Are your personal trainers producing extra revenues for your club? Or are they weighing heavy on your payroll expense line? In the worst cases you feel that your trainers are acting as tour guides for your club and social directors for your members, or worse yet, for themselves. In the next best case your trainers are helping members use the equipment effectively and are motivational “friends” to members. And in the best of all worlds your trainers are doing all of that, plus they are developing food plans along with challenging workout regimens for members. Well, with just a little help from you they can be selling products to your members as well that will not only increase your profits and their incomes but will keep your members coming back for more every month.
The nutritional supplements that you are selling in your store (you do have a store, or at least a counter where you sell products, right) will be flying off the shelves when they are supported, recommended and endorsed by your personal trainers. Your trainers are the experts that your members trust and look to for their fitness needs. When your members are low on energy, are injured or sick or have some sort of health problem, it is your trainer that they are going to tell. So where you previously thought your trainers were getting to personal with members you can now help them recognize an opportunity to further help those members and at the same time help themselves and the club.
I am going to talk to you about 3 fundamental and very hot, cornerstones to the supplement market. These are all very easy to recommend, because they are proven effective, safe and prevalent. I am also going to tell you how to differentiate the supplements that you sell from the ones available everywhere, so your members will come back month after month to buy them from you… and thank you for it while they are there. I am not going to talk about protein supplements today, I’m sure you know about those very well and I will go into them in another article later. Today, I want to tell you about the 3 hottest nutritional supplement categories going. They are, the multi-vitamin as a foundation for energy and health, followed by glucosasmine & chondroitin for healthy joints and cartilage, and fish oil for healthy heart, brain and reproductive health.
Regarding the foundation of all supplements, the multi-vitamin, perhaps you are thinking, ho-hum how boring and un-sexy. But you would be amazed at the difference in energy levels, immune function and mental health that can be achieved with a great multi-vitamin. First of all, most Americans (77% see chart) are not eating properly, either because they are too busy, on a diet- thus restricting food intake, or they just don’t like those fruits and vegetables that they know they should be eating... that your trainers are telling them they need to eat. Top NCAA and Olympic athletes prove out the effectiveness of this one supplement regimen every day in their training programs. And believe me they don’t take that stuff you buy in the grocery store. They take high quality, pharmaceutical grade liquid vitamins.
Now it is interesting for you that liquids are far superior to pills, because they are not widely sold in stores. The pills sold in grocery stores and vitamin stores are hard to swallow and only provide about 20% absorption into the system. Whereas, liquids get absorbed into the bloodstream immediately and up to 98%, providing a much longer acting, more effective product regardless of the category. So you can offer your members, through your trainer’s recommendations a vastly superior product that is going to improve their energy and their results in their training program and have them coming back to you every month for more.
So introduce your trainers to the benefits of supplementation and give them the best products to sell that your customers can’t find on every grocery shelf. Give them the incentive they need and help them to offer your members the most complete program in town. Your retail profits will grow and your customer loyalty will too
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Increase sales – through line extension and sampling
Is your in-gym store producing the results that you want? Are you getting the activity from the supplements that you sell, that you expect or need for the space they are taking up? Are your members aware of all of the products you have available for them and the benefits they offer? If not, read on for some proven ideas for increasing sales and profits, while bringing more health benefits to your members. For those facilities that are not selling any supplements in their retail stores, please see my articles in January or February on getting started.
Many of you are selling a line of supplements made specifically for your gym or simply a full line of products from a single provider. You have got vitamins, fat burners, carb blockers… every kind of pill or capsule someone might want to swallow. But what about the whole segment of the population that won’t or can’t swallow pills? What about the people that are in doubt that those pills do anything for them. Or the people that don’t see the difference between your pills and the ones at the grocery store? It may be time to augment that line of supplements with some additional items that will capture these segments of your clients that aren’t currently purchasing supplements from you.
I know you may be concerned about cannibalizing the sales of the products that you are already committed to. I know there are many excellent supplement regimens. However, I would like to present some ideas that can increase your overall sales by both offering additional liquid vitamins and by revitalizing interest in your existing line. Just as your members don’t all workout the same way and don’t all have the same goals for their workouts, they also don’t all have the same tastes or needs in supplements. So if you offer them a different solution, you have the opportunity to meet their needs with different products.
Your trainers are already recommending supplements to your members and being their expert advisors on nutrition. Likewise, they know that they can purchase supplements in your store. By offering an additional line of liquid vitamins, you have just expanded your area of expertise that they can rely on you for. Their perception of your vitamin recommendations have just moved up from being “sold your supplements” to having a nutrition expert consult with them on what best fits their needs. This is akin to doctors clustering in medical plazas, providing one-stop-service. Bringing together multiple choices for the consumer into a community, is done in so many settings because it is good for business for everyone in the community. Consumers then, cluster to that location, because they know they have a good chance of finding what they need.
I spoke with Art Druhl of Powerhouse Gyms in Jacksonville, FL today, and he confirmed this strategy. When he added liquid vitamins to his offerings, not only did his total supplement sales go up, but because of his sampling program, sales of his other vitamins went up as well. Upon bringing in the new liquid multi-vitamin, he set up some sampling opportunities for his members. This gave his trainers and sales people the opportunity to remind people of their need for a good multi-vitamin. They realized that they didn’t have to be a heavy lifter or be looking to bulk up, to need some nutritional support. Consequently, the new line took off, as well as sales of the 2 other multi-vitamins he was already selling. In fact, I have just moved from a regional trial with a national fitness chain (which has their own supplement line), to a national contract with them because they experienced the exact same increase.
The criteria that I recommend for adding a line extension like this are these:
1. add something a little different or unique from your other offerings
a. liquids
b. unique delivery methods
2. keep the quality high for all your offerings, don’t bring the standard grocery store fare.
3. look for a company that can provide some good POS materials and support
4. look for a company that will support you with sampling help
5. when shopping liquid vitamins, look for good taste with low sugar, and avoid thick syrupy brands – if people don’t like it they won’t take it.
Many of you are selling a line of supplements made specifically for your gym or simply a full line of products from a single provider. You have got vitamins, fat burners, carb blockers… every kind of pill or capsule someone might want to swallow. But what about the whole segment of the population that won’t or can’t swallow pills? What about the people that are in doubt that those pills do anything for them. Or the people that don’t see the difference between your pills and the ones at the grocery store? It may be time to augment that line of supplements with some additional items that will capture these segments of your clients that aren’t currently purchasing supplements from you.
I know you may be concerned about cannibalizing the sales of the products that you are already committed to. I know there are many excellent supplement regimens. However, I would like to present some ideas that can increase your overall sales by both offering additional liquid vitamins and by revitalizing interest in your existing line. Just as your members don’t all workout the same way and don’t all have the same goals for their workouts, they also don’t all have the same tastes or needs in supplements. So if you offer them a different solution, you have the opportunity to meet their needs with different products.
Your trainers are already recommending supplements to your members and being their expert advisors on nutrition. Likewise, they know that they can purchase supplements in your store. By offering an additional line of liquid vitamins, you have just expanded your area of expertise that they can rely on you for. Their perception of your vitamin recommendations have just moved up from being “sold your supplements” to having a nutrition expert consult with them on what best fits their needs. This is akin to doctors clustering in medical plazas, providing one-stop-service. Bringing together multiple choices for the consumer into a community, is done in so many settings because it is good for business for everyone in the community. Consumers then, cluster to that location, because they know they have a good chance of finding what they need.
I spoke with Art Druhl of Powerhouse Gyms in Jacksonville, FL today, and he confirmed this strategy. When he added liquid vitamins to his offerings, not only did his total supplement sales go up, but because of his sampling program, sales of his other vitamins went up as well. Upon bringing in the new liquid multi-vitamin, he set up some sampling opportunities for his members. This gave his trainers and sales people the opportunity to remind people of their need for a good multi-vitamin. They realized that they didn’t have to be a heavy lifter or be looking to bulk up, to need some nutritional support. Consequently, the new line took off, as well as sales of the 2 other multi-vitamins he was already selling. In fact, I have just moved from a regional trial with a national fitness chain (which has their own supplement line), to a national contract with them because they experienced the exact same increase.
The criteria that I recommend for adding a line extension like this are these:
1. add something a little different or unique from your other offerings
a. liquids
b. unique delivery methods
2. keep the quality high for all your offerings, don’t bring the standard grocery store fare.
3. look for a company that can provide some good POS materials and support
4. look for a company that will support you with sampling help
5. when shopping liquid vitamins, look for good taste with low sugar, and avoid thick syrupy brands – if people don’t like it they won’t take it.
Plan-o-Gram Your Difference – Plan for Profits
Mapping your sales plan – Budget in more profits
Starting to think about those plans for next year? How many new members to expect? How much space to allocate? How much equipment to purchase or rehab? Are you thinking about how to get more profits from your existing customers? It cost you plenty to get those customers, so now that you have them you want to A. keep them and B. upsell, backsell and resell. This is your most profitable target market. They are in your club, you don’t have to buy ad space to reach them. You just have to reach out to them and meet their needs to make more money from each existing member.
I wrote to you last month about utilizing your trainers to cross-sell products to your customers. I wrote to you in June about creating a sampling program for your supplements and other retail items to generate interest in your store. And I wrote to you in May about adding liquid supplements to your line without diminishing sales of existing products. It is all TRUE. So now, while you a budgeting for the new year, planning for success in 2007, let me remind you to plan for liquid supplements sales too.
Why Supplements ? Boomers, genXers, Silver Foxes – they all need them. They all take them. See the chart below on vitamin usage in the US. It is huge! Which brings me to Why LIQUID Supplements? This is your differentiator, this is where you can Stand Out. Liquid supplements are far superior to pills, they provide up to 98% absorption vs. 20% from hard pills. Yet, they currently account for only 7% of the vitamins purchased in the US. It is not because people don’t like them, it is because they weigh more than pills, so the shipping cuts into profit margins for discount dealers, like grocery stores, drugs stores and other common places people purchase vitamins. But you (and your trainers) are your customer’s expert on fitness and health. They have put their trust in you for this area for their life. They come to you for the best in this area and liquid vitamins provide the best solution for fast paced lives. If you are bringing them the best available product, you don’t need to discount it.
Starting to think about those plans for next year? How many new members to expect? How much space to allocate? How much equipment to purchase or rehab? Are you thinking about how to get more profits from your existing customers? It cost you plenty to get those customers, so now that you have them you want to A. keep them and B. upsell, backsell and resell. This is your most profitable target market. They are in your club, you don’t have to buy ad space to reach them. You just have to reach out to them and meet their needs to make more money from each existing member.
I wrote to you last month about utilizing your trainers to cross-sell products to your customers. I wrote to you in June about creating a sampling program for your supplements and other retail items to generate interest in your store. And I wrote to you in May about adding liquid supplements to your line without diminishing sales of existing products. It is all TRUE. So now, while you a budgeting for the new year, planning for success in 2007, let me remind you to plan for liquid supplements sales too.
Why Supplements ? Boomers, genXers, Silver Foxes – they all need them. They all take them. See the chart below on vitamin usage in the US. It is huge! Which brings me to Why LIQUID Supplements? This is your differentiator, this is where you can Stand Out. Liquid supplements are far superior to pills, they provide up to 98% absorption vs. 20% from hard pills. Yet, they currently account for only 7% of the vitamins purchased in the US. It is not because people don’t like them, it is because they weigh more than pills, so the shipping cuts into profit margins for discount dealers, like grocery stores, drugs stores and other common places people purchase vitamins. But you (and your trainers) are your customer’s expert on fitness and health. They have put their trust in you for this area for their life. They come to you for the best in this area and liquid vitamins provide the best solution for fast paced lives. If you are bringing them the best available product, you don’t need to discount it.
Save Joints with Glucosamine, Make Money
What do seniors, boomers & heavy weight-lifters all have in common? They all need extra joint support. I am not talking about braces or walkers. I am talking about promoting healthy cartilage, ligaments, tendons and collagen. You can get all this and more from the shell o’ the shrimp ! Glucosamine and Chondroitin.
This supplement is used for a range of conditions – joint pain, stiffness, inflammation, cartilage repair and so on. So you might ask, why the heavy weight-lifter? This athlete, along with the aerobics instructor, the avid runner & serious cyclists are all putting a lot of stress on their joints, ligaments and tendons. They ask a lot of their bodies, so I recommend giving it a lot back, in the form of tissue support from glucosasmine and chondroitin.
When I asked my trainer about this, and I value her opinion and advice highly, she told me not only about the relief it gave her knees when she was an aerobics instructor, doing upwards of 200 squats/day. She also told me that among the trainers that she works with, none of them agree on what supplements should be recommended to their clients… however, they all agree on 3 supplements – the multi-vitamin, calcium and glucosasmine and chondroitin.
Naturally she stressed getting them from a good reputable source and not just buying anything the grocery store was pedaling. On this subject, I cannot be swayed; it is liquids all the way. The supplement industry is working feverishly on providing both food and beverage form products, i.e. vitamin water. This is the best way to have the nutrients absorb into the system and be used and retained in the system. Liquids provide up to 98% absorption, compared to 20-30% from pills. Since, they are not prevalent in the marketplace, if you are providing your clients with a source of great tasting liquid supplements you are ahead of the pack and they will be coming back… to you.
There are numerous studies finding benefits of glucosasmine and chondroitin to the joint tissues and to arthritis sufferers. But people hear negative stories on supplements every day and are reticent to act. For those that want authoritative information I send them to see what the National Institutes of Health has to say on the subject -
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-glucosamine.html
For an analysis of many studies on the subject see this study -
http://www.rowingact.org.au/SDO/Masters/Glucosamine.html
and, of course, for more articles regarding glucosasmine, please see my site, www.fullperformancefitness.com/articles
The good news is there are lots of people out there already taking this supplement and if your trainers are recommending the great tasting liquid version that is available in your facility, they will buy it from you. The bad news is, if someone is not already taking it, you may have to provide them with some information to help educate them. I have armed you with several sources, so get out there and protect some joints.
This supplement is used for a range of conditions – joint pain, stiffness, inflammation, cartilage repair and so on. So you might ask, why the heavy weight-lifter? This athlete, along with the aerobics instructor, the avid runner & serious cyclists are all putting a lot of stress on their joints, ligaments and tendons. They ask a lot of their bodies, so I recommend giving it a lot back, in the form of tissue support from glucosasmine and chondroitin.
When I asked my trainer about this, and I value her opinion and advice highly, she told me not only about the relief it gave her knees when she was an aerobics instructor, doing upwards of 200 squats/day. She also told me that among the trainers that she works with, none of them agree on what supplements should be recommended to their clients… however, they all agree on 3 supplements – the multi-vitamin, calcium and glucosasmine and chondroitin.
Naturally she stressed getting them from a good reputable source and not just buying anything the grocery store was pedaling. On this subject, I cannot be swayed; it is liquids all the way. The supplement industry is working feverishly on providing both food and beverage form products, i.e. vitamin water. This is the best way to have the nutrients absorb into the system and be used and retained in the system. Liquids provide up to 98% absorption, compared to 20-30% from pills. Since, they are not prevalent in the marketplace, if you are providing your clients with a source of great tasting liquid supplements you are ahead of the pack and they will be coming back… to you.
There are numerous studies finding benefits of glucosasmine and chondroitin to the joint tissues and to arthritis sufferers. But people hear negative stories on supplements every day and are reticent to act. For those that want authoritative information I send them to see what the National Institutes of Health has to say on the subject -
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-glucosamine.html
For an analysis of many studies on the subject see this study -
http://www.rowingact.org.au/SDO/Masters/Glucosamine.html
and, of course, for more articles regarding glucosasmine, please see my site, www.fullperformancefitness.com/articles
The good news is there are lots of people out there already taking this supplement and if your trainers are recommending the great tasting liquid version that is available in your facility, they will buy it from you. The bad news is, if someone is not already taking it, you may have to provide them with some information to help educate them. I have armed you with several sources, so get out there and protect some joints.
Increase Profits Through Trainer Cross-Sales
Your Trainers are the Experts that your Customers Trust. Get them talking about things that create more profits and better results for your members.
There is an established relationship between your personal trainers and your members. Your trainers are viewed as trusted advisors, role models and friends to their clients. What the trainer does personally, and recommends sincerely to her clients is taken to heart as well as to wallet. With just a little help from you they can be selling products to your members that will not only increase your profits and their incomes but will keep your members coming back for more every month.
Your sales of nutritional supplements will increase dramatically when they are supported, recommended and endorsed by your personal trainers. Your trainers are the experts that your members trust and look to for their fitness needs. When your members are low on energy, are injured or sick or have some sort of health problem, it is your trainer that they are going to tell, and the trainer they are going to listen to for help.
There are three supplement fundamentals that your trainers need to understand to make money selling supplements. These are all very easy to recommend, because they are proven effective, safe and prevalent. I am also going to tell you how to differentiate the supplements that you sell from the ones available everywhere, so your members will come back month after month to buy them from you.
Here are the 3 supplement fundamentals:
1. The multi-vitamin as a foundation for energy and health
2. Glucosasmine & chondroitin for healthy joints and cartilage
3. Fish oil for healthy heart, brain and reproductive health.
Regarding the foundation of all supplements, the multi-vitamin, perhaps you are thinking, ho-hum how boring and un-sexy. But you would be amazed at the difference in energy levels, immune function and mental health that can be achieved with a great multi-vitamin. First of all, most Americans (77% see chart) are not eating properly, either because they are too busy, on a diet - thus restricting food intake, or they just don’t like those fruits and vegetables that they know they should be eating... that your trainers are telling them they need to eat. Top NCAA and Olympic athletes prove out the effectiveness of this one supplement regimen every day in their training programs. And believe me they don’t take that stuff you buy in the grocery store. They take high quality, pharmaceutical grade liquid vitamins.
Now it is interesting for you that liquids are far superior to pills, because they are not widely sold in stores. The pills sold in grocery stores and vitamin stores are hard to swallow and only provide about 20% absorption into the system. Whereas, liquids get absorbed into the bloodstream immediately and up to 98%, providing a much longer acting, more effective product regardless of the category. So you can offer your members, through your trainer’s recommendations a vastly superior product that is going to improve their energy and their results in their training program and have them coming back to you every month for more.
So here are 3 simple products that your trainers should be recommending to club members to help them achieve success in their workouts and health goals and keep coming back to you to get them.
1. For Every Client – A Daily Liquid Multi-vitamin
2. For all clients - Daily Fish Oil supplementation.
3. For clients with joint injuries, sore joints, arthritis & heavy lifters to protect joints – glucosasmine with chondroitin
So introduce your trainers to the benefits of supplementation and give them the best products to sell that your customers can’t find on every grocery shelf. Be sure to set up a program that compensates your trainers for the product that they sell. A simple “Sell 5 Get $10” program goes a long way. You can either give the $10 as cash or save some tax complications and give gift cards (please check with your tax accountant for tax advice). This costs you very little but gives them that little extra boost they are looking for. Also, please give a good employee discount on the product, and ensure that all of your trainers are taking the products themselves. It is difficult to be convincing about something you haven’t even tried for yourself. Your retail profits will grow and your customer loyalty will too.
There is an established relationship between your personal trainers and your members. Your trainers are viewed as trusted advisors, role models and friends to their clients. What the trainer does personally, and recommends sincerely to her clients is taken to heart as well as to wallet. With just a little help from you they can be selling products to your members that will not only increase your profits and their incomes but will keep your members coming back for more every month.
Your sales of nutritional supplements will increase dramatically when they are supported, recommended and endorsed by your personal trainers. Your trainers are the experts that your members trust and look to for their fitness needs. When your members are low on energy, are injured or sick or have some sort of health problem, it is your trainer that they are going to tell, and the trainer they are going to listen to for help.
There are three supplement fundamentals that your trainers need to understand to make money selling supplements. These are all very easy to recommend, because they are proven effective, safe and prevalent. I am also going to tell you how to differentiate the supplements that you sell from the ones available everywhere, so your members will come back month after month to buy them from you.
Here are the 3 supplement fundamentals:
1. The multi-vitamin as a foundation for energy and health
2. Glucosasmine & chondroitin for healthy joints and cartilage
3. Fish oil for healthy heart, brain and reproductive health.
Regarding the foundation of all supplements, the multi-vitamin, perhaps you are thinking, ho-hum how boring and un-sexy. But you would be amazed at the difference in energy levels, immune function and mental health that can be achieved with a great multi-vitamin. First of all, most Americans (77% see chart) are not eating properly, either because they are too busy, on a diet - thus restricting food intake, or they just don’t like those fruits and vegetables that they know they should be eating... that your trainers are telling them they need to eat. Top NCAA and Olympic athletes prove out the effectiveness of this one supplement regimen every day in their training programs. And believe me they don’t take that stuff you buy in the grocery store. They take high quality, pharmaceutical grade liquid vitamins.
Now it is interesting for you that liquids are far superior to pills, because they are not widely sold in stores. The pills sold in grocery stores and vitamin stores are hard to swallow and only provide about 20% absorption into the system. Whereas, liquids get absorbed into the bloodstream immediately and up to 98%, providing a much longer acting, more effective product regardless of the category. So you can offer your members, through your trainer’s recommendations a vastly superior product that is going to improve their energy and their results in their training program and have them coming back to you every month for more.
So here are 3 simple products that your trainers should be recommending to club members to help them achieve success in their workouts and health goals and keep coming back to you to get them.
1. For Every Client – A Daily Liquid Multi-vitamin
2. For all clients - Daily Fish Oil supplementation.
3. For clients with joint injuries, sore joints, arthritis & heavy lifters to protect joints – glucosasmine with chondroitin
So introduce your trainers to the benefits of supplementation and give them the best products to sell that your customers can’t find on every grocery shelf. Be sure to set up a program that compensates your trainers for the product that they sell. A simple “Sell 5 Get $10” program goes a long way. You can either give the $10 as cash or save some tax complications and give gift cards (please check with your tax accountant for tax advice). This costs you very little but gives them that little extra boost they are looking for. Also, please give a good employee discount on the product, and ensure that all of your trainers are taking the products themselves. It is difficult to be convincing about something you haven’t even tried for yourself. Your retail profits will grow and your customer loyalty will too.
Sample your way into the black!
Are your sales efforts getting noticed by your customers? Are your retail products noticed by your customers? Or is your in-gym store languishing and gathering dust? Draw attention to those products that you have so wisely invested in. Make that store square footage pays it’s way in your club. You have spent good time and money on setting up your store, making it look attractive, educating your staff on the products. So, let’s make it pay off and get noticed and boost those sales.
How, you say? By creating a great sampling program you can create a buzz in the club, make your members feel like they are getting more from you and get all of those products moving through your store, bringing profits to your bottom line. In the west, we have a warehouse store that is famous for its sampling program. The store is called COSTCO and in the middle of the day, they have 8-12 sample stands set up all around the store. Customers flock in during that time to try out the products and basically get a free lunch off the samples. But, from personal experience, I know that I cannot step foot in that store without spending at least $100.
Once your customers start sampling your products several things happen:
1. They relax, because they feel they are getting something for nothing
2. They open up, because you have just given them something
3. If you are sampling more than one item at a time – they go into shopping mode and they are more likely to buy something.
These are all emotional reactions that just naturally occur and are exactly what you need to be able to sell more to people who are often too rushed and busy to stop and notice what else is going on around them.
I highly recommend that you pick the right products to sample and the right people to run the sampling. Our customers that regularly sample, find that it is not just the sampled products that increase sales, but also their close cousins. By sampling, you are raising awareness for your whole store. From your supplements line, I recommend sampling the liquids and mixables over any pills. Not too many people will swallow a pill for someone else, but they will take a shot of a liquid vitamin or a powdered drink that you have mixed up. Also include samples of some energy bars or other tasty items that you are selling in your store. Cut up the bars into small pieces and sample only about ½ oz of liquid vitamins, perhaps 2-3 oz. of a drink. Definitely put your friendliest people on the job, and back them up with someone that really knows the ins and outs of the products that are there. I think it goes without saying that the sample giver should be an experienced user of the products so that they can be a personal champion for the benefits of the products.
Setting up your sampling area is another key to success. You only need one table or perhaps two if you have a larger area to move customers through. Drape the table with a cloth or perhaps your signage. Make it attractive. Set up a rack or two of sale price clothing from your fitness gear to really get the shopping gene activated. Finally, dress your employees in a company shirt or perhaps with a themed prop to attract attention.
Many of your vendors are likely to have a sampling support program for their products. This means that you can obtain a certain amount of the product for a lower cost than you normally do, just so you can use it for samples. They are usually marked “SAMPLE ONLY; NOT FOR RESALE”, and this is to protect themselves and the end customers against abuse by unscrupulous retailers, that might otherwise sell those items. Many vendors require a minimum order to accompany sample sales, which only makes sense because you need to have product on hand to sell at your sampling. Which brings me to the obvious tip; offer a discount on sales made right now.
Finally, choose the appropriate time for your sampling. I suggest a busy time when lots of people are coming in. And make it a regular thing, perhaps twice a month. Your members will get used to seeing your people out there and they will warm up to it even more. This is a great way for your staff to get to know your members better and vis-versa and that relationship will bring you profit. The more they know and trust your staff, the more they will buy from them. You can try out different times and days to see when works the best in your club.
How, you say? By creating a great sampling program you can create a buzz in the club, make your members feel like they are getting more from you and get all of those products moving through your store, bringing profits to your bottom line. In the west, we have a warehouse store that is famous for its sampling program. The store is called COSTCO and in the middle of the day, they have 8-12 sample stands set up all around the store. Customers flock in during that time to try out the products and basically get a free lunch off the samples. But, from personal experience, I know that I cannot step foot in that store without spending at least $100.
Once your customers start sampling your products several things happen:
1. They relax, because they feel they are getting something for nothing
2. They open up, because you have just given them something
3. If you are sampling more than one item at a time – they go into shopping mode and they are more likely to buy something.
These are all emotional reactions that just naturally occur and are exactly what you need to be able to sell more to people who are often too rushed and busy to stop and notice what else is going on around them.
I highly recommend that you pick the right products to sample and the right people to run the sampling. Our customers that regularly sample, find that it is not just the sampled products that increase sales, but also their close cousins. By sampling, you are raising awareness for your whole store. From your supplements line, I recommend sampling the liquids and mixables over any pills. Not too many people will swallow a pill for someone else, but they will take a shot of a liquid vitamin or a powdered drink that you have mixed up. Also include samples of some energy bars or other tasty items that you are selling in your store. Cut up the bars into small pieces and sample only about ½ oz of liquid vitamins, perhaps 2-3 oz. of a drink. Definitely put your friendliest people on the job, and back them up with someone that really knows the ins and outs of the products that are there. I think it goes without saying that the sample giver should be an experienced user of the products so that they can be a personal champion for the benefits of the products.
Setting up your sampling area is another key to success. You only need one table or perhaps two if you have a larger area to move customers through. Drape the table with a cloth or perhaps your signage. Make it attractive. Set up a rack or two of sale price clothing from your fitness gear to really get the shopping gene activated. Finally, dress your employees in a company shirt or perhaps with a themed prop to attract attention.
Many of your vendors are likely to have a sampling support program for their products. This means that you can obtain a certain amount of the product for a lower cost than you normally do, just so you can use it for samples. They are usually marked “SAMPLE ONLY; NOT FOR RESALE”, and this is to protect themselves and the end customers against abuse by unscrupulous retailers, that might otherwise sell those items. Many vendors require a minimum order to accompany sample sales, which only makes sense because you need to have product on hand to sell at your sampling. Which brings me to the obvious tip; offer a discount on sales made right now.
Finally, choose the appropriate time for your sampling. I suggest a busy time when lots of people are coming in. And make it a regular thing, perhaps twice a month. Your members will get used to seeing your people out there and they will warm up to it even more. This is a great way for your staff to get to know your members better and vis-versa and that relationship will bring you profit. The more they know and trust your staff, the more they will buy from them. You can try out different times and days to see when works the best in your club.
Increase Sales of Your Supplement Line
Is your in-gym store producing the results that you want? Are you getting the activity from the supplements that you sell to justify the space they are taking up? Are your members aware of all of the products you have available for them and the benefits those products offer? If not, read on for some proven ideas for increasing sales and profits while bringing more health benefits to your members.
Many of you are selling a line of supplements made specifically for your gym, or simply a full line of products from a single provider. You’ve got vitamins, fat burners, carb blockers…every kind of pill or capsule someone might want to swallow. But, what about the whole segment of the population that won’t, or can’t, swallow pills? What about the people who are in doubt that those pills do anything for them? What about the people who don’t see the difference between your pills and the ones at the grocery store? It may be time to augment that line of supplements with some additional items that will capture the segments of your clients that aren’t currently purchasing supplements from you.
I know you may be concerned about cannibalizing the sales of the products to which you are already committed. I know there are many excellent supplement regimens. However, I would like to present some ideas that can increase your overall sales by both offering additional liquid supplements and by revitalizing interest in your existing line. Just as your members don’t all workout the same way and don’t all have the same goals for their workouts, they also don’t all have the same tastes or needs in supplements. So, if you offer them a different solution, you have the opportunity to meet their needs with different products.
Your trainers are already recommending supplements to your members and serving as expert advisors on nutrition. Likewise, they know that they can purchase supplements in your store. By offering an additional line of liquid supplements, you have just expanded your area of expertise. Your members’ perception of your club’s vitamin recommendations will move up from being “sold your supplements” to having a nutrition expert consult with them on what best fits their needs. This is akin to doctors clustering in medical plazas, providing one-stop service. Bringing together multiple choices for the consumer in a community is done in so many settings because it is good for business for everyone in the community. Consumers then cluster to that location because they know they have a good chance of finding what they need.
I spoke with Art Druhl of Powerhouse Gyms in Jacksonville, FL today, and he confirmed this strategy. When he added liquid vitamins to his offerings, not only did his total supplement sales go up, but because of his sampling program, sales of his other vitamins went up as well. Upon bringing in the new liquid multi-vitamin, he set up some sampling opportunities for his members. This gave his trainers and salespeople the opportunity to remind people of their need for a good multi-vitamin. They realized that they didn’t have to be a heavy lifter or be looking to bulk up, to need some nutritional support. Consequently, the new line took off, as well as sales of the two other multi-vitamins he was already selling. In fact, I have just moved from a regional trial with a national fitness chain (which has their own supplement line) to a national contract with them because they experienced the exact same increase.
The criteria that I recommend for adding a product line extension are:
1. Add something a little different or unique from your other offerings such as liquids and unique delivery methods
2. Keep the quality high for all of your offerings; don’t bring the standard grocery store fare.
3. Look for a company that can provide some good POS materials and support
4. Look for a company that will support you with sampling help
5. When shopping liquid vitamins, look for good taste with low sugar, and avoid thick syrupy brands – if people don’t like it they won’t take it.
Many of you are selling a line of supplements made specifically for your gym, or simply a full line of products from a single provider. You’ve got vitamins, fat burners, carb blockers…every kind of pill or capsule someone might want to swallow. But, what about the whole segment of the population that won’t, or can’t, swallow pills? What about the people who are in doubt that those pills do anything for them? What about the people who don’t see the difference between your pills and the ones at the grocery store? It may be time to augment that line of supplements with some additional items that will capture the segments of your clients that aren’t currently purchasing supplements from you.
I know you may be concerned about cannibalizing the sales of the products to which you are already committed. I know there are many excellent supplement regimens. However, I would like to present some ideas that can increase your overall sales by both offering additional liquid supplements and by revitalizing interest in your existing line. Just as your members don’t all workout the same way and don’t all have the same goals for their workouts, they also don’t all have the same tastes or needs in supplements. So, if you offer them a different solution, you have the opportunity to meet their needs with different products.
Your trainers are already recommending supplements to your members and serving as expert advisors on nutrition. Likewise, they know that they can purchase supplements in your store. By offering an additional line of liquid supplements, you have just expanded your area of expertise. Your members’ perception of your club’s vitamin recommendations will move up from being “sold your supplements” to having a nutrition expert consult with them on what best fits their needs. This is akin to doctors clustering in medical plazas, providing one-stop service. Bringing together multiple choices for the consumer in a community is done in so many settings because it is good for business for everyone in the community. Consumers then cluster to that location because they know they have a good chance of finding what they need.
I spoke with Art Druhl of Powerhouse Gyms in Jacksonville, FL today, and he confirmed this strategy. When he added liquid vitamins to his offerings, not only did his total supplement sales go up, but because of his sampling program, sales of his other vitamins went up as well. Upon bringing in the new liquid multi-vitamin, he set up some sampling opportunities for his members. This gave his trainers and salespeople the opportunity to remind people of their need for a good multi-vitamin. They realized that they didn’t have to be a heavy lifter or be looking to bulk up, to need some nutritional support. Consequently, the new line took off, as well as sales of the two other multi-vitamins he was already selling. In fact, I have just moved from a regional trial with a national fitness chain (which has their own supplement line) to a national contract with them because they experienced the exact same increase.
The criteria that I recommend for adding a product line extension are:
1. Add something a little different or unique from your other offerings such as liquids and unique delivery methods
2. Keep the quality high for all of your offerings; don’t bring the standard grocery store fare.
3. Look for a company that can provide some good POS materials and support
4. Look for a company that will support you with sampling help
5. When shopping liquid vitamins, look for good taste with low sugar, and avoid thick syrupy brands – if people don’t like it they won’t take it.
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