When Increasing Conversion Rates Doesn’t Go As Planned
I will never forget when my studio put out a couple of different intro offers. It was January, and the sales were going crazy!
I had calculated the average client value for the next year and had dollar signs in my eyes. I couldn’t wait to see the February numbers.
But when February rolled around, the number of intro packages that had actually converted was very low.
I was shocked and was committed to figuring out what went wrong.
Why Increased Conversion Rates Hadn’t Occurred
After dealing with my disappointment that nothing happens magically, I analyzed the problem. I wanted to make sure that:
When I looked at my intro offers, a distant memory popped into my head. Years ago, a consultant said,
“if you want to understand how to increase conversion rates remember, your intro offers should create an experience that makes the next purchase inevitable.”
Were my intro offers doing this?
Answering that question would turn out to be the key to learning how to increase conversion rates for our studio.
I had 6 different offers running to ensure people could find the best option.
That was my first mistake: Too many options.
I offered:
- 1A single discounted private session
- 24 Reformer classes at a discounted price
- 33 private sessions for clients coming back from injury
- 4A semi-private package discounted (for couples and friends)
- 52 private sessions and a Reformer class
- 6A “one of each” package, 1 mat class, 1 Reformer class, 1 private, and 1 semi-private session
In this analysis, I needed to weed out the number of purchase options. To do that, I needed to look at 2 data points:
- 1Which intro offers were purchased the most?
- 2Which intro offers, once purchased, had the most conversions?
Once I had looked at these data points, I found some common threads for successful intro offers.
The intro offers with the most conversions:
This made my next decision easy; I only needed 2 intro offers
But wait! We still hadn't completely learned how to increase conversion rates of our intro offers!
At my next staff meeting another very important tactic that we were missing became clear.
After talking with my teachers, I realized we hadn’t followed the best practices to get the clients to return.
We had neglected to make sure everyone who’d purchased an intro offer:
It wasn’t enough to meet them for the first time, teach them a class or session, say “see you soon” and trust that they would come back.
It became clear that I hadn’t given my teachers the sales training they needed. (BTW: IT DOES NOT HAVE TO SOUND SALES-Y!)
There were some simple things my teachers could have done to ensure the new clients kept coming back. What were they?
How To Increase Your Conversion Rate With These 2 Tips:
Just a quick, one-line follow-up at the end of a class or session puts you in the right direction to having the client come back.
For instance,
Any of these (adjust them to fit your clients/studio) can easily guide into a conversation as people prepare to go. It’s even better if you follow up with,
It is also important when making suggestions that they fit the client that you have just gotten to know.
Not everyone needs to come twice a week; some people do.
What's that you're thinking? You don't want to sound salesy!
The key to making sure that your end-of-session one-liners are not sales-y is to personalize your suggestions to make them accurate and appropriate for the specific client.
We train our teachers to remember to see a path forward for the new client and help them understand what it is. In this way our teachers have learned that these questions are part of their expertise and a benefit of our services.
An office lead-management system that is communicated to all the staff makes sure that the team is working together to increase conversions.
Example: Say you get a notification that someone new has registered with your studio. Don’t just let the notification go by.
- Have a template entitled “A Quick Welcome” and email the person directly.
- It doesn’t have to be long or complicated.
- Just a short welcome letting them know who you are (owner, manager, instructor, etc.) and that you’re happy to answer any questions they might have, help with scheduling, etc
- Or better yet, pick up the phone, give them a call and do the same thing.
That quick reach out will make them feel welcome, showing they’re not just a random new person. Short, sweet, and to the point.
What if a client completes the intro package and doesn’t convert?
- Check with the teacher for any extenuating circumstances.
- if not, make a call to the client see if you can help them take the next steps.
Summary of How to Increase Conversion Rates.
Helping my teachers understand exactly how important these one-liners at the end of class were and keeping on top of lead management have been the keys to conversion for our studio.
Try it, you won't be disappointed.
Please drop a comment below and share any tips you might have on how to increase conversion rates.