Closing the sale—do you know how to do it?
Don’t worry: You can learn.
Quick refresh: You should meet with prospective clients to talk about their goals. A great salesperson will really dig in and “peel back the layers of the onion” to discover the “why” behind the goals. (I wrote about this process in detail here.)
At this point, you present the plan to get the person from the current state to the goal. This is your pitch: “Based on what you told me, I would recommend X, Y, and Z.”
So how do you deliver the price and get people to sign up?
Handling Objections
When you present a personalized plan as a true pro, it’s important to ask for a person’s confidence. Like this: “Do you believe that everything I’ve presented to you is going to get you to where you want to be?”
This is a yes or no question because we want clarity.
If you get a “no,” you can find out what’s needed. Have you missed something important?
This isn’t handling an objection; it’s making sure you have all the info you need. With that new info, you can update your prescription. This process of refining should increase the person’s confidence because this plan is clearly personalized.
If you get a “yes,” take the person through the investment. (Two-Brain helps clients create a professional pricing binder that makes everything very clear.)
Say something like this: “The investment for you to get started today is this. How do you feel about that?”
Then let the person respond.
Some sales coaches recommend you state the price and then leave a pregnant pause in which you sit silently and wait for a response. With our “question” approach, you’re asking for a response so you can move forward without making it awkward and tense. You keep the conversation going.
At this point, five objections are common, and two of them are smokescreens:
1. Money.
2. Logistics.
3. Fear.
4. “I need to think about it.”
5. “I need to talk to my partner.”
Let’s address the last two first; they are not real objections.
Smokescreen Objections
Client: “Can you gimme a couple days to think about it?”
Salesperson: “Yeah, that’s no problem. Just before you go, let me ask you this: What’s coming up for you that is leading you to take some time to make the decision?”
Client: “I’m just not an impulsive person, and I want to make sure I’m making the right decision.”
Salesperson: “Got it. OK. And how do you feel about the decision itself? Do you feel like this is the right decision to help you accomplish [INSERT GOAL]?”
Client: “I do, but it’s a lot of money. It’s a little more expensive than I thought it was gonna be.”
And now you have the real objection.
Same deal with “talk to partner”: “That’s not a problem. It’s fair to go home and talk to your partner. I’d want to talk to my partner about this as well. Let me just ask you a question before you go. I know you said your goal is really important to you. Is there any reason your partner wouldn’t want you to [INSERT GOAL]?”
And here you’ll get a real objection: money, logistics or fear.
Real Objections: Money, Logistics, Fear
If you get a money objection, you’ll need to help someone find the funds in their budget to accomplish an important goal with a valuable service. In some cases, you might have to downgrade the prescription:
“No problem. Instead of PT three times a week, let’s do group classes. You’ll still get results, and you can always switch to PT later if you want to speed up.”
Logistics issues include things like “kids starting school” and “work is crazy.” Here’s the approach:
“You came in today to solve a problem. I understand that it’s a busy time at work, but you also said you need to blow off some steam and take care of yourself or you’ll burn out. I don’t want you to kick the can down the road and have the situation get worse than it is now. Can we pull out your calendar and see what we can fit in?”
And here’s a great way to sell PT, a high-value service that can solve all sorts of logistics issues: “If you can’t get to three one-hour group sessions a week in the evening, what do you think about two 45-minute PT sessions at 1:45 on Monday and Friday? Would that tailored plan help you take the first steps toward your goal?”
Here’s how to deal with fear, which is common in people who are thinking about starting something new:
“So you said that everything is great, like this is exactly what you’re looking for, but you’re a little fearful of moving forward. What would you do if you knew that you couldn’t fail in this program? Would you still do it?”
Typically people will say, “Yeah, but what if it doesn’t work for me?”
You say: “Well, why wouldn’t it work for you if it’s worked for all these other people that are on the wall behind me?” (Your sales office should have pictures of happy, successful clients.)
You’ll then be able to address concerns, keep establishing expertise and encourage the person.
Another approach to fear: “We can either make our decisions because of fear or despite fear. What decision do you need to make to put yourself in a position to accomplish the goals you laid out for me?”
Selling Is Helping
Handling objections is really just having a conversation, and it’s best to keep your emotions out of it. Remember, your life won’t change if the client doesn’t sign up, but the client’s life will change dramatically for the better on sign-up.
If the person leaves without committing, you’ll never help them. They’re almost certainly gone forever.
You, as a gym owner and coach, must have conviction that you can change the person’s life. If you truly believe that—your current clients are proof!—it’s your duty to help a person make the right decision on the spot. Some people won’t, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying to help them anyway.
To sell more—and to help more people—you must get over your own fears and insecurities. And you have to practice selling. It’s a skill you can learn.
If you don’t work on your skills and develop confidence in the sales office, you won’t be able to connect with people who really need you in their lives. It’s that simple.
Want to learn more about sales and objection handling? Check out this video:
