Brad Byrne

5 Step sales funnel to attract new customers

If you're a gym owner looking to attract new customers, a sales funnel combined with an effective SEO strategy can be an effective way to do so. A sales funnel is a process that guides potential customers through the stages of becoming paying customers. Here's a 5-step sales funnel for gym owners to use:

Step 1: Awareness

The first step in the sales funnel is to create awareness. You want potential customers to know that your gym exists, what services you offer, and why they should choose your gym over others. There are a variety of ways to create awareness, including:

Advertising: Consider placing ads in local newspapers, on social media, or on radio or television. You can dive into social media paid advertising also if you feel that is where your audience is. 

Networking: Attend community events and network with other local businesses to spread the word about your gym. This can work especially well if you or someone on your team is particularly good at speaking confidently and selling to people. 

Referral programs: Offer incentives to current members for referring new customers to your gym. This can be a great way to passively get people in the door. The better the relationship with your customers the more effective this strategy will be. 

Step 2: Interest

Once potential customers are aware of your gym, you want to generate their interest. You can do this by offering a free trial, providing engaging content, or creating social proof. For example:

Free trial: Offer a free trial to potential customers so they can experience your gym without committing to a membership. This can often be the biggest barrier for many gyms is getting people in the door initially.  

Engaging content: Create blog posts, videos, or social media posts that showcase your gym's facilities, trainers, and services. See our other blogs to find out more about this! 

Social proof: Share success stories and testimonials from current members to show potential customers that your gym is effective. Check out some of our success stories

Step 3: Consideration

At this stage in the journey, you want to help them consider your gym as a serious option. This is where you can provide more information about your gym and services, and answer any questions they may have. Here are some ways to help customers consider your gym:

Offer a tour: Invite potential customers to tour your gym and meet with a trainer or staff member. This can help kickstart that relationship and get people interested. 

Personalised messaging: Send personalised emails or messages to potential customers that address their individual needs and concerns. By using the platforms we suggested in our blog on social media planning you can accomplish this at mass. 

FAQ section: Create a FAQ section on your website that answers common questions potential customers may have. This can eliminate a large portion of the time you spend answering the same questions over and over. 

Step 4: Conversion

When potential customers are ready to become paying members, you want to make the conversion process as easy as possible. This can be done by simplifying the sign-up process, offering discounts or incentives, and providing a seamless payment system. Here are some tips to make the conversion process smooth:

Simplify sign-up: Make the sign-up process simple and easy to understand. Avoid complicated contracts or hidden fees. The less barriers in the way of signing up the more likely you will be to get costumes over the line.

Offer incentives: Offer discounts or incentives for new members, such as a free personal training session or discounted membership. You can do this as a once-off promotion or work it into every customer's journey. 

Easy payment system: Make it easy for members to pay for their membership, whether through an online system or in-person payment options. The more options you can provide your customers the better. 

Step 5: Loyalty

Once customers have become members, it's important to maintain their loyalty. This can be done by providing excellent customer service, offering exclusive benefits, and fostering a sense of community. Here are some tips for maintaining customer loyalty:

Excellent customer service: Make sure your staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and available to answer any questions or concerns. This can take the pressure off you by having a reliable group that you can trust. 

Exclusive benefits: Offer exclusive benefits to loyal members, such as discounted personal training sessions or access to exclusive events. You can also extend these benefits the longer each customer stays, this can help promote loyalty. 

Foster a sense of community: Create events or programs that encourage members to connect and form a community within your gym. By doing this you will be at the heart of your niche.

In conclusion, creating a sales funnel can help gym owners attract new customers and keep them coming back. By following these five steps, gym owners can effectively guide potential customers through the stages of becoming loyal members. This will ensure that you have a steady stream of new customers that you can maintain long into the future!