Ep 243: Why Some Membership Cancellations are Good
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Why Some Membership Cancellations are Good
Most of us think all cancellations are bad.
We think our job is to stop every person from leaving.
But that is not always true.
Sometimes a cancellation is actually a graduation.
Not Every Member Should Stay
I like to think about cancellations the same way I think about sales.
Ethically.
My job is not to keep you in a membership no matter what.
My job is to give you the information you need to make the best decision for you right now.
Sometimes that means staying.
Sometimes that means leaving.
There are people who were never the right fit.
There are also people who no longer need the program because they got the result.
Those are two very different situations.
Sometimes the Work Is Done
I recently had a client leave my RETAIN program.
At first, it felt like a cancellation.
But when I looked at their results, it was clear they had graduated.
Their retention rate was regularly around 97% to 98%.
They had a strong retention leader in place.
They had strong retention systems in place.
They had created space to focus on other revenue-generating work in the business.
They had done what they came to do.
That is not something to grieve.
That is something to celebrate.
Graduation Still Looks Like Cancellation
Here is the challenge.
The way someone graduates from your program is often the same way they cancel it.
They leave.
So if everyone goes through the same cancellation process, you may be treating a graduate like someone who is simply quitting.
That can leave a bad taste for people who actually got a great result.
Your cancellation process should make space to acknowledge those people.
Review Your Last Three Months of Cancellations
Go back and look at your cancellations from the last three months.
Ask yourself how many of those were actually graduations.
You can look at:
Their cancellation survey
The progress they made
How long they were in the program
Whether they achieved the result
Length of time can help, but time does not always equal progress.
The best signal is knowing why they are leaving.
If you do not ask, start with one simple question:
Why are you canceling?
Then calculate the percentage of cancellations that are actually graduations.
What That Number Can Tell You
That number can help you see two things.
First, you may need to change your cancellation process so graduates feel recognized.
Second, it can show you something about your ability to help people get results.
If no one is ever graduating, that is worth paying attention to.
There are some programs where the journey may be ongoing.
But for many memberships and programs, there is a point where people achieve the result.
When that happens, leaving can be a good thing.
So do not just look at how many people cancel.
Look at why they leave.
Some cancellations are not failures.
Some are proof that the work worked.
If you want help building stronger retention systems and a better member experience, learn how to work with me at shanalynn.com.
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