Many owners still rely on a “gut feel” to gauge why members are not choosing to return to their gym. Average member retention hovers between 60 and 70 percent. You are probably spending thousands each and every year to bring in new members, while according to the Harvard Business Review, “Depending on which study you believe, and what industry you’re in, acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.”

Instead of relying on generic surveys, audit the data you are receiving from the Gym Insight software to determine why people are not coming back to your fitness facility. Treat it like a Dateline Mystery to solve. You have all the information needed at your fingertips to solve this mystery, and then you can make changes and boost retention.

The Slow Fade

We have all used “the slow fade” before to end relationships. Instead of coming out and ending something instantly, we start texting less, going out to dinner only now and then, and calling only once a week. Before they knew it, the relationship was over.

Members do this all the time! They use the slow fade move. They may not have canceled yet, but they are showing up at the gym less frequently. Instead of overwhelming yourself by looking back at the last year of data acquired from Gym Insight, focus on just the last quarter and zero in on these people. If their weekly visits have dropped 50 percent or more, add them to the list. If members have gone two full weeks without a visit, add their names as well. These people already have one foot out the door.

“But We Just Met!”

You can’t treat all the members the same if you are noticing a negative pattern. Being a gym owner and trying to retain your members is not a one-size-fits-all situation. You must put an emphasis on keeping an eye on your new members’ data. The reason is that the biggest drop-offs happen in the first 90 days of a membership, with nearly 50 percent quitting during this time. These are your “at-risk” and “high-risk” members.

Always maintain a current list of everyone who has signed up for a membership in the last 90 days. They may have signed up for a membership because of a promotion, and if their habits of getting to the gym three times a week after work have not formed yet, they could be looking for any excuse to say adios.

Low early attendance is the number one indicator of a member who is soon going to leave you. And your attention should be on getting them to stay, regardless if they signed up for a monthly, six-month, or yearly membership. You have already done the hard work by getting them to sign up, so don’t let them leave without a fight.

The Silent Churn

Members who have stopped attending your gym but haven’t pulled the string yet to cancel their membership create the group “the silent churn”. Ignoring the silent churn is a huge mistake. You may think everything is great since they are still making their monthly payments, but they are getting ready to cancel unless you do something immediately. They are only a day or two away from saying, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

4 Step Review Process

During the next week, accomplish these four steps to identify the members who are halfway out the door.

• Gather your attendance data from the Gym Insight software. Once again, start with the last 90 days so as not to overwhelm yourself. It is time to use your own data like the big players do.
• Put all of your members into one of four categories. The New Ones (zero to three months), Early (three to six months), Established (six months to a year), and the Veterans (one year or more). By placing them into these groups, it will be easier to focus on the problems.
• Flag the members who are at risk of leaving based on the data you have acquired.
• Determine how to best approach these members to ensure they stay with your gym.

Re-Engage the At-Risk Members with These 11 Strategies

After conducting the retention audit, there are several tactics you can use to entice them to stay. And all of them do not involve doing a “hard-sell”. You are not a car salesman. You are a gym owner. Hopefully, you have developed a bit of a personal connection with these members, especially by searching through the data. One gym owner that I know used these tactics with his at-risk members and said his recovery rate was about 35 percent when compared to the previous year when he did not use these strategies.

1. Send a text, voicemail, or a quick call saying you have missed them lately and hope everything is okay. Do not send a generic email that loses the personal touch.
2. Offer a free “Don’t Call It a Comeback” session (everyone loves LL Cool J). Pair them up with a trainer or invite them to a small class to help get them back on track.
3. Praise them if there were weeks when they trained a number of times. Highlight their past achievement. Ask what has changed since then.
4. Invite them in for a free workshop to talk with a nutritionist who can assist them better in achieving their weight loss or muscle-building goals.
5. Reward them with the offer of a free gym shirt or shaker bottle if they visit at least five times in the next ten days.
6. Through email, send a handful of workouts their way. We often forget how overwhelming it can be for people who are not sure how to train.
7. Ask what is holding them back right now. Maybe the two of you can fix it together.
8. Pair the at-risk member with a veteran member who seems to love the place. Their knowledge and friendship could be all they need to stay.
9. Do you remember how excited we all used to get with handwritten notes? Send a quick motivational one to them.
10. Create an adoption board (with the members’ approval). For one month, other members can reach out to those on the board and offer help to get them on track.
11. Use AI! Short little videos can be made in seconds to inspire a member. All you need is a picture of their face, and you can create an AI video of them crushing the bench or winning a marathon.

Let us know what retention strategies work for your gym! Drop it in the comments below.

About Gym Insight

We are a gym management software firm established in 2007. Our fully integrated software platform provides:

• Comprehensive member management
• Club management
• Sales solutions
• 24/7 digital keytag door access
• U.S.-based customer service representatives

For the best solution to your software needs, call us today at 855-FOR-GYMS and we will schedule a free demonstration.