LONG TERM FOLLOW UP
Click the button below to download the long term follow up template.
Although following up with potential clients and those you have done an assessment or training for should be happening naturally all the time as you see them in the gym, you also need to build in specific follow up for long term check ins. Anytime you have invested your time in doing an assessment and plan for someone who does not buy training initially, or is a client who is leaving your care, there should be a next step. Reassessments have a much higher closing rate but they rarely happen from people who do not buy training, especially because there usually is not another natural follow up point. Making it a habit to always set up a next step with a potential client, take a minute to write it down, then a few minutes to follow up, goes a long way in making sure you see them again.
There are several pipeline management tools, or even email plug ins to manage sales communication and follow up (Streak for GMail is a favourite of ours), but this spreadsheet should do the trick as a simple tool. In order to use it:
Print each monthly sheet and put them in the proper order in a binder
Any time you have an interaction where a future session is not booked (assessment, end of a package, etc), discuss what and when your next follow up step will be. Make sure it is in the context of their fitness plan (i.e. they want to do the next two phases on their own, so follow up in 60 days).
Write the contact details and a quick note about what to follow up about in the future, then write those details into the appropriate date that you’ve agreed to talk again
Put aside some time each week for the different types of follow up and make calls or send emails. The latter is made much easier using some email templates (again Streak for GMail is great) where you just change a few details in the email to personalize the follow up, and this is where the ‘notes’ part of the sheet helps.
It may seem a little tedious, but this process ends up saving a ton of time in looking for new clients, since you have a potential client pool that you have already built some value with. It also means you can keep the conversation with these potential clients entirely about their plan and progress, which are more natural ways for you to follow up and re-engage.
Following up is crucial for maintaining and growing your business. You need to follow up to get clients, and you need clients to have a training business. As soon as you complete any type of assessment, especially one that didn’t lead to an immediate sale, you want to set up a date for a future reassessment or “check-in.” Schedule this date with them before they leave, and immediately put that person’s name and assessment notes down under the appropriate month in this sheet.
Although these pages might be blank at first, eventually they will start filling up. You should have a list of clients that you need to follow up with for each month, as well as a few brief notes on their assessment info (fitness level and goals would be some good information to include in these notes). This literally takes about 30 seconds to do; it not only keeps you organized, but it manages your potential client’s expectations that even though they didn’t buy a training package, this will be a long term relationship and you will be reaching out to them in the future. For example, if they don’t purchase anything in that visit, you can tell them, “I really think I can help, but I understand if you want to try it on your own. How about we book a time to reassess how have done on your own in 6 weeks and talk about the next phase of your fitness plan.” This is also a great way for people to disqualify themselves as leads; if they don’t want a reassessment after you follow up a couple of times, you know that they aren’t ready to re-engage at that point in time. If that’s the case, I recommend sending them one last email or message explaining that you will stop bugging them, but if they want your services in the future, they should feel free to reach out to you.
By doing this sort of long term follow up, you are ensuring that the initial time you spent on the assessment is providing value to both you and your potential client. It also means that you have an ongoing flow of leads that you can always reach out to. This way, you can treat the assessment as a long term sales cycle, instead of a rushed process that often turns potential clients off from your services in the first meeting.
