| Friend,
Yesterday I suggested that when people contact you for info on your classes and they don't join, that it just might be something you're doing or saying (or not doing or saying) that causes them to walk.
So, starting with today's email, I'm going to talk about all the reasons why that might happen, beginning with your initial contact with the prospective student.
Now, before I get into this I want to emphasize that yes, sometimes when people contact you and they don't join they're just flaky. However, I also want to make it clear that it's probably not as often as you think.
For a lot of you who are reading this, I know that's going to be difficult for you to accept. And, I know exactly where you're coming from, because I once held the same beliefs about why people weren't enrolling in my classes.
I mean, I was nice on the phone, right? I was teaching high-quality martial arts classes, right? I was pouring my heart and soul into my school, right?
Then why weren't people enrolling in my programs?
To explain this, I'm about to reveal something to you that was pretty mind-blowing when I first figured it out. It's as obvious as the nose on your face, but until someone points it out to you chances are good you'll never even consider it.
Here goes...
Fact #1 About Selling Martial Arts Lessons:
"Everyone who contacts you for info on your school wants to enroll in your program."
I know - crazy, right? But, if you think about it, why in the world would someone spend their precious time Googling martial art schools, then further researching the ones that look most interesting to them, and then calling them one by one for info on classes if they weren't interested in enrolling?
I mean, when you call a plumber, a doctor, a mechanic, or a dentist, you're not just calling them to make conversation, are you?
Of course not. You're calling because you have an immediate problem that requires an immediate solution. In other words, you're calling them with the intention of becoming their customer.
Same thing goes for the people who contact you about your classes. They aren't taking time out of their day to contact you just because they're lonely and need a friend. Uh-uh. Nope.
They're calling or emailing you because they have an immediate problem that requires an immediate solution.
Maybe they want to improve their kid's grades or confidence. Maybe they're seeing a lot more crime in their area and they want to learn self-defense. Maybe they want to lose weight. Or maybe they're bored and they're looking for something new and fun to do in their spare time.
Whatever their reasons, what you need to understand is that when they contact you, they are READY TO BUY. So, it falls on you to avoid scaring them away or turning them off of you and your school when they first contact you.
Which brings me to Fact #2...
Fact #2 About Selling Martial Arts Lessons:
"If they don't enroll, it's because of something you said or did."
Here's the thing... we know that sometimes what we're offering just isn't what the person who contacted us was looking for - that's a given.
That being said, THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW THAT FOR SURE UNTIL THE PERSON ACTUALLY COMES IN TO TRY OUT YOUR CLASSES.
Read that again for effect, because it's important. Again, until the prospect comes into your school and they try out your classes, they have zero clue whether or not your program is right for them. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
So if something happens during your first conversation with the prospect, either by phone or email, that causes them to believe that your school is not right for them...
...then you have done yourself and that prospect a tremendous disservice.
Think about it this for a moment: - When they called you, they were already thinking you had what they were looking for, right?
- So, if they change their mind for some reason during their initial contact with your school, it MUST be because of something you said or did, or that you didn't say or do -
- That means that if they call and don't take the next step, it's YOUR FAULT.
Whew. That's a tough pill to swallow, right?
But, it's absolutely essential that you accept that as a fact of selling if you're ever going to become better at getting people to enroll in your classes.
That's about all I wanted to cover in today's email. However, tomorrow I'm going to start covering more specific reasons why people choose not to enroll in your school...
Keep an eye out for that email, because I think that once you see why people bail, you're going to realize just how much more business you could be getting for your dojo.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
P.S. - I want to reiterate my statement from yesterday's email that selling martial arts lessons does not require lying to or manipulating people. Look, that's not selling, it's scamming. Really good salesmen don't need tricks or manipulation to get people to buy, because they know how to use honesty and sincerity to guide people through the buying process. I'll speak more about that in future emails, so stay tuned. | 