Traditionally, this has been a phase in which the client is walked around the club to be wowed by the quality and breadth of the facilities matching his or her requirements and a tick box exercise to ensure that the client understands what’s on offer.
This is the FEATURE tour, and this is changing in the light of the rise of the low-cost sector. In the modern competitive market, almost all clubs regardless of price point will have the core facilities of fitness gym, classes, and the equipment used will be, overall, top quality.
So, the tour in a lot of cases is transitioning from the hard features tour of the 90s to a softer presentation of the service support which is likely to be the competitive point of difference that persuades the customer to join.
The other technique we use is the FAB Technique for matching the services, facilities, and products we have with the identified requirements of the customer. It works like this… The FAB TECHNIQUE is a method of structuring your key sentences to ensure that you personalise the tour and focus on your customers aims and wants. You show them a specially selected feature, explain the advantages, and highlight the benefits to them based on the outcome of your needs analysis. What does FAB stand for? FEATURE The “Thing”. ADVANTAGE, why this is relevant and important to THE PROSPECT and will help THEM. BENEFIT, the emotional benefits that THEY will derive from it.
Here we go with the 10…
- Know your way around the club from every angle. Know the customer journey in depth and particularly the service features that MOTIVATE and those that EDUCATE.
- Rehearse the structure of key sentences using the FAB technique – this will enable you to ask CLOSED questions and TRIAL CLOSE on the tour.
- Ensure that you have as much detail about the customer as possible – you must have performed a thorough needs analysis.
- Understand whether they are going to need motivational support, educational support, none, or both.
- Customise the tour to there “wants” – don’t show them things they aren’t interested in. If you are going to be good at this phase, it needs practice and coaching and continual review by the club to ensure that the service programmes are tailored to make the proposition compelling for the target customer. Sales is not about shoe horning a prospect into something they don’t want – it’s about finding a solution to their problems. So, club managers by designing service strategies tailored specifically for the target market can make the sales process significantly more straight forward.
- Continue to build rapport throughout the tour – remember they buy YOU.
- Introduce them to other members, and fitness and reception team members.
- Talk as if they have decided to join already “You will swipe your membership card here when you come in.” “This is where your programme card will be kept.”
- Ensure that you trial close all the way “Can you see yourself using this studio?” Get a YES.
- ALWAYS CLOSE THE TOUR with the following question. “So, Jacqui, is this the kind of facility you are looking for? YES Great! Then let’s sit down and work out the best package for you.”
If you are going to be good at the tour, it needs practice and coaching and continual review by the club to ensure that the service programmes are tailored to make the proposition compelling for the target customer.
The tour is your golden opportunity to show the customer why your club is best for them, how it can help them achieve their aims. The critical point to learn here is that customers are only interested in “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME”.
