The Invisible Puncture Test

Find the leak that's costing you members

Your gym has one. Most gym owners never find it. This takes 2 minutes and tells you exactly where yours is.

Free. No credit card. Done in 2 minutes.

I've been running Ministry of Fitness in Bristol for over 15 years. Not as a side project. As a proper business, seven days a week, with real members, real bills, and the same headaches you have.

When I started I had no systems, no follow-up process, and no idea why some months were great and others weren't. I just kept pushing harder and hoping it would even out.

It took a long time to figure out that the problem wasn't effort. It was the invisible stuff:

The lead that came in but never got a reply
The free trial that went nowhere because nobody followed up
The ad that got clicks but sent people to a page that did nothing

None of it was obvious and none of it felt like anything was properly broken. Members were joining and members were leaving, the gym kept ticking over, just not growing the way it should have been.

Slow punctures, every single one of them, and the kind you can only find if you know where to look.

The gym industry average is 50% of members gone within 6 months. At Ministry, 70% stay for over 2 years. I'm not telling you that to impress you. The gap between those two numbers is exactly what this test is designed to find in your gym.

11 questions. 2 minutes. 3 specific things to fix, all based on your actual answers, not generic advice you could have googled.

11

Questions

~2 min

To complete

3

Action points

Free. No credit card. Done in 2 minutes.

Step 1 of 3, your gym

Your gym

Tell us about your gym so we can personalise your results.

Gym name

Website URL

We'll reference this in your audit findings

Instagram handle

Where are you based?

Think of 2 members who've been with you a while and love what you do, describe them

Don't think of your "perfect" customer, think of real people. e.g. "Sarah, 38, works in HR, comes 3x a week, loves the 6am class, been with us 2 years. Dave, 45, ex-rugby player, trains alone mostly, joined for the strength equipment, been here 3 years." The more specific the better.

Step 2 of 3, lead flow

Lead flow

How easy is it for someone to discover your gym, try it, and become a member?

What is your current growth situation?

Be honest, this helps us give you the right advice

We are growing, more members signing up than leaving We are at capacity, waitlist only Join and leave rate is about the same, treading water We are losing members faster than gaining them

How many steps does someone go through to become a paying member on your website?

Very streamlined, membership choice, name, email, phone, payment. Done. A few extra steps but manageable, maybe 5–7 screens Quite involved, PAR-Q, waiver, induction booking all before payment I'm not sure, I haven't tested it recently

Describe how someone gets a free trial at your gym, what happens when they arrive, and how you follow up with them afterwards to convert them to a paying member

Be specific, e.g. "They comment TRIAL on Instagram, get a DM with a link, fill in name/email/phone, then get an email with their trial account details"

How is your Google Business Profile?

Fully set up, regularly updated, 20+ reviews Set up but not actively managed Set up but very few reviews (under 10) Not set up or not sure

What's your current situation with Facebook / Instagram ads?

We use them and get good results We use them but aren't happy with the results We don't use them, too confusing, costly, or stressful We don't use them, we're at max capacity anyway

What are you currently promoting in your ads? (select all that apply)

Free trial

Membership offer

Challenge / event

General awareness

Lead magnet

Not sure

What's the main reason you haven't tried ads?

Too expensive

Don't know how

Tried, didn't work

No time

What does most of your Instagram content focus on?

People, classes, members, transformations, stories, community moments A mix, some people content but also facility/equipment posts Mostly facilities, equipment, or motivational quotes We post infrequently, a bit of everything

Step 3 of 3, retention

Retention

Getting members is one thing. Keeping them is where the real money is.

Do you know how long your members stay on average?

Yes, I track and measure this data Sort of, a lot of our members have been here a while I don't measure this and don't know

What's your average member lifetime?

Under 6 months

6–12 months

12–24 months

2+ years

What tools do you give members to help them get results independently?

TABs framework, Tools

Multiple, e.g. nutrition plan, coaching app, body scanner, workout guides One or two things, maybe a basic plan or some guidance We point them to the kit and staff help if asked Not much, members largely figure it out themselves

Do you have a system that flags when a member hasn't visited for a while?

TABs framework, Accountability

Yes, automated message goes out after a set number of days We notice manually if someone hasn't been in We only notice if they cancel or miss a payment No, we don't currently track this

How many days absence before the message goes out?

7 days

14 days

21 days

30+ days

Not sure

Do you have any member challenge or gamification system?

e.g. Myzone monthly challenge, leaderboards, points, competitions

Yes, a regular challenge that even new or less fit members can compete in We've done challenges occasionally but nothing consistent We've thought about it but haven't implemented anything No, not something we currently do

How would you describe the community feel at your gym?

TABs framework, Belonging

Campfire gym, members know each other, staff know names, real community energy Friendly but not particularly community-driven Mostly heads-down training, members don't interact much It varies, some regulars know each other but no real culture yet

What happens when someone enquires about your gym but doesn't sign up, how do you follow up?

Be specific about your process, e.g. "We call them the next day, then send an email after 3 days, then nothing" or "We have an automated sequence in GHL"

Finding your invisible puncture

Running your answers through the framework, this takes about 15 seconds

—/100

Overall lead flow & retention score for

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Your 3 priority action points

Email me my results

Enter your details and we'll email you your score, where your invisible puncture is, and your 3 priority action points to fix it.

No spam. Just your results and occasional tips from Tom. Unsubscribe any time.

Find the leak that's costing you members

Your gym

Lead flow

Retention

Finding your invisible puncture

Email me my results

Found it. On their way.