Making Your First Impression
“You know the old saying that goes, “You only get one chance to make a first impression?” Well…it’s true.”
What most box owners might not know is exactly how or when that first impression takes place, or how to follow up appropriately to turn a “kinda-maybe” prospective customer into a loyal, lifelong member of their gym.
Although a potential customer CAN stumble through your doors, not knowing anything about you at all, this scenario is incredibly rare. More than likely, your customers have at least a vague impression of who you are, either through social media, a Google search, word of mouth, or research they have done on your business prior to making contact.
Pay attention because this is a FACT:
The first impression begins the second a client knows who you are; it’s the moment when they progress from a cold lead to a warm lead. Executed properly, you can win a friend long before you’ve shaken hands or made eye contact.
As an aside…it might be helpful to remind you that when you own a box, you are constantly making impressions, first or otherwise. This doesn’t mean you can’t let your hair down and act like a human, but if you tend to publicly display unprofessional behaviors that you wouldn’t want a potential customer to see (like dancing on a bar, sloshing shots and waving your shirt overhead like you’re riding a mechanical bull), than you should fly your freak flag in private.
(Shirt off = first impression fail. Just sayin’.)
Oh boy…it’s analogy time!
I’m sure some people have had great success with blind dates. That being said, if you were given the opportunity, wouldn’t you want to know about your prospective date? No doubt you would! We don’t want to come off overbearing and ask our prospective clients hundreds of questions. We do, however, want to answer the questions that we KNOW they have, give them a chance to get comfortable, and give them a chance to size up their potential date…that’s YOU, by the way!
Before we get into making a great first impression, we need to remind you that simply understanding information and ideas doesn’t make you a better box — taking ACTION does!. We’ve broken things down into sizable chunks so you can digest the information, make a plan, and take action.
Chunk #1: Do not give mixed impressions.
Paralysis by analysis is as real as it gets. If one of your leads is trying to decide which class to sign up for and your class list says you have Barbell Club, Strongman Group, CrossFit Classes, Boot Camp, Boot Camp Lite, Sweat Class, Mobility Course and a million other programs, they’re most likely going to give you the ol’ blank stare, followed by the “I’m busy” routine.
Show Them The Way
You know your box best — figure out the one way that is best for a new lead to make their first visit to your gym and roll with it! Too many options will have a horrible effect on your conversion rate. Make the membership options clear and simple as well. State in simple terms what you offer, and then direct folks to take one simple action to make direct contact with you.
Action Items
- Figure out which clear, concise, single call to action allows a formal introduction to prospective clients. Examples include a free consultation, free class, one-on-one PT session, etc.
- Clean up your website — make the call to action clear, above the fold (accessible without scrolling), and capture first name, last name, email, and phone number for follow up.
- Ensure any traffic or social media presence is aligned with the same call to action — a consistent message is key!
Chunk #2: Strike while the iron is hot!
By now you’ve eliminated any confusion and your prospective clients are happily jumping on your call to action! They are ready to go! They want to meet! Then they wait…and wait…and wait…for an email from you. It’s 11:00PM…you’ve coached all day and you’re tired as crap. Ugh. Now it’s time to send all of your prospective clients an email.
Use technology to your advantage (and have a swipe file)!
Figure out a scheduling platform to use so prospective clients can immediately pick a time to come in. Some helpful membership management platforms are Front Desk, Mind Body and Zen Planner, which all allow for schedule integrations (not to mention you probably already have one of those in your gym). Alternatively, you can use stand-alone scheduling platforms like Acuity Scheduling, which is much faster for your prospective clients — and really cheap! We use it to power Box Builder!
If you’re not using an email automation platform / CRM, then a swipe file is a MUST HAVE. A swipe file is a folder on your computer containing pre-drafted emails and guides catered towards your commonly sent email responses. Make sure you have a generic (but warm) email saying thank you, that you can’t wait to meet, and most importantly asking if they can come in during a specific time! Don’t leave it open-ended with no deadline or incentive.
Try this: Can you come in tomorrow at 9:00AM? They may not be able to, but you will get a response and that response will generally have an alternative time. Use the swipe file so you can send emails fast — and try to get them in sometime before 11:00PM.
Action Items
- Integrate a schedule functionality after your website’s call to action.
- Create a swipe file if you aren’t using an email automation platform / CRM.
- If you receive the same email more than once, create a canned response and put it in the swipe file.
- Use the swipe file to send emails fast and efficiently.
One more tip — use the Developer menu in MS word to create text boxes! You can protect the content and just tab through the variables! You’ll fly through sending a swipe file email. Google it…
Chunk #3: Don’t drop the ball
You’ve done everything right to this point. What happens when you send the email promptly and you hear crickets? You wait…and wait…and wait… until two days later, you haven’t received a response, and the thought of that prospective lead is long gone!
Somebody dropped the ball. Pssst…that somebody is you.
“Hey wait a second,” you protest, “I sent the last email, so the ball was in their court!” Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Don’t worry, all is not lost; you simply need to use technology again, or keep a record of your communications pipeline so you can follow up appropriately.
You know how to communicate with various types of leads and a little about automation from our last blog (How to Win Friends and Influence Leads) — now make sure to follow through! Try using an automated sequence or keep a tracking document with a schedule. Make sure prospective clients receive continuous and consistent emails!
Here is an example of a 3-email lead sequence:
- Email 1: Thank you — Reminder of First Visit
- Email 2: About the gym — Reminder of First Visit
- Email 3: What can we do to help — Reminder of First Visit
If you aren’t ready for Box Builder-caliber automations yet, make an Excel spreadsheet. Then, when a lead comes in, add them to the spreadsheet, send the first email, and keep referencing back to it each day. This is a great task for an employee! You should have just created your swipe file — set up the spreadsheet, make a quick procedure, and get it off your plate!
Action Items
- Build a 3-email lead sequence.
- Integrate automations or create a tracking document.
- Create a follow up procedure.
- Assign it to an employee.
Remember — you only have one chance at a first impression, so make it a great one. Then, continue to create opportunities for your prospective customers to connect. Start building a lasting client relationship before the first handshake, get busy knocking out these action items, and make a great first impression…EVERY time.
Hit us up in the comments to tell us about how you’re currently reaching out to leads! We love kicking ideas around!
