Can you list all of the Father’s Day gifts you bought over the years?
Try it. My guess is you’ll find a theme. For me, it was golf-related. He got golf books, golf joke books, how-to videos, and frames for pictures of golf events. He got golf sweaters, golf polos, golf balls, golf umbrellas, golf-ball retrievers and then most likely repeats of those as they wore out or needed upgrading!
So it is with most. We find the things our gift recipients are interested in and then we seek gifts within those areas.
List five places locally where someone would purchase a gift for Dad.
e.g Golf shop/pro shop; book store; men’s clothing department; tennis shop; Hardware stores that sell grills/tools; running shoe stores, fishing supply stores (now go back and put in your specific business within 10 miles of your facility)
Now, would you be willing to offer a complimentary session to either the purchaser or the Dad ? If you make the offer through a gift certificate, the recipient still has to act on it. If they do, you know they’ve got some interest.
You can put any conditions on it that you like. “New clients only” “Non-current Personal Training Clients, only” and if you want you can make it specific to Dad’s- or not. What if the buyer thinks this is a great ‘thank you’ for purchasing at the store and wants to use it…I say let them!
But do add an expiration date to it. That’s your tie to Father’s Day. Make it expire 10 days after Father’s Day so they at least will call you by then to book an appointment. They may call you later. Will you honor it for someone who really is interested? Yes!
How do you make this appeal to busy store owners and managers so they help you in giving these out at the point of sale? Offer to provide a complimentary session to each of their employees before the promotion- so they know what they’re going to be promoting. Then when you have them there- suggest the employee initials the back of the complimentary session coupons they hand out. Let them know that for every one who comes in and gets started with you, they’ll get another complimentary session!
Try to get the store to help you by asking…is this a gift? At the end of their sales. If it is- great, this is for you. And they just give the Gift Certificate that you’ve drawn up specific to this event to the buyer. If you give them a small sign that says…”is this a gift?” as a reminder- and you’ve done the work for them…easy! for them and for you!
Get to work!
1. Create your business list. Narrow to your top three.
2. Call, email, and follow up with the owner or manager showing him or her what you have in mind and how it’s a win-win for them.
3. Get the final gift certificates into their hands. Number then so that you can tell how many go out.
4. Make sure to check in once or twice, possibly even send in a secret shopper to see if it’s really happening. Then follow up if you need to do something additionally to help it be more successful. It can be hard to inform part time staff members of the process; help the owner do it.
5. Reward the employees as you promised.
6. Pick up all the residue left behind the day after it’s over, with a big thank you to the owner, manager. Reciprocate with recommendations for that business either simultaneously or in the future!