Top 3 Gym Member Retention Warning Signs

Even if you’re growing and getting a constant flow of new faces through your doors, building relationships and retaining existing members still needs to be a top priority. Why? It costs up to 10 times more to win a new member than it does to keep an existing one. Let that stat sink in for a second…

Keeping your members coming back will save you money in the long run, so it’s extremely important to never let member turnover get out of hand. Having one key member decide to leave can set off a ripple effect. To prevent this from happening, keep a close eye on these common warning signs that someone might be thinking about leaving your gym.

Download our free Gym Member Retention Warnings Signs guide to learn how to spot common red flags that a member might leave.

1. Sudden Decline in Attendance

We frequently talk about how important it is to track and actively monitor attendance. Doing so will help you identify an at-risk member. Think about some of your frequent attenders. They probably have a schedule they stick to every week; Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 and every Saturday at 9, for example. Sure, you may notice when these individuals are missing from their typical classes, but noticing a trend can be easy to overlook on busy weeks.

To prevent them from falling through the cracks, ensure that you have an automated email setup to go out when a member has been absent for specific period of time or number of classes. Setup an additional follow-up automation to alert you to personally reach out to them if they still haven’t attended after receiving the “we miss you email.”

2. Unusual Complaints

What happens when a normally happy, quiet member starts making complaints? These complaints often happen under the radar and outside of your typical feedback channels. It’s important to listen for these conversations while in the gym or through other members, as there’s a good chance that person might be thinking about taking their business elsewhere.

While these complaints might be irritating to hear, pause, take a breath and then remember, it’s a part of the job. It is important to reach out to that person to get more insight into what’s going on. Show them you care and you want to make things right. Seeing that their concerns are being addressed and that you truly care about keeping them as a member might be all it takes to stop that person from leaving.

3. Workout Partner Cancellation

As mentioned earlier, turnover can quickly get out of hand if a couple key members decide to leave. Members love going to their gym because of the community support they receive while fighting through tough workouts. If their workout buddy leaves, that feeling of community is at risk, and may cause them to think about leaving as well.

Keep a close-eye on turnover every month. If a certain member leaves, make sure to give their workout buddy or buddies additional attention over the next couple of months. Make them feel important, and let them know they’re a key part of your community. Encourage other members to include them in social outings and schedule a check-in with them to discuss their goals, progress and how they’re feeling about things. Again, the feeling of knowing people care about you and you’re wanted can be powerful enough to keep someone at your gym.

There are plenty more warning signs to keep an eye out for and the best gym software can help you do it. Interested in learning what they are, as well as how to address them? Get your copy of our free guide, Gym Member Retention Warning Signs today!