---
title: "3 Skills to Strengthen Membership Sales, Part 3: Asking for Referrals"
description: "Based on \"The Power of the Human Connection\" webinar, this 3 part blog series teaches critical skills every fitness business sales team needs. Read part 3!"
image: https://www.club-os.com/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202019-11-24%20at%207.28.01%20PM.png
---

[![ClubOS](https://www.club-os.com/hubfs/Branding/clubos_logo_primary_header.svg)](https://www.club-os.com)

Platform

Software Features

Why ClubOS

Business Types

Software Features

- [Gym CRM](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-marketing-software/)
- [Member Management](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-sign-up-software/)
- [Payment Processing](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-payment-software/)
- [Scheduling](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-scheduling-software/)
- [Point of Sale](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-pos-system/)
- [Mobile App](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-membership-app/)
- [Branded Member App](https://www.club-os.com/features/branded-member-app/)
- [Analytics/Reporting](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-analytics-software/)

Why ClubOS

- [All In One Club Management](https://www.club-os.com/features/all-in-one-club-management-software/)
- [Seamless Integrations](https://www.club-os.com/features/gym-integration-software/)

Empowering you to do it all, All in One. [Book a Demo](https://www.club-os.com/book-a-demo)

Business Types

- [Fitness Clubs](https://www.club-os.com/solutions/fitness-club-management-software/)
- [Martial Arts](https://www.club-os.com/solutions/martial-arts-software/)
- [Gym Chains](https://www.club-os.com/solutions/management-software-gym-chains/)
- [Health Clubs](https://www.club-os.com/solutions/health-club-management-software/)
- [Personal Trainer](https://www.club-os.com/solutions/personal-trainer-software/)

Chain, club, or studio - we have you covered. [Book a Demo](https://www.club-os.com/book-a-demo)

[Plans](https://www.club-os.com/plans)

[Resources](https://www.club-os.com/resource-center)

Company

[About ClubOS](https://www.club-os.com/about-clubos)

[Careers](https://talentmanagementsolution.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/JonasSoftwareUSA?q=clubos)

[Contact Us](https://www.club-os.com/contact-clubos)

We'll keep you focused on what you do best. [Book a Demo](https://www.club-os.com/book-a-demo)

[ASF Payment Solutions](https://www.club-os.com/asf-payment-solutions/)

[LOG IN](https://app.club-os.com/) [Support](https://www.club-os.com/support) [Book a Demo](https://www.club-os.com/book-a-demo)

×

**Interested in how Club OS could maximize your revenue?**

Let’s talk. Fill out the form below and we will be in touch shortly.

By submitting this form you confirm you have read and agree to the Club OS [Privacy Policy.](https://app.club-os.com/action/Legal/privacy)

.

[Blog](https://www.club-os.com/blog) [Resource Center](https://www.club-os.com/resource-center) [Help Center](https://knowledge.club-os.com/)

[ ‹ All Posts](https://www.club-os.com/)

# 3 Skills to Strengthen Membership Sales, Part 3: Asking for Referrals

Posted by [Kevin Talley](https://www.club-os.com/blog/author/kevin-talley) on Jan 9, 2020 7:00:00 AM

![Screen Shot 2019-11-24 at 7.28.01 PM](https://www.club-os.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202019-11-24%20at%207.28.01%20PM.png?width=739&name=Screen%20Shot%202019-11-24%20at%207.28.01%20PM.png)

This three-part blog series is based on “The Power of the Human Connection” webinar hosted by Jeff Wild, Director of Sales. In his presentation, Jeff explored the critical skills you and your sales staff need in your fitness business. If you haven’t yet, read [part one](https://blog.club-os.com/strengthen-membership-sales-part-1) and [part two](https://blog.club-os.com/strengthen-membership-sales-part-2) then finish the series with this final blog. 

______________

The third critical sales skill Jeff covers in the webinar is how to ask members for referrals. Customer referrals are incredibly valuable not only in the fitness industry but across markets. The [Harvard Business Review](https://hbr.org/2011/06/why-customer-referrals-can-drive-stunning-profits) has found referred customers are on average more profitable for a business and have higher rates of retention. 

To start, Jeff pulled data from a Club OS survey of fitness professionals about how they ask their members for customer referrals. 

![Screen Shot 2019-12-30 at 11.29.17 AM-min](https://www.club-os.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202019-12-30%20at%2011.29.17%20AM-min.png?width=604&name=Screen%20Shot%202019-12-30%20at%2011.29.17%20AM-min.png)

Over 60% of respondents indicated they ask for referrals during the sale, when the prospect joins, and continuously during their membership lifetime. While this isn’t necessarily a “bad” strategy, you run the risk of creating too much noise around referrals causing your members to tune out referral requests altogether. Instead of employing a bombardment-style strategy, follow these seven tips to create a referral workflow that generates results. 

**1.) Be consistent **

Swap out constant referral requests for consistent referral requests. Choose specific points in the membership journey that are optimal times to make the request. By reducing the overall number of requests, your remaining touchpoints will hold more weight and stand out to your members. Plus, you reduce your risk of “overfishing your pond” by not constantly asking members to identify more and more friends or family members who they can refer. 

**2.) Be specific **

Once you’ve narrowed the number of touchpoints, define why you’re asking for referrals at this specific time. For example, offering a free guest pass to members who haven’t visited in months to help them rediscover their love of fitness with a friend, or asking members who have completed six months of membership to refer a friend now that they have become “experts” about your club and services. 

**3.) Measure the impact**

As you move through your referral request workflow, measure the results of each touchpoint. Use this data to eliminate low-impact touchpoints to avoid adding too much noise to your referral request cycle. For example, if you ask new members to provide referrals at the point of sale, but you only see one referral for every 50 new members, you can discern this is potentially a low-impact touchpoint. Other factors may contribute to the low referral rate, so be sure to investigate further before eliminating the touchpoint from your workflow. 

**4.) Incentivize referrals**

Make referrals a win-win for you and the referring member by incentivizing them. The ancillary products your fitness center sells are perfect incentives, like rewarding referring members with discounted workout gear or free nutritional supplements. However, avoid offering discounted monthly rates as you don’t want to devalue your memberships. 

**5.) Know your fanatics**

You already know who we’re talking about. The members who walk through your front door every day like clockwork. They’re the best advocates of your facility, your brand, and the community you’ve built. They can refer family and friends with genuine enthusiasm and mentor them through the early months of their membership. It’s a win-win as the member gets a great opportunity to share the facilities and services they love, and you get the valuable referrals you need. 

**6.) Turn mistakes into opportunities**

Mistakes happen, so work them to your advantage. Create a standing protocol that members who experience mistakes, such as broken equipment, dirty facilities, or canceled classes, are given a free guest pass. This shows the member that their experience in your fitness center is a priority and that you want to work to alleviate their frustration. Of course, your staff must immediately correct the mistake to ensure that the member’s guest, a potential new member for your club, doesn’t experience the same mistake that sparked the free guest pass. 

**7.) Milestone referrals**

Leverage your CRM software to establish automatic email campaigns around membership milestones, such as 50th club check-ins, one-year anniversaries, or birthday. Your messaging should congratulate the member on their achievement and frame the referral request as a perk. For example, “Happy birthday, David! We wish you another year of health and happiness. And as our gift, we’ve credited your account with one free guest pass. We’ve always believed workouts are like birthdays, better with friends!” 

**Thank you for reading the 3 Critical Skills for Fitness Sales blog series. Looking for more insights? Watch the complete webinar: **[**The Power of the Human Connection**](https://info.club-os.com/human-connection-webinar-recording)**! **

 Topics: [Sales](https://www.club-os.com/blog/topic/sales)

### Subscribe to Email Updates

[![](https://www.club-os.com/hs-fs/hubfs/learn-more-icons.png?width=290&name=learn-more-icons.png)](https://info.club-os.com/learn-more-about-club-os)

### Recent Posts

### Posts by Topic

- [Marketing (53)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/marketing)
- [Sales (48)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/sales)
- [Retention (32)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/retention)
- [Fitness Business Tips (24)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/fitness-business-tips)
- [Members (14)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/members)
- [Five-by-Fives (12)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/five-by-fives)
- [Insider (10)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/insider)
- [Owners (10)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/owners)
- [club-os (9)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/club-os)
- [gym membership (7)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-membership)
- [Gyms (6)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gyms)
- [fitness (5)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/fitness)
- [group fitness (4)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/group-fitness)
- [leads (4)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/leads)
- [Fitness Marketing Tips (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/fitness-marketing-tips)
- [club management software (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/club-management-software)
- [crm (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/crm)
- [facebook (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/facebook)
- [fitness sales (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/fitness-sales)
- [gym membership sales (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-membership-sales)
- [gym sales (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-sales)
- [prospect (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/prospect)
- [qualified leads (3)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/qualified-leads)
- [Gym Marketing Tips (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-marketing-tips)
- [Gym Sales Tips (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-sales-tips)
- [holiday savings (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/holiday-savings)
- [how to engage prospects (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/how-to-engage-prospects)
- [increase gym revenue (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/increase-gym-revenue)
- [marketing ideas for gym memberships (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/marketing-ideas-for-gym-memberships)
- [membership (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/membership)
- [quotas (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/quotas)
- [referral program (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/referral-program)
- [sales team (2)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/sales-team)
- [B2B (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/b2b)
- [Cancelled Gym Member Tips (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/cancelled-gym-member-tips)
- [Direct Mail Campaigns (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/direct-mail-campaigns)
- [Google Ranking Tips (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/google-ranking-tips)
- [Gym Advertising (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-advertising)
- [Gym Photography Tips (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-photography-tips)
- [Gym Websites (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-websites)
- [HIIT (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/hiit)
- [Paid Ads (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/paid-ads)
- [Podcasts for Gym Owners (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/podcasts-for-gym-owners)
- [Sales Competition Ideas (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/sales-competition-ideas)
- [Top Fitness Podcasts (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/top-fitness-podcasts)
- [abandoned cart (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/abandoned-cart)
- [abandoned cart email (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/abandoned-cart-email)
- [analytics (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/analytics)
- [automation (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/automation)
- [black friday (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/black-friday)
- [black friday marketing tactics (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/black-friday-marketing-tactics)
- [calories (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/calories)
- [check in (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/check-in)
- [club solutions (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/club-solutions)
- [combat classes (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/combat-classes)
- [consumers (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/consumers)
- [customer relationship management software (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/customer-relationship-management-software)
- [dance cardio (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/dance-cardio)
- [e-commerce (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/e-commerce)
- [email marketing (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/email-marketing)
- [experience (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/experience)
- [fitness community (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/fitness-community)
- [gym (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym)
- [gym membership referall program (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-membership-referall-program)
- [gym promotion ideas (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-promotion-ideas)
- [gym retention (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-retention)
- [holiday marketing campaigns (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/holiday-marketing-campaigns)
- [how to increase gym memberships (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/how-to-increase-gym-memberships)
- [implementation (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/implementation)
- [impressions (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/impressions)
- [increase gym sales (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/increase-gym-sales)
- [insights (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/insights)
- [interview (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/interview)
- [key account manager (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/key-account-manager)
- [kristen coy (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/kristen-coy)
- [latest workout craze (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/latest-workout-craze)
- [lead nuturing (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/lead-nuturing)
- [leads aren't interested (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/leads-arent-interested)
- [logo (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/logo)
- [lost customers (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/lost-customers)
- [marketing strategies (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/marketing-strategies)
- [monthly challenge (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/monthly-challenge)
- [motivation (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/motivation)
- [new year (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/new-year)
- [nutrition (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/nutrition)
- [online shopping (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/online-shopping)
- [personal trainer (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/personal-trainer)
- [personal training (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/personal-training)
- [pop-ups (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/pop-ups)
- [pound (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/pound)
- [product manager (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/product-manager)
- [prospect engagement (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/prospect-engagement)
- [prospect engagement strategy (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/prospect-engagement-strategy)
- [referral (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/referral)
- [retain (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/retain)
- [revenue (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/revenue)
- [sales engagement strategy (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/sales-engagement-strategy)
- [sales pipeline (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/sales-pipeline)
- [sales team efficiency (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/sales-team-efficiency)
- [salon (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/salon)
- [scripts (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/scripts)
- [smoothies (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/smoothies)
- [software (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/software)
- [software industry (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/software-industry)
- [software vendors (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/software-vendors)
- [top of funnel (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/top-of-funnel)
- [vida fitness (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/vida-fitness)
- [wellness (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/wellness)
- [workflow (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/workflow)
- [workout trends (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/workout-trends)
- [● gym membership referral program (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/gym-membership-referral-program)
- [● marketing black friday deals (1)](https://www.club-os.com/blog/tag/marketing-black-friday-deals)

[see all](https://www.club-os.com/blog/strengthen-membership-sales-part-3#)

[![ClubOS](https://www.club-os.com/hubfs/Branding/clubos_logo_primary_footer.svg)](https://www.club-os.com)

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/club-os) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/club.os/)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ClubOS1)

![visa compliance badge](https://www.club-os.com/hubfs/ServiceProviderBadge.png)

[VISIT OUR HELP CENTER](https://knowledge.club-os.com/) [CONTACT SUPPORT](https://www.club-os.com/support)

© 2026 Technique Fitness, Inc. [Contact Us](https://www.club-os.com/contact-clubos) [Privacy Policy](https://www.club-os.com/privacy) [Terms of Use](https://www.club-os.com/master-terms) [Canada Code of Conduct](https://www.club-os.com/canadian-code-of-conduct-complaint) [Terms of Service (ASF Canada)](https://www.club-os.com/terms-of-service-canada) [Terms of Service (ASF US)](https://www.club-os.com/terms-of-service-us) [Terms of Service (ASF Mobile)](https://www.club-os.com/termsofservice-mobile) [Terms of Use (ASF Mobile)](https://www.club-os.com/mobile-terms-of-use-asf) [Sub Merchant Agreement (ASF Canada)](https://www.club-os.com/asf-sub-merchant-agreement-canada) [Sub Merchant Agreement (ASF US)](https://www.club-os.com/asf-sub-merchant-agreement-usa) [Sub Merchant Agreement For Contractors (ASF Canada)](https://www.club-os.com/merchant-services-agreement-for-sub-contractors-canada) [Sub Merchant Agreement For Contractors (ASF US)](https://www.club-os.com/merchant-services-agreement-for-sub-merchants-us)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Corporation",
  "logo" : "https://www.club-os.com/hubfs/Website%20Images/logo-black.png",
  "name" : "ClubOS",
  "url" : "https://www.club-os.com/"
}
```