FITNESS BUSINESS ARTICLES
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What Every Manager Ought To Know - About How To Increase Personal Trainer Sales Mar 13, 2006 Without a team of individuals who can
effectively chase leads, nurture customer relationships, and close a sale, most
fitness businesses would fail to survive for the long term. Therefore, there
is no question that developing a high performance sales oriented personal
training team that will support your growth should be at the top of your
list. As a
manager or club owner, there are several steps you can take to develop such a
team. The first, and the most important step, is to
hire the right people for the job. This sounds like common sense, but you would
be surprised at how many times someone has 'settled' on a candidate because they
needed someone to start right away, or believed that they could 'mold' that
individual into what they needed. This is
definitely the wrong path to follow. Before you even start the interview process,
be specific on what type of characteristics and skills the ideal candidate
should have. Then, make a
similar list of characteristics and skills you prefer they possessed. Once you have
established this guideline, incorporate it into your advertisements, and follow
it throughout the interviewing process. Don't waste time
and money on trying to train someone to do a job they aren't suited to
perform.
It's not fair to either of you. After a suitable candidate has been hired,
they will need the right tools to perform their job. This includes
providing the necessary training and tools that will allow them to succeed. Training should
extend beyond the basic orientation period. It should be an
ongoing process with opportunities to improve their skills through seminars and
workshops.
Remember that as they improve and grow, so will your sales. Next, provide your staff with clear
expectations and goals. This holds true
of any employee you may have. No one can be
expected to thrive and succeed if they lack a clear understanding of what is
expected.
Write it down, discuss it frequently, and make sure there is little room
for misinterpretation or misunderstanding. Communication is another essential component
to success. One-on-one and
group meetings to discuss expectations track sales performance, and/or any
issues or concerns that anyone may have are a must. Allow everyone an
opportunity to not only voice their concerns, but to share their ideas and
experiences.
This empowers your employees and sends them the message that you care
about what they have to contribute. Finally, invest time in building a solid
team. While everyone
has individual goals they must meet, they also need to realize that they are
part of a team that depends on each other to achieve success. Your company may
include departments devoted to sales, personal training, and
administration.
Or, it could be made up of a select few who perform multiple
responsibilities.
Either way, the size of your organization doesn't matter. What does matter
is that everyone involved understand that they are part of this larger
team. As the
team leader, it is up to you to lead by example. They will be
watching you for direction. By incorporating these guidelines, you can
increase your chances for success in developing a cohesive, high-performance
team devoted to increasing sales and improving the overall financial health of
your organization. Tom
Perkins is eFitnessTracker's Business Coach, a business solutions coach and a certified personal
trainer who leads fitness professionals to profitability. |
