In an ideal world, you would want every fitness lead that you chase to convert automatically. But, an ideal world doesn’t exist. If you want to increase your conversion rate and attract more clients quickly, you will have to apply persuasion when selling fitness.
Persuasion is a sales strategy that entails convincing a prospect that the product or service you are offering is the best solution. And, there are several sales persuasion techniques, which you can apply when selling fitness to boost your conversion rate.
In this article, we will walk you through 6 fitness sales persuasion techniques, which you can use to optimize your funnel and to convince fitness prospects to sign up for your services or purchase your fitness-related products.
1. Scarcity
The scarcity principle is yet another powerful persuasion method that you can use when selling fitness to increase conversions. This principle works by the simple fact that if something has limited availability, consumers will rush to purchase it, due to the fear or loss or missing out.
It’s anchored in something known as loss aversion, which states that an individual would prefer acquiring gains and avoiding losses. And this is why scarcity will always persuade a consumer to make a purchase.
Also, scarcity creates an element of desirability. For instance, if you label your products or services as one-of-a-kind and then place a certain limit on their availability, you will enhance their desirability, thus increasing their conversions significantly.
Some of the methods that you can leverage scarcity to increase conversions include offering free customized nutritional plans or guides for the first 10 people that purchase your personal training within the first five days of a new month.
You can also offer a 30% discount on your workout guides if someone places an order within a 12-hour window. You will also include a timer beside the offer to further increase the sense of urgency.
The scarcity principle will always increase the conversion rate, whether you are selling material products or experiences. It will reduce the offer’s availability, thus creating a sense of scarcity and a feeling of urgency.
2. Repetition
Repetition is one of the most effective sales persuasion techniques. And this technique will come in handy when you are using content marketing to sell fitness. Basically, the more a prospect hears your marketing messaging, the more believable they think it is. And as a result, they may end up deciding to buy what you are offering. This strategy relies on a principle known as the illusion of truth. So, how can you use this persuasion strategy to boost your conversions?
First, you need to determine the main benefit or unique selling proposition of your fitness product or service. For instance, if you are selling workout videos online, you can mention that the buyer doesn’t need expensive fitness equipment to do these exercises.
Second, you need to repeat this benefit approximately three to five times. If you are selling these workout videos on your website, you can mention the main benefit across several areas of the product page.
For instance, you can mention the benefit in the headline, in the introduction, and the subheadings. Also, you can include it in the bullet points as well as the conclusion. By repeating the product’s benefit several times, the more the visitor will buy into it. And, this will increase the chances of a conversion rate.
3. Reciprocity
It’s human nature to feel obligated to return a favor if someone gives you something. In short, it feels like debt or a favor that we are obligated to repay. For instance, if a co-worker was to cover your shift at work, there’s a high possibility you would feel obligated to cover their shift next time.
And, you can apply this same approach as fitness sales persuasion strategy, to drive more conversions and attract more clients. There are several ways of applying the principle of reciprocity as a sales strategy to potential clients and prospects.
For instance, you can offer a free personal training session to members of a local retirement home. The best part about this approach is that it won’t cost you a lot of money. It will just be your time. And when it’s time to sell your personal training sessions to them, they won’t need a lot of convincing.
Another approach that you can use is creating a free workout e-book that people can use to work out at home together with nutritional guidance. You can then send it via email, post a link on your social media handles or host it on your website. By offering something valuable that your target client didn’t ask for, you will be creating a feeling of debt.
And, there’s a strong possibility they will reciprocate by purchasing your personal training or any fitness product that you may offer them in the future. The key is to determine what you need from the prospect and then identify what you can give them in return for taking this specific action.
4. Social Proof
Also known as social influence, social proof pertains to how people’s actions, emotions and opinions are affected or influenced by others. For example, you may be looking to purchase a pair of workout sneakers. And, you may come across three options that you like.
Out of these three options, the first one may have 300 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3 stars out of five, the second option may have 200 reviews with an average rating of 2 stars and the third option may not have a single review.
If you were to decide on which pair of sneakers to purchase, there’s a high chance you will go for the first pair, which has a high number of positive reviews. This phenomenon is known as social influence or social proof. And you can incorporate it into your marketing as a persuasion strategy to drive more sales. Here’s how:
4.1 Source Client Reviews and Testimonials
First, you can let your fitness clients write reviews and testimonials, which you can then post across all your marketing and promotional channels. You can post these testimonials on your social media platforms, on your website, or even include them when sending your weekly newsletters.
4.2 Post Clients’ Before and After Photos
Second, you can use before and after photos of your clients. These pictures are clear proof that your personal training methods are helping your clients get the results they are looking for and achieve their fitness goals.
4.3 Display Your Popularity on Social Media
Third, you can include the number of likes you have on social media on your website, especially if you have a strong presence. If you have a high number of likes or followers on social media, it will be an indication that you are doing something right.
Consumers tend to follow other people’s opinions. To this end, leveraging social proof as part of your fitness marketing strategy can help to convince a prospect that your fitness business is the right choice for them, thus helping to increase your sales.
5. Authority
People tend to look up to authority figures. They will trust the opinion of an authority figure and be influenced by what that individual has to say – something known as authority bias.
For example, if you were to read a health-related article from a trusted health professional, there’s a high chance you will trust that information than when it’s coming from a non-health professional. And you can also apply authority bias when selling fitness as a persuasion technique in various ways.
For instance, you can invite a renowned fitness professional to exercise at your gym. And if they are exercising at your gym, this act will send a message to prospects that your fitness center is a nice spot to exercise. As a result, you may start getting inquiries from interested prospects.
Second, you can also request a renowned fitness influencer to mention your fitness brand on their social media pages. Doing so will help to build credibility and trust around your fitness brand. Consequently, your ability to convince or persuade people to purchase your products or services will increase significantly.
Third, you can leverage the power of testimonials. For instance, a renowned individual may have managed to achieve a considerable fitness milestone by following your methods, after attempting hundreds of other fitness coaches. You can then ask this individual to share their success story with you, and then broadcast it across all your marketing channels.
6. Problem Solving
Problem-solving may not be a sales persuasion technique per se. But, it can help to convince an undecided buyer that your product or service has a solution to their problem, thus encouraging them to make a purchase.
With this method, you will focus on highlighting all the key reasons how your product or service will solve a prospect’s problem, instead of simply saying how great it is. In short, you will be selling the benefits, not the features.
By identifying the prospect’s concerns, focusing on them and positioning your fitness-related product or service as the ultimate solution for their problem, you will be showing them the value of your product or service, without being too pushy.
For instance, if you are selling gym memberships and a prospect states that they struggle with motivation, you can mention that your gym membership comes with additional fitness classes like Zumba, Pilates, kickboxing, yoga, or group fitness, which can help to increase motivation. And, these extra classes are available free of charge.
By doing so, it demonstrates that you are not only paying attention to the prospect’s concerns but you are also offering an effective and affordable solution to their challenges.
7. Closing Remarks
Implementing the above persuasion techniques can help to increase your conversion rate and close more sales. And, you don’t have to implement all of them at once. You can test one after the other and then choose the persuasion techniques that deliver the best results.