| Friend,
Last week we started a new series on brand and image for martial art schools. In previous emails I wrote to you about a lot of internal stuff. For example, why you might resist working on your image, and how that affects others.
I'm going to assume that you worked all that stuff out by now, that you've done your personal inventory, and that you've watched every Tony Robbins video you could find on YouTube... so now you're a brand-new person and you're ready to work on the external stuff. :)
Now it's time to get into the nuts of bolts of how to elevate your brand and image. Let's get started.
The Local Brand Triumvirate
In ancient Rome, the triumvirate were a group of three men who held power over the people. Nothing happened, good or bad, without the approval of the triumvirate.
In the same way, the three factors in the following equation also hold the power of life and death over your brand... and your business.
Once you start looking at these three factors as being critical to the success of your business, it forces you to shine a light on places where you've been dropping the ball, that are holding your business back.
So, here's that equation again, in case you missed it the last half-dozen times I mentioned in in this email newsletter:
Customer Experience + Public Image + Professional Reputation = Your Brand
If any one of those factors is off it's going to impact the power and reach of your brand in your local community. That's why you want to be on point with all three.
We're going to spend some time this week looking at each of these three factors. Today, we're going to start with your customers' experience.
Why Customer Experience Counts
You might have the coolest logo, the flashiest ads, and be the most qualified instructor in town. But, none of that will matter if your customers have a bad experience when they contact you or visit your school.
Customer experience deals with everything from clean bathrooms to answering the phone properly to handling customer service issues politely and promptly. It has to do with how you treat your customers, and how much you care about pleasing them.
Hmmm... did the last half of that sentence stick in your craw? Did it raise the hackles on the back of your neck? Blood pressure go up a few notches?
If so, it may be a sign that you're in the wrong business. Or, perhaps you haven't accepted the realities of the business you're in. Martial arts instruction is a service business. We offer a service to our customers... they don't serve us.*
Granted, we're not here to provide foot massages and hot towel service. But, we are here to provide them with what they want and what we've promised.
Let's go a little deeper into both of those elements, because understanding them will allow you to understand the primary places where school owners fail on customer service.
Promise Fulfillment and Delivering Customer Service
Understand that as a small business owner who offers a service, you are making implicit and explicit promises to every customer you come in contact with.
Implicit promises are those that are implied. Explicit promises are those that are stated. This is true of every business -- every single one.
For example, when you go to a restaurant after seeing their ads they have likely made an explicit promise that you will receive a delicious meal when you arrive. Chances are good that the prospects of eating good food are what drew you to that establishment in the first place.
However, there are also certain implicit promises made before you arrive. It is implied that you will receive prompt and courteous service, that the restaurant will be clean, and that you will be able to eat your meal in a safe, comfortable environment.
If you visit a restaurant and the food is bad, it's a given that you won't return. The restaurant failed to deliver on their explicit promises. And, you'll probably never eat there again, and simply count the money you spent as a loss. No biggie.
However, if you receive poor or rude service, if the restaurant is filthy, and if a huge fight breaks out between the staff and a customer while you're there, chances are good that you won't return, and that you are going to tell everyone you know to avoid that business like their life depends on it.
Promise Fulfillment and the Martial Arts Instructor
Likewise, the explicit promises that you make in your ads and marketing are only half of the equation. People who come to your school for lessons also expect certain things from you implicitly.
They expect a clean and neat environment in which to learn. They expect to be treated with respect and courtesy. They expect to be dealt with fairly, and that there will be no monkey business regarding fiduciary matters. And, they expect to have an enjoyable experience at your place of business.
The sad fact is, most people have no idea whether or not you are a decent instructor. Since they are relative newbies to the martial arts, most people have nothing by which to gauge your ability and knowledge.
However, people do know when they are treated poorly, when they are cheated, and when the bathrooms and mats are filthy on a regular basis. Now, I'll just assume that you're a qualified instructor and that you didn't get your black belt certificate from a Cracker Jack box. So, let's also assume that you're teaching good martial arts.
But if your customers don't know good martial arts from Jack, then how do you think they're going to gauge the quality of the job you're doing as an instructor?
That's right... they're going to gauge your job performance by how well you are delivering on all those explicit promises you made in your ads, and the implicit promises that you made when you opened your doors.
What Promises Are You Making That You're Not Delivering On?
So, what promises are you making that you're not delivering on? I realize that's a tough question to ask and answer, but it's one you have to be willing to ask of yourself.
I would point out that in large part, the way we deliver on our promises is by setting an example for our students.
A wise person once said that you can't give someone something you don't already have. So if you're not setting a good example for your students, then you're missing the very first step in promise fulfillment. - Do you promise to give people confidence? Then praise them and let them know that even the smallest achievements matter.
- Do you promise to teach discipline? Then start and end your classes on time.
- Do you promise to teach self-defense? Then you'd better teach more than how to win points at tournaments.
- Do you promise to make people fit? Then you need to put down the Big Mac and hit the gym daily.
- Do you promise that people will have fun in your classes? Then you better lighten up and drop the drill sergeant act.
- Do the pictures in your ads show new mats, bright walls, and a clean dojo? Then clean your dojo daily, replace broken gear promptly, and repaint your walls at least every year.
In short, make certain that the promises you are making in your ads -- both implicit and explicit -- match the experience your customers have when they walk in your dojo.
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Tomorrow I'll tackle reputation and how it impacts your brand. Stay tuned.
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! - Need business coaching to grow your dojo? Click here…
P.S. - *The Tracy brothers reportedly had a sign in their schools that said, "We offer a service, but we don't serve anyone." I once thought that was something every school owner should keep in mind, but I've come to believe that it's the wrong attitude to have. By no means should you be a simpering wimp who caves to the every demand and whim of your clients. But you don't have to be a jerk, either.
There is a happy medium to be found between those two extremes. Finding the balance between not letting people walk all over you and providing outstanding customer service is where you're going to find your happy place as a school owner. And, I think that comes from genuinely caring about people. Just something to think about.
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