So now we have the prospect committed to an appointment with us and they have been indoctrinated by our videos and the carefully crafted multimedia content we have regularly sent the prospect from the start of the relationship.
We have built authority by establishing ourselves alongside credible bodies in the local community and built the social proof of our set up by giving the prospect access to positive testimonials from our customers. They have an insight into how we roll”, what exactly is going to happen to them as a member of the club and why that’s likely to be a good fit for them.
The Ascension Phase is made up of 7 stages starting at the walk in or tour appointment.
Stage 1 – The Greeting
Stage 2 – The Qualification
Stage 3 – The Presentation or Tour
Stage 4 – The Price Presentation
Stage 5 – The Close
Stage 6 – The Sign-up Process
Stage 7 – The Point of Sale Referral
Stage 1: The Greeting
The first 10 seconds is going to be vital in creating the right first impression and to overcome the prospects likely anxiety about the visit experience and the commitment phobia of potentially joining.
The good sales people will prepare themselves for the meeting by adopting a particular game face and “big match” attitude by thinking themselves in to the customer centric zone with these sort of self-questions….
1. I wonder how I will be able to help this person?
2. I wonder what we will have in common?
3. I wonder what I will really like about this person?
By psyching themselves up, the membership sales person is preparing to ask a lot of investigative questions to uncover the deep-seated motivations of the prospect and most importantly to relax the visitor by getting them to open up about themselves and start a line of dialogue and communication.
The other benefit is that this technique creates a lift in self-confidence evident in the body language of the sales person and key to establishing the right type of image in the first 10 seconds of the meeting.
People naturally trust confidence and buy from people they like. Running parallel with the first 10 seconds are the first 10 words and here again the scripted confident approach is the key to getting off on the right foot. In the same way that the airlines have their standard on board “customer collisions” completely choreographed from the words they say, the actions that accompany them and the position in the aircraft they take to deliver the words, so clubs must ensure that the same principles apply in the first visit.
Whatever that script sounds like – it’s got to deliver on the following:
1. Explains that we are going to get some initial information from the prospect to identify what the exercise goal is and to identify the most appropriate membership option.
2. We are going to show you around the club (its why they came in the first place!)
3. We will present the most suitable price options for them
4. Do they AGREE to the process? If the script is delivered with confidence than the prospect will be swept along in the wave of trust and the sales person is now in a position of control.
