Knowing how to overcome sales objections is key to making sales and growing your fitness business. But before you can overcome them, you need to understand them.
Having a solid sales process and being well versed in delivering it should handle the objections most of the time. The process helps you surface and address them during the conversation, rather than being surprised by them when it’s time to close.
But even when done well, sometimes sales objections still pop up during the close. Maybe something was missed during the conversation, or there was a misunderstanding. That’s why it’s important to be prepared to handle objections that come up during the close.
Most prospect’s skepticism falls into one of two categories. Either there’s a lack of understanding between you and the prospect, or they don’t see how your service will solve their problem.
If we understand what’s underlying their objections, we can respond with points that will make the sale – or, at least, gain insight into adjusting our sales process, if necessary. And that is huge: We get better sales conversations in real time, and we learn how to deal with similar objections in the future.
And what makes solving that even trickier is that oftentimes how they state the objection isn’t exactly what they mean. It’s not always intentional on their part, either. Maybe it’s not clear to them yet, or maybe they just aren’t comfortable enough to tell you directly. Either way, you’ve got to figure that out in order to effectively address it.
Here are a few examples of decoding the sales objections.
- Price. “It’s too expensive” or “I can’t afford it” are the most common pushbacks. What they really mean: They’re not sure your service is worth the price or that they’ll get a return on their investment.
- Thinking. “I need to think about it.” What they really mean: This could be true, a genuine part of their buying process. But it could also be a smokescreen to get out of the conversation because they don’t see the value.
- Decision-maker. “I have to talk to my significant other.” What they really mean: Again, this could be true on its face. Or… it could be another way to dodge the real reason they’re reluctant to join your gym.
- Time. “I just don’t have time to commit to a program.” Ah, we hear this all the time, right? What they really mean: They don’t truly understand your service – or they like the way they’re living now more than they value what you can do for them.
Here we have identified the four most common types of objections and translated them into bottom-line truths that can help you in the next steps of the conversation. Strategic responses will a) address the true nature of the doubts and b) keep the conversation moving toward a sale.
If you’d like a deeper dive into how to respond to objections, the next place to go would be this 3-part series where we drilled down into 3 of the most common.
If you a) don’t have a framework for your sales conversations, b) are just trying to sell by following a script, or c) your disdain or discomfort with selling is hurting your ability to sell, you need to go here ->Our 5-Step Sales Process has shown to be very effective, especially for offering services to consumers, because a) it’s based in behavior change science, and b) the simplicity. It teaches you how to sell by having a conversation with someone, understanding their situation, and empowering them to make a decision to change the situation. (Sounds like how you probably coach fitness clients, right?)
If you liked this post, check out The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Sales System for Your Gym Business.
