Steps 6 & 7: Close the Sale and Handle Objections
Use this Studio/Gym Sales Script to Overcome Objections and Sign Up More Fitness Clients
Close the Sale
Duration: 5 Minutes
Goal: To gain a prospect’s commitment to their fitness journey.
Handle Objections (If Needed)
Duration: This step continues until they’re ready to commit to their goals or you both realize this isn’t a good fit.
Goals: To uncover the real motivation behind the prospect’s hesitation.
“We got focused and implemented the NPE AUTO-CLOSER® sales system and more than doubled our revenue in just 14 months”
Erika Surma & Brittany Clark
REV Pilates Gym
Step 6: Close the Sale
Ok, you’re nearly in the END ZONE!
To recap: You’ve just asked a trial close question to see if your prospect wants these great results, they’ve said yes, and you’ve displayed your pricing menu.
Now, it’s time for your closing statement.
We have a script for you to make this a clear-cut process that includes an alternate choice close.
Use this script directly after your trial close:
Great!
Then let me review the different program options we’ve got with you, John.
Now, based on your goal of wanting to lose 50 pounds, it will take about 12 months to do that.
We’ve got a couple of program options that would be suitable for you.
I recommend either the 6-month or 12-month program, coming to work out with me/us three times per week. The 12-month program offers a little extra value with the full commitment upfront.
Which would you prefer to go with? (Alternate Choice Close)
Great! Will you be putting this on your credit card or paying by check?
After you ask that question, don’t say anything.
Be calm, be confident, and give them time to process this information.
They’re either going to tell you they want choice one or two, or they’re going to voice a question or an objection.
If, at this point, they ask a question or have an objection, you likely haven’t created enough clarity throughout this process.
We’ll discuss how to handle objections in the next step.
Step 7: Handle Objections
When you’ve pulled out all the stops, followed your plan, and still get hit with an objection,
There’s a reason.
In this section, you’ll learn:
- The four most common objections to closing a fitness services sale and how to overcome them.
- Why you might be getting an objection.
- Which step in the sales process you missed, and where to refine your process.
We like to call the 7th step the bonus round.
Hopefully, you won’t need this step often, but If you missed something in the first six steps, you’ll find yourself here.
So let’s talk about objections.
What is an objection?
Often objections are much more about the prospect than about you.
There are a lot of layers going on behind what someone expresses to you verbally.
So when someone says no, you need to find out what they’re really saying.
Here are some typical objections behind that no:
- They don’t trust you.
- They don’t understand what their problem is.
- You haven’t given them enough confidence in your program or methods, so they’re not convinced it will work for them.
- They’re scared to spend the money if they’re not convinced they need you or your studio or gym will help them reach their goals.
Having an awareness here will help you to relate specific objections to the step you missed and allow you to figure out where to make adjustments.
Why do you get objections?
Getting an objection usually means you either skipped or poorly executed one of the six previous steps in the sales system.
Let’s take a look at some of the initial steps of the sales process to understand their importance and where there’s potential for improvement that will minimize sales objections.
Pre-qualification
More than half of the sale is made from the pre-qualification step.
If you’re doing this step the right way, the prospect will have confirmed three things:
- They can afford you.
- They’re in the right mindset to make a decision.
- They have the authority to make the buying decision.
If you haven’t clearly established all three, you’re opening yourself up to an objection right off the bat.
Building rapport
This step is crucial because it creates trust.
Don’t skip taking an extra few seconds after your introduction to put them at ease by:
- Shaking their hand and greeting them with a smile.
- Asking how they are and if they found the place ok.
- Finding some common ground.
If you’re terrible at small talk, prepare a cheat sheet with conversation starters that will work with anyone in any situation (and memorize it).
They are most likely more uncomfortable than you because they’re on your turf, and you’re the professional.
Put them at ease.
Setting the agenda
Any sliver of insecurity or doubt that sneaks into your sales process will weaken your close and leave you vulnerable to objections.
And even though setting the agenda might seem like no big deal – it actually is.
All of these parts fit together like a puzzle, so even missing just one small step leaves your sales process with a giant hole.
So, set your agenda with confidence and purpose. It sets the tone and puts you in control.
Discovery
The meat of the process is Discovery. You must be effective in finding your prospect’s pain by delving into those four areas:
- Motivation
- Obstacles
- Goals
- Gap
Your job here is to give your prospect clarity in each area and use the Summary and Stack process.
Typically, this is the step where you must revisit things that weren’t executed well enough to lead someone to buy.
You also could’ve delivered your presentation poorly.
Maybe it wasn’t set up well or didn’t look professional.
That’s a surefire way to diminish someone’s confidence in your value, process, or both.
Again, when you master the steps, you will get the results you want.
Let’s look at some other things that could cost you a client.
You talk too much.
When you ask questions, you’ve got to listen.
Especially to do a successful Summary and Stack!
If you’re doing all the talking, your prospect won’t have time to express themselves and find their pain points.
You lead the conversation – but let them talk.
You’re not assertive.
Maybe you’re not confident throughout the consultation process.
You may not be firm or direct when making your professional recommendation, so they don’t feel confident that you know what you’re doing.
It’s ok. Keep conducting these sales conversations, and we promise your confidence will absolutely improve.
You don’t ask for the sale.
You have to directly ask your prospect to buy.
Offering two great options and asking the prospect to choose which one they prefer is the key to the Alternate Choice Close.
Finally, the only objection that you won’t overcome is if they can’t afford it.
Which you should’ve ruled out in pre-qualification.
It’s true that sometimes people aren’t completely honest in the pre-qual, but that’s uncommon – if you do this well.
In fact:
- 80–95% of your results will come from mastering the first six steps of the process.
So, keep your focus there and PRACTICE.
Objection handling process
We have a five-step process for objection handling.
- Listen: Don’t interrupt or think about what you want to say next. Be present in the moment.
- Question the objection: Ask an open-ended question to justify their position with an idea, opinion, or thought. (Verbal processing often leads to a commitment.)
- Answer the objection.
- Confirm the answer: Ask if that makes sense and get an agreement.
- Ask for the sale again.
Follow this process consistently!
If you master this skill, you’ll be able to lead any sales conversation effectively – even one that has gotten off track.
The 4 most common objections
During this process, remember that your goal is to INSPIRE a prospective client to achieve their goal.
So, a WIN is when they understand their needs, have clarity over their motivation, obstacles, goals, and gap, and make the right commitment in line with where they want to be.
Let’s look at four of the most common objections and how to manage them.
Objection #1 – Too expensive
People find the money for things that are important to them.
So, when they say it’s too expensive, they’re really saying their pain/problem or goal isn’t big enough to justify the investment.
(The pain of staying where they are, has to be greater than the pain of making a change.)
They may tell you they don’t have the money or are shopping around.
That’s not the type of client you want to work with.
So let them go.
You want premium clients that will be a joy to work with!
If you eliminate those two things during pre-qual, you won’t have to deal with those objections this far into the sales process.
So how do you handle this objection?
First, you may need to do a little more probing to flush out the specific objection around pricing.
Your prospect may simply need to know there’s a payment plan available if they’re worried about financing.
Or, they may not trust themselves to make a commitment and stick to it for a more extended period.
In either of those cases, you’ll need to justify the value.
But that doesn’t mean going back over pricing.
The way to address this – is to re-address their motivator and pain.
Give more clarity on what brought them here by returning to the discovery conversation and their commitment to addressing that pain.
Maybe you didn’t give them a guarantee statement that eliminates the feeling that this is a risky move (risk reversal).
Give them one now.
If you did, remind them of your guarantee and that with it, they risk nothing because when they make a commitment and you make a commitment,
Goals get crushed.
If they continue to say it’s too expensive, ask them the question,
Compared to what?
Again, this is an open-ended question where they must formulate an idea, opinion, or thought to answer it.
They’ll often talk themselves out of their apprehension when they talk through their thoughts.
But, if that doesn’t happen, go back to your Summary and Stack and have this conversation:
You told me taking this step was really important to you right now because of XYZ, and to you, success looks like XYZ, and we agreed that X is the length of time to get to that goal.
Does that make sense?
Is that still what you want to accomplish?
Then what would need to be true to be able to make this type of commitment to your goals and ensure the best support needed for your success?
By asking this line of questioning, you’re not reiterating your price or value. (For example: Just do it. I’m worth the money!)
If that works, you could’ve done that in step one and called it a day.
You’re bringing them back to that conversation where they acknowledged:
- Their pain and what brought them to you. (motivation/obstacles)
- What they need to do to be successful. (goal)
- Your program and coaching are the way to get there; without you, it’s just not going to happen. (gap)
The reason this path works:
Rather than let an emotional reaction unravel the entire process –
– You’re asking them to think through possibilities and other solutions for the purpose of guiding them gently – yet firmly– back to the right mindset.
Keep them focused on what they told you they WANT.
Objection #2 – Think it over
When someone says they need to think it over, their Spidey-Senses have been activated.
They don’t trust you.
There’s something off. They may not like you and aren’t feeling a good connection – perhaps from the start.
This is ok. Not everyone will like you.
Or, perhaps, they feel you don’t have the authority and credibility to serve them.
Maybe they’re just being polite and non-committal because they don’t want to be honest or confrontational about something that’s uncomfortable for them, like the price.
They might still have questions that were never clarified.
When we don’t execute the steps effectively – you’re on the fast track to the bonus round.
Objections highlight the areas where you have to get better at execution. (And that’s actually good news, which we’ll explain in more detail shortly.)
For instance, you should’ve built rapport in the first few seconds of meeting your prospect.
This is how to build trust very early on.
They simply WILL NOT buy from you without it.
So when you’re here, go back and make the necessary adjustments to master these steps for ultimate effectiveness.
The good news:
I need to think it over, is not really an objection.
It’s a stall.
And, until you know what the actual objection is – you can’t address it.
So how do you handle this objection?
You have to get to the root cause of the fear that’s keeping them from taking action by asking some good questions:
What is it that you feel like you need to think about?
Can you help me understand a little bit more there?
Asking them these questions forces your prospect to clarify and vocalize that idea, opinion, or thought.
They might overcome it themselves during that process.
But if they don’t, you can address what area of your communication may need to be realigned to encourage your prospect to take the next step.
Objection #3 – Talk to wife/husband
If you remember back to Step 1: Pre-qualify the Prospect, you must clarify three things with your prospect before the consult:
- They can afford you.
- They’re in the right mindset to make a decision.
- They have the authority to make the buying decision.
Yes, a fitness program can be a big-ticket investment (especially if you’re on the higher end), and maybe your prospect didn’t understand that as deeply as they needed to.
In that case, sometimes you have someone that feels like they need to discuss it with their spouse before committing.
Even though you want to eliminate these people in the beginning, there are still ways you can address this objection.
Again, you want to ask clarifying questions.
To better understand the context of that specific objection, ask:
What do you think your spouse would say about making this commitment?
Does your spouse understand your goals and what you may need to accomplish them?
Something to note:
It’s tough for a prospective client to sell your program to a spouse.
They don’t know how to walk their spouse through this process of explaining their needs, the value you offer, or how your program works.
Typical Conversation Example:
Wife: Honey, I saw a fitness coach today and think it would be really great for me.
Husband: How much is it?
Wife: XYZ every month for a year.
Husband: That’s ridiculous.
And it’s over…
That may be extreme, but it’s typically a dead end.
Best case scenario:
Schedule a time for your prospect to bring their spouse back with them, and invite them on a tour.
You can also invite them at that time to leave a deposit to hold a spot if that’s appropriate.
However, if this feels too high pressure, or if it’s not the right fit to create that type of urgency – you should avoid doing that.
Keep in mind,
Your goal isn’t solely for your prospect to invest in their health journey.
Ultimately, you want to help connect them with the best support structure needed to be successful on that journey.
Once again, determining if your prospect is the decision-maker should be handled during pre-qualification so you can ultimately avoid this scenario altogether.
Objection #4 – Try it out
One last common objection is requesting a short trial period before making a commitment.
This hesitation typically stems from a lack of clarity around their true needs and the solution that will work for them.
Or, there is fear and skepticism around themselves or you.
Regardless, in addition to asking clarifying questions, you need to:
- Rebuild the problem.
- Invite and challenge them to commit to their journey.
- Tie in the value of the larger package with financial savings.
- Remind them of the client guarantee.
Also, remind them of the goal they had earlier, and the time you agreed would get them there.
Then ask:
Is that still a goal you want to achieve?
What concerns do you have?
Is your concern about committing to your journey?
Continue to ask questions to pinpoint the real objection.
A few key points:
- Don’t feel defeated by objections. We have a saying: The selling starts at no. In other words, objections are simply opportunities for powerful conversations.
- Don’t undervalue your role. Use this time to inspire your prospect (who’s at their most vulnerable) to take action.
- Commit to practicing this process and role-play post-objection conversations.
- Cut your losses when necessary. If you feel things begin to go south, and realize it’s not a good fit, let them know you don’t want to waste their time and invite them to leave. You don’t have to present to everyone.
In conclusion,
The better you get at the six steps, the more likely you’ll never have to visit the 7th step.
We can’t recommend it enough to:
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
And good luck with your process!
Want to learn more about how to train your team to drive more new sales, clients, and revenue? Book a complimentary Game Plan session with our team.
We are here for you during this journey.
Good luck and happy selling!
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