The first 30 days after a member first joins a gym are arguably the most important when it comes to the success of their fitness journey. It is a time when their motivation for change, progress and achievement is at its peak.
A member’s first month is also a critical time for club and gym operators. It is an opportunity to capitalize on the newly signed member’s motivation and help them build the confidence and habits they need to make their major lifestyle change stick.
That is why onboarding a member is so important.
A successful onboarding process will help set them up for a successful fitness journey and reinforce the value your gym provides, so if (and when) they do drop in attendance, they don’t simply give up and cancel their membership.
So, how do you make sure you provide your newcomers the best possible onboarding possible?
Get to know the person
Who is the new member as a person? What are they looking to accomplish by joining your gym? For new member onboarding to be successful, it’s crucial you spend time directly with them.
Often, we’ll see suggestion boxes or a whiteboard for questions and answers, but these take a lot of manual effort for both your staff and your members to fill out which reduces the impact they can make before you even hang up the whiteboard.
This is where technology plays a critical role in your operations. Fitness On Demand offers surveying tools that can help you collect this information in a way that’s easier and more reliable for members, and simpler to interpret for you.
Set realistic, attainable goals
Did you know that 94% of members who set goals remain active nine months later?
After understanding who your member is and what they look to achieve, you need to make sure they have well-defined goals and a process to follow so they don’t need to try and figure that out by themselves. The first step here is helping them understand realistic progress they can make in the first 2-4 weeks.
This sense of progress is a driver for motivation and starts their fitness journey on a positive note, instead of having them stare down a goal that could take months or years to achieve. Break the targets down, if needed.
Setting fitness or health-related goals shouldn’t differ from any other goals we set ourselves. For example, does anyone ever say “I’m going to read 24 books this year”? Probably not. However, plenty of people might say “I’m going to read 2 books a month this year”.
And even if you would say “24 books this year”, what are the chances of you looking at your calendar on 1 January and deciding that you’ve got plenty of time to hit your target? With 2 books a month, you are more likely to get going to hit your target.
Track progress
After setting a member with a realistic and achievable goal, make sure there are opportunities to celebrate success. There is an immense satisfaction that comes with any sense of progress.
When you help new members celebrate these smaller, but just as important, milestones early in their journey, you’re reinforcing the importance of building these habits and making them much more likely to return to the gym more often.
Incorporate technology – but make it relevant
Tracking only works if it is accurate, meaningful and has a rewarding element to it.
Fitness On Demand’s member app does all of this. As well as providing accurate tracking, the app’s milestone badges are a great way to visit progress and also offer tangible rewards to the member. These badges can be reflected in a certain number of gym visits during the first 30 days.
Book at least 4 sessions before the member goes home on the first day
This is an important step because it puts the right kind of accountability and ownership on new members to keep them committed and can be as simple as helping them schedule their next few weeks of workouts.
When possible, you should try to use trainers and group fitness to lock in that commitment.
Importantly, you can extend the engagement by using Fitness On Demand’s digital classes. This also means that the member can do a digital class at a time most convenient time for them – which can be a huge factor for those still forming and shaping their lifestyle change.
People are more likely to show up to a scheduled event or session compared to the flexibility of coming back if and when they feel like it.
Want to know more?
Fitness On Demand can help turn new members into loyal, long-term customers through its unique features that create omnichannel fitness journeys? Get in touch!
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Author
Andy Peat
Andy Peat is a visionary with a rich background in product innovation, operational management, business expansion, and over 10 years of leadership experience in the fitness industry. He spent a couple of years refining his strategic and management skills as the Chief Product Officer at Lift Brands, before pivoting to expand upon his leadership skills and passion for fitness as the CEO of Fitness On Demand.