Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

453 - The Fatal Mistake I See Too Many Membership Businesses Making

Dec 9, 2025

This discussion highlights a critical mistake in membership businesses: neglecting the onboarding process. Effective onboarding can significantly boost member retention and satisfaction. The speaker shares actionable strategies, including the importance of initial experiences and personalized communication. Learn four essential steps to enhance onboarding, such as easy first tasks and automated follow-ups. Discover how even large memberships often overlook these basics and why focusing on onboarding is vital for long-term success.

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INSIGHT

Retention Starts On Day One

Membership businesses are retention businesses where revenue depends on members sticking around, not just on sales.
Mike Morrison says onboarding shapes member lifetime from minute one and directly affects retention.

ANECDOTE

Dropped Into No-Man's Land

New members often complete a purchase then get dumped into a confusing site with no guidance.
Mike Morrison describes members clicking around, overwhelmed and unsure where to start.

ADVICE

Four-Step Onboarding Blueprint

Implement a four-part onboarding: welcome, survey, first steps, and automated follow-ups.
Mike Morrison recommends video welcome, quick survey, 4–5 starter actions, and drip emails over the first weeks.

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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?

Thank You For Listening

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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."