Friend,
This email didn't go out yesterday. Call it technical difficulties, but it was probably more due to human error... :)
Anyway, what I wanted to discuss with you is what people are willing to pay to have peace of mind.
Because that's really what you're selling when you're promoting self-defense training - peace of mind, and confidence that when the stuff hits the fan, that person will know how to handle it.
If you've had a hard time selling self-defense training in the past, it's probably because you didn't understand what the market really wants.
Remember, we're not talking about traditional martial arts training here - people take TMA for entirely different reasons than they take self-defense training.
So what do people want? Well, based on my experience they want... - Fast results - stuff they can use TODAY...
- No B.S. - they don't want to do forms or have to wear uniforms...
- Realistic training - but without getting injured...
And will they pay for peace of mind? You bet.
That firearms training school I was at last weekend runs training classes just about every weekend. The classes run anywhere from $80 for a half-day session all the way up to $500 for a two- or three-day class. Most of the students are civilians - the type of people you typically market your programs to... and their classes generally fill up weeks in advance.
And never mind how much it costs to buy a firearm, a holster, ammo, and range time. Then, if you want to concealed carry (if it's allowed in your state), you have to pay for a course, and then pay a fee to the state for your license. We're talking hundreds of dollars.
Here's another example. Think about security systems and monitoring. How much do you think people spend on that? According to U.S. News and World Report, Americans spend $20 BILLION dollars a year on home security. And that number is expected to nearly double by 2018.
Peace of mind. You can't place a price tag on it.
Personally, I can't tell you how many times I've had some mom call me up to arrange a group self-defense class for a bunch of teenage girls who were about to go away to college. Typically, money is no object for parents when it comes to keeping their kids safe. Trust me, $100 bucks a pop for a 4-6 hour seminar is nothing compared to knowing that your kid knows how to fight off a rapist.
So, yes - people WILL pay good money for self-defense training... but that's only half the equation. If you can't deliver on your promises of teaching realistic and effective self-defense skills, pretty soon people will start going somewhere else.
Next week I'm going to tell you where you can go to get those skills (hint: I'm hosting a training here in Austin in February - I'll give you the details next week).
P.S. - If you haven't listened to the interview I did with martial arts instructor and mobile app developer Christopher Folmar, go check it out now! Then, go check his app - the links are in the podcast notes further down the page. |
