The Psychology of Retention

hello everyone and welcome to part two the psychology of retention this is part two of the golden Playbook of retention this is a small video series where we basically show you in this series everything that you need to have one of the best retentions in the industry right it's what we discussed in the first video if you're just jumping on part two thinking you don't need part one this is really a step-by-step plan so you're going to want to watch part one and we're going to really discuss the sort of the fundamentals of retention not

just the simple tips and tricks which is what we are going to cover as well not just the simple you know do this do that send this message but really sort of the the what goes behind the scenes of retention why the psychology behind it and really dive deep into it as once you've mastered this you can really build something amazing here you can double triple quadruple your retention with all your members by simply f following this video series and actually implementing it into your business and this is part to the psychology of retention what

is really what what goes really behind um you know the thought process of a client like why do they stay right because it's very you know it's very simple by just like showing you tips and tricks but having a true understanding of what makes a client stay what makes them comfortable at your gym what makes them show up right what makes them do the work that you want them to do which in turn gets some results which in turn makes them stick around longer right what is the psychology that becomes be that is behind that

and how does a client really um how does a client's brain work really um so that is the only thing that we're going to cover in this video the psychology of retention right clients don't stay because you have a cool website a slick logo the best coaching or a great cleaning machine right here's why your clients actually come to your gym every week and why some will ghost you right in this video I'm going to really show you the the reason why people stick around the psychology behind that and how you can Implement that and

use that for your own business in an ethical way of course um and also debunk some myths that come to retention right A lot of people just think you know I just need to have a slick website great equipment you know good coaches you know yes it's all very important and yes it's help it's definitely going to make your business a lot better but is that truly what is that the true Game Changer here it really isn't and that's what we're going to discuss in this video so it's a very important video so I suggest

you stick around until the end okay so how a client brain works that's what we're really going to discuss in this video as once you understand exactly how a client's brain works how all your client's brain works how your brain works right you're going to be able to use that knowledge into your business and basically kind of manipulate it and in an ethical way really because what we're trying to do is we're trying to get people to stick around so they can achieve their goals and Achieve happiness right um so you know I'm all against

you know manipulating people and using slick psychology tricks to get people to pay you but if we're doing it in an ethical way to get people to stick around so they actually get results because your gym is the best right and you're an amazing coach and you can get them results if we can find slick ways to actually get them to stick around so they can achieve that success that they so so desperately desire I'm all about it right and I hope you are too because every coach knows to start every coach knows to start

with a client's goals and work backwards to build a program right every coach knows okay my client wants to lose 20 pounds now I need to reverse engineer and see exactly and make a step-by-step plan and how my client can get there it's the foundation of coaching and it's the right way to do it right you can't just throw something at someone and just you know hope hope it hope it sticks and hope that they achieve their results you actually have to listen in the sales conversation have to listen to their problems and then reverse

engineer that goal into a step-by-step plan that they need to follow on a weekly daily basis right but your client's commitment to that program is ultimately what determines success right no program works if the client doesn't do it right retention is the core Factor here right you can have kind of a half-ass program but if clients stick around and do the work they're still going to get results I can guarantee you that you know this is the truth right because you know chances are you guys are making amazing programs and the clients that are sticking

around are getting amazing results right it's not the pro it's not the part um where you know building the program and showing exactly what a client needs to do that's the problem here for most of you for most of you the problem is not the product but it is the the convincing um of people to actually use that product in a consistent way right consistency is the most important thing and consistency only happens when you actually retain clients when they actually show up on a weekly basis a couple times right and they actually do the

work even when you're not around right and that's why which we discussed in the last video um why it's so that's why it's so important that you have that you need to have watched that video is why you need to collect data points on the level of commitment per client in your program right you need to track the number of weekly shows per every client you have the engagement they show on social media but also in in the in the actual facility right answer and respon response rate are they actually responding to your text in

a you know in a fast manner are they actually responding to your um answering your phone calls right are they actually getting small results but are they actually getting results because it's a pretty easy way are they following my step-by-step plan that works okay let me look at the results right um and you know you want to track this right and this can be this doesn't need to be fancy you can have a a Google Drive for every client that you have and basically just collect data points on them um and over the long term

if you if you're doing this for a long time eventually you're going to be seeing patterns between the clients that are sticking around and the clients that are leaving after four or five months right you're going to be able to see okay what the people that are sticking around and that are sticking around for for 12 you know 24 36 months you know I can really tell what they're doing here and I can also tell what the people that are leaving very fast are doing right like maybe they're not answering phone calls they're ghosting you

on text right they only show up once a week and the people that are sticking around show up at least twice right once you have that key data which we discussed in the last video on the importance of it once you have that key data you'll be able to use that key data to really um Implement that and on the clients that aren't you know following sort of the things that you want for them to stick around right it kind of I'm kind of rambling on it but you know it you know just it does

make sense right so you need to collect data data is always King especially in our business knowing your numbers is going to build you a multiple seven figure business isn't going to be slick marketing isn't going to be you know an amazing sales script yes of course these things are important and they're great right but knowing data knowing how to use that data and actually iterating when that data and those K and and your business isn't within kpi right that is where the true Master lies and that is where truly you're going to be sticking

out as a business owner in general so we're here um so we're going to be discussing how the how a client brain works in six simple steps and you can use these six simple steps today Implement them into your business you're going to see results not fast right retention is a slow game but over the long term after this video and you've actually implemented this video into your business you're going to see massive results but you can only see those results if you're actually tracking data and that's why we have the first video um you

know the video before this why data is so important right here's what you should know about a client's goals motivation and commitment right the closer you are to a goal the more likely you are to stick with the plan and there's been a lot of research on this and a lot of um very smart people have done a lot of research on this and they found that the smaller the gap between a the current situation they're in right now and B the desired situation that they want to be right which can be like lose 20

right the more irresistible the goal becomes and here let me explain with an example this is why no one puts a book away with two pages left or walks out of a movie in the last 5 minutes right completion is irresistible when it's closed and this is one of those psychology things that I want to discuss here in this video right you have to think about it yourself when you're almost finished with something it almost becomes irresistible to quit there and then right so we have to convince and convince a client that they are closer

to their goal than they that they think right which what that means is that you must break a client's goals down into the smallest steps possible right from a monthly goal like lose two three four5 pound a month to a daily goal and from a daily goal to a workout goal and from a workout goal to a do this right now goal and this is why you need to encor encourage clients to celebrate every win no matter how small which we're going to discuss in the next slide because if you can sort of change the

way that a client thinks about their goals instead of like oh this is a year-long process right in year in the future I'll I'll reap the benefits of this um and turn it into a oh tomorrow I'll already reap the benefits of this you're going to get a massive psychological GameChanger in a client um you know which kind of um which you know kind of uh works the same way as the example right no one puts a book away with the last two pages left right and no one walks out of a movie in the

last five minutes right of course people will quit a book after the first 10 pages if they don't enjoy it right you know they there's still 300 a go that's a massive that's a lot of work right that's a lot of reading you know of course they'll quit then the same for a movie you know they aren't enjoying it in the first 10 15 minutes you know they feel comfortable leaving right so and that is where you're going to see a lot of drop off a lot of drop off and you guys will have seen

this in your business so we need to find a way to get people to psych psychologically change their outlook on how you're you know on the program that they they're using with you and make it so that they are achieving their small goals they're achieving their goals on a daily basis because when that H when that happens they'll stick with you right so and that's why you need to celebrate um celebrate wins and that's what we're going to discuss in this slide right here so celebrate every win no matter how small right most people in

the fitness industry don't understand motivation right in fact most of you have it backwards get someone motivated and then he or she will succeed that's what we think that's what I thought as well but there's been a lot of research on this and it's you know it came came out that this is not the case the truth is that if we need to someone to get uh if we if we want someone to succeed he or she um yeah the TR sorry the truth is if we get someone to suc Ed that's what will motivate

someone so we have it backwards we don't want to motivate someone so he'll he'll succeed we want someone to succeed so he or she will get motivated and that means because you're never going to get those big goals in a very short amount of time no matter what any Fitness Guru or you know uh company like us will tell you right you know it's not going to happen right this is a slow game which is fine but what that means if we want clients to win and win fast that means that we need to celebrate

the small goals it means going out of your way to find wins for your client right deadlift and empty bar for the first time that's a win show up to two appointments in a row that's a win drink more water than coffee that's a win smile during a workout that's a win right it it it can be so small but for a client is going to have massive massive value right because what we do there is we already we already put them on the path of success they already have a couple of wins in their

back pocket which will in turn motivate them to show up again right if we if we only want to um you know get client results and just like you know constantly sort of mentally and emotionally just hammer down on them and eventually you know they get motivated because you know in three four months from now they'll get to that goal trust me they're not going to stick around for 4 months won't happen so we need to find a way to celebrate these small goals for clients as what that'll do in turn is it to motivate

them to show up the next day right so remember as a coach you see this stuff every day it's routine to you but it's novel to clients right every new movement every tiny PR is an opportunity to rewire your client's brain to help him or her love you more and show up tomorrow right we need to celebrate those small wins and clients need to feel like they've actually achieved something on a daily basis because when they actually win and succeed every day that they show up to your gym and they feel like a winner and

they feel like they've achieved their goals or gotten a SL a tiny step closer to their massive goal if they feel like that every time that they enter your facility they're going to come back for the next one right and that is how you retain people people want to feel amazing after they've left they don't want to feel hammered down right they don't want to look at that big Co goal that they have and just add a bunch of time to it like okay you know today was rough and I you know I I'm not

seeing any change but three months from there I'll be there a lot of you because I know a lot of you guys are very motivated and very disciplined people that's just this industry a lot of you will be fine with that you don't need the motivation you know it's habit right it's habit like you don't need to see results in 3 4 months as you know you'll do the work required and you'll be motivated and happy and feel like a winner in 3 to 4 months from now but average clients aren't like this they need

to get that quick result and we can't get them the massive goals fast we it's just not possible but we can get them small wins down the road right and that's the way you need to do it so celebrate small things right drink more water than coffee that's an amazing win celebrate it deadlift an empty bar for the first time you know normally you would think oh you know you're still a rookie you know but 3 months from now you'll be there trust me no celebrate that as well it might be this might sound you

know stupid and you know kind of just like a no-brainer but a lot of we I've done so much research and I've visited so many so many gyms and no one does this but it's so simple and it's going to have so much effect in your income it's kind of you know it's you know the saying keep it simple stupid right a lot of gym Hors and a lot of lot of business owners they go into the you know they go into the massive detail on the technical stuff and oh we need to get you

know a better landing page and a more better marketing ads and you know an amazingly produced video while the true problem lies in small things like these it really is and you need to look at your own business and you'll you'll start seeing it but you have to be you have to have an objective eye right which we discussed in the first video as well so three inclusion equals safety and exclusion equals danger right this is something that is ingrained in us and I'm going to discuss what that truly means right and this comes down

to the client's first interaction with your business right to an Insider someone who knows the people who knows the facility a group means safety and numbers right and this is you know just the fundamentals of of humans right a pack with people you trust and like and are comfortable with you'll feel safe and happy to an outsider someone who has never shown up to your facility and this is the first time there a group is a threat right and let me explain what this means is that a client's first interaction with your gym should always

be oneon-one we start with a no sweat intro to talk about goals and we never put a new client into a class setting on the ver first visit right and this is what and this is this comes down to basically how every human is wired right if you throw people in a group they're going to feel incredibly uncomfortable and it's going to feel like danger right it's it's just uh it's just this is just how we a w right a group is amazing when you know the people when you feel comfortable with them then it's

great but when they don't it's going to feel incredibly you know not you know not sort of physically dangerous but emotionally dangerous so if you're putting them in a group setting make sure that you have your client show up early 15 minutes so you can have a little oneon-one time for um uh before you so you can have a little oneon-one time before you throw them to the Wolves right and that might sound very extreme but that is how clients feel when they are thrown into a group environment with people they aren't familiar with so

you know I can understand if you're having a lot of traffic and you just don't have the Manpower you can't just do one-on ones with every new client right it's just not possible but what I what I know a lot of you can do is have a little one-on-one time with clients before those group settings and show them a little bit more attention than your other clients in that workout people need to feel safe in the group and you know over time they're going to feel safe and they're going to you know going to be

part of the community and stuff like that but in the beginning it's like throwing them to the Wolves you got to have they got to have that special attention because trust me if that first workout that first show up isn't pleasurable isn't you know isn't great they're not going to show up they're going to be terrified for the second what right and that small change will have massive effect on your show up and stick rate for the workouts to come so it's so important that you do this you're going to see massive effect effect on

your business in the long term right so don't throw them to the Wolves until you've build a little Rapport they feel comfortable right they feel at ease otherwise you know what I discussed exclusion equals danger right and humans avoid danger at all costs and for us that'll mean that they won't show up for the second appointment so they need to feel included which equals them feeling safe and that's what you that's what you want your facility and Company to be about you know that all your clients feel safe happy and comfortable in your business that's

what will make them stick around for years when they feel like that right so most people are looking for reasons not to use your surface right now right people know people already know that they need to exercise they already know that they're fat weak or sick but we're wired to take action on urgent things not the most important things right so it's it's basically a survival Instinct right like we're wired to you know take action and very fast action on things that are Urgent straight that are right in front of our face you know we

take action on those things very fast and we do it in very a very efficient way and we usually succeed in those things but in the life you know that that sort of that sort of mentality Instinct works that would have worked maybe 3,000 years ago when the danger was right in front of us and we were just living it day by day but in a world like this where we are you know generally safer and we can think about things in the long term people still have this Instinct right but we shouldn't because we

need to focus on the important things and not the most urgent things right because urgent things can be very you know urg things can be just like I feel bad right now I need to do something to make me feel happy which can be overeat drink right or that sort of stuff that's an urgent matter right but it's not the important thing that we need to focus on the important thing is the things that we need to work towards that will see results of in the long term right but we're not wired that way so

what that means is that that means a client who calls you to ask about your service is looking for an urgent solution right they might have had a wakeup call right like I really need to make a change now right sometimes and usually when people just sign up they're still in that urgent situation and we're usually very efficient and very very successful when those urgent situations arise but those urgent situations don't last right so he or she has had some Revelation that cus a thought I need to find a gym now that's going to be

90% of your new clients right motivation is at its peak right even if you don't know the reason yet like we don't know the true reason why people signed up yes we did the sales conversation yes we heard about their problems but there's going always going to be this vague part that people will keep for themselves right but they are in this urgent situation it's what made them sign up in the first place but that urgent situation was won't last but that urgent situation was focused on something important right so two days from now the

client's motivation might be gone again right the urgency di will disappear disappear he or she will be led back into complacency by the comfort of the daily routine right the Urgent Situation's gone the motivation completely vanished and they won't show up again and the leave they'll cancel their membership so when someone says I'm interested the greatest favor you can do is call right away and get the person into the gym right and this we've discussed with high level you know you don't need to call them you can if you have the time always recommend if

you have the time call your clients call your call your prospects there is no better way to get you know personal with people um and that's not high pressure sales it's answering a call for help right and you kind of have to understand this especially in the first 30 days of a client right like they have this urgency this urgency to really just get into the gym and get started but that mergency and motivation will disappear quicker than you can say hello right so we need to make sure that we get them those small wins

that they feel happy they feel safe they feel they see immediate results right and that doesn't need to be body or condition or anything like that or they need to feel stronger that's why you s celebrate small wins because that urgency Will Never Last so we need to find ways to get them to make them stick around make them feel happy make them feel comfortable when that motivation and urgency is good gone right it's just impossible to keep clients motivated 365 days of the year it's just not possible that's why you need to have other

other ways and other tactics to retain them when that urgency and motivation is gone right and until we've changed their habits which can take anywhere between 30 and 60 days you need to have massive attention on those clients right because once once you know showing up to your gym two three times a week doing the doing the program you know doing the action has become habit it's going to become a lot easier and you don't need and don't need them as much attention right it's the Habit that you a lot most of you have um

ingrained in yourself for years but for the clients who have just showed up they don't those habits aren't there yet so every time that they show up is uncomfortable for them and they're really stepping out of their comfort zone but we need to make sure that they actually do that for 30 days so we can change those habits right and that's how you'll CL retain clients for a very very long time so your messages must must be consistent with the people you're trying to interact uh with um with the people you're trying to inter attract

sorry so if you want stable clients who can afford your service you should dress and act like those people what do your best clients wear to the gym match their wardrobe quality how do your best clients speak match their language how do your best clients behave on Facebook live up to that standard when in doubt it never hurts to be the best dress most polite or the friendliest person in the room but it always hurts to be the worst right you have to really understand you are the owner here and you need to not only

build a lot of rapport with your clients but they can't feel threatened by you so you know join the pack right act like them talk like them match their language it's going to make people feel a lot more comfortable and feel less like an outsider right and everything you say or publish will make your attention better or make it worse so always keep that in mind with everything you're doing that your clients will see or hear about or you know whatever just realize that everything you do will have effect in your retention either good or

bad so don't be impulsive and think about the things that you're doing think about the messages you're sending to people think about the live streams you're doing think about the blogs don't be too critical don't criticize too much don't be too hard ass right I know a lot of you can be um because it's going to have effect on your retention trust me it's going to be it's going to have a bad effect so six people need to win your brain quickly becomes addicted to two chemicals serotonin and dopamine right The Happy The Happy um

sort of the happiness uh the happiness um cells you could basically say it's not really cells but the things that make us feel happy the things that we really work towards every day the the the two sort of subance substances that make us do the stupid things just to get a quick hit of dopamine right a lot of you will know about this if you don't I suggest search researching this and why you know especially now most people are so addicted to dopamine they you know they can't you know they just simply can't go without

it dopamine you get you get from junk food from your phone from Instagram from notifications from emails you know so people especially nowadays are usually they have dopamine and serotonin overload in them right and dopamine is secreted when the brain encounters novelty right and serotonin is secreted when the brain solves a pule puzzle that's why constantly varied functional movement performed at a high intensity works right constant novelty grabs the brain's interest and tiny little winds keeps it interested in the long term right and that's why high intensity is usually the way to go because they

get that quick do dope mean and is why no one gets excited about doing Farmers walks unless you make it a race right it's small things like that so want to heighten the effect put your people on podiums right most people don't think about your gym very much when they're not in it they have busy lives jobs families and a bunch of other priorities and they probably never get to win most of the time right most people don't really get to succeed and win you know a lot so we need to make your facility facility

where people win all the time right so but your people but of your gym people can win they can be the best version of themselves sometimes they can be the best in the tribe right right whenever they win you need to have a Podium ready you need to shine a big Spotlight on them you need to put their picture in the newspaper and this stuff will make people stick around for massive amounts of time right when they get that steady flow of dopamine and serotonin and whenever they ENT your facility because eventually your brain is

going to be eventually your brain is going to connect the two things right like people feel unhappy people feel unmotivated they need that quick they need that hit of dopamine and serotonin and eventually they're going to connect that to your facility because they know that every time that they answerer your facility they feel like that and they're going to become addicted to showing up which in turn is going to get them results going to make them more HP make them more healthy and more happy so we're we're doing a massive favor here and luckily you

own the podium the spotlight and the newspaper broadcast every Brides spall and make your clients feel like Superstars every time they enter the facility and that is how you do it and yes this is not you know this is not really a step-by-step plan this is not like a oh this is a sheet do this do this do this you know you're going to have to figure this stuff out for yourself as well you know you have to you're going to have to read between the lines a little bit you're going to have to be

creative but as simply because every facility is different all clients are different right we can't give you a step-by-step plan because it would be right for the this person and wrong for the other so you know your business the best and you can read between the lines of these six steps and figure it out for yourself and trust me requires a little work but it's going to have a massive effect on you in the long term and we're going to give you step-by-step plans and tips and tricks as well down the road but this is

sort of the basics and this is the groundworks that we that you need to understand on how your client's brain works because when you understand these things there's things you're still going to stop doing immediately today and there thing you're going to start doing immediately today and I hope having your clients achieve small wins which can is a massive factor to retention it's going to be something you're starting today so action items go over the six subjects we've discussed in this video and implement this into your business today this will have massive long-term effect on

your retention all right guys I'll see you in the next video move over to part three if you have some if you have a little extra time and I'll see you there guys if you have any questions like always put it down in the Facebook group schedule one-onone coaching call and we'll go over this in more detail and more relevant to your business in general right because this stuff can be very different if you're running a CrossFit or a a boutique or something completely different right and that's why we have that personal support so I'll

see you guys in the next video goodbye