http://www.championsway.com Martial Arts Business Management Articles en-us saeed@championsway.com http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/power_marketing_research.html The Power of Marketing Research http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/start_attracting_female_students.html Start Attracting More Female Students http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Put_Together_a_Storm_team_shuman.html Put Together a STORM Team to Make More Money for Your School http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/boost_your_school_merchandise_sales.html Boosting Your Martial Arts School's Income with Merchandise Sales http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/how_to_successfully_brand_your_school.html Build Your Martial Arts Brand in Five Easy Steps http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/emnail_marketing_campaigns.html How to Plan an Effective E-mail Marketing Campaign http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/how_to_retain_teenage_students.html How to Teach and Retain Your Teenage Students http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Get_More_POS_Referrals.html How to Generate More Point of Sale Referrals http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/3_key_mma_nutrition_strategies.html 3 Key Strategies for a Winning MMA Nutrition Plan http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/sales_selling_renewals_upgrades.html Sales and Selling Renewals, Re-signs, and Upgrades http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/How_to_turn_ideas_into_cash.html How to Turn a Great Idea into Cash - Strategic Marketing Planning for Success http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Top_10_Reasons_Websites.html Top 10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Turning_emails_into_profits.html How to Turn Email Inquiries into Profits http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Turning_emails_into_profits.html How to Turn Email Inquiries into Profits http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/13_Powerful_Ways_More_Sales.html 13 Powerful Ways To Make More Sales for your Martial Arts School http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Push_pull_marketing_martial_arts_business.html Push and Pull Marketing for Your Martial Arts Business http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Business_Side_Martial_Arts.html The Business Side of Martial Art: Spotless Marketing http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Sales_Martial_Arts_Open_House%2009-28-01-Tommy_Lee.html Sales and Selling Back to School Open House http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Why_People_Begin_Learning_Martial_Arts.html Why People Begin To Learn Martial Arts http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Building_Martial_Arts_Brand.html Building Your Martial Arts Brand http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Building_Martial_Arts_Brand.html Building Your Martial Arts Brand http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Writing_Effective_Marketing_Plan.html Writing an Effective Marketing Plan for your Martial Arts Business http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Martial_Arts_Business_Tips_Recession.html 5 Martial Arts Business Tips during the Recession http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Effective%20Demonstrations.html How to Set Up an Effective Demonstration for Lead Generation http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/12-17-08-applying-budo.html The Famous Sun Tzu’s - Art of War Interpreted for Martial Arts Business – Applying Budo Lessons to Your Martial Arts Business http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/12-10-08-increasing-income.html Increasing Income from Martial Arts School Equipment Sales: Basic Merchandizing Rules http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/12-03-08-connecting-your-school.html Connecting With Schools - Guidelines for Professional Martial Artists http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/11-26-08-think-outside.html Think outside the box - Online Lead Boxes http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/11-26-08-how-to-collect-tuition-effectively.html How to Collect Tuition Effectively http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/11-19-08-ten-commandments.html The Ten Commandments of Great Member Service http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/11-19-08-struggling-economy.html How to Market Your School during this Struggling Economy with Free Publicity http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/11-12-08-martial-arts-management.html Martial Arts Management: Is Your Dojo Thriving or Just Surviving? http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/11-05-08-5-steps-for-dealing.html 5 Tips For Dealing With A Disruptive Student http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/10-29-08-martial-arts-for-children.html Martial Arts for Children - A Note to Parents About Motivation Problems and Child Development http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/10-22-08-eliminate-the-fear.html Staff Development: Eliminate the Fear http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/10-22-08-how-rich-instructors-charge-for-their-programs.html How Rich Instructors Charge For Their Programs http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/09-10-08-one-location-or-two.html You are doing great, you have a high student count, great staff and are ready to expand and open that second location. But should you http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/08-27-08-getting-the-best.html Martial Arts Teachers - Getting The Best From Your Martial Arts Students http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/08-13-08-golden-rule.html The Golden Rule and the Sale http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/08-06-08-back-to-school.html Back to School Ideas - great opportunities for your school. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/07-23-08-strong-and-happy-community.html Are you building a Strong and Happy Community http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/07-23-08-perfectly-plan-and-control-your-intros.html How to Perfectly Plan and Control Your Intros For Maximum Enrollments http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/07-16-08-managing-your-business-time.html Managing Your Business Time Means Managing Success http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/07-02-08-occam-razor.html Occam’s Razor For Martial Arts Schools http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/07-02-08-demonstrations.html How To Use Demonstrations For Advertising Your Martial Arts School http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/06-25-08-How-to-Run-an-Off-Site-Martial-Arts-Program.html Create an Offsite Martial Arts Program http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/06-18-08-leap-frog.html How to Use The “Leap Frog Theory” So YOU Can Quickly Go to The Next Level! http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/06-18-08-winning-with-words.html Winning With Words http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/06-11-08-am-i-great-martial-arts-instructor.html its about how you teach, How you look, The message you deliver http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/06-04-08-how-to-spot-a-winner.html Martial Arts Instructors - Tips For Strong Retention http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/06-04-08-how-to-write-powerful-emails.html The Power of Words - How To Write Powerful E-mails http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/05-26-08-tips-for-strong-retention.html How To Spot A Winner http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/05-21-08-six-simple-steps.html 6 Simple Steps To Success In the Martial Arts Business http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/05-14-08-melody-shuman.html Melody Shuman and Shuman Concepts, Inc. is Proud to Introduce Concepts for Kidz.Com http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/05-14-08-tips-for-strong-retention.html Maximizing your Training and Classes for Better Student Retention http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/05-07-08-pro-active.html Pro-Active Selling To Quickly Supercharge You Enrollments http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/05-07-08-summer-camp.html Fun Ideas for Summer Camp programs in your school or dojo http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/04-30-08-direct-mail.html Advantages of Direct Mail, Business Growth, Increase Student Registration http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/04-23-08-what-billing-companies-dont-want-you-to-know.html 10 Facts Full-Service Billing Companies Don’t Want You To Know http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/04-22-08-quitting.html Do You Think Your Students are Thinking about Quitting? http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/04-09-08-technology.html echnology cannot be ignored, and shouldn’t be ignored because they are tools to help your school become a better experience not only for you but for your students as well. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/03-26-08-characteristic.html Why is it that some schools seem to achieve a lot more success than others http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/03-19-08-unleashing-your-business-potential.html Never forget that your members should be the beneficiaries of your leap into the techno-world, and that advanced technology is all about them, not about you. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/03-10-08-five-problems.html teaching your staff how to close can be broken down to three simple steps http://www.championsway.com/consulting/Articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/08-01-23-coaching-commandments.html Create an effective session that gets results! http://www.championsway.com/consulting/Articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/08-01-14-Dougherty-Resourceful-Marketing.html Reach a new level of success from these key points http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/08-01-09-top-10prospecting-tips.html Increase the number of prospects you turn into students! http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/back-to-shool-enrollment-guerilla-style.html Learn strategies for communicating with these prospects in their own language - it's easier than you think... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/other/ugly-baby-c.html When Steve Baker says that your baby is ugly and you have bad breath, he is referring to your business and why so many businesses fail in the first year... http://www.championsway.com/newsletter/whitepapers/cway-summer-checklist.pdf Get ready for September with this Top 20 Checklist geared towards Martial Arts Schools. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/other/leaders-who-happen-to-teach-martial-arts-c.html This includes a video and notes that compile years of reading, applying and practicing numerous powerful techniques. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/other/10-attributes-thomas-clients.html By focusing on their strategies, leaders see a bigger picture, they understand the reasons why and recognize the worthiness of elusive opportunities. http://www.championsway.net/MyOffice/HelpAndTraining/FlashConsulting/With_Consulting_Hosts/Kimber_Hill/KimberHill-Age-SpecificCurriculum.html Having a strong child program will help your school succeed. A strong child program starts with curricula specific to the age level of your students. This is a video article. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/John-Graden-TheProblemwithMMA-CLIENTS.html How to profit from the popularity of MMA. This is a video article. http://www.championsway.net/MyOffice/HelpAndTraining/FlashConsulting/With_Consulting_Hosts/Kimber_Hill/KimberHill-Merchandising-TheUntappedProfitPotential.html Build your school by effectively using merchandising opportunities. This is a video article. http://www.championsway.net/MyOffice/HelpAndTraining/FlashConsulting/With_Consulting_Hosts/Sensei_Nick_Dougherty/NickDougherty_IncreaseSummerCount.html Sensei Nick lays out a number of very specific steps that you can take in order to strengthen your school's student base each summer. This is a video article. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/other/privelege-opportunity-responsibility-clients.html "How to improve your child's self-esteem. This article can also be used in YOUR eNewsletters." http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/other/Solomon-Brenner-How-See-Themselves-c.html "The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice - their choice." http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Fitness/Articles/a-s-Word-of-Mouth-all.html People ask other people all the time for a referral... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Fitness/Articles/coach-sonnon-three-dimensional-balance-clients.html As far as balance training, this set of drills are the only exercises you'll ever need. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/increase-PRO-shop-PROFITABILITY-clients.html Tips and tricks to take your pro-shop to a whole new level... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Fitness/Articles/When-to-survey-clients.html The answer may not be as simple as it sounds!... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/exceeding-expectations.html Be resourceful today and surprise your customers with something they didn’t expect! http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Fail-Ahead.html Solomon Brenner, author of Black Belt Parentingm, talks about how failures are simply steps on the road to success... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Instructor-Development-Duplicating-Greatness-clients.html For anyone who teaches instructors and wants them to succeed - this is a great article! http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/best-neck-exercise-clients.html Worlds most trusted resource on physical culture and martial art demonstrates neck excercises for great results and long athletic careers. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Challenging-your-Child-to-Success.html Teaching children by using the laws of cause and effect... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/help-9-yr-old-martial-artist-dog-attack-victim_clients.html This 9 year old martial artist is a testament to the strength and fearlessness that martial arts can instill in a young person... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Successfully-Renew-Your-Students-Clients.html Use these simple tips and tricks to increase your renewal rates and your success!... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Is-Your-Price-Too-Low-Clients.html Many club owners feel that they can't raise their prices for fear of losing business - we're here to change your thinking... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/New-Year-Taking-Action-Toward-Vision-Clients.html Take you martial arts school to new heights. Dare to soar, dare to dream and dare to take action toward your vision!... http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Knowledge-is-not-power.html It is commonly believed that there is a simple formula that defines what knowledge will do for you; Knowledge = Power. This is completely untrue on its own. Regardless of what “power” means to you – authority, influence, money, happiness… no amount of knowledge will get you any of these without applying action to it. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Visualization-for-Success.html Visualization is an important part of many martial arts – but does it really work? It works better than most people could ever realize. Its power has been documented for thousands of years, and has been proven in industries from martial arts to medicine to quantum physics and can be used to perform a perfect spinning back-kick or to heal cancer. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Old-School-vs-New-School_-_Can-Your-School-Survive.html Are you “New School” or “Old School”? I don’t mean your martial arts style, I mean in the way you run your martial arts club. Take our brief test to find out. Once you have determined where you stand, you can decide whether that method works the best for you, or if some small changes may simplify your life and increase your student base. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/School-Growth-Checklist-Winter-2006.html Membership is the bread and butter of every Martial Arts school and it’s one of the most difficult things for many owners to increase. No matter how great your instructors are, new membership will increase more quickly with solid business practices than through good instruction alone. You need prospective students to walk through your front door, be impressed with what they experience and sign at the dotted line. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Perception-Selling-to-Maximize-your-Classroom-Experience.html Perception can be defined as the sensory interpretation of given external stimuli. For example, a new student enrolled in an empowering martial arts program will mentally perceive his environment as one of excitement, enthusiasm and trust. On the other hand, a new student enrolled in an unconstructive, pessimistic program will quickly develop a negative perception of the martial arts as a whole. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Handling-the-I-want-to-quit-objection.html Martial arts school owners far and wide have had to deal with students wanting to quit yearly, monthly, weekly and daily. Unfortunately in our society today, many people succumb to the “play now, pay later” philosophy. The price of discipline and determination often takes a back seat to regret and the “pay later” ideal. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Whos-eating-the-better-meal-you-or-your-employees.html I was having a conversation last week with a business mentor of mine and I heard one of the best quotes I have ever heard. We were talking about my future and the topic of a school manager had come up. We were discussing what a school manager should be receiving as compensation and how it would relate to mine. That’s when I heard it, “You should be eating hotdogs while your staff should be eating steak”. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Is_your_program_director_a_planner_or_steamroller.html I have the privilege of visiting the schools of many of my colleagues. In many cases they give me the high honor of being a guest instructor. I love this because you never know where you fall in the grand scheme of things until you visit other schools. Visiting schools also gives me the opportunity to observe program directors in action. I’ve seen good program directors and I’ve also seen great program directors. A lot of the great program directors I’ve seen are not always signing up 40 students a month. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Plan_for_the_bunny_get_ready_for_the_sun.html We are now towards the end of the first quarter and April will be here soon. April is a great time to increase your schools revenue and prepare for the summer months. We should be thinking about the month in front of us and we should also be thinking three moves ahead like a good chess player. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Dont_sell_the_stone_when_you_really_have_the_gold.html Just recently I was watching a program about people who sell items on Ebay and make a lot of money doing so. They showed certain items that they had bought for pennies and turned around and sold it for hundreds. One person explained how he would find valuable items at garage sales and flee markets for a couple of dollars and sold many them on Ebay for much more. I started to wonder how a person could consciously sell an item for dollars when it was worth hundreds. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Motivating_Instructors_and_Why_its_Important.html Like any student, your Instructors need encouragement and motivation in order to be their best. Are your instructors are having fun, feeling supported, and learning? By helping them do a better job, won't they deliver better classes to the students? The time spent motivating instructors provides many unseen dividends along with a higher student retention rate. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Hosting_Successful_Birthday_Parties.html Many schools have found birthday parties to be not only a great source of revenue but also one of the best opportunities to generate strong leads that will turn into new enrollments. Hosting a birthday party is very straightforward and really just a variation on a group introductory lesson with more games and activities than a regular class. The key to holding a successful birthday party is in the preparation and the following article provides an overview of the key steps to take to ensure each of your birthday parties is a success! http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Why_Should_a_Student_choose_to_attend_classes_at_your_school.html Why should a student choose to attend classes at your school rather than the school down the street? It does not matter if your closest competitor is on the other side of the city or in a totally different town, understanding what differentiates your school from the others is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself. The answer, if worded in a clear and concise manner, is your key to long-term success. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Hiring-For-Success.html It is an exciting time at Championsway, we are currently undergoing a significant expansion to enhance our ability to provide exceptional service to our customers and to facilitate our development of our next generation products. After hiring over 20 people in the last 4 months we thought we would share with you some of the lessons we have learned and provide you with some helpful tips we have come across in case you are considering the addition of a new member at your school. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Holiday-Enrollments-partI.html Over the past couple of weeks I am sure you have been bombarded with emails about holiday sales from martial arts suppliers. Although this sale should be one of your priorities, you should still be mindful of other aspects that are more important. A sale can bring you short term revenue, but focusing on just a sale will cost you money over the next year. Be sure to revise your marketing campaign so that it will attract new students to your school during the holiday season. This season, other than summer time, is statistically the most difficult for school owners. The interesting thing is that it does not have to be difficult. Over the years I have developed different techniques that I have used in order to keep enrollments up during November and December. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Holiday-Sales-partII.html In this article I will discuss ways to increase your sales and increase your profit margin. Always approach a sale with the mentality that if you give a little, you will get a whole lot in return. Do not be afraid to give extra discounts because the quantities of your sale will offset the additional discounts you are offering. With that said, lets talk about how to make your holiday the best sale of the year. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Back-to-School-Marketing--Strategies-Part-I.html Summer is coming to an end and the busy season is upon us. As students prepare to head back to school, we as school owners should be ready to launch our back to school campaigns. Over the years, I have found that this is the time you should go with a full court press. Be very aggressive and do not change anything. It is essential that the fall season be one of your most successful seasons of the year. New enrollments during September and October will help make November and December a lot more financially secure. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Back-to-School-Marketing--Strategies-Part-II.html Summertime is almost over and I am sure you are sighing with relief. Summertime can be the most challenging time for many school owners across the country. you are competing with daycares, summer vacations, sports camps, summer school, and students mentalities of summer relaxation. I am not going to lie to you, summertime can be very discouraging. Here is the good news: Once it is over there is only one direction to go, and that is up! In June, when school lets out, I can not wait for school to be back in season again. It is funny because I feel like a kid who can not wait for summer to be here. How is that for irony? http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Back-to-School-Marketing--Strategies-Part-III.html I've been talking a lot about using the upcoming school year to your advantage by putting most of your energy into student enrollments. Even though this is important, it is not the only area that requires the same amount of energy and focus. The "back to school" period means only one thing for major clothing retailers: REVENUE! The fall retail season, in addition to Christmas, is the best time to receive the largest discounts from retail stores. Even though I graduated five years ago, I still wait until the fall season to do my major shopping. As a consumer, it is well worth the wait. People perceive your pro shop in the same way, so why not take advantage? The two most successful retailers during this time are clothing and supply stores. Both of which can be offered through your pro shop. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Back-to-School-Marketing--Strategies-Part-IV.html September is here now. All of your marketing strategies are now in effect, and you should be looking for ways to improve your in-house cash and student body at the same time. School owners across the country are planning back to school fun nights. It is a great way to improve student retention and it can help you enroll new members. You should also be planning a back to school night to coincide with your September belt graduation. Both of these events can help make September a month to remember. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Back-to-School-Marketing--Strategies-Part-V.html We have come to the final piece of the marketing puzzle. The last idea I give you will work along side all the previous techniques I have already given you. Every strategy I have presented in this series can be modified to be used at any time during your business year. The best thing about these ideas is that they can be used together or individually. In reality, the ideas in this series could be all the marketing you would need to do over the next couple of years. It will all be based on your desire to achieve complete success. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/How_to_handle_telephone_inquiries.html Does your martial arts school have an organized plan to boost enrollment? Most do not. As a result, many potential new students never sign up. Inquiry phone calls about your school, classes and costs are a critical first step in any martial arts sales/marketing strategy. How you handle them and what you say can make the difference between getting the student or not. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Monthly_Marketing_Minimums.html Over the years of martial arts school ownership, I came up with a list of low cost marketing strategies that I like to call "monthly minimums." I am a strong believer in the KISS (Keep It Simple, Sir!) philosophy, and believe that sticking to the basics on a CONSISTENT basis is the best way to grow your school. Expensive ads are not always the best course of action, especially in the early stages of school ownership when sufficient capital is not in abundance for risky marketing. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Simple_ways_to_Increase_your_martial_arts_School_revenue.html This is the way I was able to ensure that everyone bought a pair of glow chucks. I held a seminar that the students could sign up for. About three weeks before the event I would take a small group of students and teach them for 5 minutes. Then at the end of the class I turned out the lights and had the students show the rest of the class. Every day I had people rushing the front desk to sign up. I offered the seminar for free, but they had to pay for the chucks. So they were saving $40.00 on the seminar. It worked like a charm. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Class%20Dynamics-The_importance_of_padwork_in_class.html Martial arts is evolving and changing with the world around it. Curriculum' is now more dynamic and innovative. If you're looking for a way to really bring your class energy to the next level then I suggest incorporating some kickboxing into your program. It can be very simple techniques like jab, cross, hook, uppercut, elbows, knees, and leg kicks. If you don't want make it part of your rank requirements then just add it in everyday to your regular classes. But, I do highly recommend that you use it one way or another. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Open_For_Less_Than_1Year.html If your school has been in operation for a few years or more, you would most likely analyze which aspect of your school requires more attention, and make your investment accordingly. However in the beginning, it would seem logical to focus on investments that will enhance both aspects contributing to your school's growth given the limited budget. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Hidden_Costs_of_Cheap_Martial_Arts_and_Fitness_Software.html "I wish I would have bought this program the first time!" . Our sales reps hear this at least once a day from a new client who originally elected not to purchase our solutions because there was a cheaper alternative, or so they thought. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/What_To_Look_For_When_Purchasing_Software.html We were shocked to find that some companies do not offer support via the telephone! This is a must, even if you are a computer guru; you will no doubt have some questions during the setup phase of your niche market software. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/How_To_Improve_Your_Student_Retention.html This category contains elements directly related to the affective domain of student growth brought about by Instructor/Student interaction. Psych, ego, individual worth are all intricately bound within this framework. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Cant_afford_Martial_Arts_Training.html I have heard many times before, "I love the class but I just can't afford it now." Let's face it, a professionally run Martial Arts School can be expensive and a lot of potentially great students walk out the door never seeing the Martial Arts again except on the movie screen. But now everyone has the opportunity to train at a nationally recognized, professionally operated school, all for less than dinner and a movie. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Charging_more_for_Martial_Arts_Lessons.html Every product or service has its own value to someone! If you are only teaching how to do kicks and punches, then YES the value of your lessons should not be more than $50 a month! But if you are teaching my child about being more positive, respectful, dedicated, motivated, strong, goal oriented and learning how to defend himself;then to me, and a lot of other people, your lessons are worth between $200 to $400 a month. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Top_10_Mistakes_in_Martial_arts_Web_Design.html Avoid these mistakes when building your website. Make it user-friendly, informative and useful. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/3_tips_Back_Door_Closing.html You have 60 students, and you are registering an average 3 students a month. Why is it that after 1 year you are still left with 60 students? Even though the answer to this question could be very complex, there is a simple explanation! Your back door is as wide as your front door! You spend money on advertising, you make efforts to market your school, but you focus so much on getting new students that you forget about the most import part of your school. Gaining new students is very important, but keeping the ones you already have can be more important. You have to make sure that your students enjoy and continue their training for years to come. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/3_ways_to_eliminate_your_Martial_Art_Schools_slow_month.html Summer is coming and you should be prepared. Do you think it is better to do marketing and advertising when you are slow or busy? This is a question that is in our minds every time our business starts slowing down. School owners with experience do not worry about slowing down because they take that opportunity to start focusing on things they should do to improve their marketing system. But, why should we let it slow down anyway? http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Tips_on_improving_your_Renewals_with_Martial_Arts_Software.html Plan your renewal process 3 to 6 months before the student expiry date! Check student state of mind before approaching them! Setup feedback appointments with students prior to their renewal! http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/The_Endless_Treadmill_1.html How? If you have a computer then read this article. If you do not, read this article anyway, and then you might seriously considering getting one. Then reread the article and consider getting MAS (Martial Arts Standards) school management software. If you are computer phobic, consider renting a teenager and then computerizing your school. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/why_computerize_and_systemize_your_martial_arts_business.html There are many reasons why most businesses decide to computerize part of their operations. From a martial arts school standpoint the reasons are very specific. Operating a martial arts business is not as simple as opening your doors and teaching a class. If it where so easy you wouldn't see schools open and then close in such a short period of time. The schools that operate a successful business are the ones that have a system in place. The system only works when the schools' functions are executed and there must be a computer system in place to manage the data. It is impossible to grow a martial arts school efficiently without the aid of a computerized system. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/ChampionsWay_Front_Desk_Software_success_story.html went to my school last night and I asked my program director how many new enrolments we had for the month of April. I was shocked to hear that for the first 17 days we had only registered 3 students (last year on the same month we had registered 12 students). I could have blamed the fact on my 5 competitors in a 2 miles radius or blame it on our city bus strikes or the economy for that manner, but I was determined not to blame it on anything but our lack of marketing education. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/7steps_Extension.html Everyone talks about how to improve your marketing effort by giving you ideas of what works and what does not. Sometimes the best ways are the simplest ways. The simplest way to bring in new business is to systemize your marketing effort and do it over and over. If your birthday parties are not bringing in new students, it is not necessarily because it does not work, but maybe you do not know how to make it work. If your Lead Boxes or your ads are not working, it also does not mean that these sources of marketing are no longer good for you. In order to bring in results, you must be willing to analyze your system and adjust it until it works. http://www.championsway.com/consulting/articles/Martial-Arts/Articles/Tips_on_developing_a_%20better_Martial_Arts_website.html By now you probably know that not having a website means that you are not seriously in business. These days when people see your ad in a newspaper or the yellow pages, they look for your web address to find out more about you, before even considering if they should do business with you or not. This article is not about whether you should have a website or not, but is about whether your current website is doing anything for you!