While many sales come from new leads, many sales can also come from former members. The cost of acquiring a new customer is much higher than if you sell to an existing customer so it's important for Sales Staff to follow up with your former members to re-engage them and sell them a new membership.

Here are 4 things you can do when following up with former members to keep the lines of communication open.

Thank them for their business

While sales come from new leads, many sales can also come from former members. The cost of acquiring a new customer is much higher than if you sell to an existing customer so it's important for sales staff to follow up with your former members to re-engage them and sell them a new membership. Here are 4 things you can do when following up with Former Members to keep the lines of communication open.

Always remember to thank people for having been a member. This often forgotten message is important because it leaves your member with a positive impression of your club. Former members are still great resources for referrals, plus it keeps the door open for them to return if circumstances change. Letting someone leave without saying goodbye and thank you will leave them under the impression that their business wasn't valued. 

Ask for feedback

In order to win someone back, you need to know why they left. Asking someone for their opinion lets them know you care about their business and that you care about making your business better. Use the information you receive to determine any areas of your club that need improvement and communicate those improvements back to your former members. 

To ask for feedback, first create a short survey. You can then send the survey to your former members via an email blast or mail out and ask them for their feedback. Moving forward, make it a part of your checklist to ask each member for their feedback during the cancellation process. There are a number of online survey options (many which are free), such as SurveyMonkey, that can help you create an online survey and analyze the results. The key is to keep it short and easy to answer. Remember the most important information to capture is why the member left and if there is anything you can do to keep them as a member.

Stay in touch

Keep your club name in front of your former members so when they are thinking about joining a health club again, they think of you first. If your club sponsors non-member events, remember to send an invitation to your former member list. Or, send health, fitness and nutrition tips by email each month. The idea is to keep people an active part of your community even though they aren't currently a member.

Offer an incentive to return

Show your former members you value their earlier business with you by offering them a special incentive. This incentive should be something different than your regular new member specials. As with all membership specials, remember to keep it time based and include a call to action. For example, if new members can join for $0 down this month, offer $0 down plus a free training session.