Words do matter.
I talk to YMCAs from across the country. I find the employees to be a great cross section of America. Bright, intelligent, passionate, engaged. All the qualities you would look for in an employee.
But I am surprised that an organization as large and successful as the YMCA would have a problem using terms like 'sales prospect" and "sales lead".
I am reminded of the recent presidential election and a the Democrats refusal to use a specific term to catagorize a perceived threat to the country. Anything but that term. Almost as if it were pornographic.
Sales Prospect. Sales Lead. Sales.
Ian Hartten, our founder, and I talk to a YMCA every week about our ySite program and the Membership Machine. The Membership Machine is set of tools designed to increase revenues for the local YMCA by providing Sales Leads. Contact information about individuals who have raised their digital hands and indicated that they are interested in joining the Y.
One of my favorite tools is the Silent Salesman - seen in the image below in the bottom right corner.
The Y is Here for You. Free 7 Day Membership. The Silent Salesman works 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. His sole job is to capture sales leads for your Y.
And yet when we talk to many Ys and ask them what their "sales process" is for following up on "sales leads", we are frequently greeted with stone silence. Crickets.
OK, so who do you want us to send the email to with the contact information for this individual? "I am not sure. I guess..."
I am still surprised at the number of Ys tell us that they are not setup to handle sales leads. Especially if it requires outbound phone calls or emails. "Usually we just sit here and wait for them to come into the Y and ask to join."
Many of these same Ys are also asking us how to combat the new (Fill in the Blank) L.A. Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, Planet Fitness that has opened in their neighborhood and is slowly/quickly siphoning off their members.
Sales is a contact sport. Even in membership based organizations. The days of advertising for members and waiting for them to walk in and sign up are behind us. Advertising has been replaced by Marketing.
The YMCA of today needs to be a sales machine to achieve the revenue goals they aspire to. You need specific tools to capture sales leads and a specific process for leveraging leads into sales. Thrive can help with both of these items.
So far the yTeam has spoken to hundreds on YMCAs across the country. And we have only had one YMCA tell us "I have all the members I can handle. I am not interested in adding more members."
If your YMCA is still soliciting new members and you are looking for sales tools to generate sales leads, give us a call and let's talk. 419-776-7000. Or click the button and fill out the form.
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