Membership Geeks

The Fatal Mistake I See Too Many Membership Businesses Making

The Fatal Mistake I See Too Many Membership Businesses Making

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In this episode, I talk about one of the most damaging mistakes membership business owners make—neglecting their new member onboarding process.

Onboarding isn’t just a bonus feature. It’s a foundational element that directly impacts member retention and long-term success.

Based on over a decade of experience, I walk you through practical strategies to help new members get off to a strong and engaging start.

Along the way, I highlight common pitfalls and explain how you can avoid them. Whether you’re just starting out or running a mature membership, these tips will help you improve your onboarding and boost retention.

In this episode:

  • Why is the new member onboarding process so crucial for the success of a membership business?
  • What typically goes wrong when onboarding is overlooked or poorly executed?
  • What are the four essential steps that every onboarding strategy should include?
  • How can membership owners improve their current onboarding experience to increase member retention and satisfaction?

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

“And so now those first few minutes, those first hours of someone's memberships, instead of those being spent with them excitedly taking their first steps towards the success that they're seeking, they're instead going to have to spend a bunch of time figuring out where the heck everything is, how it all works, clicking around different links to see what they do, where they go, what's on offer.”

“A warm welcome. The first page that someone sees after they've completed registration should feature a message from you, preferably video, giving them that warm welcome. Big, smiley, happy, confident, thanking them for joining, validating their buying decision and telling them what's next.”

“Four to five simple actions that will get them started the right way. Give them a quick win, get them to introduce themselves into your community to sign up for their first live training call. Set them on the path towards whatever they joined your membership to accomplish.”

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