I had a conversation with a client the other day who was struggling to get good quality leads in the door. You see, what was happening was when leads we’re coming into the gym – they would show them around the facility, do a gym tour – look at the treadmills and the bikes and the elliptical trainers. And then go through the sales process.
That kind of thing worked 15-20 years ago when most people hadn’t stepped foot in a gym. These days everyone knows what a treadmill is and yours is probably the same one as the gym down the road. There is nothing unique about it.
This kind of marketing is like giving away free PT sessions, or a weeks free training – this was OK 10-15 years ago. Because people had relatively little experience of gyms and so you wanted people to experience the gym and all the equipment. Whereas jump forward to today, most people have been in a gym – they have experienced an elliptical trainer – probably at the gym down the road. So you have to find a way to market your business that is more unique than that.
So how do you stand out against all the other gyms out there? You need to ensure that you are marketing the feeling that they are going to get by coming to the gym, rather than the WHAT or the HOW of what they will do. And remember – weight loss is not the feeling. You have to think deeper than just weight loss – cause again they can get that in any number of ways.
But why does that client want to lose weight? Maybe they want to feel more confident about themselves? Or maybe they want more energy so they can keep up with their kids and run around their backyard with them. Now that’s a feeling you can market. How much more powerful is it to say to a potential client – would you like to be able to run around with your kids again? Or would you like to hop on this bike for the next 45 minutes and sweat it out?
You see what happens when we make the switch to marketing the feeling of the outcome they get? The other benefit of marketing the feeling is that it’s unique. You’re not marketing your treadmill which is like everyone else’s treadmill. You are marketing a specific feeling that you can produce for a client. And that is what will make you stand out in your area.
Think about that next time you are showing someone round your gym or telling someone that you deliver weight loss results. Ask them what their outcome is – what are they really doing this for? You will be surprised how easy it will be to market to them without having to give away a week’s free trial to your gym.
