Going beyond the equipment tour and diving into what motivated your new member to show up is key to their success – and your chances of keeping them. This means understanding why they’ve chosen now to join, as well as understanding their goals and any potential barriers they face.

Many members know what they want to achieve, but think less about the hurdles that could derail their progress.

Gaining a deeper understanding of their existing routines and the time they have available to exercise helps hatch a plan they can adhere to, while implementing the key learnings from the Habit Study can ensure members are primed before they even set foot in the club, putting you on the fast-track to success.

Making it to the club at all is a major challenge for many new members, so setting goals that are realistic and achievable is vitally important to ensure they stay motivated to keep coming back and avoid being disheartened. Again, honest conversations around how much time they can comfortably dedicate to exercise will help calibrate expectations around what can realistically be achieved.

A good goal for new joiners is one that feels attainable and comes with the expectation it can be improved on over time.

Exercising in a supportive group is one of the most powerful forms of motivation. Studies show wellbeing increases 21 per cent when working out with other people (www.hcmmag.com/Lululemon24), so hosting a new member mixer or encouraging new members to bring a buddy to the gym is a great way to support this.

And it’s not just member wellbeing that increases when people move together – it’s also very healthy for a club’s bottom line. Members who attend group training classes visit their facility four times per week, compared to IHRSA’s industry average figure of 1.9 member visits per week (www.hcmmag.com/LMIgroupex). Meanwhile, those who do three or more Les Mills classes per week stay members of their club 50 per cent longer than those who don’t do classes – that’s an extra 9.8 months’ of dues per member.

When it comes to driving good habits that are easy to adhere to, group training is a key part of the club offering – research shows 81 per cent of fitness beginners are interested in group workouts (www.hcmmag.com/LesMillsGFTR21). But making habits stick requires a timetable that supports members’ diverse needs. This means offering a broad range of time slots and class types – augmented by in-club Virtual classes – to match the varying interests and routines of members.

The only element rivals can’t replicate, people are a club’s most valuable asset and this is especially true at the start of the member journey. The ability of instructors to boost self-esteem and offer timely encouragement can be crucial in the early weeks of habit formation and these same instructors play a key role in attracting them in the first place.

The people who work in clubs are a key factor in choosing a gym to join, say 59 per cent of club member prospects, while having contact with a great instructor makes a member 2.5 times more likely to refer a club to their friends. Further proof that an investment in people pays handsome dividends.