#1 Reason Fitness Consultations Fail to Convert (and how to fix it)
If your free fitness consultations fail to convert, you’re not alone. Here’s a look at why and what to do about it.
It’s not a body composition assessment or a movement screen. It’s something that once set up doesn’t require you to lift a finger.
But it will make every single one of your consultations more productive.
Helping Hand?
First, I want to say this. We love to help. Fitness professionals and health coaches love to help. We overdeliver. And that is a quality that makes you such a warm coach. However, you’ve got to have boundaries. You have a business. You’ve got to find the clients who do want to do the work. Those who expect that you wave a wand and they reach their goals easily make the relationship an energy drain and usually get the least amount of progress.
That said, it’s not only about conversions. I always enter a consultation with the frame of mind that the person I’m talking with will get value from the call even if they buy nothing. If they don’t take a next step, or don’t do it right then, they will get value.
Passionate About Fitness
To you givers, though I say this: always ask. You must ask for the sale in order to get a yes. Sure, there is that 1/100 who will interrupt you and ask how to get started. Honestly, that’s me. When I’ve gotten so far as to do a consultation and I know what the bottom line is and the value of whatever the transformation is to me, I may interrupt and say, “Look I’m ready, how do I start?”
What that means is during your consultation you should slip in a chance to by early for those fast-action takers. You can talk people out of doing it by making them feel aggravated and going on too long.
How to Fix Your Fitness Consultations Fail to Convert Rate
A survey (or application) so you can pre-qualify them.
You can make it a part of your process.
Who Do You Serve BEST?
Remember, not "everyone" is your people. If you want high-quality clients who pay a premium price and expect premium service, you too can expect that they give a premium effort. The way someone books this consult shows you exactly who they are. I’d rather work with lawyers, realtors, professionals who are serious about doing the work and who can follow directions. Push back at the beginning means a rocky coach-client relationship for the duration of coaching.
If you’re applying for the Fitness Marketing Mastery Build Your Business (BYB) Mastermind for instance, I have personal trainers, health coaches, studio owners attend a masterclass first, then apply/enroll. They then do a call with me. If either of us has reservations about moving forward or whether the mastermind is right for them, they’re refunded, before they ever see materials and content.
Once they do see the current content, the library of 2021 mastermind content they get as a bonus to begin building Black Friday, the additional bonuses to start generating revenue the next weekend… I do not refund. I do guarantee, if someone shows proof of doing the weekly work, that they will increase monthly revenue by $5000 or more or I will work with them until they do.
What should you ask on the survey?
Ironically, it matters less than there is one.
There are a few pre-screening questions you want, but they are not absolute.
Ask questions that get them reflecting on why they want and need this.
Be sure you collect their name and email address in the survey. That way from the calendar booking you can open the survey and see responses before or while you’re on that call.
Reference the survey on the call
Customers, or prospects, hate filling something out that you don’t look at. They’ll be super put off. I’ve done it before. I’ve had too little time to open it. I’ve been on the go and have to conduct the consultation from my phone in my car or at the gym. Not ideal, but I don’t miss appointments and weather, traffic, all can interfere with the best of intentions. Do the best you can to screen those responses prior to calls. A put-off prospect is not someone who is in a ready-to-buy state.
If they’ve been trying to lose weight for 10 years… mention it. “If you’ve been thinking about it for so long it’s pretty important to you. How much would you say you think about it daily?”
That was worth the price of admission to this episode, by the way. You’re welcome.
Joking aside, that is a question to tuck into your arsenal. As obvious as it is, many trainers and health coaches don’t realize the impact of a question like that. There are a handful of others that are similar.
You make the person so aware of how much of a problem, drain, focus this is for them, they are ready to learn about a solution, YOUR solution, since they’re in front of you.
Stay out of the weeds
They got on the call. They have a reason. They have expectations about what’s going to happen and the outcome of the call. So, lay that out at the beginning. And stick to the purpose of the call. It’s to share the options and get a yes or a no. Period. It’s not to show them how smart you are, or how much you know or can tell them. Help them make a decision in this meeting. Set it up that way from the beginning.
Resources:
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