Storytelling to Improve Sales Technique for Boutique Gyms & Studios

Storytelling to Improve Sales Technique for Boutique Gyms & Studios

Setting the Stage 

Typically, when we think about storytelling in marketing, we think about how we can use it to create an emotion-evoking commercial. However, storytelling can be a strategic tool for sales teams to connect with potential customers and build meaningful connections that result in long-term relationships. Unfortunately, while many sales teams may attempt to use this storytelling as a strategy, it’s often unsuccessful because the stories don’t connect well to the audience.  This article will explore how you can use storytelling as an effective sales technique to get more customers through your boutique gym or studio doors. 

Why is storytelling effective?

Before we dive into tips on how to improve your sales pitches with storytelling, let’s first explore why storytelling is so effective. Storytelling is an effective marketing tool because it allows you to create a deeper connection with your audience. storytelling drives deeper connections between you and your audience because it offers the opportunity for a viewer or listener to see their place in your story. When your audience can see their place in your story, they better understand how your product or service can serve them. 

3 Methods Boutique Gyms & Studios Can Use Storytelling to 

Improve their Sales Pitch

Now that we understand storytelling better and why it’s effective, let’s dive into how you can use it to improve your sales pitches at your gym or studio. From my experience working in a sales position at a boutique fitness studio, I saw firsthand how difficult it is to get a lead on the phone and keep the conversation going. Keeping the conversation going was difficult because it was challenging to establish a connection. But we can attempt to resolve that by providing our sales teams with the following tips: 

(1) Avoid generic and gimmicky pitches: 

Often I’ll hear gyms and trainers trying to sell potential clients what they want to hear, like losing weight and looking good. Don’t get me wrong; these things are great and huge motivating factors for potential gym clients. 

 Many gym-goers are looking to change their lives in some capacity, but many lose motivation quickly. To put it into perspective, 

the average health club has an annual attrition rate of 28.6% . So we should stop trying to sell the short-term results and hone in on creating a lifetime relationship with our clients. And that starts with avoiding selling any story about short-term results. 

(2) Lose the salesperson hat:

So instead of selling gimmicks about fast results, let’s use overarching stories to start the conversation with leads. For example, if you have a lead on the phone, try to start with a story that gets them to open up. For example, introduce yourself and tell your why of how you got involved in the club. The goal here is for them to see you as just another person or gym-goer, not a salesperson. This story can naturally lead you to the question: what brings you to this gym? 

(3) Use client stories to connect:

Once you understand why the person is interested in your gym, leverage that knowledge. Pull from the stories of the existing members at your gym and use those stories to connect to lead. For example, say you’re on the phone with someone telling you that they want to start working out because they are rehabilitating from a recent shoulder replacement surgery. Share a related story about a client who worked with one of your trainers after extensive surgery, and share the success. The idea is to make leads see their place in our story and the stories we are creating here at our gym. 

Takeaway: 

Storytelling is an influential tool that you should employ as a staple part of your sales pitches so that you can connect better with your prospects. Stories give you the power to connect to potential clients on a deeper level. Furthermore, stories allow your prospects to visualize their place in your story and will enable you to form a more meaningful connection with them. With more profound and more meaningful connections established between you and prospective clients, persuading them to join will be a lot more effective.