Selling corporate memberships is different and more difficult than the usual sales process.

IN URBAN markets and suburban
markets with a high concentration
of businesses, corporate membership
sales present an opportunity for
fitness centers to develop large reservoirs
of leads and prospects, which
often result in high closing rates. For
many facilities, the corporate market
represents a majority of their membership
growth opportunity. In reality,
the process of generating
corporate leads and prospects, then
closing those leads, is different than
the typical sales process.
The corporate mindset
To gain corporate members, learn
about what corporations are seeking
when they purchase corporate
memberships. The University of
Michigan’s Health Management
Research Center produces an annual
report that offers a useful overview
of the cost benefit data that corporations
typically consider when they
evaluate the need for a corporate
membership program. Another
resource is the 1998 International
Health, Racquet and Sportsclub
Association publication The Corporate
Market: How to Capture and
Keep Corporate Memberships.
In general, most corporations
purchase corporate memberships
to use as a tool for recruiting
high-caliber talent, help improve
employee morale and productivity,
reduce healthcare-related costs,
improve the image of the company,
and/or reduce worker’s
compensation costs, absenteeism
and work-related disability.
The corporate market
Develop a list of the most
appropriate corporations to pursue
by using the following guidelines:
• Identify which corporations are
represented by your current members,
and talk with those members,
or contact the company directly.
• Compile a list of companies
that fall within your market area.
While not as effective as using
your membership roster, this
strategy is a good alternative.
• Identify the decision-makers
at these corporations. In most
cases, he or she is in either the
human resources or medical
departments. In smaller companies,
it might be the manager or
president of the company.
• Learn about the company’s
values and needs. Make an effort
to learn as much about a company
as you can. Start the effort by
searching the company’s website.
Develop a presentation package
Prepare a professional presentation
about your facility and the
value of corporate memberships.
Get an audience at the company.
This is often the most challenging
aspect of corporate sales.
Some steps that can be helpful in
getting your foot in the door
include member referral, building
relationships in the community
and forwarding a personalized
invitation to the corporation.
Make the first appointment a
learning experience. In corporate
sales, the first appointment is not
designed to close the sale, but rather
as a means to learn about the company’s
needs and wants, and to
present general information about
the benefits your facility can offer.
The basic goal of this first meeting
should be to have the contact agree
to allow you to forward a proposal
that is specific to the company.
Forward a customized presentation.
Prepare a customized proposal
that is relevant to what you
have learned about the company in
your first meeting. It might include
an invitation for the contact to use
the facility, or an invitation that
allows employees to have one week
of complimentary usage. Some fitness
centers develop special corporate
activities, such as featured
evenings for targeted companies.
Maintain contact. Follow up
the proposal with a call to confirm
that it was received, and inquire
about scheduling another meeting
to discuss the proposal. Be vigilant;
it may take a few months
between the time you forwarded
the initial proposal and your next
meeting with the company.
Prepare for additional meetings
and counterproposals. You will
typically have to deal with additional
meetings and revised proposals.
It is a rare event that a club’s
first proposal is the one the company
accepts.
Throw a party for the company.
Once the company agrees to
your proposal, a special function
should be held at your facility welcoming
the company.
Assign a corporate representative
It is essential to assign a staff
person to represent the account and
maintain ongoing contact with the
company representative. Have this
person meet with the designated corporate
representative on a regular
basis. These meetings should include
providing information about the
usage of the facility by company
employees and other relevant data.
Maintaining regular contact with the
company can help assure ongoing
support from the corporation.
Considering the odds
Corporate memberships are a
high-risk but high-reward approach
to membership sales. While they
can lead to a relatively large number
of sales, they can also lead to a high
level of turnover. All factors considered,
however, the effort to sell corporate
memberships is a venture
well worth undertaking.