Your Retention Problem Isn’t Pricing. It’s Silence.

Recently, an article in The Guardian explored something simple but powerful: we’re losing the art of talking to strangers.

• Banks are digital
• Supermarkets are self-checkout
• Food ordering is app-based
• Even everyday services that once required conversation are now screen-led.

We’ve removed friction from modern life, and in doing so, we’ve removed conversation.

And that matters.

Because for many people, the leisure centre, health club or gym is now one of the last remaining places where real, human interaction still happens.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on pexels

Inductions for Everybody

How can we be more efficient and offer a standard service when onboarding new members? And how can we deliver more? The standard industry term is still induction, but many clubs are changing to ‘activation’, ‘welcome appointment’, ‘step 1’, ‘getting started’, etc. If we’re shifting mindsets, let’s use new terminology.

“All of our members have an induction” is often the response when we ask about retention strategies, particularly onboarding.

Club operators and owners believe that they really are doing their best to ensure all new members have the maximum chance of sticking around.

But when we dig under the bonnet, either through further discussion, or analysis of club data, it often transpires that fewer than half of new members actually attend some kind of onboarding appointment.

 

We’ve looked at this issue many times, with many clubs; from leisure trusts and councils, private clubs and independent gyms, even low-cost, low-staff gyms, where inductions really aren’t popular at all.

First-Month Visits Predict Member Retention – Are You Paying Attention?

As we near the end of ‘the golden quarter’ (the period from January to March when gyms typically see a surge in new memberships), with many clubs reporting good sales at the start of 2025, focus must turn to member retention, if it hasn’t already. The real challenge now is ensuring your new members (and those who returned with new health and fitness goals) establish a consistent routine and remain engaged.

One of the most significant predictors of long-term retention is a member’s first month activity. Do they engage in a range of activities in your club, or more simply how many first month visits do they make?

It’s incredible to think that over 10% of joiners never make a visit at some low-cost fitness clubs. And almost another 10% make only one visit, ever. Budget gyms have done some great things in bringing fitness to millions of new members, but while online joining and optional inductions help sales, these practices hurt retention.

Why People, Not Technology, Are the Heart of the Fitness Industry

At its core, the fitness industry is, and always will be, a people-driven business. Staff join, develop, and stick around to build relationships, with members and with their colleagues. The personal connections are stronger than most other industries, because of the people.

HealthSeekers Education - Reaching the 85%

One of the most positive shifts during HealthSeeker discussions is the focus on the 85% of the population who do not have a gym or health club membership.
To push this movement forward, we need three tiers of education, along with collaboration and coaching.

Today, let’s talk about education.

Rethinking the Fitness Industry

The fitness industry has traditionally focused on the 15% (now 15.9% according to the latest Leisure DB report) who are already active. The goal has been to help the fit get fitter, competing for the same demographic and often poaching members from other clubs. The low-cost model has exacerbated this, with budget clubs 'stealing' members from incumbents who then try to win them back.

Many see the ‘pivot to health’ as a way to bring ‘the 85%’ into our leisure centres, gyms, and health clubs. However, as Andy King suggests on The Conveners podcast, the term pivot could be replaced with "broaden" or "transform." Most HealthSeekers are not interested in working out, exercising, or ‘doing sport.’ No amount of pivoting, transformation, or special offers will change that.

Independent Gyms: 24/7 & Unmanned Opening

A Gym Owners Panel debate about unmanned and extended hours opening.

The opening panel debate at the Independent Gyms conference is designed to get delegates thinking, asking questions, and networking through the day. There is a wealth of information from all the talks at the conference, but all delegates (clubs and suppliers) get heaps of value from hearing what other gym owners are doing, and there are always great questions and engagement from the opening session.

Three gym owners joined host Guy Griffiths to talk about one of the hot topics that is talked about in the Independent Gyms forums every week, namely 24/7 opening and unmanned gyms.

The shift to unmanned or 24/7 opening is driven by competition with local budget clubs who offer extended opening hours, but also changing work habits, and the stress of running a club. It was also interesting to hear the panellists views around staffing, community, and growth. We discussed the concerns and realisations that they had before and after making the change.

"I've come from your competition" - Sales tip Jan '23

A new prospect walks into your club saying they’ve just visited your competitor around the corner [or that they’re thinking about leaving that club to join you].

What’s your first response?

Don’t put them down… big them up!
Think of one of your competitors USPs and compliment it.

3 Steps to Get MEMBER RETENTION Right in 2023

Simple starters to improve retention and get more members to stick around

Retention will be one of the key differentiators in 2023. We ran several workshops last month for forward-thinking clubs who want to thrive this year and get their members to stick around longer. Sales is naturally a big focus in January, but if you get your new members off to the best start, you’ll reap rewards down the line.

These are the first three tips in a series to celebrate GGFit’s 15 years in business. Stay tuned for more

1. Sell Retention

Incorporate your retention activities and actions into your sales process. Tell your new members what they get as new joiners, what you’ll do to motivate them, what is expected of them, and start with why. 

The Independent Gym Owners Conference - Doing Things Differently

The biggest and best gathering of independent club owners and operators took place on 1st December 2022. While there were some excellent speakers, and it’s important to have supporting suppliers who help the event to happen, the real value was within the delegates in the room. 

It’s a chance for independent clubs to get together, share their ideas and learn from each other. A lot of sharing happens in the group online, but people connect properly in real life at the event or after-party, forging partnerships, alliances, and friendships.  

The panel debate at the start of the conference encouraged delegates to make the most of the value in the room, talk to each other, be curious, find out about each other’s clubs, and get new ideas or momentum for old ones.

Gym Membership Sales Ideas - Nov 22

September member sales weren’t as good as many clubs hoped. If you’re holding out for redemption in January, you need to think again. 
2023 is the year to focus more on retention (we would say that!), but if you want to talk sales for a minute, here’s a tip.
January is (traditionally) a busy time in the fitness industry. Many clubs will have a new member joining offer, when you could actually double your joining fees, and still have a good sales month. 

Reasons Not To Discount Your Membership in 2022

January is just around the corner, and most clubs are hoping for a windfall of new members. It’s normally the best month for fitness membership sales, but for the last two years, many clubs have missed January due to lockdowns. By just opening your doors to members (fingers crossed), you should have the best January in recent memory. But getting loads of ‘new’ members is relatively easy. How can you maximise revenue and retention, and really put your business on the path to recovery?

You don’t need to go full “Centre Parcs” and double your joining fees in January (although I’ve written about this in the past – read more here). But discounting, waiving joining fees, and offering financial incentives is not a positive business strategy for many reasons. Let’s look at some of them.

ADD VALUE AS STANDARD

This September is going to be make or break for many fitness businesses. It is time to deliver value to your members, and this starts with removing the concept of free. 

Through lockdown, there has been a lot of free fitness. Many memberships were frozen or suspended. Clubs offered fitness for free through apps and online portals. Members and non-members alike have been following workouts and classes on Zoom, Facebook and YouTube.

The average UK club 12-month member retention was around 51% pre-lockdown. In other words, 51% of members typically stay for 12 months or longer. But member retention rates for free online fitness are significantly worse. Joe Wicks lost 50% of his viewers in just one month. Some say it was a fad, but so is joining a gym for many people. 

Double your joining fees in January

January rolls round again, and the gym campaigns start with banners, flyers, emails, and text messages. The airwaves are buzzing with the same old hackneyed offers of no join fee, join for £1, half price first month, first month free, all during the busiest month of the year. But could you make more money in the short and long term by breaking the mould and charging more?

Any other industry would double the joining/start-up fee in their busiest month, check out the handy “when’s school half-term” service provided by a well-known family holiday provider below. We’re not saying it’s morally right, but they know when people want to visit, and they make the most of it.

When's school half-term?

You cannot retain members by messages alone…

…but the messages can help!

OK, some low-cost gyms do rely heavily on email and sms messages as part of their member retention strategy. But to have a really positive effect, the retention messages have to be reinforced.

Here are some ways that you can use member communications to improve all-round customer service at your club:

Encouraging members to interact with staff

All messages should have a call to action, and most of those calls should be to talk to a

Budget Gyms as disruptors

Business disruptors are always interesting, and often very successful. We've blogged about low-cost gym market disruptors here many times, covering staff turnover, member messaging, and lessons from budget gyms. 

The 3 rules for market disruption are as follows:

1. Constantly steer towards your objective
2. Don’t wildly exceed people’s needs
3. The most effortless experience wins

Do gym members need rewards?

We've been interested by the furore created by news that Tesco plan to use face-scan technology to target ads at petrol stations. The tech is not new, and the concept does not bother us; after all, you’ll see much more targeted ads on your web-browser every time you look.

Nevertheless, this started us thinking about loyalty and customer rewards in other industries. What rewards do you enjoy? What is it about the service, experience, or product you receive from your favourite brand that makes you want to shout about it from the rooftops, or just tell all your friends?

Recession, Recovery and Retention - time to refocus!

Times are still tough in the leisure industry. Sales are always hard through the summer, but many clubs have struggled to hit targets in the current financial climate, and the recent glorious weather hasn’t helped either.
On the plus side, it’s great to see more focus on member retention in the industry as a whole; from clubs implementing or discussing retention strategies, to news articles and features in the industry press throughout 2013.

Some green shoots, yesterday (by Jeff Derbys on Flickr)

Is staff turnover higher at budget clubs?

We’ve been reading a lot about staffing in clubs, budget club staff turnover, and Personal Trainers lately on various blogs and LinkedIn groups (n.b. member only groups)

There is a perception that turnover of staff at budget clubs is higher than at other clubs, and that member attrition is also higher. Here’s why:
Member attrition is a well-known problem in the fitness industry. However, staff turnover is also an industry-wide issue, and poor member retention can be a symptom of the staff issue.

If we consider a ‘standard’ low-cost club model of minimal staff, long opening hours, automated member communication, centralised operations, it is a different environment than fitness professionals expect, or are used to.

No ties. No contract. Sound familiar?

Sky has introduced a new internet TV service to compete with LOVEFiLM and Netflix. NOW TV allows subscribers to watch films instantly, online. 

The “No Contract” headlines sound like they’ve come straight from the “how to build a budget gym” handbook, there’s even no joining fee! We’re not suggesting that Sky are learning from the fitness industry, but there are certainly lessons for gyms and health clubs in the way Sky is adapting to maintain its share of this highly competitive market.

Can I START MY 30 DAY FREE TRIAL at YOUR club tomorrow?

One more thing… this is another service that will be competing for £8.99 - £15 per month of your member’s hard earned cash.

Get More Members to Opt-in - Member Messaging

We’ve explored the value of data and collecting mobile numbers and e-mail addresses previously. Budget clubs are much better at acquiring good data with fulfilment rates close to 100% due to their online joining and confirmation process.

But even fulfilment rates of 100% are no good if half of those members opt-out of receiving communications. It is important to ask members’ permission, and there are good and bad ways of doing it.