Who doesn’t dream of waking up to a load of messages waiting for them in their inbox from people who really want your services and you have to tell them that you're so busy that they have to be put on a 3 month waiting list because you're just that guy now.
Unfortunately, the thing is, that day won’t come unless you make it happen!
We are going to be completely transparent with you in this blog, if you have qualified as a PT, you automatically become the CEO of your business, whether you like it or not.
Guess what?! Every business stays in business by selling products. It's that simple. Which means you are now into sales too and 50% of your job, as a coach or trainer, is selling.
At the moment you're doing it all wrong, if you're waiting for people to come to you, coming across desperate, feeling too "salesy" or don’t want to pressure people into buying your product.
What this comes down to is how you personally perceive sales. Maybe you’ve been pressured by a salesperson in the past and you feel like that's how you are coming across, or maybe you’ve felt resistance from a past client that led to a bad experience. Perhaps one of your clients has had some objections, and when you've tried to overcome them, you lost sight of the value aspect and focused more on getting a “Yes” from the client or you just keep getting rejected, which has caused frustration.
Effective sales is about adding value, not what you value, but what represents value in their eyes. As a PT, your goal is to help as many people as possible. You’re not trying to sell them a service or a product, you’re trying to help them get out of pain or solve their problem or you’re helping them visualise the end result, through what you offer.
This is why the first step of any sales process is finding out what people want and need, as they’re the ones that hold the answers.
Question is are you doing your research beforehand?
Do you understand your clients problem and are you approaching it the right way the first time, through the value you are putting out there with your videos, free sessions, blogs, posts, and other content that can help you build rapport with your target audience? When people get to know you through your content, and when the content is helpful, well-presented and full of value they can use, they’ll also start to trust you.
So, when you walk into a consultation, your potential clients should already know you, already see what you can do for them and have all the information they need to make an informed decision. Meaning no hard selling is required and you won’t have to be pushy.
And guess what?
Asking for money upfront from clients or increasing your prices becomes easy because you know you’re not in the game for yourself and you’re in it for them and they can see that.
Unfortunately, so many PT’s neglect the marketing aspect and focus solely on the sales part (no wonder you think selling is hard). Neglecting who you are means you have to be more "salesy" to get your point across when facing your potential clients. If your marketing isn’t building trust and credibility with your audience, these elements will be lacking when you go to present what it is you can do for them, and without those elements, it’s hard not to sound desperate and "salesy."
When you approach selling your service with this type of mindset of doing right for your client, any pressure you or they might have felt, disappears.
It will also result in more clients, specifically more clients who value what you do and will stick to the plan you set for them, reducing the amount of “selling” you need to do to get a “Yes” decision.
If you’re not feeling confident in this area, we will be producing a lot of content on our social media over the coming weeks and months to help you improve your marketing so you can learn and grow. So, make sure you are following us!
Therapy Fit