THE DEAL
By Fitness Australia
WITH
DISCOUNTS
I
t’s tempting to
offer special deals,
introductory offers and
bargains to entice new
clients to train with you.
However, there’s a fine
line between attracting
more clients and seriously
devaluing your services.
Here, we explain the
sensible way to approach
specials.
1
Don’t offer anything for free
A free trial or training session is
sure to hook in new prospective
clients, but it isn’t guaranteed to retain
them when the time comes for them to
start paying for your services. “It can be
useful to have a front end offer in place
so people can try out your services
before fully committing to a plan, but
at the same time it’s important that a
prospect has a bit of ‘skin in the game’,
even if it’s just offering the first PT session
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at a reduced rate, instead of for free,”
says Tom Hart, Asia-Pacific Manager at
NPE Coaching. “That creates a bit more
value and means you’ve got someone
willing to pay for your services, rather
than just wanting to pick up a freebie.”
2
How much to discount
Your competition might be offering
heavily discounted training packs
and memberships, but undercutting
them won’t serve you, if your goal is to
create a sustainable, profitable business.
“Offering three training sessions for $40
when you’d normally charge $60 for a
session just isn’t going to work, because
you need to ensure that the people
you’re bringing into your business can
afford your services at the full rate,”
advises Hart. As a general rule for
discounting, he suggests offering your
services at around 80% of what you’d
normally charge.
3
Prequalifying clients
To ensure you’re not just attracting
bargain-hunters who disappear
the moment a promo expires, prequalify
new clients first. “You need a few
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - WINTER 2018
hoops for new clients to jump through,
otherwise you end up offering free trials
to people that aren’t looking to commit
long-term,” says Hart. He advises having
an initial conversation with a new client,
where you prequalify them, based on
three things: the price of your services
and whether it’s in their budget; if they’re
the decision maker of the family (and
can therefore pay for training); and
finally, whether they’re really committed
to achieving their health and fitness
goals. “If it turns out that someone can’t
afford your full rate, ask them what their
budget is and refer them to a facility that
charges that, rather than reducing your
pricing to suit them,” says Hart.
Fitness Australia exists to empower the
industry to engage more Australians
in quality health & fitness services. Our
Vision is for more Australians to adopt a
healthy, active lifestyle supported by our
members. We’re the peak health and
fitness industry association providing a
range of support services and solutions
to over 25,000 Registered Personal
Trainers, Registered Fitness Instructors,
fitness businesses Australia-wide.
To access more resources, tools & tips to
improve your business, head to grow.
fitness.org.au or call 1300 211 311.
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