Anita, an Alley-Oop subscriber asked me over the weekend:
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“I work at a commercial gym and try to talk to people and invite them to my private FB group and get them in for a free taster session if I can… but I still struggle to convert prospects into paying clients. What should I be doing?”
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Anita, you’re not alone.
In fact, you’re in very good company… because the vast majority of the industry operates with a mindset that selling is uncomfortable and they’d prefer to avoid it…
If you have this mindset, you convince yourself that “If they really want it, they’ll join”…
Which is a self-fulfilling prophecy because you’ll only see the clients who do join.
And all those that were on the fence will go elsewhere and you’ll never get the data points for all the people you could have served in the event you had a system for selling that took the sleazy out of it.
And, if you choose the right system, it can be completely free of tactics and doesn’t require you to become an expert in NLP… whatever that is.
The system we use is underpinned by 3 simple principles that create a framework for better sales conversations… which lead to better sales conversions.
And it’s so simple you can have 3 words on the back of your hand and know EXACTLY what you need to say.
So this is my advice for Anita (and others like her who want to have better sales conversations with less stress and better outcomes).
Ask, don’t talk
The number one reason why most sales conversations break down is because you pitch instead of asking questions. Instead of having a great conversation (led by great questions), you transition to a “this is how I can help you pitch” way too soon. In reality, you have not laid the groundwork to be pitching. You haven’t earned the right or gathered the right information to be in a position to KNOW how you can help… let alone be confident that you’re the right person to help.
So scrap the pitch (and relieve yourself of the pressure)… and start asking better questions. Here are some examples:
“What is the main motivation for reaching out?”
“What have you tried in the past to solve this problem?”
“How successful was it?”
“What do you think needs to change?”
“How long have you been thinking about this for?”
“Why now?”
“What are you concerned about if nothing changes?”
These questions not only gather intel, but help your prospect understand the real costs involved with both taking action (working with you)… and INACTION (not working with you).
It also takes all the pressure off you and allows you to be an active listener… which leads me to the second principle.
Reinstate what they say back to them
I learned this from Chris Voss. He was an FBI negotiator… some say the best in the world.
He has a strategy he uses called labels and mirrors. It involves repeating what they say back to them while creating an ‘open door’ opportunity for your prospect to expand on what they just said. It even doubles as assurance that you’re actively listening.
Here is an example:
“I want to lose 5-10kg’s”
“You want to lose 5-10kgs? It sounds like you really care about your health. Why is that important to you?”
The first sentence is the mirror — it simply repeats what they say and ends with an upward inflection in your voice that indicates you’re asking a question… an ‘invitation’ for them to expand. The second sentence is the label — “it sounds like you are <insert category>. Why is that important to you?” This allows you to tie in the first principle of ‘ask better questions’ easily and without effort.
The third principle?
Reframing
I teach about this in the newsletter… and I’d say it’s the most powerful of them all. It allows any prospect to appreciate the true weight of INACTION, which will dwarf the cost of action.
Want to get access to the Alley-Oop to learn this and more?
There are still 12 hours left to subscribe and get over $5990 in bonuses… for FREE.
But this time tomorrow, it will be gone, for good.
If you want to improve your business skillset and learn from me…
A gym owner who has been there, done that… and is still doing it…
Then this is the time to do it.
Because there is no better way to get me at your fingertips (via the exclusive Discord channel where you can ask me anything, like Anita)… and get inside my mind… for $3.19 a day.
You spend that on a coffee without thinking about it… and last time I checked it wasn’t giving you immediate solutions to your biggest business problems.
Here is the link.
– Karl Goodman
