Every week a few new faces come in to try: a friend brought them, they saw a post, they live round the corner. For a small gym or studio these are the cheapest new members there are, because they have already walked through the door.
And most of them never come back. Not because they didn't like it, but because they left without a name written down, without a pass, and without anybody asking them to stay. Here is a simple routine that turns more first visits into members.
Before: one clear offer
Decide how somebody tries your venue, and say the same thing everywhere: on the wall, online, on the phone. A free first class, a paid single entry, or a trial week. One offer, not "it depends, ask the coach".
Put it on the price list, so the desk doesn't make it up each time. There is more on building the price list in How to price passes at a small gym or studio.
At the door: a name and a phone number
The one thing you need from a first visit is a way to reach the person again. A name and a phone number take ten seconds and turn a stranger into somebody you can write to on Thursday.
In Abonatus the desk adds a new member with a name and phone, sells the single entry (0 for a free trial) and checks them in by name. If the visitor already has Abonatus on their phone from another venue, scanning their code shows "not a member here" with two buttons: add them as a member, or sell a single entry and let them in.
During: somebody who knows their name
People come back to places where somebody knows them. The coach or teacher says hello by name, introduces them to one regular, and asks at the end how it went. It costs nothing and matters more than anything else on this page.
After: ask, right then
The best moment to offer a pass is straight after the first class, at the door, while the visitor is still pleased with themselves. Not the whole price list: one recommendation that fits what they told you. "If you want to come twice a week, the 8-class pack is the one."
Make it easy to say yes today. The pass can start on the day they choose, today or their next class, so buying now loses them nothing. A trial that turns into a pass on the same evening is worth more than one that "will think about it".
Give them the pass in their pocket
Somebody who leaves with the pass already on their phone has made the decision. In Abonatus the desk opens their card and gives them an access code: six characters to type at app.abonatus.com, or a QR to scan with the phone's camera. In under a minute they see their name, their pass and their QR code. No store, no password.
If they add their email later, they also get a reminder a few days before the pass ends.
If they didn't buy: one message, two days later
Not everyone decides at the door. Two days later, send one short message from the venue's number, with their name, the class they came to and when it runs next:
Hi Maria, thanks for coming on Tuesday. The beginners' group meets again on Thursday at 7, it would be good to see you there.
One message, not a series. If they don't answer, let it go.
In Abonatus a visitor who came on a single entry and bought nothing turns up the next day in the member list under Lapsed, with the members whose pass ran out, so nobody who came to try is forgotten.
Count it once a month
How many people came to try, and how many of them bought a pass? For a small venue it is the most useful marketing number there is. If it is low, the fix is at the door, not in advertising: more people through the door only helps once the door keeps them.
The reports show how many new members you added in a period and what sold, so the two numbers are a minute's work.