What if the sale didn’t begin until after a new client joins your group program?

Now is the BEST time to transition into focusing more on client retention and identifying how to keep more clients once they’ve become a client. Over the past couple of decades we’ve seen the rise of “the launch”. The launch has become a phenomenal way to market and sell large quantities of clients into group programs in a matter of a few days. Equally important and necessary to the long-term stability of your business is keeping all those clients for years. It’s 7X more expensive and time-consuming to acquire a new client when compared to keeping an existing client.

To understand the power client retention can have on your business, start by assessing the following numbers as it relates to your group program(s):

What percentage of clients are (don’t rely on a good guess, these numbers must be tracked and evaluated)…

  • engaging?
  • making measurable progress?
  • feel a sense of belonging to the community?
  • renewing at the end of their term?
  • staying for years?
  • purchasing other programs you offer?
  • sending high quality referrals?

What the coaching industry has also experienced with the “rise of the launch” is the “rise of the churn”.

When too high a percentage of clients who joined during that launch do not renew monthly recurring revenue hits a ceiling at best and declines at worst. The bonuses, urgency, and scarcity dangled in front of clients to get them to join worked in that it got them to join, but everything else happening inside many group programs is running them off as fast as they signed up.

women around table for group program

Let’s dive into 5 mistakes group program marketers make that prevents client results and retention.

Mistake #1:  Give Clients More Value

When “more value” comes in the form of stacking more content, teaching, training calls, materials, videos, bundles of past courses, modules it leaves clients confused and overwhelmed. Within a few weeks your client starts to feel bad that she isn’t using what she purchased, so she wants to pull back, retreat, and eventually quit. Does it matter that other members are easily able to consume what this new member received While that’s nice for your other clients, it does nothing to retain the client who feels overwhelmed.

Mistake #2:  Sending Gifts Instead of Solving Problems

Offer the single fastest way for your client to relieve their pain.  The faster you solve that problem the quicker you’ll create a long-lasting relationship. Gifts can give you a boost in retention and that is after you have delivered on your promise to solve a client’s burning problem.

Mistake #3:  Using “Pain of Disconnect” Benefits to Stop Clients From Quitting

Think of this as something that when it’s removed from their lives, they feel a huge sense of loss or it becomes a disruption. The dream of most group program marketers is to provide members with a benefit that’s so valuable that they incorporate it into their daily activities and can’t imagine life without it. Making clients feel like they have to be dependent on you to get results will cause them to have one foot out the door before they ever get started because they sense you are trying to manipulate or trick them. Build a relationship with your clients vs. making them feel like they have to depend on you to get results.

Mistake #4:  Teaching and Step-By-Step Instructions

The idea here is to show members exactly what to do so they won’t be so overwhelmed with all of the choices. Although your own team members and clients may share that they need you to show them exactly what to do in order to get results…that’s not the core problem. Your members won’t use what you deliver until they understand WHY. Show clients what’s possible for their life. Get clients excited about their future.  Connect clients with others who are like them.

Mistake #5:  Throwing Members Into the Middle

This is a big mistake when you have an evergreen or rolling enrollment program. Existing clients have already gone through a certain number (or weeks/months) of your group program. They are further ahead and have more knowledge and skill than new clients just entering. You don’t want new clients to join and be thrown into the same step existing clients are on because they’ll feel lost.New clients won’t appreciate what you’re giving to them if they are receiving the same thing existing clients are receiving that month. This creates confusion, overwhelm, and after a while disinterest.

Leaders know they must start clients from the beginning and they must have something in place that gets members up to speed.

The key to retention for your group program is what happens after the sale once your new member joins the program. Handling your new clients in a group setting correctly can increase your new client lifetime value by 3X – 10X.

If your business model is largely based on group programs equaling a high 6- to multiple 7-figure stream of income for your company at the point of the sale/launch and you want to keep more clients for a longer period of time adding to your monthly recurring revenue, schedule your client retention consultation call.

Let’s end the frustration of losing members as fast as you gain them, breakthrough group program client number plateaus and scale up your monthly revenue from client retention.

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