I'd say the only thing worse than a no-show for an intro is an intro that walks without enrolling. But why does that happen?

First off, there is some consolation in this scenario. I mean, you did get them to show up for an intro lesson, so you must've done something right to this point.

However, if you get someone in your front doors and they walk right back out without handing you a check, something is seriously wrong with your school or your intro process.

So, let's examine all the reasons why someone might walk on you after attending an intro lesson...

REASON #1: LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM

I know, I spoke about this at length in last week's emails. However, some people who are reading this are just now tuning in, so let me briefly review in case you're just now jumping into this email series.

"Lack of professionalism" covers everything from your manner of dress, grooming, and speech to the cleanliness of your school, to how you greet people at the door (and I hope you are greeting new people when they walk in your front door).

Bottom line... if you're dirty and you smell, or your school is dirty and it smells, or your language is dirty and your breath smells, you're going to have a hard time enrolling students.

REASON #2: STUDENT THINKS YOU DON'T CARE

This probably falls under "lack of professionalism", but it deserves its own treatment for the sake of this list. Understand that it is very important that a new student (or any student, for that matter) knows and believes that you care about their welfare and their progress.

This starts with greeting them when they walk-in, and it continues with how you speak to them throughout the lesson, and finishes with how they feel when the lesson is done.

If you fail to show them basic courtesy when they arrive, if you belittle them during the lesson, or if you leave them with less than a sense of accomplishment at the end of the lesson, they WILL walk, never to be seen again.

REASON #3: YOU'RE A JACKASS

Hopefully, this isn't you. But if any of the things I listed in Reasons #1 and #2 apply to your situation, I'd say it's time for some serious reflection.

I'm not kidding here. When I first started teaching, I was a real jackass. Not because that was my personality, but because that's the way my instructors had taught me. 

It took me a while to figure out that A) most people don't respond well to that sort of nonsense, and B) I didn't have to imitate my instructors to be a good instructor, and C) I didn't really care for being treated like that, either (Stockholm Syndrome, anyone?)

So, work on your people skills. There's nothing that says you have to be a jerk to teach good martial arts, no matter what your instructors did when you were coming up through the ranks.

REASON #4: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO TEACH AN INTRO LESSON

I already know what some of you are thinking...

"How dare Massie say I don't know how to teach! Why, I'm an Nth degree black belt with umpteen years in the martial arts...", and so on.

Look, this has nothing to do with your credentials, and I'm not saying that you don't know how to teach. Far from it.

There's an art to it that a lot of instructors just don't get. They think they can just show up, teach a new student just like they teach their regular classes, and people are going to enroll because they're just that awesome.

Nope. 

The thing is, new students have to be treated a bit differently. I'm not saying you have to treat them with kid gloves (despite what you may have heard or read before), but what I am saying is that they don't yet understand the culture and atmosphere of your dojo. So, come on too strong, and you'll lose them.

And, they're also still unsure of their decision to take martial arts classes. This is a key point! It's ultimately up to you to convince them that they've made the right decision, and until you do, they're likely to walk out that door without enrolling.

Okay, that concludes today's email. Tomorrow I'm going to talk about why people walk after your enrollment presentation. Keep an eye out for it.