Urgency vs Pressure

There is a difference. And it matters. Significantly.

In the fitness world, over 30% of monthly new membership sales are completed within the last 3 days of the month. In my experience, over 70% of those leads had experienced the facility earlier in the month. Why are your sales teams waiting until the end of the month? Aside from a lower up front cost and the monthly promotion ending, it is most likely from not building urgency from the problem that needs to be solved.

The purpose of this short article is:

1. Draw a distinction between urgency and pressure.
2. Provide examples of urgency driving questions.
3. Shorten your sales cycle.
4. An exercise with your team.

Simply put...

Pressure

Pressure is external and results in a conflict of values within your potential new member. This arises from not understanding the urgency for their initial inquiry and providing a solution to their needs. Without this, your team is forced to lean on price and promotion which doesn't fully address the problem at hand. You are making an unearned call-to-action that they are not comfortable with. Nobody likes that...

Urgency

Urgency is internal and grows from a fear of loss. It's your responsibility to ask the right questions that build on top of the urgency that made them pick up the phone or walk into your club. There is momentum here. Use it. Talk less, listen more...

What do they fear losing? How their partner perceives them? A job opportunity due to a lack of energy throughout the day? The ability to hike due to an unresolved knee issue?

6 Effective Questions

Here are questions (insert the relevant "trigger" as necessary) you can imbed into your sales process:

1.What was the one thing you saw or heard that created the urgency for you to pick up the phone/inquire online/invest your time to visit the club today?

There is a series of events that lead up to every inquiry. That one final trigger moment is very telling and can be revisited in future follow-ups. Asking this question will reveal why they needed to take action now, not tomorrow.

e.g. One member explained that he was struggling to bend down to pick up his 3 year old at the weekend. He tweaked his back and made a decision to make a change.

2.What are you going to do when … you lose complete mobility of your shoulder?

This draws attention to the fact that the problem will continue to manifest itself across time unless an action is taken. This question assumes that they are going to take action at some point. That being said, is it going to be proactive or reactive?

What action is your lead going to take once it gets out-of-control? What does "out-of-control" mean to your lead? Why do they feel the need to prevent this from happening? What is the time and money associated with the worst case scenario?

e.g. A surgery for a rotator cuff tear costs an average of $26,000 and still requires rehabilitation, coaching and negatively impacts the quality of life experiences.

3.What changes if you don't take action today?

This question allows your lead to wrestle with the understanding that nothing positively changes without action. Typically, the problem grows larger, affects the quality of their life and will cost much more in 30, 90, 365 days from now.

4. How much longer are you going to accept... feeling lethargic and unhappy with your weight?

They don't want to. This question assumes that the situation is something they can control, they are not a victim and the solution is right in front of them. Taking action instills a sense of responsibility and alleviates external pressure.

5. What happens if...you continue with the same workout routine/path for the next 30 days?

Only the same results that created the urgency for them to sit in front of you today. What can your lead achieve over the next 24 - 48 hours by taking action now? Paint the picture of their first 30 days and get them excited about the future. What is the one problem that can be solved or alleviated within the first 24 hours of them joining?

e.g. A recent member ost immediate problem was handling the consistent pain in his knee. We provided an immediate plan of action to identify the problem. A movement screen, trigger point therapy and other expertise was leveraged. This raised his level of certainty and provided a clearer path which built excitement and relief. Mentorship, a plan and willingness of the client are the keys to success.

6. As you only have one body and mind, imagine... if you were responsible for looking after yourself, as if you cared, what decision would be made today?

This focuses on their mortality while putting your lead in an interesting thought experiment. Treating yourself like someone you are responsible for helping. This level of objectivity influences them to take action based on integrity while recognizing how finite their body is. Scarcity creates action.

Asking these questions will reveal why it is in their best interest to take action now.

The Exercise

Carefully look at the notes on all of your new unclosed leads from yesterday. Was pressure or urgency applied?

1. Ask your team on what they feel the difference is.
2. What questions will create urgency and cause action TODAY? Share a couple of these as an example.
3. Review yesterdays "met-with" leads and ask your sales team, Why does X need to take action TODAY? This should reveal a lot about the level of their "fact finding" and offer a fresh perspective on how to re-engage them in a meaningful way.
4. Hit the phones and target those new leads over the last 24 - 72 hours. Gather the team afterwards and share results.

P.S.

Not every lead will close on day 0. However, it is our responsibility to uncover the motivating reasons for their inquiry. This will allow your teams to follow-up with meaningful content that will create more urgency over time and shorten your sales cycle.