Martial Arts Marketing - Referrals

[MAinstructor]

Here is a free video presentation on referral strategies within your school - http://www.mainstructor.com/index.php?page=news

its at the bottom of the page.

Referral are the best source of low cost marketing you can use.

[Hot_Wings]

I used to be a graphic designer for a small newspaper. My job was building ads for clients and putting the newspaper together. My folks have also run their own small business for over 20 years. So, I know a little something about small business marketing.

In my opinion, the biggest mistake that martial arts places make in their marketing is the actual explanation of what they are selling to potential buyers. It is not that they don’t have enough people walking in their doors looking for instruction. Instead, their problem to me is that they only get a small portion of their walk in’s as actual students. Basically they have a high failure rate of closing the deal, not getting them in the door. Why?

I think the biggest reason for this is lack of explanation about what they are offering to students. The old sales set up goes like this

Feature
Advantage
Benefit

Repeat

Feature
Advantage
Benefit

Close the sale

Every sale should follow this. Poor salesmanship is basically the problem, but it goes further than that. When someone comes into your dojo or academy you should all ready have the materials ready to show them, not just what you are teaching, but also the advantage of taking classes with you over overs, and the what the student will actually benefit in return.

This is what I have heard from a martial arts instructor before.

Me: So what exactly do you teach here?

MA Instructor: It’s a mixture of a lot of different things. It’s a little karate and then some judo and grappling.

Me: ok...

MAI: You can stay around and watch a class if you want.

ME: ok...thanks

(Then the MAI leaves and goes back to his other students and I am supposed to just automatically understand “why” I should give this guy some money to teach me what he is selling.)

Sorry fellas, the world just doesn’t work that way. You are supposedly running your own business, but you don’t learn the first darn thing about salesmanship and the marketing of your product. Martial Arts Instructors think that a new person entering their dojo is only looking at whether or not the guy teaching it is personable, knowledgeable, and or friendly. Wrong! People who enter your dojo are not in that kind of mind set usually. Instead, they are thinking that they are buying a product. And sadly, they do not think of the instructor as the product they are buying. They think of the “art” that the instructor is teaching as what they are actually buying. Their mind set is more in line with product purchasing than college shopping. They are not buying you, they are buying what your selling.

They don’t automatically think of your dojo as the “best college” around. Instead, they are product shopping and they are trying to understand your “product”. They don’t know what you are selling and they have little to no background to understand why they should learn it all, let alone from you. What they want most often is “self defense” and they want to know how your art can provide that specifically.

You should actually ask your potential students, “Why do you want to learn martial arts?” Then, you should tailor your speech to address their concerns with “feature, advantage, benefit” as it relates to their concern.

If you were selling cars then you would learn about each feature of the cars and then be able to relate those features to address a customers concerns. You would find the right car for the client. But in Martial Arts, few people take the time to go through this sales presentation set up. You need to explain to people the basic features of your art and then how they relate to an actual benefit in self defense, if that’s what the person is looking for.

Basically, if ten people walk in your door, and you only get one of them to be your student, then your biggest problem isn’t marketing, it’s salesmanship. When you start closing the deal on two or three of those ten, then you are on to something.

[Troll Virus]

Referral are the best source of low cost marketing you can use.

It's not really explaining what a referral IS!

A referral in this instance would be asking your existing clients if they knew of anyone else who would be interested in your product, or if they would be willing to reccomend it. New business would be as a result of that referral.

[good]

Marketing

You guys have good points. I have some really good free videos by Melody Shuman and Nick Dougherty that go into great details on marketing and referrals. Check it at http://www.championsway.com/promos/l...ur-school.html . There's some good articles too.

enjoy!

[good]

Marketing

You guys have good points. I have some really good free videos by Melody Shuman and Nick Dougherty that go into great details on marketing and referrals. Check it at http://www.championsway.com/promos/l...ur-school.html . There's some good articles too.

enjoy!

[Ryan Wheaton]

Don't just wait for referrals to happen, you must be actively pursuing them. (as an aside, same goes for testimonials). Encourage people to bring friends to belt tests, classes, etc. A solid referral program often rewards both parties when a referral signs up. It could be just as simple as a thank you (start here first) or more elaborate as a free t-shirt, free private lesson, or bonus month of lessons for the referrer. You could waive a start up fee for the person coming in or also give them something small like a free uniform. Start small in terms of your reward and work your way up... not the other way around. Whatever you decide to do, make it as personal and genuine as possible. Maybe even recognize people in class who bring in referrals and the person they brought in. Just some ideas.

[thekuntawman]

hot wings,

that is very good advice. i learned, from a freind of mind who is a salesman, you have to have good papers that explain how your school gives him what he wants. and there's supposed to be different flyers for different reasons. it has to be written by somebody that is very smart, not the teacher, because our thing is fighting and training, thats why every car dealer has good looking people selling, and the mechanics in the garage. but as a teacher, you should find out, what is bringing this person through your door? does he want to build muscle? learn to fight in the street? learn to fight in a tournament? lose weight? this way, the flyer you give him, explains what he's interested in, not what you are interested in teaching. so a guy comes in because he is overweight, but your talking to him about full contact stickfighting. that's bad business.

now for referral, if your good at what you do, and your students skill speak for you, there will be referrals. i had one lady who lost more than 100 pounds training, and guess what i got her daughters, her friends, and some of her clients. i have a guy who already has a black belt, but he couldnt fight. but in a short time, he's throwing down with my best guys, so now some of his old classmates train here. i think results will be your best advertising. if the students dont get better, no one is impressed, and no one wants to train with them. but if they are very good skilled and strong, everyone wants to know what they been doing.

[mybooboo]

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[8stepmantis]

To get students to refer, you must exceed customer expectation. Don't promise much, but provide more than they expected. Also, try to forget about numbers for a month and cultivate a great learning enironment, even if this means kicking a few people out. Let the energy and synergy of the school bypass and grow larger than your own personal charisma. If students still show up even if they dislike you personally, you have grown a school and a community of martial artists. When your circle of friends are your training partners it drives up retention. Everyone this circle meets gets drawn into kung fu as well. Have a kids class? You better have a waiting area where parents can talk and have tea. They will later be adult students and soon you will have a family. Two martial art families at a birthday party will lead to loads of kid referals. Put some energy into students and bring out the best in them. A person who changes their life after walking in your school is a referal machine for like.

[thekuntawman]

i think having a good reputation and getting good results in your student will do a lot for referalls and just enrollments. when you have lots of good students, theres more people who will think of you when they thing of martial arts, and all their friends want to be like them. there will be so many people talking about your school, just because what you been putting out.