Big Foot. Stonehenge. The chupacabra. There’s a lot of weird stuff out there we don’t understand.
Some things you can ignore but some force you to ask some pretty serious questions. Like the strange thing that happened to me last week.
It happened the week before and the week before that.
This X-file that I’m referring to keeps happening when I visit my brother’s gym. For some mysterious reason the gym won’t sell to me.
I’ve had a gym membership more or less since high school. Gym sales people are like hungry piranha and they’re usually some of the most aggressive ones you’ll ever meet. My old friend Zeke’s gym was so over-the-top aggressive they would make a used car salesman blush.
Here’s the story.
My brother’s gym allows guests to workout for free. I visit, I give them all my info. They now have a lead.
Most gyms take you on a tour. And by “tour” I mean a salesman in a tight shirt gives you a sales presentation. Or at the very least they e-mail you, send you mail, or call.
You may be thinking this is nice. It’s great to see an organization not be so psycho about selling. But here’s the thing, they’re leaving money on the table by not asking me for the sale.
Wanna know a secret?
I WANT to join the gym. I go there at least twice a week—sometimes more. I still have my current gym membership but my brother’s classes are just that cool. So I’ll join sooner or later.
Could be tomorrow. Could be a year from now. As long as I can drink the milk for free, I’m not real motivated to buy the cow.
What’s the lesson here?
Ask for the sale. You are doing no one any favors by not asking.
Don’t think you know more than your clients and prospects. And don’t make decisions for them. Ask.
Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield wrote a book called the Alladin Factor. The book is about asking for what we want.
I love Hansen and Canfield’s work and yet I refused to buy that book for years. I have a sales background, why do I need a book on “asking”? The answer to that question came abundantly clear when I read the book.
I read somewhere one of the reasons Mother Teresa got so much done was because she was fearless in her asking. If she needed time, money, resources, etc…she asked for it.
So um. Don’t over think it. Ask.
Adam