You have a fitness lead, now what? Avoid these 5 mistakes.

Posted on 05-11-2023

The best lead follow-up tips from leads and member acquisition for gyms, fitness clubs, and PT studios. Based on fitness marketing experience since 2004.

OK, you have a lead. Or even more. Nice. Now what? How do you make sure you get the best results from each lead? Not by making these mistakes.

5 Most common mistakes

And yes, of course, let's clearly outline the top 5 most common mistakes when following up fitness leads:

Mistake 1: Responding to leads too slowly 

A quick response is crucial when following up on fitness leads. Waiting too long can quickly lead to potential customers losing interest. As an expert in experience, I would respond immediately within 2 minutes to maintain their enthusiasm and increase the chances of conversion. This can be via phone, email, or even a chat function on the website.

The best experience? Calling! Call them on the phone. And not just once, no, maybe 12 times in 3 days.

Mistake 2: Using a generic approach

Every lead is unique and has different goals and needs. It is a mistake to send standard messages to all leads. Especially via email, SMS, or WhatsApp. Take the time to understand each lead and use a personalized approach. This means listening to their needs, asking questions, and demonstrating that we are genuinely interested in their fitness journey. And: don't do that on the phone, where the goal is just to make the appointment. Do that in your club, or studio, in person.

Mistake 3: Not providing sufficient follow-up

Some leads may not be immediately interested, but that doesn't mean they never will be. It is a mistake to discard these leads or label them as 'bad'. Provide a structured follow-up system. Keep in regular contact, send updates on offers and events, and motivate them to reach their goals, even if this is in the future. We call this often forgotten target group former leads. There are super nice 'hidden profits' in there if you do it right.

Mistake 4: Lack of education and information

By no means do all leads have extensive knowledge about fitness and health. It's a mistake to assume they already know everything. As a club owner, I would share valuable educational content. This could include articles on training programs, nutrition, motivation, and health benefits. By providing information, you help leads make more informed decisions about their fitness journey. After all, the customer journey starts years before they join. That's where you have the role of marketing to play.

Mistake 5: Not asking the right questions 

Not asking relevant questions to understand the lead's specific needs and obstacles is a common mistake. Really, I would opt for actively asking questions to get a better understanding of their motivation, goals, any obstacles, and their previous fitness experience. This information helps in offering an appropriate program choice and shows our genuine interest in their well-being. Deepen your understanding by explicitly asking questions in your intake/sales meeting.

Bonus tip: Build trust and show empathy

An essential component of successfully following up with fitness leads is building trust and showing empathy. So that they feel comfortable choosing our fitness club. This can be achieved through open and honest communication, keeping promises, and listening to the leads' concerns. Note: Again, short and forceful on the phone, space for real depth is made in the club.

Empathy or Scary?

Empathy is an important aspect of customer centricity. To understand the emotions and needs of leads and show that we are obetained. And you name it, those emotions, they are there! Many people simply find a gym scary! It can be as simple as expressing understanding of their challenges and offering support in overcoming obstacles.

In short, a personal, proactive, and educational approach combined with building trust and empathy is the key to success when following up with fitness leads. 

Your lifeline clogs up

At least, if you are quick. Within 2 minutes. Don't let your leads go cold. And don't give up, keep calling until you have everyone on the line. After all, it is the lifeline, the aorta of your business. Don't let it clog up because you don't call quickly and often enough yourself.

Avoiding the aforementioned mistakes and implementing these strategies will significantly improve conversion from leads to paying members for the fitness club.

Your lifeline open again?

Start generating more leads now and follow up with them correctly. To do so, fill in your details and click 'send':

 

 

Author: Aernout Leezenberg

The author is the founder and CEO of Hidden Profits Marketing, which has been helping entrepreneurs and managers in the fitness industry achieve healthy profits since 2004.

Relevant articles and pages

Share this item:

All Fitness Sales

  • "Hidden Profits Marketing is the only company that delivered true lead to revenues"

    Benjamin Peker, Retro Fitness Brooklyn, New York

  • "December is usually a tough month but this time the member registrations just continue."

    Sanne Rooijmans, Crossfit 075 (the Netherlands)

  • "With the opening of Fitness35 in Galway, Hidden Profits Marketing generated way more leads than I've ever expected!"

    Joe Cosgrove, Fitness 35 in Galway (Ireland)

  • "For both my 30 EasyFit Premium clubs as well as most of our Milon Fitness Circuit clubs, this program delivers good numbers!"

    Raf Swerts, EasyFit Premium Clubs (chain Belgium)

  • "Month after month, a consistent number of leads!"

    Jason Westlake, Oxygen Yoga & Fitness in Chilliwack (Canada)

  • "In just 1.5 year time, my boutique fitness club is completely fully booked! Thank you Hidden Profits Marketing!"

    Erwin Korst, SX Sportsclub in Eindhoven (the Netherlands)

  • "My 2 Health clubs in London and in Horsham are generating more leads and clients then ever before! "

    Stuart Davis, My35 in Horsham & Life3 in London

  • "A true sustainable stream of leads, guaranteeing our month over month growth! All with your great care!"

    Klaus Heusel, Palestra Fitness in Eberbach (Germany)

  • "Amazing results! These guys just know how to generate hundreds and hundreds of leads on Facebook, Instagram, Google etc."

    Jesse-Bo Leenders, OosterGym in Amsterdam (the Netherlands)

  • "Stop the campaigns please! We are completely full!"

    Gert Bongers, GetFit35 Doetinchem (the Netherlands)

  • "We found an optimal process of generating and converting the leads "

    Daniel Buth, LifeCity Chain of Fitness Clubs (The Netherlands)

  • "I can be very clear: you guys at Hidden Profits Marketing can do with my studios marketing whatever you feel is right."

    Martin Kupfer, Fitnessstudio Zorneding in Zorneding (Germany)

  • "Both our sales appointment calendar and our studio are way fuller now!"

    Sebastian Ladner, Exercito Fitness Club, Wilhelmshaven (Germany)

  • "Within 21 days, we signed up 36 new long-term members for our Personal Training & Small Group Studio. All classes are ..."

    Roy Liefting, Liefting Fit Personal Training & Small Group (The Neth

  • "The best solution for club owners and managers, that do not have all this digital marketing knowledge and ..."

    Martijn van der Pijl, Slim Bezig Milon Micro Studio (The Netherlands

  • "We have been growing now for 55 months in a row! "

    Romano Morais, Healthy Fit Gym (The Netherlands)

  • "I tried some other marketing agencies, but returned here as a client. The number and the quality of the leads are great, so .."

    Frank Reijn, Aerofit in The Hague - Wassenaar (the Netherlands)

  • "Members-stop! A full studio within 9 months, partly thanks to Hidden Profits."

    Iris van Westering Stokkink, BodyTec Veenendaal (the Netherlands)
  • This is the biggest expense for gyms and health clubs

    This is the biggest expense for gyms and health clubs

    This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hidden Profts Marketing. That's why the articles in Body Life Magazine in 2024 will focus on ...

    Read more
  • Fitness trend: private gyms without staff

    Fitness trend: private gyms without staff

    Every year, new lists of fitness trends appear. There, every year you then see a small shift from, PT to functional training, from yoga t...

    Read more
Archive

To help you find the right information as good as we can, we use cookies on our website. This helps us (sometimes in cooperation with third parties) to monitor your internet behavior in order to increase the quality of your experience on our website. If you continue, we assume that you agree with this. View the cookie policy.