11 Qualities of the Best Gym Salesperson

Finding a great gym salesman isn’t easy. In a hugely competitive marketplace like the fitness industry, your sales team is continually expected to perform at a high level. Nobody feels the pressure more than a salesperson with a quota to hit. So, what should you look out for when hiring your next salesperson? When evaluating candidates, you need to assess multiple skill areas. 

It’s down to you to have processes and training in place that give your sales team the best chance to work effectively and hit targets. In a high-pressure environment, it takes a specific type of person to succeed in sales. You want to make sure you’ve got an individual with the right character, attitude, and skills that mesh well with the team and connect with new members. In this article, we’ll discuss the qualities to look out for during your search for the best gym salesperson. Skip ahead to:

• How to Increase Gym Membership Sales
• 11 Traits of the Best Gym Salesperson

How to Increase Gym Membership Sales

The global health club market is worth $87.2 billion and continues to grow every year. Like most gyms, your business tends to revolve around your members. They are at the core of your company, and to succeed and increase revenue; you need a supply of members and interest. In 2018, there were 62.5 US million gym members, up 2.6% from the previous year. 

When it comes to selling fitness memberships, no one wants a gym salesman who’s pushing the hard sell. Instead, focus on listening to your prospect. Here are three things to consider when you’re trying to increase gym membership sales.  

Personalize the Selling Experience

Brands that personalize promotional emails receive a 27% higher unique click-through rate. Personalization has a considerable role to play in several different elements of the business. From marketing to selling, consumers want a personalized experience. 

Your prospect might have a particular goal, listen, and show how your gym can help them personally to hit their target. A lot of brands are still relying on very basic forms of personalization, and as a result, they are failing to engage consumers. 

The Right Sales Script 

Every sales team needs the right script. It’s an essential tool that your team can use to sell gym memberships. The majority of the time, your sales script is created through trial and error. Take note about what works and what doesn’t so that overtime you can give your sales staff everything they need to accomplish the job at hand. 

Your sales playbook should give your team a clear idea of how the sales process should go. The script should outline the interaction with potential clients. Of course, you don’t need to follow the script like a robot. It’s merely a base to give you the best chance of success. A great way to keep your sales team on top of their game is to role-play. Have them take turns being the customer and the gym salesman, so they see it from both sides. To help you increase your sales, we’ve put together a guide on five things every fitness founder should know about gym membership sales.   

Follow Up Promptly 

Sometimes it takes a few attempts to nurture a lead and turn a prospect into a fully-fledged member. Research shows that 50% of sales happen after the 5th follow up yet; the average sales rep only makes two attempts to reach out to a prospect. It’s essential to follow up promptly without pestering. It’s easy to give up after you’ve heard no for the third time, but if you stick to your gym sales plan, you’re more likely to succeed. Only 2% of sales actually occur in the first meeting. 

There are several reasons why a prospect who would benefit from your services, won’t buy. It might be due to a lack of time, financial constraints, or other errands to run. It’s essential to become aware of and recognize these obstacles, which is why it’s vital to follow up promptly. 

11 Traits of the Best Gym Salesperson 

When hiring sales talent, you need to evaluate the candidate’s cultural fit, how they will gel with the team, and if they have the right skills and traits to perform well. We’re going to walk you through the characteristics and qualities to search for in your next salesperson to help streamline your interview process and make your final hiring decisions much more manageable. 

Empathy 

Whether you’re hiring a salesperson or front of house staff, empathy is a vital trait to have. To succeed in sales, you need to have an inbuilt desire to understand a person’s needs and solve that problem. By following what an individual is going through, you can find the ideal solution for them. Hopefully, a solution that involves them signing up for your gym. 

When you possess empathy, it helps you to build rapport quickly and establish a connection with a prospect. If you can show people that you’re not just selling a product or service, but you genuinely care, it can do wonders for your sales process. Christopher and John Yax, founders of Hot House Yoga, highlight hiring the right people as a hard lesson they learned when starting the business. John notes “one of the biggest lessons is, hire slow and fire fast”. Listen to more great insights from the Yax brothers on this episode of The Fitness Founders podcast.

Problem Solving 

A desire to solve a problem is a must-have trait to look for during the hiring process. Problem-solving creates new ways to satisfy your customer’s needs, whether it’s financial or emotional. Your prospect needs to trust your brand and believe that your business is reputable and reliable. A good sales script can set the scene for a sales pitch, but problem-solving takes it further.   

Someone who is a problem solver will go out of their way to understand the needs of a customer. After all, you can’t solve a problem without fully knowing what the problem is. Communicate your solution in a way that makes it easy for the prospect to make a decision and invest in your product or membership.  

Focused

Find individuals who are focused, self-motivated, and determined to succeed. One advantage of salespeople who are laser-focused is they often need less supervision and direction. They are excellent multi-taskers and not as easily distracted. In an environment that revolves around goals and objectives, having the focus to stay on target is vital. 

Hiring the right staff for your gym is no easy task. You have to set up multiple interviews and find people who not only have the skills for the job but who have fantastic communication skills. These are the people that will be the face of your business, representing what your brand stands for. To help you streamline your hiring process, we’ve pulled together everything you need to know to hire gym staff successfully. 

Confident and Charismatic 

Would you buy a product or service from a salesperson who doesn’t believe in themselves or what their selling? No, of course not. Confidence and charisma play a significant role in connecting with prospects and selling. The best salesperson knows the ins and outs of your business and can demonstrate, with confidence, all of the benefits to potential customers.

Being confident doesn’t mean being cocky as that can be just as offputting as a lack of confidence. Being confident is about knowing who you are, what you’re selling, and positioning yourself as an expert to solve your prospects’ problems. You can get a feel for confidence and charisma through the interview process. 

Resilience 

Unfortunately, rejection is a very real part of selling. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling personal training sessions, gym memberships, or protein shakes; you will hear the word no a lot. It makes sense that the best salespeople are resilient. They don’t let the rejection get to them or knock their confidence. 

They’ll chase even the coldest of leads and bounce right back rejection after rejection. The best salesperson won’t be discouraged or take offense on a personal level. Find a person with the resilience and perseverance to keep going. They’ll find a way to close a lead and won’t let rejection stand in their way. 

Good Listener 

Selling is just as much about talking as it is about listening. The best salespeople understand the balance between listening and talking. Good communicators ask open-ended questions that give prospects the chance to share their fitness goals, challenges, and hurdles. A great listener regularly follows up with potential members and will possess excellent people skills. 

When you think of a traditional salesperson, your mind might think of a person with the gift of the gab who can’t stop talking. But you want someone who can listen. They’ll connect with the needs of your members and offer solutions that will make their lives better. If your prospect struggles with healthy eating and your gym offers nutritional services, it makes sense to throw in nutritional advice as part of your membership package.     

Bold and Passionate 

Hiring the best team for your gym is vital. Whether you’re hiring sales, marketing, or a personal trainer, your staff need to have a strong passion for fitness. Great salespeople don’t just love to close a deal; they love what they do and where they work. A passion for fitness is crucial. When an individual is passionate, it comes across in everything they do. You can hear it in their tone, and it gives potential members another reason why they should join your gym. 

Honest 

There’s a certain stigma around traditional salespeople of being dishonest. But, honesty is always the best policy. Often, salespeople have to work a lot harder to demonstrate how trustworthy they are to prospects. The best salespeople come across sincere and honest. Even bending the truth just slightly could have a massive impact on your relationship with potential members. 

The most successful salespeople don’t make empty promises. They don’t offer a miracle cure to a problem. They do provide a solution by listening to a prospect and offering an honest response. If you lie to a customer and they find out, you will burn any relationship you had with them and ruin your chances of a gym referral in the future.    

Keen to Learn 

You’re looking for the best gym salesman, but there is always room for improvement. You want someone who is always keen to learn, to improve, and get better. As your business grows, you’re searching for someone willing to do what it takes to take your brand to the next level. 

Organized 

A cluttered workspace leads to a cluttered mind and distractions. All this results in no sales. Ask questions like how do you manage your time? How do you prioritize? Figure out if they have the organizational skills to stay on top of sales at your gym. 

A crucial part of closing a sale is all about having a structured plan for each day. A well-organized day can maximize sales and keep your business on track. 

Discipline to Follow Up 

Consistent follow-ups are one of the most valuable actions a gym salesman can take. Although you can learn a lot of skills as you go along, following up with potential leads and locking down members is predominantly to do with discipline. It’s a quality that is non-negotiable and will help you find the right person for the role. 

In Summary 

The best gym salesman has a range of personality traits, qualities, and skills. When you’re hiring salespeople, you’re hiring the face of your brand and building the future of the company. Steer clear of the pushy, arrogant gym salesman. In your search, look out for someone with empathy, honesty, determination, and discipline.