First, when it comes to gym sales and salespeople, we’re not going to talk about what the “average” salesperson can handle… no, this is about what great salespeople can handle.
The reason is, everyone in sales, whether you’re the owner of the fitness studio or a trainer, wants to be great at gym sales because great salespeople help gyms grow.
But here’s the deal, every salesperson is different—even the greats—and how many leads they can handle is different, too.
Think about some of the greatest NBA players of all-time. Some were shooters and scorers, others were leaders and defenders. But they were all great.
This article will break down 3 different types of great salespeople that can increase your gym sales and the most important thing you should look for when hiring them.
Gym Salesperson #1
This first type of gym salesperson, Angie, can only work within her dedicated hours of work.
She has a demanding family and home life, a hobby she’s passionate about and spend a lot of their “off” time doing, but…
…within her work hours, she’s 100% dedicated to increasing sales at your gym and she crushes it.
She can “turn and burn” which allows her to handle 80-100 new and follow-up leads per day.
Which is a lot. Especially when only sticking to that 9-5 work window.
Gym Salesperson #2
This second type of gym salesperson, Bob, doesn’t have any time restraints.
It doesn’t matter if a gym sales lead comes in at 9:00 PM on a Sunday, Bob is calling that lead immediately.
He’ll also “turn and burn.”
This gym salesperson handles around 80-100 new and follow-up leads per day but it’s spread out over the course of 7 days.
It’s still solid. He’ll get sh*t done (GSD), there’s no doubt about it. Your leads are getting contacted and that’s a good thing.
Gym Salesperson #3
The third and final type of gym salesperson, Sally, is a hybrid of the first two but a slightly different breed.
She is the type of salesperson who’s really good about doing follow-up and building relationships with leads.
Gym Salesperson #3 is typically slow at first, but then really ramps it up as she makes her leads go from cold to burning hot.
But Gym Salesperson #3 Can’t Handle As Many Leads
What’s great about the hybrid salesperson is, they might have kids and a demanding home life, but they plan out their day and make time accordingly.
They see the long-term, big-picture benefits of sales and they know that gym sales don’t end just because someone becomes a member.
Part of gym sales is retention and the relationship this salesperson builds with each member financially benefits the gym more and over the long-haul than “turn and burn.”
However, even though this salesperson can only handle 20-30 new and follow-up leads per day, they’ll still sell the same number of memberships over time (if not more) because of the relationships they’re building.
So technically, all three are bringing in a decent number of new members, right?
But here’s the ultimate question…
What Defines A “Successful” Gym Salesperson? (Quotas Vs. Goals)
As the gym owner, you have to decide how much money you want your salesperson to bring in versus how much you’re paying them.
Typically, the magic number is 4X what you’re paying them. Especially if you throw in taxes, indirect labor costs, software programs, all the things you’re paying for so they can do their job.
From there, you want clearly defined quotas and goals. Remember, these are not the same thing.
Quotas: Your Gym’s REQUIRED Sales Result
That 4X number is the minimum—minimum—amount of money your salesperson should be bringing in.
If their base is $3,000 then they should be driving at least $12,000 in gym sales. That’s very different from your goals for them though…
Goals: Your Gym’s DESIRED Sales Result
If 4X is the minimum, the goal should start higher, say 6X.
Now, the reason I say it should start there is because you want them to exceed goals. Once they start hitting 6X regularly, it’s time to bump that goal up to 8X.
So while mathematically, whichever salesperson is able to earn more with less leads (which would be Gym Salesperson #3) is the one you want. However…
The most desirable salesperson isn’t the “type” of salesperson, it’s whether or not they’re a significant return on your investment.
That’s the main goal for any gym owner when hiring a salesperson.
Think about it like investing in stocks. Would you get rid of a stock that’s bringing in money just because it’s not bringing in as much money as another stock?
Of course not, you’d keep both!
So, How Many Leads Can A Gym Salesperson Handle?
As many as it takes to bring you a return on investment.
That’s the answer and that’s what your gym should be looking for.
So if Salesperson #3 is closing 60% of leads while Salesperson #2 is only closing 30% of leads, and both are returning your investment, that doesn’t mean you funnel all of your leads to Salesperson #3.
Remember how Salesperson #3 operates. They’re closers, but they’re slower and more methodical about it.
If you throw all of your leads at them, they’re not going to be able to deliver. Their calls might not be as enthusiastic. Their demos and presentations might suffer.
Which means, your conversion rates will go down because they won’t be able to handle leads in an adequate amount of time.
Your goal isn’t for every salesperson to get an equal number of leads but instead, equal opportunity.
The more leads your salespeople prove they can handle based on their results, the more you’ll give them until conversions start going down.
As long as your gym salesperson is bringing in a return on your investment in them, they win and your business wins.
