Often, those of us working in the fitness industry get tied up and consumed with new member acquisition and member retention. But the process of onboarding a new member can make or break both obtaining new members and retaining them over a long period of time. Unfortunately, many clubs don’t focus on the onboarding process enough. Let us take a look at two key aspects to onboarding a new member.
Initial Conversation
The initial conversation is the most critical time to think about onboarding. Onboarding doesn’t necessarily begin when someone signs up for a membership. Great onboarding begins from the first time you talk with an inbound lead. The key to success here is conducting a successful needs analysis. Understanding the goals and past history of a customer is vital to that person potentially joining your facility. It is also about asking powerful questions. When you ask powerful questions from the beginning you can accomplish two tasks:
1. Overcoming objections. Asking questions that overcome objections before they are given is key during that first conversation. For example, we often hear the objection “I need to talk to my spouse before I make a decision about purchasing a membership.” What if you asked the question, “So who supports you in your goal of losing 5 pounds?” By asking this question, you are less likely to hear that objection at the end of your sales experience.
2. Planting seeds. Powerful questions can come in the form of planting seeds for later on so you do not sound like a used car salesperson. For example, what if you asked, “So it seems like you are looking for a really consistent plan moving forward, right?” By asking this question, you are having the customer assure you that having a consistent plan is very important. This is a positive answer when they say yes because you are the one that can supply that very program.
New Member Check-In Cadence
So you did a good job of building rapport, conducting a proper needs analysis and building a relationship with a new customer and they decided to join the gym. Half of the battle is now over, but what most gyms and studios do not realize is that the onboarding experience isn’t over. There are a few check-ins that need to happen once they sign up for your membership to make sure that you continue that relationship. Here are some simple ideas of when to check in.
1. Seven days. Having your head personal trainer or general manager call new members one week after they join can go a long way in terms of a great onboarding experience. It is also a great time to make sure they sign up for a free session should you offer one at your facility and to find out about any friends or family members that might want to join. The number one reason people do not get referrals is that they don’t ask, so use that call to ask for a referral.
2. 30 and 60 days. The biggest problem gyms and studios have with attrition is that they fail to nurture their members once they sign up for a membership. Reaching out 30 and 60 days after they sign up just to check in creates that community every gym is striving for. Members just want to be heard, and giving them a platform will help keep them over the long haul.
BIO
Kory Angelin is the chief operating officer for Volofit. He is an award-winning trainer, two-time published author and has helped to elevate some of the biggest fitness companies in the world. He was featured in “Top 20 entrepreneurs to watch in 2020” by The Chicago Journal and “Top 20 influential people of 2020” by New York Wire. To find out more, go to www.volo-fit.com and follow him @koryfit