with me two times a week or three?" Simply offer yes - yes options and you'll see yourself closing more prospects very quickly.
• Practice Takeaway Selling. Jim Labadie and Ryan Lee call it "putting up the Velvet Rope." Basically, all you do is position yourself in a fashion that makes the prospect feel fortunate if you'll take them on as a client instead of the other way around. One of our trainers, Randy, has tons of credentials, a resume of experience that would stand up next to most any trainer and has even owned his own rehab facility. However, when we hired Randy, he just could never get comfortable selling. He always felt like he was at the mercy of the prospect and hoped they would become a client. Not until I trained him in the art of "takeaway selling" did he get comfortable selling. Now he simply tells prospects that his schedule is essentially full and he might be able to fit them in if there serious and willing to be a model client. Just to put this in concrete numbers for you to really understand the difference this makes - in Randy's first 3 months with us, he closed 27% of the prospects he sat down with. Over the last 3 months he's closed 78%.
• That's a great segue to telling you to track your closing percentage. You should track everything you can. That's really the only way you're going to be able to make tangible improvements. I would at least track my % of set sales appointments that actually "show", the % of those that you close and the average value of each of those sales. You also would be well advised to track the Lifetime Client Value of each of the clients you acquire. You then can test different approaches in each area to generate improvements.
• Become and "assistant buyer." align yourself as a partner in finding the solution to your prospects "pain" or problem. After you've acquired the knowledge you need, then help the prospect choose the appropriate program or package for them.
• Have some genuine concern for the prospect. Sell them what is best for them - not what's best for you. If they need 2 sessions per week - don't sell them 4. You'll be taking the first step to avoiding buyer's remorse and you'll most likely be laying the groundwork for a relationship that produces a greater Lifetime Client Value as they will now trust you.

You'll probably notice (especially after I post about Up-Sells and Cross-Sells) how all these steps are really intertwined. I just like to separate them when I'm evaluating businesses and seeking areas to improve.

Gotta go watch the Red Sox - Yankees game. Go Sox!