"Sorry, I can't make it to our appointment tonight; my dog is sick."
"I just got called in to work."
"I lost my job between last night and this morning ... "
Sound familiar?
If you own a gym, you've probably heard all these excuses and more for why a lead—who has willingly clicked on your ad and opted in—suddenly can't take your call or book an appointment.
Sometimes it's legit. But take a look at your lead sheet and note the frequency with which sudden emergencies, tragedies and wild, unpredictable obstacles occur, and you'll notice a pattern.
Here, Mike Warkentin of Two-Brain Media and digital-marketing expert Mateo Lopez open the valve and vent. You can take comfort in knowing it isn't just you who gets the last-minute excuses or gets ghosted all together.
You'll also learn why in the grand scheme of things, it's not that big a deal—and how to reframe rejection into an opportunity for future success.
Links:
Free Help Kit
Book a Free Call
Contact:
mateo@twobrainbusiness.com
mike@twobrainmedia.com
Timeline:
2:03 – Free gifts, Jay-Z and Will Smith.
5:53 – Ghosts are real—and they won’t return your call.
8:03 – Working past the hyperactive ad-clickers.
9:51 – Why people make excuses.
10:18 – I don’t always have kids, but when I do, they’re sick.
10:52 – Still, ghost leads aren’t money down the drain.
11:08 – Sudden divorces and the lead who wouldn’t stop crying.
13:49 – If it were really a bad time, they wouldn’t have picked up the phone.
14:56 – They can’t come in? Make the pitch on the phone.
16:20 – The midnight firing.
17:27 – Weed out out-of-staters by making sure your ad settings are accurate.
18:56 – Treacherous weather (i.e., light winds and a sprinkling.)
20:06 – The doctor’s “note.”
20:44 – When they can’t come in, but want free stuff anyway.
21:51 – The influencer epidemic.
24:20 – Glitching calendars and flat tires.
25:01 – And then there’s spam.
26:20 – Bait-and-switch gyms are ruining it for everyone.
27:46 – Lost keys and perpetual errands.
30:00 – When they cancel AFTER you’ve already made the sale.
31:05 – They made an appointment, but they don’t know how it happened.
32:19 – How to weed out no-shows before they happen.
33:17 – Think like a quarterback.
33:47 – Stay professional: Today’s excuse-maker could be next year’s new member.