We often talk about all the things that we should do to attract new students to our school. There are, however, at least five things that we want to avoid doing.
Here they are:
1. Don’t leave the cleaning out of the equation. When a new student/parent enters a school, we hope that their first impression of our facility is one of order and cleanliness. Sometimes when we forget to do our basic cleaning and the student/parent's initial view of our school can be underwhelming. Make sure to look at your school as a customer would perceive it each day.
2. Don’t Be Late. If we expect timeliness when we make new student orientation appointments, this mean our staff is equally prepared ahead of the appointment to properly welcome them in and give them a good introduction. A delayed presentation gives time for new students to reconsider their choice before ever getting on the mat!
3. Don’t Offer More than You Can Handle. If you put an offer out to attract new people, make sure you can deliver! If there is an expiration time to the offer, also make sure that date is clearly visible and followed on.
4. DON’T YELL AT PEOPLE. When promoting an offer in advertising, at an external event, or on social media—drop the CAPS LOCK. People generally do not like being yelled at, especially in print. Make your approach welcoming and open. Offer activities, professional attire, and address their needs versus “shouting.”
5. Don’t make it all about you. Whether you are promoting your school or doing introductions to a new family—make sure they know that your school is here to help them. Ask students or parents what they are looking to achieve by training in martial arts and LISTEN. Then help them discover how your school can cater personally to their goals.
Empower yourself and your staff on the proper etiquette and ways to bring in new students through your school door. As long as you look at your habits with a fresh perspective, you won’t fall victim to the “don’t”s of bringing in those new students.
For a higher level system to help improve your martial arts business, make an appointment and consult a Kovar Systems service specialist to see how you can progress to the next level of success in your business.
