| Friend,
So if the goal of teaching intro lessons is to enroll students, then how do we "sell" prospective students on enrolling?
That is a very good question... and it's all about the attitude you have toward teaching the intro and interacting with the prospect. And of course, developing the correct attitude is the topic of today's email...
To Sell Or Not To Sell? That Is The Question...
Many people in this industry think that you have to constantly be selling in order to enroll a high number of students each month. And, many of the trainers and consultants in this industry will teach you "hard sell" tactics to enroll students.
I simply do not hold to this approach to enrolling students. Not because I haven't used hard sell tactic in the past to great success, but because I don't like to give people the hard sell.
And why don't I like "hard" selling? Simply because it's exactly what it says it is--hard. Hard selling makes it harder on you and your staff to enroll students, when there's a much easier way.
The Art of Selling Without Selling
In my Martial Arts Sales Success System, I go into great detail about how I learned to enroll a high percentage of prospective students from trial courses to memberships without using hard sell tactics.
Here's why... there's an old saying in the marketing world that "everyone likes to buy, but no one likes to be sold." And that's very, very true. When someone contacts you about taking martial arts lessons, they already want to buy.
But the obstacle you are facing is simply that they don't know what to do next, and they haven't made a decision where they want to "buy" lessons. In other words, they are basically looking for a place that makes them feel comfortable enough to plunk down their money and start training.
Your Job Is To Help Them Choose You
Now, there's a whole area of training that covers pre-selling your dojo in your marketing that I am not going to cover here, because I don't have the time or space for it and that's not the topic of this email series.
However, you should be aware that when someone calls you or fills out an inquiry form on your website, it's because they saw something in your marketing materials that they liked. Or, they were recommended by a friend. So, either way they are likely already leaning toward your dojo.
That's why I say that your job is NOT to try to sell them on taking lessons. Instead, your job is to guide them step-by-step through the process of taking a trial course and then enrolling at your school.
Basically, this process is a lot like dating a guy or girl. You're pretty sure she's interested in you, and you're pretty positive you want to go steady, but she's not going to be ready for that commitment until she knows what kind of guy you are and how you're going to treat her.
So, you treat her like a lady, take her out and spend time with her, and gradually put her at ease and show her you care until true love blossoms.
It's All About The Relationship
Now, if you sprung the question on the first date, that girl is going to balk like a wild horse to a new saddle, and she'll be gone before you can say, "Be my girl." She'll be thinking that you're desperate, clingy, and that something is wrong with you. And no girl (in their right mind) likes a guy like that.
Nope. So instead, you have to develop that relationship gradually. And a lot of that is being on your best behavior and showing that girl how much you care.
Converting a prospective student from an intro course to a membership WITHOUT HARD SELLING requires exactly the same care. It's not that you don't need to know what to say at the right times--far from it. It's just that you're not constantly bugging the prospect to sign a membership.
And that's why the intro lesson is so important to the process. It gives you time to connect with the prospective student--to "date" them, if you will. And your attitude should be all about service to that prospective student, just as it would be if you were starting to date a girl (or guy) you really, really liked.
How This Impacts The Intro Lesson
This impacts the intro lesson in a number of ways.
For one, you have to approach the intro with the attitude that you are there for the student, not that the student is there for your benefit. You are there to assuage their fears about starting training, to build their confidence that they can be successful at learning martial arts, and to build a connection with them that is real and genuine.
To take that dating analogy a little further, if the girl you're dating thinks you only want one thing, she's going to drop you like a hot rock. Same goes for your prospective student. If they sense desperation or too much eagerness to get them to sign on the dotted line... BOOM, they'll be gone before you know it.
So, you have to let that relationship grow without any expectation of benefit to you. This is a subtle thing, but it's important, so very important to enrolling that student.
I'll talk more about exactly WHAT to do to make this happen without forcing it next week in the second half of this email series. Until then, spend some time this weekend thinking about how you act with new, prospective students.
Are you a little over-eager? Kind of desperate because you need every last student to pay your bills? Do you sometimes scare new students off by being a little too pushy about signing up?
If so, maybe it's time to take the focus off what you want, and instead shift it to finding out what the student wants and giving it to them during that intro course. That shift will radically alter how you interact with prospective students, and it will help you increase the number of new students you enroll.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
Quick-start Guide to My Books and Resources: - Looking for a list of books and resources I've written? Click here! - Looking for low-cost business coaching to grow your dojo? Click here…
P.S. - Not to beat a dead horse, but if you want to know what to say and when to say it so you don't scare off new prospective students, you'll that info and more in my Martial Arts Sales Success System. It's helped many a school owner go from stumbling through the enrollment process to predictably enrolling new students. If you're serious about increasing your enrollment this fall, go check it out for yourself. | 