Originally Posted by
thegodfather
What gym will you be at? If it's LA Fitness, your job will be to essentially harass members, and try to point out anything that they do wrong, on any exercise, and show them the 'proper' way to do it, and then try to sign them up for personal training sessions.
I have been in sales since I was 17 years old (currently 24)...Although it's not my full time job/career, I am still involved in sales in the healthcare industry. Anyway, if you are working for LA Fitness, you will be using what's commonly known as the "Roller Coaster" method of sales. That is, you beat the prospect down, make them realise how pathetic, dismal, and terrible their lives are presently without your product (in this case, YOU), and then once you have them on the downward slope, you bring them back up (using words of encouragement, and painting a verbal 'picture' of how good their lives can be if they purchase your product, again in this case, YOU). So essentially, you show them what they are doing wrong, explain how much time they will waste in the gym if they continue to do the exercises wrong, possibly scare them by telling them they can get hurt, and really bring their self esteem down by telling them how they'll never be able to achieve the results they are hoping for. At this point, the prospects self esteem is in the gutter, and then you begin to talk about how successful they can be if they sign up for some personal training sessions with you, how quick you will be able to get them the results they desire (you lie, in most cases, stating unrealistic timelines and goals), and then possibly point to some previous clients who have been very successful under your training. This sales tactic is in my opinion, highly unethical, and it's not something that I participate in anymore, but it is a tactic I employed quite frequently when selling durable medical equipment, direct to consumer. I was 17,18,19 at the time, and did not realize how unethical the practice was at the time, but it really is a very nasty psychological sales tactic to use. If you do not care about hurting peoples feelings, and only want to make money, you can do this, but you often times ruin your chance for repeat business.
You will be much better off in the long run, by being extremely outgoing. Often times selling your product is not as important as selling yourself. When I have interviewed prospective sales associates, I will ask them, "Would you rather sell the best product, or have the best relationship with your client?" Well, the right answer to that question is that you would rather have the best relationship with that client. The reason is, if the client likes YOU, they will buy from you, even if you have a substandard product or a product more expensive then the other guy. This is proven, and its pretty much universal across most sales fields. Now, if there is a huge disparity, this will not work, but of course most times you are not trying to sell a product which is substantially inferior to your competitors, because if such a state existed, the company with the vastly superior product would not need sales people in the first place. So the key, is getting people to like you, not coming off arrogant or boisterous. Be humble, be personable, and when you speak to prospective clients, be encouraging, use charm and tact. You will figure all this shit out through trial and error, or, you will just not succeed in the business. Some of the most successful trainers at franchise gyms are guys who are not in shape AT ALL.
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