Okay, I finally did it… I joined a health club.  After making a valiant attempt to work out at home in my basement, I finally decided I needed to make a more serious effort.  Having never shopped for a gym before, I really didn’t know what to expect, but I was sure I didn’t want to go to a facility where men primp and women put on makeup prior to coming.  Give me a hat, shorts, t-shirt and a towel, and don’t get too close because I’m going to sweat.  And, I don’t want to spend all day there, either.

So, with that picture in mind, I visited a couple of clubs I had driven past for several months, one of which has something of a ‘reputation’ as being a hard sell.  For any of you whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, you know I love a challenge, so I was looking forward to hearing what they had to offer.  A gentleman in his upper thirties greeted me warmly after I had made my interest known at the front desk and completed the required barrage of paperwork.  He invited me into his office and reviewed some of my fitness goals with me after proudly giving me a brief tour of the facility.

“Jon, as you’ve seen, we have the nicest fitness facility in the area, so you needn’t look any further for your new club.  I just have some paperwork for you to do and we’ll wrap up your membership,” said my consultant, no doubt smelling blood.

“Greg, I appreciate all your kind assistance, but I won’t be entering into a long-term membership agreement until I’ve had the opportunity to try a club for 30 days.  I feel like I can really get to know the place in that amount of time,” I countered.

“I understand you’ve probably looked at other clubs, but have you seen one you like better than this one?  Let’s face it, we have the most extensive selection of equipment in the galaxy.”  Okay, maybe I don’t remember his statement exactly, but you get the idea.

“I don’t blame you for having such confidence in your facility, Greg; it’s pretty impressive… which should make you very confident as well that I’ll want to join full time after my initial month, right?” I said, smelling a little blood myself.

After a medium-length pause, Greg said, “You make a good point, Jon.  Tell you what:  if you buy $50 worth of supplements, I’ll give you 30 days free.”

I laughed, “Greg, I’m out of vitamins anyway, so I’ll buy your overpriced $20 multiple vitamins for men if you’ll do the month free.  Deal?”

“What did you say you do for a living, Jon?” Greg relented.

As you may have guessed, Greg took the deal along with some heat from his boss in the next office.  I overheard her saying, “What happened?!  Where is he going?”  Sound familiar? 

When I returned two weeks later to join, Greg looked dejected.  “Some lady who is about 150 pounds overweight was just here and I guess I pressured her too much to join,” he said.  “She left and I think she was mad.  I’m the number three guy in the region in membership sales, but they tell me I’m sometimes too hard on people.”

After I asked Greg what happened, the trouble was clear.  He had tried to close her with the idea that her life depended on losing 100 pounds and she needed to start right away.  Like many people who operate primarily on commission, his urgency translated into pressure, which caused his potential client to have second thoughts.  I told him he should call her and apologize and offer her the same deal he offered me – a small investment in supplements for a free month at the club, along with her commitment to come at least 3 times a week.

“She needs you to remove the pressure because she likely puts too much on herself.  Can you imagine the fortitude it took for her to just come in the club to speak with you?” I said.  “You need to pay close attention to her during her free trial and give her small, incremental goals.  If you can make her feel good about her progress, she will keep it up.  And, that’s what it’s really about – not making the sale but rather making a positive impact on someone’s life.”

Greg sat there and stared at me for several seconds and said, “I never thought about it like that.  I’ll call her as soon as we’re done.  Thanks for your help.” 

“No charge, at least this time,” I said.  “But I will need you to buy me some more vitamins.”

I signed up with no regrets which, when it’s all said and done, was more important than Greg and his manager getting the sale the first time I came in.  This urgency to close looks like fear and weakness in the eyes of a potential client, so be sure YOU sell from strength, not fear, with your customers.

This story illustrates the fact that we all have the capacity to make a positive impact on others lives, but to do so we sometimes have to take a step back from our day-to-day in-dealership lives and get some perspective.  Be creative.  Think about what your customers would like and then deliver it. 

Back to Articles Index