Why day-one retention matters

In this episode, I discuss the most critical mistake that I see far too many membership business owners making—neglecting their new member onboarding process.

I emphasize why onboarding isn’t just a nice-to-have, but a fundamental pillar for ensuring member retention and long-term business success.

Drawing on over a decade of experience, I break down actionable strategies to set new members up for a positive, engaging start.

Whether you’re brand new or running a well-established membership, these insights will help you avoid costly pitfalls and boost your retention rates.

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?

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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."