Hey!

I’ve been getting a TON of killer questions lately about how to boost sales and profitability…

So I wanted to share a few of them for you here in this quick Q&A.

Q: “How can I make $5K-10K fast?”
 
Answer:
Not everything might apply for you… but here’s what works for a lot of service businesses, coaches, and gyms:
 
1. Ask 3 people for referrals every day

2. Run a “Paid-In-Full” special on 3 months of your service (promoted to your email list, IG stories)

3. Offer a Premium package => Looking for 2 clients that want weekly 1-on-1 phone coaching from me plus customized diet and nutrition ... 3 month paid in full is $1997, or month to month is $997 per month

4. 1-time phone coaching consult => one hour at $250
 
These prices are just examples, obviously you will have to determine what numbers are appropriate.
 
Now go out and SELL something.
 
And let me know how it works!

Q: “Craig, I have a membership program and people drop out after a few months. How can I increase my retention rate?”
 
Answer:
This is a VERY common question. Data shows that 3-5 months is about the average people stay in recurring programs.
 
Instead of focusing on the “Stuff” we give them, let’s focus on the “feeling” we give them.
 
Does being in the membership spark “joy” or “responsibility” or “ugh, more stuff”?
 
What feelings of results/progress etc. do they get from being a member?
 
Also, what programs are you a member of? Consider how they make you feel and why.
 
ALSO...
 
Interview all members via an anonymous Survey Monkey survey...
 
What do they value? How do they feel? Etc.
 
ALSO ALSO...
 
Consider offering:
 
a) 1-Year Paid in Full for the price of 6 months
 
b) Lifetime paid in full for the price of 12 months
 
This gets you more “cash in hand upfront” than you would likely get month-to-month.
 
Q: Craig, can you help us turn our personal trainers into better sales people? What courses or books should we give them?
 
Answer:
You are looking at the problem the wrong way.
 
What were these people hired for? They were hired as personal trainers. And now you're disappointed they aren't amazing salespeople. Do you see how that is illogical?
 
Would you hire salespeople and be upset they aren't great trainers? No, of course not. But for some reason every gym owner thinks they can turn a trainer into a salesperson.
 
The solution: Hire salespeople. Then you won't have this problem. Because no training is going to fix the foundational issue that you are asking people to do something they: 
 
a) Don't want to do
b) Were not hired to do
 
There's no point in trying to cram a square peg into a round hole...

Just go get a round peg.

But if someone really is simply in need of great sales information… check out these books:

1. Influence — Dr. Robert Cialdini

2. Never Split the Difference — Chris Voss (technically on negotiation, but highly applicable to almost all aspects of sales)

3. The Ultimate Sales Machine — Chet Holmes

4. Spin Selling — Neil Rackham

5. Pre-Suasion — Dr. Robert Cialdini 
 
Q: “Craig, is it normal that when I teach my sales guy to do the sales the first week is going to be a little bit less profitable as he is learning?” 
 
Answer:
Yes, it’s totally normal...
 
We do a TON of role playing at the start with a new salesperson. 
 
For example, here's what we would do when I was training new sales in my business...
 
1. New rep would have a sales call.

2. He'd make notes about it... describing the situation, what went well, what didn't...

3. On Saturday mornings we would do role plays... sometimes with him doing the sale, sometimes me... and we would pretend to be the prospects in those tough situations

4. Then we'd look ahead to the week and calls coming up, and we'd practice those... trying to predict the prospect's objections
 
(That’s all in addition to him going through my good friend Zander’s sales training… and having lots of coaching with me at the start.)
 
***
 
That’s it for today.
 
These simple shifts have already funneled serious profits into dozens of clients' businesses and they can do the same for you.
 
Make sure to give them a try!
 
And please keep the killer questions coming.
 
I can’t always answer all of them… but I will always do my best to answer the ones I think can help the most people.
 
Success Loves Speed,
 
Craig