Relational Marketing - How to Love Your Customer

TR Mann Consulting * www.TRMann.com

TR Mann Consulting

www.TRMann.com

First, I’d like to know a little about you, so that I can give you the

most useful information possible. Please tell me a little about

yourselves. What type of businesses do you run? Why are you

here?

SHOW VIDEO (2:06)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3qltEtl7H8

So, what about you? Do you have a real relationship with your

customers? Are you saying you “love” your customers but not

really acting it out? Are you really listening, OR are you offering

mindless incentives as a cheap, tawdry attempt of having a

relationship? Well, today I want to talk about developing rich,

meaningful relationships with your customers. Relationships so

deep that you both you and your customer profit from this

newfound love! Why is relational marketing so important with

Boomers and the mature market? Because they have seen it all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3qltEtl7H8


and they have become desensitized! Oh, and by the way, even

though we are at a conference for active aging, you won’t

frequently hear me mention age. That’s because I believe that it’s

about STAGE not AGE! In other words, what stage of life are you

at?

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At TR Mann Consulting, we focus on relational selling. Some great

examples of companies that understand relational marketing?

Harley, Apple, Oprah and my favorite, Jimmy Buffett.

Incidentally, Harley’s fastest growing sales segment is Boomers!

Why do you think that is?

I’ll tell you why. It’s because Harley understands relational

marketing. I’ll explain a little later . . .


Did you know that Jimmy Buffett was a failing Nashville country

musician until he moved to Key West and started sending out an

email newsletter and touring? Relational selling!

Tools For True Love(And Selling More)

– Process of discovery

• Why are they really looking? Needs, Goals, Aspirations

• Probe and assist

– The Science of Influence

• CLASS R

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Being a good husband, wife, friend, or marketer is all about the

process of discovery. And TRUE discovery comes from

conversation NOT from demographic profiles. I can tell you

personally; this is a problem most husbands and marketers have.

They are just not very good listeners. Women, do you ever have a

conversation with your husband, and then 5 minutes later he asks

you a question that proves he really wasn’t listening?

Why is listening so important? Because only through real listening

. . . No even deeper than that, only through probing, can we really

discover what the needs, goals and aspirations of the person we

are speaking to really are. What stage of life are they at? Trust

me; you won’t get this off a mailing list.


And I use the word probe because most people are so use to not

really being listened to, so much so that they don’t really usually

offer up their real thoughts.

But listening is just the first step to building a deeper relationship.

Once you listen, you need to know how to respond to your new

information so that you can help the person.

I’m a big believe in the principals of influence as taught by Dr.

Robert Cialdini, a research professor out of Arizona State

University, although if it were me, I’d rename the principals, the

principals of true love. Dr. Cialdini, who I actually hired for a

speaking engagement, and his team are brilliant.

Now remember, what I am about to teach you should only be

used for the forces of good.

Do I have your word? Good, Ok.

So anyway, here’s an easy way for you to remember the principals

. . . CLASS R. C – L – A – S – S- R.


Consistency:

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Consistency. Once people publicly agree or say something out

loud, they are much more likely to hold to that agreement.

Example? I happened to be attending a New Year’s Eve party

several years ago when one of my slightly inebriated sisters

decided to run a marathon as her New Years’ resolution. She then

made all of her siblings and family in attendance, including me,

swear to join her. And she did this in front of the rest of the party

attendees. She then followed up with frequent reminders of how

we had all committed to run. Now, keep in mind, that at the time

we were all out of shape, didn’t believe in exercise, and thought a

good jog was from the couch to the refrigerator, so 26.7 miles was

like crazy talk!

And guess what it worked, four of us finished the marathon with

her. Since then, I used this same technique on myself and have

publicly committed to running a marathon in every state. There, I


just did it again. In fact, I estimate that I’ll complete this task when

I’m 60.

According to Dr. Cialdini, if you want to ensure that a customer’s

decision is long lasting, and unshakable, make sure this decision

is:

1. VOLUNTARY

2. PUBLIC

3. ACTIVE

In other words, make sure that the customer is not strong armed.

Nothing will kill the possibility of a long-term relationship faster

than a starving salesperson on commission. But assuming all goes

well, make sure that the customer does not keep this decision a

secret. Even if your customer just writes their commitment down

or signs his name, the decision will be more stronger than before.

And, if we arrange for our customer to tell others, even other staff

members, the decision becomes even more permanent.

So what’s this mean to you?

Well, let’s use the contract process as an example.

Do you want to cut down your number of cancellations

dramatically? Just have your customer, rather than your

salesperson, fill out the sales agreement. Why? The mere act of

filling out the contract creates a condition of consistency that

most people don’t want to break.


Then, tell the person you’re dealing with that you can tell by

looking at them, and the way they act, that you know they will

follow through with their contract because you can tell that they

are an honorable person. You might think that’s flattery, but I

mean it when I say it and they can tell I mean it, and it makes

them feel honorable. Everyone wants to feel important, and they

want to measure up to other people’s expectations. In short, they

want my vision of them to be consistent.

Also, when a new member or resident signs up, I like to turn it

into a celebration . . . I introduce all the staff to the newest

member . . . I take a Polaroid of us together and hang it on the

“family” wall. They’ve now committed in front of other people.

These photos become visual evidence or reminders that we have

made a commitment to each other. One that I consider sacred

and will go out of my way to honor --- ABOVE AND BEYOND! And

the best part is that people want to measure up to what they

have said they would do. The hard part, but also the part that is

most fun, is that it is then in your court. You now have to over-

deliver because you want to be consistent with what YOU said!


Liking:

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Liking. People are ready to be persuaded by people they like…

Aside from the staples of life, people don’t buy products, they buy

relationships! Levels of liking go up as people become more

certain that we are listening. That’s why people find the beginning

of new relationships SO intoxicating. Because the other person is

still so engrossed with you.

Good listeners parrot back what the customer has said. “So when

you say you want to lose weight, do you mean that you want to

lose weight or do you want to loss inches on your waist? And

research has show that the closer and more exactly you parrot

back what they have said, the higher the level of liking. Why does

this work? Because it requires true listening. Plus, as a forced

discipline it will actually improve your listening skills! After all,

who’s the most interesting and important person in the world to

most people? That’s right, themselves! I’m telling you, practice


this technique on your spouse and you’ll enjoy a happier

marriage.

There are several other factors that can influence people to like

some people more than others:

Physical attractiveness can give people a "halo" effect whereby

others are more likely to trust them and think of them as smarter

and more talented. Think about that as you are hiring people.

People tend to like people who are most like themselves.

People tend to like those who pay them compliments.

People who they are “forced” to cooperate, i.e... can you help me

with this? tend to form a trust with those people they “worked”

with.

People tend to like people that make them laugh. For example,

think about how many lectures start with a joke.

Any one of the above methods may help influence people, but

used in combination, their effects can be magnified.

Most of us have personally experienced, either through ourselves

or our spouses, the most brilliant commercial application of the

liking rule. That’s right, it the Tupperware party, or Southern

Living, or jewelry party! The Tupperware party actually uses

almost all of the principals we have talked about or will talk

about. How does the liking rule get used at the Tupperware

party? Well, women, you all know the gig. You attend a party

hosted by a friend, at her house. The Tupperware demonstrator

shows you lots of stuff you already own. Yet do you buy more of

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_attractiveness


the stuff you don’t need? YES! You do! Is the Tupperware

demonstrator that good? Not usually. So why do you buy? It’s

simple; you buy because you like your friend AND because you

“owe” her for the party, so you buy something so that she can get

her rewards!

Why do these work even when women clearly understand the

principals at play? I mean, they know it’s a trap, and yet they

attend. Why? Because it’s her friend, she has to go.

When I was at Erickson Retirement Communities, we often set

new residents up to invite and entertain their friends from their

old neighborhood in their new home for a housewarming party. I

mean, we sent out the invitations and took care of the catering

because we understood the power of this principal. The neighbors

had to come; after all, just a few weeks ago they promised their

friend that they would stay in touch. In fact, I would now tighten

the time that these parties happened to take advantage of the

power of consistency and liking.

So, what’s the equivalent for your health club?


Authority:

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Authority. Doctors have the highest rating, when people are

surveyed about who is most likely to influence them. Way higher

than any other profession. Incidentally, this is my one of my

business partners, Dr. Gary Applebaum. TR Mann Consulting is

probably the country’s only marketing firm with their own

geriatrician . . . Hmmm . . . I wonder if that makes us superior

experts on aging? Hmmm

I can tell you, that while Dr. Applebaum and I were at Erickson,

some of our most effective ads where “written” by Gary. How

powerful is this principal? Have you all heard of the Milgram

experiments? In the early 60’s, Dr. Milgram tested the ability of

authority figures to instruct otherwise normal, non-violent people

to do unthinkable things. In fact, contrary to expectations, a

majority of civilian volunteers would obey orders to apply electric

shocks to another person until they were unconscious or dead. In


Milgram’s experiments, obedience tended to increase with the

prestige of the authority figure. Oh, and I should note, that those

being shocked were in reality actors and the shocks simulated.

Did you know that at one point Camel cigarettes had ads with

Doctors recommending their brand? In fact, you can see the ads

on YouTube. So, remember people, you must only use these

principals for the power of good!

Of course, willingness to comply can be used for positive change.

For example, the surgeon general telling you to quit smoking is a

good thing! Dr. Applebaum telling you to exercise is a good thing!

So, who is your exclusive expert? Your Sales person? A Doctor? An

Engineer? Architect? Accountant? Another resident or member?

How can you apply this principal? Uniforms, badges, clipboards –

become the expert. Also, add to your credentials by using press

releases, videos, association memberships, public speaking,

framed licenses, honors . . . Etc., etc . . . You get the point. I’m

always very impressed when I go into Gary’s office, he must have

like 600 framed advanced education degrees.


Social Proof:

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When a number of people agree on something, we are likely to be

persuaded too. Apple knew what it was doing when it gave the

first IPODs the glaring white wires and base. Soon you were

seeing these glaring white music makers everywhere. When I

drive by your gym, fitness center, or retirement community, do I

get a sense of social proof? Have others gone before me?

How strong is this principal? Dr. Cialdini tells of a group of

researchers who went door-to-door in Columbia, South Carolina,

soliciting donations for a charity campaign and displaying a list of

neighborhood residents who had already donated to the cause.

The researchers found that the longer the donor list was, the

more likely those solicited would be to donate as well. To the

people being solicited, the friends’ and neighbors’ names on the

list were a form of social evidence about how they should


respond. But the evidence would not have been nearly as

compelling had the names been those of random strangers.

The fact is that persuasion can be extremely effective when it

comes from peers. The science supports what most sales

professionals already know: Testimonials from satisfied customers

work best when the satisfied customer and the prospective

customer share similar circumstances.

Do you have pin maps showing where your members came from?

Remember the Polaroid pictures I spoke of earlier? Both of these

become visual clues of social proof to new and old signups!

Do you have testimonials and letters posted around your office

and in your marketing materials? Do you provide opportunities

for your members to bring in friends for special occasions? Maybe

a special appearance by a chef on how to prepare heart-healthy

meals?

Social proof makes perfect sense in a busy, overwhelming world.

It’s proof that others have done the thinking for us and it turned

out alright.


Scarcity:

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Scarcity. When supplies of something are short, we are more

likely to want it! … “it’s the last one in the shop!” For those of you

without kids, this is a Nintendo Wii, which is a beautiful example

of planned scarcity. Amazing, isn’t it, how this huge corporation

somehow is always caught off-guard by the overwhelming

demand for their product. Hmmm?

Do people know when your development is about to become

complete? Even better, how about the first phase? Even better,

how about the first floor of the first building with the limited

number of views towards the lake? Do you know how many slots

your fitness center has? Do you have membership levels, with a

limited number available at each level? Because if you don’t, then

you can’t tell the customer how few chances they have to obtain


your product. Creating scarcity is a key to success. And being able

to offer an exact number increases the power of scarcity.

Don’t think this is powerful? Let me give you an example:

I happen to know of a retirement community where customers

who called in to schedule visits were given overlapping

appointment times.

When the people showed up for their appointments, they were

often “in line” waiting for the retirement counselor to see them.

The busier the sales office was, and the longer people had to wait

(to a point), the more successful the sales person became. Why?

Because social proof and scarcity are two very powerful

principals. Grouping the appointments in a tight schedule was a

strategic decision. You need to be very conscious in your efforts of

“displaying” social proof and scarcity. If you are not, you’re

cheating your business.

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If someone gives something to us first, we are likely to respond

with a bigger favor. This obligation has staying power. Do

something of value for your customer and they will owe you a

reciprocal action.

Dr. Cialdini uses a great example of one of his Arizona grad

students trying out an experiment. The student got a California

phone book and at random selected two-hundred names, which

she then sent Holiday Greeting cards. Now remember, these were

people she did not know . . . living in another state! Amazingly,

holiday cards from the receivers flooded back in! These are

people sending cards to a person they did not know! Why?

Because they owed her . . . And because they didn’t want to admit

they couldn’t remember her. Even more amazing, is that she built

real relationships with these people over the years. In fact, when

it was time for her son to attend orientation at Stanford, who do

you think he stayed with? That’s right, one of the “holiday card”

people.

So how can you use this principal to your favor? My favorite

example of this is a sales person who, during an appointment

buys with a dollar out of his pocket, a soda for himself and his

guest. Why does this work? Because the power of reciprocity is

sooo strong!

I tell my retirement community clients, that instead of just having

a coffee machine in the corner of the sales office, the salesperson

should make their guest a cup of coffee, preferably in fine china.

The whole experience should be a ritual in service. “Would you

like some cream? Sugar?” Although out of these two examples, I


would say the soda example is much stronger because the sales

person is paying for it out of his pocket. And therefore, the person

owes HIM something.

I have always said that the best way to engage reciprocity is

through unmatched customer service. The most loyal member

base for health clubs, fitness centers, wellness centers, and

retirement communities is one created through relationship

marketing and an approach to post-sale customer service and

relationship management that builds strong ties with your

members - not one strictly based on price. If you do it right, you'll

actually have members who stay in touch - for example, sending

you referrals even after they move away. You can't beat that kind

of goodwill.

You can certainly run promotions and offer special deals, which is

the traditional health club sales approach (think Bally's, Gold's,

24Hour, etc.). But avoid discounting your monthly fee under all

circumstances. If you must discount (and we strongly advise

against it), discount only the initial sign-up fee. Even better, hold

the line on price but offer extra value in the form of a

complimentary personal training session or something else that

gives them a "taste" of other appealing products and services

you'd be pleased to sell them more of (energy bar, smoothie,

massage, etc.)

If you discount your price or start out with a very low introductory

price, unfortunately that means that you'll have attracted

primarily extremely price-sensitive members who leave when


they see a better deal down the street. And among health clubs, a

better deal is always just down the street. As a result, you're

constantly on a desperate search for new members and never

have the opportunity to build strong and lasting relationships that

enable you to keep selling products and services to a member

base whose needs you truly understand.

We all want to belong

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OK, now that you all have an understanding of the principals of

influence, you have a leg up on your competition. This basic

understanding will give you the ability to influence and build

relationships.

And now for the meat of our conversation. Building relationships!

As I already told you, I’m a runner. Well, near my house there is a

bagel shop and a running shoe store that have banded together to

create a tradition . . . The Saturday bagel run. Every Saturday, for

the last decade, a hundred plus runners gather together at the


starting point, which is right outside the running store. Why? Two

reasons, first the owner has kindly mapped running courses of all

distances for people to run. He understands the power of

reciprocity. He even put together a book with all the courses.

Second, it’s a social event. You don’t have to run alone, you get to

run with like-minded people. We all want to belong. And when

we’re done running we all go to the bagel shop for a bagel and a

coffee. Often followed up with a trip to our favorite running store.

Were we manipulated? No, I would say we were done a favor.

Remember at the beginning of my talk I showed you the Harley

tattoo? One of the smartest moves Harley ever did was the

creation of the HOG chapters. HOG is short for Harley Owners

Group. These local chapters frequently meet for rides together.

Harley understands that people want to belong. So much so, that

they’ll put permanent tattoos of their logo on their bodies and

clothes so that other Harley owners can recognize them.

Inform

Inspire

InvolveTR Mann Consulting


When I was at Erickson Retirement, I created a mantra, Inform *

Inspire * And Involve, that was used by Erickson’s two media

outlets: The Erickson Tribune and Retirement Living TV.

Think about these three words very carefully. Inform. Inspire. And

Involve. I promise you, if you use these three words to guide your

marketing efforts you will start to build incredible relationships.

Even better, forget about marketing, use these words to guide all

of your actions and you’ll start to experience major success.

Let’s tackle the first word.

Inform. This is an article written for the Erickson Tribune several

years ago, before the market crashed. The purpose was to inform

our potential customers (which was 11.5 million readers) that

“moment” in time was the moment to sell their house. We were

doing them a real service, by providing them with real

information. The Tribune was written in a newsy, editorial manner


with very little traditional advertising. We benefited immensely

from the goodwill created from providing real information.

Do you have this opportunity? You betcha. How about a monthly

newsletter brimming with valuable health tips? One that can

easily be passed on to friends and family. How about the example

I gave you earlier, of the heart-healthy chef? These sorts of

actions will also go a long way towards establishing you or one of

your staff members as an expert. And make sure your experts’

and your salespersons’ photos are always included. You want your

perspective customer to feel like they know you when they come

in for their appointment.

And remember, you don’t really need to convince them to be

healthy, they already know that. Instead, focus on making it easy

for them. Give them information and services that make staying

healthy easier!

I should also point out one little bit of information here, while

we’re talking about information. Several years ago, AARP in

conjunction with the ICAA did a study on terminology. For the

record, the mature market reacted very negatively towards the

term “exercise” while the term “active” tested very positively. But

I digress.


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Inspire. Here’s a PR clip from a retirement community where an

inspirational story about residents helping at the local school

system was told. Was this inspirational? Absolutely! Many retirees

are searching for new meaning in their lives. After all, society

tends to devalue you once you retire. What’s the first question

someone asks you at a party? “So, who do you work for?” Well,

these stories don’t appear in the paper by accident, they are often

guided by talented PR people. And the effect? Seniors look at a

story like this and go, “I want to be involved!” Very often their

next thought is, “Man, I want to live at a place where people are

doing cool stuff!”

Think about it this way, have you ever placed an inspirational

story about one of your health club members? PR is even more

powerful than advertising. It comes across as an unsolicited

recommendation. I guarantee you, the stories that you don’t yet


know about your members will amaze you. And even more

importantly, getting to know your members this deeply, so that

you can discover these stories, will be even more important than

the PR itself. Your members will feel a real connection with you.

They know that they belong and are cared for. Plus, most people

love being stars!

Hint: These stories are EASY to create, what about a team that

runs a combined 1,000 miles to raise money for charity? Do you

think that would get you some press?

Let’s generate some other ideas . . .

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Involve. As many of you may know, GRAND Magazine is one of my

clients. GRAND, along with one of our advertisers, Humana,

created a contest for the GRANDparent of the Year award. This is

an example of involving GRAND’s readers and Humana’s

customers and potential customers.


Back to our last slide; think a fundraiser also counts towards

involving your customers? Absolutely, in fact, in that example,

even members that don’t contribute monetarily to the fundraiser

can contribute by running, etc. The opportunities to involve your

customers are endless. Don’t want to do a fundraiser, how about

a contest? . . . the biggest loser, most miles, most days at the club

. . . What about hooking up with a local triathlon to provide

special training (which will bring in potential new members and

also probably get you a complimentary sponsorship slot)?

Again, the possibilities are endless! Your goal is to become an

integral part of the community. Just give people a chance to be

involved . . . To belong!

Letting the outside word in . . .

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Also remember that building relationships extends beyond your

members. There are plenty of opportunities to bring the outside

world in.


First, have a strong website. Did you know that 62% of people use

the internet when shopping for a health club? Think of it this way,

the internet has replaced the yellow pages. Your site should

provide people with the opportunity to connect in many of the

ways we already talked about. Also, consider having group tours .

. . Pick a day . . . Say Saturday at 10:00 . . . People are looking for a

low pressure way to see the facility without getting accosted by a

sales person.

Some other ideas:

Arrange a deal with the most successful real estate agent in your

area. Offer to waive the initiation fee for any of their buyers. Tell

the agent that you are only offering this to the top agent of each

local agency. But make it exclusive to only one agent for each

company. Or make it exclusive to one company. Either way,

control who gets it, so they feel like it's something special. Explain

to the agent that they can use it as a sales tool, “this house comes

with an extra room!”

Pick a restaurant in your area and offer to provide a free pass or

discount to any patron who purchases a pre-selected "healthily

dinner." Dinners you'd like to include could be red-tagged on the

menu. Be sure to provide the restaurant - and the program -

sufficient exposure in your club. Offer to promote their business

by exposing your members to a complimentary, heart-healthy

cooking demonstration by their chef at the restaurant or at your

club.

Provide local groups free use of your facility during a time when

you're normally closed. Guests should sign in when they arrive,


and you can follow up with mailings. The groups must be

responsible for their own activities, so there's little to no cost to

you besides keeping the facility open.

Present educational programs and lectures to local civic groups.

These groups are always hungry for luncheon speakers.

Presentations should be low-key and noncommercial - not a sales

pitch for the club, but a generic talk about fitness or some other

mutual interest. You can always pitch the club afterward to the

people who are interested. The beauty of most low-cost

promotions is that they cost almost nothing to offer, and can

generate impressive sales and prospects.

Offer to write a health column in your local paper. Media outlets

are starving for good, free, content.

Again, the possibilities are endless. You just have to use your

imagination AND then measure the results.

E-mail: Building the relationship


Ok. So we’ve established that I’m big on building relationships.

Other than word of mouth, what’s the cheapest form of relational

advertising? E-mail. Why is email so important?

a) First, remember that the 'buying cycle' for joining a health club is

3 to 6 months.

b) Most sales reps only follow up 1 time after the first contact with a

prospect.

c) 72% who joined a health club last year used the internet to help

choose one.

d) Most health club websites fail to provide prospects what they're

looking for.

e) 53% of prospects said they would rather email questions than call

in.

f) 99% of all clubs have no system for emailed leads (they 'wing it').

g) Recent studies show people who receive health newsletters are

healthier than those who don't receive them.

h) Email marketing is 100% more cost effective than any other form

of marketing or advertising (except word of mouth).

Marketing and advertising isn’t cheap. Printing, design, layout,

postage, ad space, cable or radio air time...it all adds up quickly

for you. Postage costs alone have risen over 33% in the past 4

years.


The best way to communicate with your members and prospects

is also the least expensive. No printing, no postage and no ad rep

costs. It also happens to be the most personal and direct. You

want the ability to email.

The problem is, most clubs have not collected email addresses

from their membership. Fewer have a set plan in place to actively

collect email addresses from current and new members or from

prospects and visitors to their club or website.

I'd like to offer a few ideas that can help you build monster lists

over a short period of time. Here is a "given" with any of these

approaches; you must CLEARLY articulate "what's in it for me?" to

your audience. Why should someone give you there information

for nothing? I wouldn't, would you?

A Great Solution

We have seen some very creative ways to get email. One club

launched their new newsletter and pick a lucky subscribers name

to give a $500 prize to them (it ended up getting them over 1100

email addresses). Another club has every new sale give an email

address at the closing table. They email out the temporary

membership card to every new sale (they went from getting 20%

of the emails to over 86% at the point of sale). Another club had

their billing software send a copy of the receipt to the new

members email (this yielded a 90% email capture rate at the point

of sale). So whether you use a reward or just creativity, you too

can get the emails.


If you want something, you've got to give something. Is it worth

your spending a few bucks to get a few hundred email addresses

from your members and prospects? It's a freakin' no-brainer!

You should be successful in this project. Members already know

who you are and have a level of 'trust' with your club. Prospects

have a similar trust level established with you. They have sought

you out. They are actively looking for a club. If you are helping

them in that effort, they will want to hear from you (notice I did

not say 'selling them', rather if you are 'helping them').

How to Get 'Em: Try One of These Four Ways

Sign-Up Slips:

Go get yourself a big fishbowl. Next, 3 helium balloons and some

thin ribbon. Secure the balloons to the rim of the bowl with 3'

pieces of ribbon. Place it on your counter. Create an 8.5" x 11"

sign and put it in a frame. Make it colorful and simple: Headline

announcing offer, next line telling them what to do, last line giving

them directions. What ever the prize is, have it visible or clearly

shown with a picture.

Place slips of paper for them to complete nearby. One line for

them to give you their full name, next line for their email address,

and third line to indicate if they are a member or visitor.

Kiosk:

If you have the ability to put a laptop or workstation at the front

desk, you are in a great position to get quick results. A simple


"Name" and "Email Address" prompt can be placed on your home

page for a member or prospect to register.

By putting the registration process on autopilot, you can

maximize your results with little effort. The only drawback to

using this method exclusively, is you fail to reach your inactive

membership (and this may be the audience in greatest need to be

hearing from you on a regular basis!).

Flyers:

Good old fashioned handouts. Give one to everyone as they

LEAVE the gym. Short and sweet in your message. Ask them to

log on to your website, enter their name and email address, tell

them they will receive valuable information on fitness, diet and

nutrition twice a month; along with special offers and promotions

exclusively for subscribers.

If you are having a raffle, play that up big. If you are giving them

a small gift, have them print out the "thank you" page they

receive after completing the registration on-line (as proof).

Mailing to Home:

If you want MAXIMUM member input, send them a letter to their

home. Make it personal from "I" to "you". Be explicit in your

request, directions and 'what's in it for them'.

We love this method because you'll reach your members who

infrequently come in to the club. Imagine if you had a chance to

communicate with them twice a month? Think about the effect

that would have to give them the encouragement they need to


come back in. What would that do for your overall member

retention figures?

Final Thoughts on email ...

Communicating to your members and prospects via e-mail is very

powerful. It is also very inexpensive. Once you've set up this

communication to be automatic, you'll have more time to do

what you want to do, while putting more money into your front

pocket. It may cost you a few bucks to get your email database,

but once you have it, it will be worth 100 times what you spent to

get it.

ROI

TR Mann Consulting

Of course, all of this requires a disciplined marketing and Return

on Investment approach.

First, I highly recommend that you pay close attention to your

phone team. Nothing will kill good marketing work faster than


poor phone response. Everyone on your team needs to have

extensive response training. The same is true for your tours.

Remember, you are only as strong as your weakest link. In fact, I

recommend a secret shopper service for your phone calls, your

email and your tours. With one important disclaimer, your team

needs to believe this is a teaching tool AND NOT a “gotcha” tool.

Incent them for improved scores. You’ll be amazed at what you

learn.

Second, measure everything. Phone closing ratios, tour ratios,

your investment in every marketing venture (time and money).

Every lead should have a lead source. Measure everything with

the same passion that a good trainer measures your progress. Put

ALL your marketing efforts on an Outlook calendar. And I mean all

of them . . . Newspaper ads, radio ads, speaking engagements and

email campaigns. Remember, you’re looking to systematize.

That’s the only way you are ever going to learn what works and

what doesn’t. Especially when you consider this is a 3 month

buying cycle. What you did 90 days ago, is going to determine

your success today.


True Customer Service Is The UnexpectedBenefit that comes from true

understanding.• Oprah

– Book club – Charities – Gifts

• Harley Davidson– HOG

• Jimmy Buffett– Parrott Heads

• Starbucks– Countless flavors– Office/lounge away from

home– Music

TR Mann Consulting

Pulling it all together.

The best marketers are the brands or companies that delight their

customers with the unexpected. How do they do this? By knowing

their customers on a deeper, more meaningful way . . . Then

digesting that information . . . And coming back to their customer

with creative surprises. And that word creative just kind of hangs

out there because true creativity requires work, it requires

brainstorming, it requires the conscious decision to go where your

competitors haven’t.

I love Oprah. In fact, she’s my personal hero. She is a natural

relational marketing genius. Think about it, she is consistent in

her actions, she is likable – she is both attractive and like us (she

has battled weight and drugs). And because she has battled with

weight, drugs, relationships, and is wealthy, she is an authority.

And last but not least, she clearly understands the power of


reciprocity. I mean here is a lady who gives away cars, has a huge

connection with charities, and constantly provides valuable

services and information like the book club. But it all stems from

her desire to delight! You see, the best marketers are givers!

“Try not to become a person of success.

Rather become a person of value.”

Albert Einstein

Relational Marketing - How to Love Your Customer

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