by Rachael Browes
“The secret of Change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
When I was asked to write approximately 500 words to help club owners and operators fire up their sales team’s ready for their reopening, my first thought was how can I do this in 500 words! Then I thought how hard can this be, I reasoned just focus on the sales basics. However, I became acutely aware of the challenges that you will be facing as not only will you need to ensure that your recovery includes getting members back, but you will have to provide a safe, controlled environment during these challenging times.
I hope this short article will give you some value and help you in your thought and planning process. I understand it will be hard but if you could have a mind shift, a change in focus and perception moving away from the current negativities to focus on what an amazing new start this could be for your business.
Although I appreciate that many people may still be cautious and have concerns, I do believe that the public are waiting for gyms to reopen – so be ready. With Covid they are much more aware of the implication of their weight and general health and will be looking to address this. NHS England report that diabetes was the most common condition among people who have dies from Covid.
Let us also remember that many will have more disposable income after nearly one year of not being able to go out.
Planning
Plan your intentions now, think about the activities required to achieve your goals. It is your starting point. The plan will help you make effective decisions about how to allocate your resources in a way that will help you reach your objective.
Your plan should include:
Operational Planning
“how things need to happen”
Strategic Planning
“Why things need to happen.”
Tactical planning
“What is going to happen.”
Contingency Planning
“Be ready for the unexpected.”
Marketing
Start now to promote awareness that you will be reopening. Use all of the social media platforms available to you. Plan appropriate and engaging content to reach the right audience, your message will be important– people will need to know they will achieve their goals in a safe environment.
Operation
Get your operational processes right and in place now.
Sales system
A good sales system, that is managed is a platform that helps sales teams reach their goals. The platform will help you to track data, monitor performance. A good sales system will get salespeople organized, help them manage contacts better, make tracking more efficient and saves time. I am a huge advocate of systems and processes.
Sales Process
This is so important; the process needs to be a set of repeatable steps that staff can take to a prospective member from the early stages of awareness to joining.
Key Performance Indicators
KPI’s allow your business to track your key goals, targets, and performance. High level organizational KPIs should focus on the overall performance of the business, while low level KPIs should focus on the processes in departments including sales.
Easy Access
Your current members lapsed members and new members will want easy access – they will be looking for an immediate start so please ensure that you have processes now ready to deal with this.
I could continue but I am aware that I have exceeded my 500 words. Do not be afraid, I appreciate change can be scary, but do not allow fear to stop you from growing – just make sure you are ready.
