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Where your trial students leak: a funnel you can draw on a napkin
A simple trial funnel shows where prospective students stop moving toward membership: they book a class, attend it, and decide whether to join. Count people at each stage for the same period, then inspect the step with the biggest drop before changing your marketing.
Draw three boxes
Write down booked, attended, and joined. For a month, count unique people who reached each stage; keep cancellations and reschedules in a note so the comparisons stay honest.
Show rate = attended trials ÷ booked trials. Join rate = new members ÷ attended trials.
These ratios do not explain why a person did not continue. They show where to ask better questions. A low show rate points toward reminders or booking friction; a lower join rate after attendance points toward the welcome, class fit, or follow-up.
Follow up while the visit is fresh
Give every trial a clear next step before they leave. Ask what they want from training, invite them to the right class, and agree when you will follow up. GymClass tracks trial bookings through the funnel; see it live in the demo → to view the booking-to-member flow.
Review the handoffs
Once a week, compare the booked, attended, and joined counts. Ask a coach to review a few recent non-conversions and write down the reason in the prospect’s own words. Change one part of the process at a time so the next month’s numbers are interpretable.
Keep the funnel on one page and make each stage someone’s responsibility. When the trial experience is reliable, more prospects can become part of the community you are already working hard to retain.