Sales funnel tips and tactics for your fitness studio

Running a gym or fitness studio can feel like an uphill slog sometimes, particularly when you’re trying to tackle the industry’s biggest weakness: member retention. 

Maintaining a healthy sales funnel makes that hill a little easier to climb. Why? It means you’ve always got a steady supply of prospects, leads, and would-be members on the cusp of signing up. (And we’re not talking about those spontaneous sign-ups that come to three sessions and are never seen again.)

Here, we’ll explore the different stages of the sales funnel, plus strategies for each stage. If you’re already across these concepts, you might prefer a deep-dive into how to convert gym leads into members or how to generate leads for gym memberships.

Stages of the fitness sales funnel

Before a member joins your gym, they’ve asked themselves a load of questions. Starting with things like, “Should I join a gym?”, “Is a gym membership worth the money?”, and “Will I use it enough to get bang for my buck?” 

Then, they move onto questions like, “What type of gym is right for me?”, “Which gym is the best value?”, “What gym has the best feel?”, and “What will I wear?”

All these questions (except, perhaps, the last one!) correspond to different stages of the sales funnel. And if you can zoom out and find ways to answer each question at the right time, you’ll do a lot better than a business that only has a single sales tactic.

Let’s break down the stages.

Stage 1 is all about awareness

At this stage, the prospective member is thinking about a life change. Perhaps they’re feeling sluggish or want to lose weight. Maybe they have a big holiday coming up and they want to get fit. Joining a gym or fitness studio is now on their radar, and they’re starting to look around. 

At this stage, your goal is to get noticed. It’s all about building brand recognition, so that your gym or studio makes it onto their list. For example, a local resident might see a sponsored Instagram ad showing a 30-Day Transformation challenge, or they might spot your studio’s sign while driving to work. They might search online for local gyms, or ask friends for recommendations. 

Read more on how to generate leads for gym memberships.

Stage 2 is where you build interest

By this stage, the prospect is weighing up whether your gym fits their lifestyle. They’re probably comparing you to the gym down the street or a home workout app.

With this in mind, now’s the time to show off your gym’s culture, classes, and overall offering. Make sure your website maintains a current class schedule, and your social media is full of community-minded posts that show off the ‘vibe’ of the space. Think of ways you can grab their details – for example, offering a 7-Day Clean Eating Guide in exchange for their email address.

Why? Your goal at this stage is to convince the prospect to share their contact information with you, so you can then move them into the next stage of the funnel. 

Read more on intro offers that bring in new members.

Stage 3 is called consideration

The consideration phase is where a prospect is seriously thinking about joining but might have friction points that stop them from signing on the dotted line. These barriers could be anything from the cost of membership, to fear of fitting in or time constraints.

At this stage, the prospect is really weighing up their options and comparing your offer to your competitors’. Your goal is to build trust and lower the barrier to entry – testimonials , FAQs, and follow-up calls from your sales team are a great place to start here. You could also offer a ‘trial membership’ to get them across the line. 

Read more on how to get online reviews for your gym.

Stage 4 is crunch-time

Getting a prospect to the ‘decision phase’ is a big win, but it’s not the end of the journey. You still need to put effort in here – the last thing you want is for a prospect to bail at this point because your pricing is unclear or a staff member is having a bad day.

Build a crystal clear pricing page on your website and make sure your promos or incentives to join are always up-to-date. Invest in training for your front desk staff to ensure that human conversations with nearly-members are always warm and welcoming. 

Read more on how to speak to members and close more deals.

Stage 5 is all about onboarding

Congrats! You’ve converted a prospect into a paying member. But your work doesn’t end here. In fact, the journey’s just beginning. And it starts with a seamless and welcoming onboarding experience.

Make it as easy as possible for new members to sign up, access class schedules, book their first class or session, and familiarise themselves with your equipment. To do this, you need to look at both your digital and IRL set-up – digital, so new members can easily explore all the classes and programs you have to offer; and in-person, so they can easily ask questions and get support as they get to know your space.

Stage 6 is ongoing

Churn is rife in the fitness industry. While people sign up with the best of intentions, many drop off along the way. 

It’s why your ‘sales’ job doesn’t end once a member is onboarded. Instead, you should always be monitoring member engagement and thinking of new ways to pique their interest. Fitness challenges are a great way to keep members engaged, while community events will help build loyalty and connection. Don’t forget the basics, either – like regular in-app communication, member check-ins, and celebrating milestones.

Read more about how to boost member retention in your gym.

Optimise your sales funnel with marketing automation

The thing about a sales funnel is this: all six stages are on-the-go, all at the same time. One person may just be entering stage 1, while another might be moving from stage 5 to 6. How can your team keep track of it all?

Two words: marketing automation. With the right tools in place, your team can easily track prospects as they move from one stage to the next. You can also set up automations and timely follow-ups to ensure that these prospects are getting the right messages depending on which stage of the funnel they’re at.

Marketing automation also makes it a whole lot easier to spot any leakages in your funnel – that is, stages where people are more likely to drop off. Armed with these insights, you can then optimise each stage and ensure prospects (and members) get the best experience.

Read more about how to make automation your gym’s advantage.

Ready to switch on your sales funnel strategy?

Now that you’re clear on what a fitness sales funnel looks like, you’re ready to shape your strategy. Like a custom gym program, it will be unique to your fitness studio. And, like the most successful athletes out there, it works best when supported by a great coaching (aka support) crew. That’s where Hapana steps in. Our systems keep your sales strategy on track – from those very first stages right through to ongoing retention. 

To see how impactful Hapana can be, book a demo.