Small Business Articles from Duct Tape Marketing

After a recent teleseminar, a participant requested information about motivating his fitness trainers. Apparently, when members arrived, his trainers offered little appreciation of them. Members felt they were more of an intrusion than an asset.

I encouraged the owner to develop his staff. If your gymnasium has similar issues, here are four methods of assistance.

1.   Hiring is a key success factor. Even if you pay them more, it is imperative to hire the best people for particular positions. Do not sacrifice on this issue. Personnel are the linchpin between members and utility bills. Review your staff and ensure you have the proper people in the proper positions.
2.   Customer Focus. Peter Drucker’s famous quote, “A business exists for one reason—the customer” is paramount in the fitness business. If the mission and vision is to alter the lives of others, it is not rocket science not to lose focus. However, many gyms do. All personnel must maintain focus on the client with eye contact, relationships, telephone inquiries, etc. Anything and everything the fitness center does must revolve around the customer.
3.   Customer Loyalty. Develop your staff; ensure they understand the importance of proper customer service. Provide foundational customer service skills such as smiling, telephone replies, relationships with clients, service to clients, and focus groups. Ensure your staff knows that failure to conform to customer service principles can result in member loss and fitness center closure.
4.   Reward Programs. Reward those who set and establish best practices. Employees love recognition. Let them know you appreciate customer service efforts. Perhaps the best performers will encourage others to do so.

2008. Drew J. Stevens. All rights reserved.

For over 27 years, I have been involved in the world of selling. For me nothing emotes more passion and energy and requires more thinking. Interestingly, I am a commercial actor and realize that selling and acting have many similarities. One of my acting books Audition by Michael Shurtleff talks of guide posts for actors. To help you with similarities I provide guidepost for selling.

Seeking to get more leads for your business? Are you waiting for the telephone to ring with a new prospect. Find an effective alternative to cold calling and marketing brochures with a great technique. Determine how selling requires less money and labor and increases your closing ratios.

Selling across generational differences is challenging and requires finesse. Drew explains how to create rapport, understand the issues and close more sales.

Today’s selling professional requires techniques that help to accentuate and differentiate from others. In a business culture where social networks proliferate the only true network is that built between a client and business professional. Clients enjoy the candor and the knowledge that is shared from a vendor. To this end, there are several methods that assist selling professionals.

Sales professionals must create magnetic appeal to increase closing efficiency. Our present global environment creates numerous obstacles that polarize sales efforts, form the proliferation of the Internet to advanced media. Ironically, with the intrigue of technological miracles the foundation of sales success exists upon 10 principles. Since the beginning of trade, selling has not changed, nor have these laws. These principles as they have for centuries are the laws that attract numerous clients and create successful selling professionals.

I work with many business owners and selling professionals. When I ask them what they do they immediately rush into their title. Each states, “I am the President of a Bank”, “I am a Consultant”, “and I am a Professional Speaker”. If I were a client and heard this I immediately state, “So What”? Professionals today refrain from their titles and occupations in the service business and speak with the reply to “So What”? The method for doing so is known as a Value Proposition.

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