Health Clubs often focus on low usage rates as a key predictive indicator for member drop out. However, an equally useful indicator can be the complete opposite.
Many clubs overlook high member usage rates a metric as logically we should not be worried about someone who is coming to the gym 6 times a week right?
One of the biggest causes of drop out can be new member burn out.
This can be caused by a member going too hard too early.
Naturally, new members often have a lot of motivation when it comes to reaching their goals and working out. However, this initial burst of motivation can be a double edged sword.
Low levels of motivation can quickly lead to drop out however the opposite can lead to what we would call new member burn out. Burnout happens when you expect too much too soon.” says Rob DeStefano, D.C., author of Muscle Medicine.
Here is a typical scenario…
A new member joins and is super motivated to get fit and healthy.
They are so motivated that they plan to come to the gym 5 times per week. Fueled by their shot of motivation and the excitement of experiencing something new the member does come to the gym 5 times a week over their first 3 weeks of membership. However, after the 4th week, they start to get a little tired and they have only seen a small improvement in their results. Slowly their motivation starts to wain and they find the effort to come to the gym 5 times each week more of a challenging. Suddenly by their 5th week, they have only come twice. In week 6, their child is sick which means they cannot get to the gym at all. The initial motivation spark has almost completely gone and their progress has stalled after missing an entire week.
This is obviously a made-up scenario however it is likely you have seen this time and time again at a health club.
It is important to ensure a member is committing to a weekly work out plan or schedule that is sustainable for the long term. It is like sticking to a diet. If a member cannot sustain that behavior change for an ongoing period of time they are setting themselves up for failure.
Managing new member motivation is often overlooked when introducing a member to a health club. It is the role of the health club and gym instructors to successfully educate and manage a new members expectations to set them up for the best possible chance of achieving permanent behavior change.
Ultimately we are in the business of behavior change and creating a lifelong habit.
Does your health club have a process within your new member induction to discuss scheduling and managing the members time commitments?
One of the elements our clients use to address this risk is via our weekly planner feature which is available in our fitness appraisal/consultation within FitDesk. This helps the gym instructor work with a member to plan exercise commitments for the week and develop an achievable and sustainable plan that will produce long-term results and minimize the chances of burn out.
After all – Member retention becomes a lot easier if members are set up for sustainable success.