Lead Generation Ideas for Gyms won’t help… These Tools Will.

by | Sep 20, 2021 | leads, Marketing, Referrals, Sales | 0 comments

Are you struggling to generate more leads for your fitness business? Do you have plenty of leads but you’re not growing your programs or membership? This article will help you with lead generation and give you the tools to build the right systems so you can reach your financial goals.

Before we jump into lead generation ideas for your gym we need to talk about a few things. There are a lot of blogs with lists of ideas for lead generation and they’re not bad in the least. The ones I’ve read actually have great ideas! But I do see that some of those blogs are assuming a lot about where you are in your fitness business. At Fitness Revolution, we have worked with gyms for over 15 years. During that time we have created systems that are proven to work. I am not going to sugarcoat this process, there could be a lot of work you need to do before generating more leads. Or you may be ready for that, let’s see!

 

What this Article Covers:

1. Finding your Ideal Client
2. Creating your Core Offer
3. Lead Generation Ideas for Gyms
     – Social Media Marketing
     – Referral System
4. Creating a Sales Framework
5. Create a Customer Care Plan for Retention


I don’t recommend that you employ the lead generation ideas in this article or any other without having done the following:

  • You’ve found your ideal client (You need to know who to target with your marketing)
  • You’ve created a core offer (You need a cornerstone offer that solves your ideal clients problem)
  • You have a proven sales framework (You need to have a framework that actually works and leaves the customer feeling happy about their choice)

 

Finding your Ideal Client:

Let’s talk about the leads themselves, your future clients, people. In marketing, we often use words that sterilize the humanity of what we do. Calling people “leads” is one example. Remember they are people, and they are people that you want to serve. So treat them like that from the beginning and their dedication to what you do is going to pay all of your bills.

 

You need to create ideal client based on two things:

1). Who actually exists in your market and your current client base

2). Who you truly want to serve

Part of finding and creating your ideal client is doing market research and understanding who is actually out there. The second part is finding out what you do best, and the group that you want to benefit with your services. There are a lot of factors that come together in this process. We have specific information on how to do that in this article

Here is a video on how to find your ideal client:



Recommendation:

You are welcome to jump into this process now, but what I recommend is that you finish reading this article so you can get an overview. Then go back, create a plan for how you want to complete all these steps. 

 

Creating your Core Offer:

After you’ve done the work to find your ideal client, the next thing you are going to want to do is build your core offer. Your core offer is the driver of success in your business. It is the service that you offer that solves the problem of your ideal client.

 

Without it, two things could happen:

  1. You won’t get the leads you’re looking for because what you do is unclear

  2. The leads you do get will be much harder to close

Without a core offer, you are creating confusion. It will make your leads leave before you even begin your sales. Or worse, they will come expecting one thing and when you offer them something else, they will leave frustrated. You always want your potential clients to leave happy, even if they choose not to work with you Click Here if you want to build your core offer. I know it will take some time but it is time well spent. Think of it as you are building an asset that is going to serve you and your business, continually. It takes time to really get clear, but it will be a cornerstone of your business. You will be able to close more ideal customers, maintain a higher retention rate, and most importantly, your new clients will be happy with their purchase. If you are looking for in depth guided training on building your core offer then consider joining our academy.

Lead Generation Ideas For Gyms:

Ready to get the attention of some new fitness fanatics? Let’s do it! Lead generation is a very important aspect to your business and once you systemize these processes, you’ll be completely relieved. New leads can very quickly become new clients if you have done the work of finding your ideal client, creating your core offer, and creating a sales framework that works (more on that later). So, new leads, new clients, increased revenue. It is going to take consistent effort but once you get the hang of it and start seeing results it will be all worth it. Here are two recommended lead generation strategies to bring more happy clients into your business. 

Social Media Marketing:

Social media is a powerful tool for broadcasting who you are and what you do to potential new clients. I am sure that you understand this, not from just a business perspective but also a personal perspective. How many times have you thought that you wanted to buy a specific product, or you were looking for someone, like a real estate agent. Then your mind immediately thought of something or someone that you had seen on Instagram or Facebook? That is the power of social media. You can use that same power for your business just by being consistent with your posting and clear with your calls to action. If you’re looking to get serious about social media marketing then take our seven day challenge. It has all the content ideas and calls to action included in the post. Will you take the challenge?

Referral System:

Do you have a system for referrals in your gym? The easiest way to generate leads for your business is by creating a referral system that works for you 24/7. It is something that you systemize so that it exists as part of your everyday operating procedures. When you create this system make sure that you stress the importance of it to your staff member and train them in having the referral conversation.  It takes a few steps:

    • Create incentives that actually work to appeal to your clients and get the attention of new prospects.
    • Find the opportunities in your business model where it makes sense to create these incentives
    • Create a plan for how to ask for referrals so that you and your staff are confident
    • Systemize the whole process so that your referral program generates consistent leads

This takes time and energy to build but it is a solid way to generate the right kind of leads that you want in your gym. The video series below will help you start to brainstorm how you can deploy this in your business.

 

Creating a Sales Framework:

When it comes to sales, almost everyone gets that weird feeling in their gut. It feels like you are some type of scammer, when you’re not, and you know you’re not! One of the reasons you may feel this way is because you aren’t confident in your ability to produce the results they prospect is looking for. That mindset can be easily and consistently remedied by remembering all the people you’ve helped and trusting in the fact that whatever happens you are going to do right by the client. Another reason you may feel uncomfortable is because you do not know what to say or you are using a sales script that feels wrong and makes you sound like a robot. This is why creating a sales framework makes the conversation so much easier.  What is a sales framework? A sales framework is completely different from a script. A script provides you with exactly every word to say to the prospect every step of the way. It can be helpful, but what happens when the prospect deviates from what is expected? It becomes very hard, confusing, and stressful to stick with that script. On top of that, the script may just not work for you and how you want to interact with your soon to be clients. A framework is going to ensure that you touch on all the important points but gives you the freedom to be yourself, get to know your prospect, and not sound like a robot! You have to go into that conversation knowing that “At least 50% of your prospects are not a good fit for what you sell”, according to Hubspot.  And that is okay. Of course, you want to be able to sign every prospect that comes through the door but it is just not going to happen. Obviously, your main objective is to get the prospect to work with you. But if you start the conversation, with the intended outcome being helping them with their current problem. Then you will be more relaxed and provide more value to them and more often than not reach your main objective: getting the prospect to work with you. In our academy, we help you create a sales framework that makes sales conversations easier for you, your staff, and the prospect.

Learn more in the conversation below with one of our clients (Joe Rouse):


 

Create a Customer Care Plan for Retention:

What does customer care and retention have to do with lead generation? Nothing specifically. But it is important if you want to grow and not have a revolving door in your business. New leads in and old clients out. Yikes!  Lead generation becomes forced and stressful when you are not retaining your clients.

Are you tracking your retention numbers? How many clients are you losing a month? How long are they staying? Why are they leaving? If you’re not looking at these numbers then you are at a serious disadvantage. Knowing your numbers is going to guide your action.

In our academy, we have a powerful document titled “180 Day Client Care Cheat Sheet” which gives you the keys to kingdom when it comes to retention. It gives you a step-by-step plan for giving your clients everything they need to feel cared for and a part of your gym community. Learn that process here. Here are a few things you can do in the first couple of weeks.

 

Write a Welcome Email:

Send all new clients an email that includes information about scheduled training sessions, nutritional health guidelines, how to deal with sore muscles, and what they can expect from you. Have fun with it and share what makes sense for your business. 

 

Send a Postcard:

This is a great way to show that you care. It is very personalized and it is something that they will always remember. When my chiropractor sent me one, I felt like I was a part of the community at his practice. Soon after, I ended up referring my friend to his practice.

 

A Swag Bag:

Set up your new clients with something awesome that shows that you appreciate their commitment . Put together a bag with some swag: a T-shirt, water bottle, foam roller, or a lanyard. Again, do what lights you up and makes sense for what you offer at your gym. 

Dive into understanding customer care and retention with this video:


Now, look I know what you’re thinking after reading this article. That is a lot that I have to do just for lead generation. It’s true. If you want your lead generation efforts to be worthwhile then you need to make sure you have these very important fundamentals in place. It would be dishonest for me to give you a list of lead generation ideas without the rest, you wouldn’t be able to grow and to thrive. If you want to take your business to the next level and you feel like your business is stagnant then maybe it is time to enroll some help.

 

We have a few options for you.

 We have our academy which has in-depth training on everything we discussed in this article plus a library of over a hundred trainings, pdfs, videos and more. It is like a secret masters program for running a thriving gym that lets you achieve your financial goals. 

We are offering a 2 week trial of our academy for only $1. Click here to learn more about The Academy.

If you are looking for more support, fill out a Needs Assessment™  It will give you a detailed report for where you are in your business and what you need to do next to grow your gym. This is the first step to joining one of our coaching programs where you will be guided to meet the goals that you desire. (Our coaching programs include free full access to The Academy)

 

 

Author: Nick Berry

Nick Berry is an accomplished entrepreneur, CEO, mentor, and author, with a track record which includes founding and leading numerous companies to success since his first venture in 2002. Nick Berry is the Founder and CEO of Fitness Revolution.