by Jesse Cannone CFT, CPRS, CSPN

It's funny how many trainers contact me and say that they do lots of free sessions but still can't sign up any clients. What's even more funny is that I used to be one of them!  Things didn't change for me until I started to do things differently.  I'm going to give you some tips that I feel will make a world of difference and have you signing up more clients than you can handle!

Sales Closing Technique #1 -   Relax!

You'd be surprised how much this affects your presentation and ability to close the sale.  I know it sounds basic common sense, but it is extremely powerful.  If you go into a presentation worried about whether or not they'll sign up, you'll end up being anxious or maybe worse.

Plus, if you go into the session feeling calm, confident, and relaxed, it shows through and it puts the prospect more at ease.  When they're more relaxed you'll both get so much more out of the meeting.

Sales closing tip #2-   Wow them….Don't SELL them!

This is key!  If you focus on showing them how they will benefit and you educate them, they will be far more likely to take advantage of your service/program.

The high-pressure sales approach turns most people off.  So do your best to give the prospect exactly what they want and forget about selling.  Remember, before you can sell, you must pre-sell, and you do that by educating them and showing them all the reasons why they need you.

Sales Losing tip #3 -   Be prepared!

The absolute worst thing you can do is to try to wing it! Practice your presentation and prefect it.  This takes practice and preparation.

Before the meeting you should rehearse your presentation.  Go through it in your head.  Say their name multiple times, and know exactly how you want it to flow.   

Sales closing tip #4 -   Your presentation must flow

I touched on this earlier but want to go into more detail as to how your session should flow.  Please keep in mind that these are just recommendations that I've personally found to be very helpful. 

Here's how a presentation might go:

• Greeting/hand shake
• Asking questions to get an idea of what the prospect wants from the session/meeting
• Identify goals
• Talk about what they might currently be doing
• Give some general guidelines/tips
• Depending upon flow so far, you might explain how he/she can achieve their goals with your program
• Present program options and explain what a typical session goes like (what they'll experience, learn , feel, etc)
• Ask "When would you like to start" and then shut up!
• Don't say another word – give them a chance to respond
• If they come back with and objection, try to address/answer it and they ask again

You don't want to be pushy but you need to ask for the sale! For years, I lost out on tons of clients because I didn't feel comfortable asking for the sale.  This fear is what holds most people back in life.  Don't let it hold you down!  You'll be surprised by how many people just say okay and will pull out their checkbook!

Well, I hope these tips help you improve your presentation, closing skills, and your profits.  Keep in mind that these are just a few of the many ways for you to become a better presenter and salesmen.  And remember, you aren't in the fitness business, you're in the business of selling personal training!

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