New club members often hit the ground running with optimism and great intentions. But in no time at all, members start looking at whether they’re hitting their goals fast enough and whether the money they’re spending on a club membership is really worth it.
Within six months, as new members become disengaged and unmotivated, 50% cancel their memberships. So how do you combat member challenges and keep them motivated? To get started, you have to understand the most common reasons your members cancel their membership:
- No gym buddy or accountability partner
- Uncomfortable with equipment
- Feeling out of place
- Budget concerns
- Dissatisfaction with gym equipment or offerings
- Not seeing results
- Health changes or challenges
- Relocation
- Family or work obligations
Then, you have to tackle each of these challenges head-on. In this article, we’ll go through each of these reasons members quit and how you can overcome them to boost member retention and increase happiness.
How to Overcome the Challenge of Fitting In at Your Gym
Building a strong fitness community with an attractive culture is one of the most important things you can do to combat the following member retention challenges:
- No gym buddy or accountability partner
- Uncomfortable with equipment
- Feeling out of place
The best way to sniff out whether your members are experiencing these challenges is to talk to them. For example, if you notice a member isn’t coming in as frequently or that they aren’t spending as much time on each visit, ask them how their fitness journey is going so you can take a personalised approach to keeping them around.
Here are a few tips for how to help members feel more comfortable and at home at your gym:
- Create a referral or incentive program for working out with a friend. Working out with a friend is great for accountability, and a member referral or rewards program creates a financial incentive to encourage a long-term commitment.
- Encourage members to participate in group training and classes. If a workout buddy isn’t an option, group classes are a great way to help members meet new people and find their place at your gym. Additionally, according to the Fitness Business Association (FBA), group fitness drives a higher retention rate (73%).
- Make it easy to view and book classes. Offer online booking or, even better, a branded member app that lets members take the reins of their fitness journey from anywhere at any time of day. This ensures that your members aren’t missing out on their favorite classes, eliminating any associated frustration.
- Offer members a free body composition analysis. This strategy gives your staff the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with your members. You can also dive into member goals, the types of workouts they enjoy doing, and any challenges they’re facing. With this insight, you can provide training guidance and a more personalized experience too.
Above all else, your club’s staff can make a huge difference to how welcomed and comfortable a member feels. Start by setting targets for your staff members to introduce themselves to at least five gym members per day. You can even incentivise staff members to spend more time engaging with members on the floor. In fact, just two interactions per month between your staff and members can reduce membership cancellations by up to 33%, according to IHRSA.
ClubWise Pro Tip
Segment your email list to maximise attendance, and personalise communications to deliver a better experience. Then, you can send targeted emails about classes, promotions, or bootcamps to specific demographics, such as working moms or stay-at-home dads.
How to Overcome the Challenges of Cost and Gym Dissatisfaction
It probably comes as no surprise that, according to IHRSA, 46% of gym membership cancellations are the result of costs. But equipment makes a difference too, with 38% of gym members saying they stick with their membership because of the gym equipment?
To overcome these two challenges, you have to ensure that your facility offers the best value and the best equipment for the cost of membership. Here are a few ways you can tackle these challenges:
- Ask for feedback early and often. Your members might wish you offered a different type of group class or a new piece of equipment, but you’ll never know unless you ask. Ask questions face-to-face, add a suggestion box in the locker room, or send a quick questionnaire via text or email. Better yet, ensure your member app has a feedback element built in so you can react quickly to resolve issues.
- Educate members on equipment. If gym members are waiting for machines every time they come in, you may push them into your competitor’s arms. Educate your members on how to use all of your machines — not just the common or popular ones — and they won’t feel as frustrated when their go-to machines are being used.
- Offer discounts or incentives. It’s hard to overcome money concerns, but offering a limited-time discount or other incentive can help members stick around long enough for you to prove the value of your club. Check out what the competition is doing to ensure your rates are competitive and then consider free personal training sessions, a body composition analysis, or other incentives.
ClubWise Pro Tip
Encourage instructors to be flexible with warm-up guidance. For example, rather than insisting warmups happen on a treadmill, instructors should let people warm up for 5 minutes on any piece of cardio equipment.
How to Overcome the Challenge of Members Who Aren’t Seeing Results
Two of the top reasons people cancel their gym memberships are that they lose motivation or that they’re not seeing the results they expect. Would you believe that people who set fitness goals on January 1 begin dropping their resolutions by the third Thursday in January? The best way to overcome these two challenges and keep members around for the long-haul is by encouraging them to set attainable, realistic goals.
For example, when someone joins your gym, set them off on the right foot by helping them set an achievable, measurable goal so they can track their progress. Body composition analysis is a great tool for setting goals and tracking progress, and you can set measurement sessions once per month.
ClubWise Pro Tip
If members cancel because they’re not hitting their goals fast enough, create content to educate members about the benefits of steady progress as opposed to quick weight loss or muscle gain. You can also help your members recalibrate their goals and encourage them to work with a personal trainer to stay on track.
How to Overcome Challenges Outside Your Control
When gym goers cancel their membership, there are many reasons that are completely outside your control.
Here are a few examples:
- Health changes or challenges
- Relocation
- Family or work obligations
If a member is receiving treatment for an illness or has to move to a different city for work, the best thing you can do is wish them well and cancel their membership.
On the other hand, family or work commitments may make sticking to a regular schedule hard, if not impossible for your members. In these circ*mstances, be sure to highlight how flexible your gym is and try to find a way to make it work. For example, if you offer express classes, childcare, or extended hours, make sure your members know.
ClubWise Pro Tip
You have to acknowledge that things might not always work out. If a member does cancel, ask permission to keep them on your communication lists. If you send out valuable content about staying fit and healthy, you can still provide a service for former members. Also, you never know when someone’s situation will change and they’ll want to re-up their membership.
Boost Member Retention at Your Gym with ClubWise
The easiest way to overcome the challenges associated with member retention is to ensure your team has the tools they need to spend more time on the gym floor helping members achieve their goals. With ClubWise, you get all-in-one software that lets your team automate administrative responsibilities and gives them the freedom to focus on what matters most: your members!
Learn more and get a free demo of ClubWise
