Posts Tagged ‘Common Sense’

Simple Honesty And Convenience Can Really Make A Difference In Your Bottom Line

So, think you have some powerful “sales kung fu”?

If so, you likely are aware that your customers see the enrollment process as a buying process. They are shopping you along with your competitors, and will likely make their buying decision based on how good you are at convincing them to join your school.

Now, having said that, you should know that I am not a fan AT ALL of sneaky tricks and hard sell tactics.

So, before we go on let me present you with the number one rule I want you to live and die by in your sales process:

Massie-ism #674:

“When you have the truth, you don’t need tricks. Always tell the truth to your customers.”

No matter what you’ve been told, and no matter who told you – slick tricks work against you and not for you when you are building your enrollment.

Growing a school over the long-term is about building trust and a reputation for honesty in your community. Being known as the local used car salesman of martial arts instructors is not the best way to achieve that goal.

With that in mind, let’s look at a few key areas where you can use honesty and common sense courtesy to your best advantage to increase your sales and conversions.
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Honesty And Integrity As A Central Approach To Customer Service In The Martial Arts Industry

Many years ago when I started training in the martial arts, customer service was definitely not a closely examined issue. You paid your tuition, attended class, practiced at home, and that was enough. From the student’s perspective, as long as the school was open and classes were held as scheduled, all was well. And, from the instructor’s perspective as long as the students paid tuition on time and showed up for class, he or she was satisfied with the arrangement. However, for better or for Read the rest of this entry »

Choosing a Location for a Martial Arts Studio, Demystified

I’ll tell you right up front that there aren’t any hard and fast rules for locating a martial arts school… just the guidelines people have come up with through past experience and common sense.

However, in my experience (and from what I’ve gleaned from other experienced school owners), there are several qualities to consider when choosing a location that will greatly increase the chances of a martial art school’s success.

Ignoring these “location factors” could spell disaster for your school, while finding a location that meets each quality on the following list could easily make the difference between failure and success for your new school.

So, what are the factors you should consider when choosing a location?

The ideal location for a martial art school should include the following: Read the rest of this entry »

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Scholarships

If you’re like me, you started teaching in order to help people, not to become the Donald Trump or Bill Gates of the martial arts industry. Because of this, even after I got some common sense on the realities of what I needed to charge to feed my family and keep my school open, I still wanted to be able to reach under-privileged kids and lower-income adults with my services. Read the rest of this entry »

Black Belt Club, Shmack Belt Club…

A lot of people in the industry make a big deal out of Black Belt Club upgrades – in fact, some business systems that are being taught revolve around upgrading students to BBC after only a few weeks.

To me, this is like the old illegal “bait-and-switch” sales tactic, where a business advertises a product or service at an extremely low price to get people in their store and then tells the customer they are sold out (or gives some other excuse) and offers to sell them a similar product at the regular price. Shame on those schools that line their pockets by upgrading all their students to a BBC program right off the bat!

Because of the widespread use of these types of tactics, I suggest you find other names to use for your upgraded memberships. For example, I recently spent some time with an Israeli martial arts instructor, and suggested he call his upgraded memberships “Krav Club.”

You could also use the terms “regular” membership, then “Gold” and “Platinum” level for the elite/upgraded programs you offer. The possibilities are endless; the object is to choose a name that is unique and that separates your elite memberships from your typical run-of-the-mill martial arts school.

Okay, enough with the soapbox lecture. Here’s what I recommend you do to make your BBC something your school can be proud of -

Benefits – What Your Elite Program Will Provide

It’s common sense – if you’re charging more, you need to offer more. Typically, you’ll want to offer the students in your upgraded programs something you don’t offer in your basic programs.

You can do this in one of three ways: Read the rest of this entry »

By Tom Callos If you’re gearing up to start a martial arts school –or if you already own one, you’re BUSY, so I’ll make this quick. Here are seven “out of the ordinary” but common-sense suggestions/rules for school owners: 1. Take the High Road Don’t ever, EVER do anything in your business that isn’t on the up-and-up. Don’t talk about your competitors, don’t be evasive about your prices, and don’t stoop to carnival or health club gimmicks to bring in customers. Act with dignity. Sell your benefits. Don’t let any guy in a suit tell you how much money you’re going to Read the rest of this entry »