MEMBERSHIP SELLING AND
SALES MANAGEMENT INSIGHTS

Don't Expect To Be An Overnight Success

Think of any skill you’ve ever tried to learn. Maybe it was a sport, a musical instrument, or an attempt at mastering a second language.

Were you an instant success? Probably not, but with continued practice, you created new routines in your brain and you improved over time.

The same is true for membership recruiting. To be successful, you must continue to learn, improve, and master your craft. Here are some tips to help you consistently improve your results over time.  

CONNECT & REPEAT

The first time you try anything new it's bound to feel uncomfortable. But the more you do it, the less awkward it feels. The fastest and most effective way to improve at membership sales is to connect with prospective members on a consistent basis. As you have more conversations and make more connections, you will feel more comfortable about the process and your efforts will become much more productive.

QUANTITY OVER QUALITY

When you think you have asked enough questions, ask a few more. You need to get to know your prospect, their business, and what they need to be more successful. When you are first starting out, it may feel quite awkward, but you will get better at it. Asking more questions is far more important than asking a perfect question. Choose quantity over quality in the beginning. The quality will come with more practice.

FOCUS ON DISCOVERY

Don’t offer solutions to prospective members too hastily. Trying to solve problems too soon often leads to chasing the wrong problem(s). Prospects invest when their needs outweigh the cost of membership. Focus your questions on identifying their most critical needs so you can offer relevant solutions that will deliver a meaningful return on their membership investment.

DON’T GIVE UP

You will likely be uncomfortable after making a few calls. That’s a completely natural response. You are changing a habit and it’s not easy to do. Resist the temptation to stop asking questions or to try something different. Power through your feelings, stick with the plan, and trust the process.

SELF-ASSESS

Substantial improvement gains come from reviewing and making an honest self-assessment.  Even successful calls and meetings can go better.   Take a few moments to review what happened on every call or meeting.  Assess how you did, what you learned, and identify possible improvements.  

Ask yourself these questions after every call and meeting:  

     1. Did I achieve my objectives?

     2. Did I ask enough questions?

     3. Which questions had the most influence on my prospect?  Why?

     4. If I had a second chance at this call or meeting, what would I do differently?

     5. What have I learned that I can improve in the future?

This level of detail and self-analysis helps you to fine-tune and improve your recruiting skills.  

Successful membership salespeople quickly adapt and get right back on the phone to apply what they’ve learned. You have to practice.  The key to success is an undeterred commitment to put what you glean from your experiences into action going forward.  

As always, we encourage you to practice these techniques, make them your own, and let us know how it goes.

Remember, we're easy to talk to.  Feel free to reach out with questions about these techniques or other issues.

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