Abandoned sign-ups: how to win back people who nearly joined

Why people stop halfway

Someone who gets as far as your checkout has told you more about their intent than any other enquiry. They've read the page, picked a plan and started typing their details.

So when they stop, it's rarely a firm no. More often, something got in the way:

• a question about the price or how long they'd be committing for;
• not being sure what's included, or whether it's right for them;
• no card to hand, or a payment that didn't go through;
• the phone rang, the kids needed something, the bus arrived.

Each of those can be sorted in a two-minute conversation. That's why a call beats an email here.

And you've already paid to get them that far, in ads, content and time. Losing them at the last step is the most expensive drop-out in your business. The free cost to win a member calculator shows what each new member costs you.

What you need in place

Three things make this work, whatever software you use:

• A sign-up form that captures contact details first. Name, email and phone on step one, payment on step two. HighLevel's two-step order form works this way, and many booking systems have something similar.
• A way to tell who has paid. A tag or status on every purchase, so nobody who has just joined gets a "did you get stuck?" message.
• One place your team checks for calls to make. A task list or a sales pipeline, not a separate spreadsheet. If it isn't where they already work, it won't get done.

Who should make the calls

In the first few weeks, the owner or head coach. You'll hear the reasons people stop first-hand, and those reasons are worth more than any report.

Once you know the common questions and the answers that help, hand the calls to a trusted member of the team, with notes on what to say.

The follow-up, step by step

This is the follow-up I've just built for a studio I work with, for a new online program they launched this month:

1. Wait 30 minutes. Long enough for anyone who was just slow to finish; soon enough that they still remember.
2. Check whether they've paid. If they have, they leave the follow-up and get your normal welcome.
3. Create a call task. Name, number and the plan they were looking at, assigned to one person.
4. Call them, the same day if you can.
5. Record what you learn on their record, in four parts: outcome, main barrier, useful feedback, next step. For example: "Spoke Tuesday. Unsure about committing for three months. Explained how the first month works. Still keen, wants to check with partner. Call Friday."
6. If there's no answer, start three short messages over two days (below), then stop.

If they reply or buy at any point, the messages stop automatically and a person takes over.

What to say on the call

Before you call, read what they've already told you. If your form asked about their goals or what's bothering them, don't make them repeat it.

Then keep it light and helpful:

"Hi Sarah, it's Jo from the studio. I saw you'd been having a look and started setting yourself up, but it looks like you didn't quite get through the checkout.

I just wanted to check whether you got stuck anywhere, or had any questions I could help with."

From there, a few prompts are enough:

• "Was there anything in particular that stopped you finishing?"
• "Was there anything about how it works you weren't quite sure about?"
• "What made you interested enough to take a look in the first place?"

Let their answer lead. It's a support call that often ends with them joining, not a sales call with a script.

If they don't answer

Plenty of people won't pick up an unknown number. A short message straight after the call tells them it was you, and gives them an easy way to reply. Send it from a real person, not "the team":

1. 10 to 15 minutes after the call, by WhatsApp or text:

   "Hi Sarah, it's Jo from the studio. I just tried to give you a quick call. I saw you'd started signing up but didn't quite finish.

   Did something stop you, or was there anything you weren't sure about? Just reply here and I'll help where I can."

2. The next day, by email, with the subject "Quick question about your sign-up":

   "Hi Sarah, I tried to give you a quick call yesterday after seeing you'd started signing up but didn't quite finish.

   I wanted to check if anything stopped you, or if there was anything you weren't sure about. Whether it's how it works, whether it's right for you or something else, just reply and let me know.

   If it's easier to chat, I'm happy to give you another quick call. Jo"

3. The day after, one last message:

   "Hi Sarah, just following up one last time. If something stopped you getting started, feel free to let me know. The feedback is genuinely useful. Otherwise, no worries at all."

Then stop. Anyone who doesn't reply moves into your normal follow-up for enquiries, not more "you didn't finish" messages.

Should you offer a discount?

Not automatically. Send every abandoned sign-up a discount and people soon learn that leaving the checkout is the way to get a better price.

Find out the barrier first. If it's the length of commitment, offer a shorter or monthly option as a way in. If it's a question, answer it. The offer should fit the reason, not replace the conversation.

Call the ones who did join, too

Here's the step most gyms miss. When someone joins online, have the same person call to welcome them, and ask a few questions while it's fresh:

• "What made you decide to join?"
• "Was there anything that nearly stopped you?"
• "Was anything unclear while you were signing up?"

New members feel looked after from day one, and you learn what's working. Put both sets of answers side by side, and you'll know exactly what to say on your page and in your ads.

No one to make the calls?

For an online-only program with no team to call, a short email sequence does a similar job. I wrote one for an online golf fitness program with three emails:

• After 15 minutes: a gentle nudge. Their plan is ready, nothing expires, and they can pick up where they left off.
• After 6 hours: why the approach works, to rebuild belief in what they were about to start.
• After 24 hours: a small, quiet incentive to start now, with no pressure either way.

No "today only", no countdown timers. The decision is about timing, not about being talked into it. Even here, the discount only comes at the end.

Keep it on the right side of privacy rules

Someone who gave you their details while signing up will expect a message about their unfinished sign-up. Keep it to that, say who you are and why you're getting in touch, and stop as soon as they ask.

Don't add them to your marketing emails unless they agreed to that. This isn't legal advice: in the UK, the ICO's direct marketing guidance (opens in a new tab) explains the rules, and other countries have their own.

What to measure

Track how many people start signing up, how many finish, how many you win back, and the reasons they give.

The reasons are the most valuable part. Sort each one into a simple group, so patterns jump out:

• price;
• length of commitment;
• didn't understand how it works;
• unsure it would work for them;
• timing;
• trust;
• a payment or technical problem.

If several people stop for the same reason, fix it on the sign-up page, in the offer or in your ads, and you'll lose fewer in the first place. The free enquiry-to-member checker shows where else people drop out.

Questions owners ask