By John Franklin, Two-Brain Business CMO
I’ve taken more than 500 sales calls for Two-Brain Business. Nearly every time I ask “what’s your biggest challenge?” gym owners say, “I need more leads.”
But lead volume isn’t the real bottleneck; follow-up is. Roughly 80 percent of gym leads go cold simply because they aren’t nurtured well.
The good news? Fixing nurture is very simple and has a huge impact on your business.
Below are six strategies you can put in place today to convert the leads you already have into paying members.
1. Call Your Leads—Fast
Speed sells.
InsideSales found that your odds of reaching a prospect drop eight-fold when you wait longer than five minutes to pick up the phone. Yet fewer than 1 percent of businesses call new leads within the first hour, and our own “State of the Industry” report shows 14.4 percent of gyms never call their leads at all.
You juggle a hundred tasks every day, but nothing moves the revenue needle faster than dialing a lead the moment their form hits your inbox.
The faster you contact a lead, the better your chances of selling them.
What to do
A. Route every lead to your phone. If you’re the primary sales contact, make sure all phone calls, form fills, DMs and Facebook Lead Ads go directly to your phone.
B. Assign a “rapid-response” point person. If you have admin staff, you can delegate this role—but only after setting up a system to monitor response time.
C. Have a script ready:
“Hi [NAME], this is [COACH] from [GYM]. Thanks for reaching out about [GOAL/PROGRAM]. I can meet today at [TIME] or tomorrow at [TIME]. Which works better for you?”
2. Follow up 6 Times in 3 Days
Here’s a hard truth: Most prospects don’t pick up on the first dial. Yet roughly 70 percent of gym owners give up on leads after one contact attempt.
To increase your chances of connecting with a prospect, aim for two calls per day for the first three days they’re in your system.
3. Have Lots of Calendar Availability
If a prospect can’t book a visit within 24 hours, their motivation starts to fade—and so do your chances of closing.
Keep the path from “I’m interested” to “see you tomorrow” as short as possible.
What to do:
- Offer same-day or next-day slots. Keep at least two intro times open during peak hours.
- Keep peak-hour openings (before work, lunch, 5-7 p.m.). Yes, that’s when your floor is busiest, but it’s also when people buy.
- Make it easy to book. Make it easy for prospects to lock down sales appointments directly from your website.
4. Automate Part of the Process
Tools such as Gym Lead Machine (or any solid CRM) can:
- Shoot out an instant text with a link to your sales calendar.
- Remind leads to book an appointment.
- Send appointment reminders to increase show rates.
Here’s an example of great follow-up from a local SweatHouz in my market:
Remember this: Automation is helpful for maintaining speed and consistency, but it doesn’t replace calling your leads.
5. Use Personalization to Increase Show Rates
A 30-second selfie video the day before the appointment can cut no-show rates dramatically.
Steal this script:
“Hey [PROSPECT]. It’s [YOUR NAME] from [YOUR GYM]. Excited to meet you tomorrow at [TIME] to talk about [PROGRAM/GOAL]! This is our front door, and you can park right here. Quick question: What T-shirt size do you wear? We’ve got a welcome gift waiting for you. Text me if you need anything!”
Why it works:
- Personalization—Uses the prospect’s name and speaks directly to their goal.
- Clarity—Shows the entrance and parking, removing any “first-visit anxiety.”
- Reciprocity—A promised gift builds goodwill before they arrive.
- Human connection—Reminds them a real person is expecting them, reducing the urge to ghost.
6. Develop a Long-Term Nurture Sequence
Most prospects won’t book on the first pass. But research shows 63 percent of leads who say “not yet” can still convert when they receive consistent, helpful follow-ups.
That’s why we recommend Two-Brain gyms develop a nurture sequence that sends out a client win or helpful resource along with a booking link every two weeks. Automate the delivery using your CRM and keep going for at least 90 days.
Consistent value keeps you top of mind, builds trust and gives prospects a clear path to book when their timing is right.
Why This Matters
Two-Brain’s 2023 “State of the Industry” report showed the average microgym pulls in 27 leads a month but converts only five.
If average client lifetime value is $1,381.55, closing just one extra sale per month would add about $16,578.60 in revenue—and you wouldn’t have to spend a dime on additional lead generation.
