I recently considered (a pre-January 1st vow) expanding my workout schedule to include weight training in addition to lap swimming to address the rapidly escaping muscle mass that age brings in later life. I regularly pass a well known gym in the area and thought that it would be convenient using that location for my new workout. I stopped in one morning to get membership information. The lobby desk was unattended so I waited a few minutes until someone returned. During my wait I scanned the counter looking for a brochure that might answer my questions.
I had visited the gym web site the night before but it did not show any schedule of membership rates or packages. A young woman soon returned and I asked to see a club brochure to understand what package/price would best fit my interest. The woman looked at me sheepishly and said that they did not have any brochures and that sales people came in later in the day – it was 8:30am. I then asked her what the typical prevailing prices were for a membership. She quickly said that she did not think she could do that as everyone was different.
I was getting more confused and was hesitant to ask another price related question. She stood looking at me and seemed to want to leave it at that. So I said, “Thanks.” and said goodbye. It was obvious that no one in ownership/management cared enough to create a customer experience to encourage membership.
It was obvious the woman at the desk had not been prepared for a sales scenario. She did not offer a tour (while she gathered her thoughts on how to address the price question), she did not get my contact information, she did not provide me with a contact name to reach later that day, she was not coached on how to keep a prospective member in the door until they made a buy decision or secured a commitment to meet or connect with someone who could.
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Be ready to sell!
A casual attitude toward a sales opportunity does not differentiate you in the market place and lead to a revenue opportunity.
In the case of the gym above, I had heard that they were have trouble with membership. I thought it was due to the economy but now after experiencing the short comings of their sales process, their revenue problems could be greatly eased if they had a better “sales” attitude in their organization.
How about your organization?
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