Martial Arts Business Crazy Glue

Let’s talk a little bit about “Crazy Glue.”

No, not the stuff that comes in the little tube. Man, when I was a kid, growing up in Philly, I had a weird imagination when it came to things to do with crazy glue. I’ll spare you the details.

Anyway…

Yesterday I talked about the over-looked Social Network of LinkedIn.

Basically, most martial arts business owners are NOT using it and there are no martial arts  business gurus talking about it.

There’s a hint it’s worth your attention and should be added to your martial arts marketing mix

I said to start by setting up a profile and joining a local networking group.

On and off over the past year I’ve talked a lot about social media. We’ve built a bunch a Facebook pages for schools.

But let’s talk about “The Crazy Glue.”

I’m always reading and learning. Right now I’m reading “Social Boom” by Jeffrey Gitomer. Great Book.

The book is re-enforcing a task that’s been on our list for a while. And that’s getting our different social media profiles in sync. (add Google Plus to that now – argh!)

Back to the Crazy Glue.

In the book Gitomer refers to it as just glue. But I say “Crazy Glue.”

The fact is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube are all must right now.

But the “Crazy Glue” that holds them together is your own website and your own blog.

So, the easiest way to “get your head around social media & internet marketing” is like this…

Lead Generating Website

Blog

Facebook biz page

LinkedIn Profile

Twitter Account

Youtube (for video blogging)

Squeeze Pages

Special Pages

Mobile Pages

This may seem like a lot but it’s not that difficult to get this all in sync.

The plan…

Start Blogging (both written and video)

Be sure your blog is tied into and part of your website. Your blog MUST have your lead capture offers right on it. This way when someone visits you can entice them to try your program.

Blog about the upcoming week of classes. Take video clips from belt testing. There are so many ways a school owner can blog, but most don’t.

At the very minimum you have your blog feed all of your social media platforms.

That is the minimum and you should do more.

I hope this sparks your idea engine. It’s crazy glue because it works fast and it’s powerful.

Now really is the time to get on this. So, sally forth and tweet to your heart’s content!

BTW– if you want some help with all this email me.

Right now…

For savvy school owners who are serious about success, we’re including a complimentary. “No-Show Follow Up” system that includes email and direct mail, with our “Internet, Mobile & Social Media Marketing Make Over” program.

Peace Out!

Overlooked social media platform for martial arts business owners

When I polled some martial arts business owners about social media my stats showed that most were using Facebook, some were using Twitter and Facebook & some were using Youtube.

Here’s the non-scientific breakdown…

All were using Facebook personally to talk about their schools. Meaning, they were using their personal profile to talk business. Not a big deal- since the line between work and play is non-existent for most passionate school owners.

Then– there were some who were doing OK with their martial arts marketing “Facebook Business Page” and a few doing really well with it.

Some were using Twitter to post quick updates and thoughts.

A few were wisely doing video blogs with Youtube. Foolishly, MORE should have answered YES to this one.

Funny, No mention of LinkedIn?

Amazing and down-right INSANE when you consider that LinkedIn is THE business social media platform.

I am starting to embrace LinkedIN more and more and I WISH I got started sooner.

Overtime, I’ll reveal what works to our subscribers and especially our Business System Members.

One thing to do right away is to create a profile.

Then, look for some local networking groups. Just go to the “Groups” tab and search.

The fact is there are networking groups all around you. And chances are there’s a good one that’s based in your area already on LinkedIN. Join it and begin adding value.

Grow Your Martial Arts Business by Following Up on Non-Enrolled Students

The decision is made.

Your prospects should enroll after one or two intros – max.

Anything more than one or two intros and you’re dragging it out too long.

So it’s Thursday, you complete a second intro with an adult or a family.

You show them how the enrollment works and they agree.

Just one problem, they don’t have anything with them to complete the enrollment.

No checkbook, no credit card – nothing. But they say they wanta do it and tell you they’ll be back at the next class which is Saturday.

Scenario number two…

You do the two lessons. Everything goes well. But then, they tell you they just need to think about it.

Of course, you can minimize these scenarios with a solid pre-screening process.

But no matter what you do – part of the reality of being in business is to come across people who say one thing and do another.

They’re not lying really. But something came up, or they told themselves… “Now is not the right time.”

So they never show up on Saturday.

I will admit a certain percentage will NEVER come back. But the mistake we all make is assuming none will come back.

A percentage of “think it overs” & “no shows for their first class” WILL COME BACK.

But here’s what you gotta do…

1)Call them. (but yes, good luck getting anything more than voice mail)

2)Email

3)Letter

4)Email with stronger offer to get them off fence.

5)Letter with stronger offer to get them off fence.

6)One more call letting them know what you sent is only good until (whenever)

After those six steps you take that prospect and add them to your monthly mailings and weekly emails.

The problem…

99% of schools won’t do this.

If you make the effort you can get a huge advantage.

So put some systems in place.

Also…

One of things we do is put “SYSTEMS” in place to help automate this process.

What you see above is an example of a “non-enrolled system.”

For more info on follow up systems go here…

Martial Arts Business Follow Up Systems

Death By Search Engine

A man with chest pain sought advice over the internet about natural cures. He ordered herbs from India. While waiting to receive them he died of a heart attack.

A woman with a serious infection was prescribed an antibiotic by her physician. She didn’t take it because she read on the internet that some people recovered without it. A week later she was in the hospital in critical condition because her infection got much worse.

Source: Bottom Line Personal – August 15^th , 2011 Issue

So what’s the point?

Naturally, you got some entertainment value there that you can go share

Beyond that? A few things…

There’s a ton of information online but these stories prove how you gotta be careful.

In the case of the heart attack guy he simply got the wrong product for his condition.

It happens in the martial arts business. Maybe not a heart attack, but…

In many ways what would help you build your school is not the same as what the next guy or girl should be doing for their schools.

We’re all at different stages of knowledge and experience.

The second story proves how dangerous free information can be.

Yeah– maybe she read about some people who did just fine without the medication, but that’s no reason to think it would work for her. If she sought and paid for medical advice she shouldn’t taken it.

Just because something worked for another school owner doesn’t always mean it is gonna work for you.

Take any concept…

Special Events, Direct Mail, Internet, Mobile, Social Media

There are – dare I say… “Secrets” to making these things work.

And the secret starts with being a student of your art AND your business.

After all – the best students are the best teachers.

The point is every marketing strategy can work if you dig deep and UN-cover the principles that make it work.

Personally… My opinion is the “deep” knowledge can NOT be found on the internet for free.

It can’t be found on my blog or any other martial arts business guru’s blog.

To go deep, you’re gonna have to dig.

I once had an argument with a new instructor. He was a “know it all” – you know the type?

I told him I appreciated his ideas, his feedback and his Chartism of some of my business systems.

The truth was a few of his ideas were good. But most showed his lack of experience.

The truth is wisdom comes from three sources…

1. Gathered Knowledge (being a student)
2. Applying what you learn.
3. Screwing up and fixing it until you get it right.

Please know that I understand your skepticism. I encourage your skepticism.

Don’t blindly take my advice or that of anyone else.

Do your homework.

One of things that helps me click with my Platinum Martial Arts Business System Clients is the fact that I listen.

The push I give them is for them to figure out what works for their schools and what fits their personalities and how they envision their lives. All I can do is go along for the ride and help them get there faster.

Until next time – Go deep in your quest for the information you seek to make your business successful and your life easier.

Cheers!

do not rely on 5 percent to build your martial arts business

This is an interesting 95% vs 5% argument.

I’m sorta borrowing this from my friend Ben Settle. He sent an email out about it related to a totally different topic.

But pay attention because this is important…

Ben’s been studying an “old school” sales master.

His name is Stan Billue.

Ben’s Words…

“Specifically, I’ve been listening to his course about selling byphone. One thing that stood out like a fart instudy hall is when he cited statistics about how most people (I think 95%) who buy a product on any given day, did NOT wake up that morning planning to buy anything.”

Back to me…

You’ve heard the stats…

Roughly 2% off the population is interested in martial arts.

Don’t be discourage because unless you’ve got basic commodities all businesses deal with “small numbers.”

But out of that 2% – only a sliver of them actually wake up in the morning and decide…

“Today is the day I’m gonna start martial arts.”

The bulk of your best prospects must be “interrupted” and their interest must be sparked.

I’ve heard of too many schools that have now gone to martial arts business heaven because they waited for the 5%. (that’s 5% of the 2%)

\So the question becomes… How do you cost-effectively get in front of the 95%?

OK– here’s a start…

Narrow Your Focus.

The best way to narrow your focus to a battle you can win is to get a quality list of likely prospects in your area.

Direct Mail is the way to go and the principle is called “farming.”

Quick Karate Sales Letters has got the skinny on Direct Mail

Next– Farm Your Groups

Through effective networking you can “get in” with certain organizations in your area.

When you get to the point of being a guest for them – the best thing to do is to get the contact info of participants and permission to follow up. If you do it right, these folks will gladly give you their contact info and permission.

Then you create a second list and farm it with direct mail, email and now even text messaging. Just be sure you do it right!

This same approach can be taken with internal events where you get guests to show up.

You don’t need permission to start sending direct snail mail to someone.

But you do need permission to send email and text messages.

You can get permission via effective networking, events and online marketing.

You gotta remember that most of the people you come in contact with or send a direct mail piece to are NOT ready to come in. Yes, a few are and those will provide you with a great ROI on your marketing.

The real secret is to understand this concept and be really committed to building your “permission list.”

It’s your permission list that you can employ, text message, email and even more targeted direct mail to.

You have to look at everything you do and ask yourself… “How can I multiply it?”

If you combine, Direct Mail, Internet Marketing and Mobile Marketing you’ll be 50 steps ahead of most small businesses in your area and you’ll stick out, as Ben Says, “like a fart in study hall.”

For 101 ways to get students in the door and to Crush It this back to school season visit:…

Back to School Martial Arts Marketing

Thick Headed Instructors in The Martial Arts Business

It seems like at some point any accomplished martial arts business person has gone through this.

It happened to me a few years back.

It happened to my close personal friend, Brett Lechtenberg.

It has happened to numerous clients over the years.

Every successful school owner has this “War Story.”

The inspiration for writing to you about it came to me this week because I got a call from a client who was experiencing it right now.

What am I talking about?

When an “Instructor/Employee” leaves abruptly, without your blessing and tries to take your students with him.

I can totally understand if an instructor sees no future in working with you. Or, if he’s being held back and wants to move on. That’s cool!

But, what’s not cool is pre-meditating a plan for months, stealing student info, trade secrets, contacts and ideas. Usually it’s all driven by greed with malicious intent.

In the case of my client this week – the instructor who left was someone who had grown up in the school. This kid was practically “raised” by my client.

When that’s the case it’s easy to let your guard down.

As you can imagine we had a really long conversation.

Here are the main take aways…

1. “Stick to your guns.” He uses a billing company and now is the time more than ever to be a “jerk” when people want to cancel. I won’t go into the details of why this is the right thing to do in this situation.
2. Strengthen the bond with every student.
3. Minimize the Drama. Meaning, most people just want to train and can care less about the drama of your instructor leaving. If you pay too much attention to it, people will simply quit. The truth is they have enough drama in their lives and don’t need yours.

Speaking of Thick Headed…

A little bit about my story…

After selling my school in Philly, I opened a school from scratch in a new town where my wife and I just moved to.

We did not know a soul in our new town.

We moved in in November, by March we did our Grand Opening. By June our billing volume was a little over 17K per month. Not too bad. And keep in mind, that was just billing, not total gross.

Anyway. When we started I was teaching and doing the marketing and my wife was the program director.

Things were good, but I always knew I would not stay teaching every day. Not wanting to teach every day has nothing to do with not loving it. It’s mainly due to my entrepreneurial A.D.D.

So I was on the look out for an instructor to train in my system. We did not have the luxury of a core team of assistants on deck chomping at the bit to teach classes. Our school was new!

After, going through a few candidates I finally kept someone on and slowly began to increase his class load eventually making him full-time.

Life changed a little and I had also been operating another business in addition to my school (the one I have now).

Anyway, a few months later, things were going really well with both the school and the new biz.

Coming up on my 10^th year in running schools, I was itching to do some different things.

My wife and I were getting ready to move again to peruse some new things.

The stage was set.

The school was running each day and not totally depending on me. Of course, I went in everyday, talked to people, jumped on the mat and did some enrollments.

But there was both an instructor and a program director in place.

I communicated my idea of eventually selling the school to the instructor I hired. He was all for it.

Naturally it would take a few months.

But since I moved he would be getting the best training and preparation for taking over.

I had no idea he was hatching a plan to screw me, my students and eventually himself.

Long story short…

While he was filling my pipe with the goal of buying the school he got one of the parents in the school to bank roll the opening of a brand new facility.

And boy – were they foolish!

They must have spent 65K to open.

Within 18 Months the school they opened was closed.

See, their plan did not go as expected.

All of the students DID NOT follow them.

And even though I was miles away I went down to teach and also found someone to take over who eventually bought the school.

Because I am transparent I will tell you this…

The guy who took over was a knuckle head.

My options were limited at the time.

And although he was not smart enough to keep a great thing going. He did succeed in two areas…

1. He helped me foil their plan. When you expect 17K per month to simply follow you to your new business and you don’t even get a third of it business can be tough and that’s why their school failed.
2. He also helped me get out of a sticky situation.

Anyway– lessons learned!

My wife warned me about the instructor who tried to take my students.

I ignored my own gut-feeling that this guy was too thick-headed to be a good business owner/partner.

I’ve never really shared these details publicly so this was sorta fun.

As you can imagine when ever I deal with clients who have staff challenges or staff issues I am able to help them.

So be careful out there in the jungle.

Listen.

If you want more war stories.

If you want some help growing your school.

You can get into an exclusive circle of smart martial arts business owners right here…

Martial Arts Business System Trial

Just in time for back to school marketing there’s a ton of resources to bring in some new students for you.

why be in the martial arts business

Why?

Here’s a great exercise really worth your attention.

Have you ever asked yourself “why?”

It’s something I’ve been working on recently.

Asking myself why.

Here’s an example.

Why do you do what you do?

Why do you want to help people through martial arts?

Why do you want to grow your martial arts business?

Why do you serve the people you serve?

Why do you want to teach more adult?

Why do you want to teach more kids?

Sometimes getting clear on the “Why” can really help the “Hows” and the “Whats”

I know this is tedious but you might be amazed at the results.

When I did this I started with these questions…

Why did I create Martial Arts Business System?

Why is Martial Arts Business System for Independent School Owners?

Because I was tired of the “politics” in many martial arts industry programs

Because it amazed me how some of these “consulting” programs were still pushing out-dated materials and recycling old content.

Because independent school owners are the life-blood and the future of the martial arts industry. They deserve the same knowledge and tools as “connected” school owners have.

So get to asking some “why” questions.

BTW– If you want some what’s and some hows to ramp up your back to school marketing…

Go to the site below to “Crush It” this back to school season…

Back to School Martial Arts Marketing