A few weeks ago, I finally got my twin daughters and myself
signed up for Tae Kwon Do with Master Yu in Calgary. I
have been active in martial arts for years - but got out of
it 5 yrs ago when I broke an ankle (not broken in martial
arts - broke it jumping out of the back of a truck with
sandals on - not smart).
Since then, the weight was adding up and I was really
missing my martial arts.
But I didn't want to go back to the place I used to.
Why?
• it was too rough for 6 year olds - it was Kickboxing and
Muay Thai which is quite hard for 6 yr olds
• their teachers were more ring fighters than teachers for
kids (Team Canada trained there - and they won 90% of their
battles across the world as the training was excellent)
• they only offered 1 kids-only class per week
So, off I went in search of a new school.
This time though, the girls (my daughters) got to pick. At
that age, it is tough to keep them interested - so I had to
make sure the school and teacher were going to be a good
fit for them.
The first couple places we went to were awful - nasty
teachers with no real concept of being a decent human being
towards children. While I understand the need for
discipline in martial arts - there is a point where you
draw the line and say enough is enough.
Critical, downright nasty statements out of the teacher was
enough to scare the girls, and me, away.
Then we found Master Yu.
He has some excellent marketing techniques in use here:
1. By appointment only. No dropping in to see what they
are doing - you must book an appointment and stick to your
appointment (they called 2 times before to make sure we
would be there)
2. Must bring kids and myself - not just me as he wanted to
meet the kids to see if THEY would be a good fit - turning
the tables on us, in essence
3. He let them try some lessons - and made it easy and fun
4. He showed them all the other kids in his regular classes
(kids have 4 classes a week - plus 3 family classes they
could go to as well). NOTE: he has (on average) 30-35 kids
per class - a sign he is doing something right.
5. He explained how they can get different colored belts
6. He refused to let us sign up for less than a year (too
easy to quit after a month or two - give it a year and you
are hooked)
7. He charges a big premium over others
8. Has a print monthly newsletter
9. He caters to his ideal client (the kids) - make it
comfortable for them and fun - and they are customers for
years to come - AND, ultimately, he can get their parents
in as well!
And, YES, he did get us all in - and took a sizable
donation out of my bank account!
The girls LOVE the class (once they are there anyhow, they
give me grief getting there, but once there they have a
blast! There are also 2 other identical twin girls in the
class about the same age, which definitely helps).
And I love it as well! Lost some weight already... that in
itself is great for a month. My classes are great - during
the lunch hours there are only a few people in the classes
so I end up getting some excellent one-on-one training with
black belts.
The big lessons I took from his marketing systems:
1. YOU, the business owner, should be the one setting the
rules for your clients - if they want to do business with
you; it is on your terms, not theirs
2. DO NOT make yourself too accessible - make them work to
do business with you (Dan Kennedy preaches this one
religiously)
3. Give a test run - something free they can try - then
they can decide if it is for them
4. Make the decision hard enough on the price point, but
with ample reasons why a premium price is better
5. Constant communication with students (and, in this case,
their parents)
6. Explain all the different offerings (belts) and what it
means to you personally
7. Definitely NOT competing on price - a no-win battle -
the market for upper end products and services is THE
FASTEST GROWING market segment in North America.
Overall, I am really enjoying the martial arts - and in
watching a master marketer at work! And of course, I will
be finding a way to offer him additional marketing help in
trade (got to always be looking for opportunities!)
Find a few ways to make these lessons work for your
business...
----------------------------------------------------
Troy White, The Marketing Results Mentor and Expert
Copywriter helps clients achieve HUGE growth surges in
their business in very short periods of time. He is a very
sought after marketer and advertising specialist who has
helped launch some of the world's most profitable marketing
systems. For more info visit White's site at
http://www.SmallBusinessCopywriter.com or sign up for his
Free Cash Flow Surge Newsletter at
http://www.CashFlowSurges.com
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