Weird and Surprisingly Effective Way to Get Former Members Back

Fitness Business University Podcast

In this episode, Vince discusses unique strategies to bring former gym members back, emphasizing the importance of personalized reactivation efforts and relationship-building.

He suggests maintaining a reactivation list, regularly reaching out with individualized offers, and using creative tactics like themed campaigns and personalized direct mail to re-engage past members. Vince highlights the New Year period as a prime time for reactivation when people often reflect on missed goals.

He emphasizes that while not all former members will return, a thoughtful reactivation process can yield valuable results by overcoming barriers like embarrassment and reminding members that it's okay to come back.

Key Points:

Building Member Relationships:

• Retain detailed knowledge about members, such as contact info, family names, birthdays, etc., to make outreach more personalized.
• Former members often leave due to life circumstances rather than dissatisfaction with the gym.

Effective Strategies for Reactivation:

• Maintain a “reactivation” list of former members and reach out regularly (suggested: five people each month).
• Send personalized letters or messages to reignite interest, making it clear the outreach is genuine.
• Offer an irresistible return incentive, like "no payments until January 1" for those who rejoin in November or December.

Creative Reactivation Campaigns:

• Host themed events or send funny, memorable items like "missing member" milk cartons with their photos.
• Use direct mail for more extensive campaigns, combining letters with small gifts like gym-branded hats or T-shirts.

Leverage the New Year’s Momentum:

• November and December are prime months for reactivation as people reflect on the year and consider health goals for the new year.
• Reinforce that it’s “okay to come back” to overcome any feelings of embarrassment members might feel.

Tracking and Evaluating:

• Track where new members come from at year-end to understand the role of reactivation in client acquisition.
• Reinforce that while not all former members will return, the strategy can yield significant returns with even a small percentage reactivated.

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!