Yesterday I explained why you need to be an instructor who inspires trust, confidence, and excellence in others if you want your students to stick around for the long haul.

Today, I'm going to start revealing to you exactly how you can become that sort of instructor, starting with becoming the sort of person who inspires trust.

In order to accomplish this, you're going to have to pay attention to factors both internal and external. Let's start with the stuff that's going on outside of your head, because typically that's the easiest stuff to deal with.

LOOKING TRUSTWORTHY

Most people won't do business with people they don't trust. And, if someone doesn't trust you, the discomfort they feel about you will eventually lead them to find a reason why they don't like you.

This all goes back to dissonance. People generally don't like it when the things they're experiencing externally don't jibe with the things they're experiencing internally. So, they'll alter their perception of their external world to match what they're experiencing inside.

That's why you need to look trustworthy. That means SMILING at your students and the people who walk in your front door (be genuine about this - and if you're the type of person who generally doesn't like being friendly, you're in the wrong business).

It also means maintaining your appearance - being well-groomed and staying in shape. And, it also means paying attention to your manner of speech - avoiding slang, curse words, and staying away from politically charged or otherwise sensitive topics when you're at the dojo.

In addition, your dojo is a reflection of you, just as your website and ads reflect the quality of your school. Keep your dojo neat and clean, and maintain it and your equipment so it doesn't get worn and run down. And, spend some money to make your website and ads look professional.

These things are the bare minimum of what you need to do to put forth an appearance that will inspire others to trust you and your school.

BEING TRUSTWORTHY

There are two factors involved in being trustworthy. Factor number one is integrity - you have to actually be the sort of person people can trust.

This means being of your word, and following through on your commitments and promises. It also means sticking to your policies, and not making policies up on the fly. 

Remember that consistency inspires trust, because when people know what to expect from you, that factor of predictability gives others the impression that you are stable. Just as a dog won't follow an unstable or unreliable pack leader, people won't follow an unstable or unpredictable leader for long, either.

Integrity also means treating people the way you want to be treated. When you set policies regarding billing or contracts, make them clearly known to everyone before they sign your membership agreement. And, set fair policies that don't trap people into paying for lessons when they can no longer participate.

The second factor to being trustworthy is confidence. Please understand, confidence and cockiness are two entirely different things. Someone who is cocky and arrogant will not inspire confidence in others, because it comes across as false bravado. Don't be that person.

True confidence comes naturally due to several factors. Number one, you have to like the person you are. Sometimes this takes work, because when we don't like the person we see in the mirror each day, it's easy to fall into a self-loathing pattern.

So, work hard on yourself to be the type of person you'd follow to hell and back.

Second, true inner confidence comes from being good at what you do. There's no way you can be good at your job by winging it every day, which is why you need to be organized and prepared, every single time you step out on the floor.

That means having a plan. Create and keep written lesson plans for every class, every week of the year. Keep them in a binder once they are written, so you can refer back to them each year. That way you'll always be organized, and never give the impression that you're winging it.

Also, practice! Keep your skills up and stay in shape. This should go without saying, but I know it's easy to get overwhelmed and fall into the fat master syndrome when you are trying to run and grow a school while still working a day job. So, find the time to keep your skills sharp.

Once you have all these internal and external factors in place, it's going to be a lot easier to keep students around, because it's going to be a lot easier for them to like you.

What it all boils down to is simply being the type of instructor you'd like to have. That's it. So, every day simply aspire to be the person and instructor that you've always wanted, and believe me - your students will respond by sticking by your side over the long haul.