This is my first blog of the New Year and a great time to remind ourselves that selling martial arts lessons and then delivering great classes is just the same as running any other retail or service provider business. An eye for detail is crucial to delivering a consistent experience for the customer/student.
January is one of the busiest months of the year for our industry with great demand from potential new students. It can also be the highest time for attrition, so we need to ensure that we not only sign new prospects but we also look after them and give them a great experience.
It has been said that the “devil is in the detail” and if ignored it can damage your hard work. By detail we mean all the processes that you employ to give great lessons: welcome to the lesson, great content, fun for everyone, great exercise, delivering real benefits; but also the presentation and attitude of staff members, the cleanliness of the facilities and equipment and the administrative process like taking attendance, start and finish times etc…
We recommend that all the potential issues are discussed with staff members every week and a key principle of “not walking past poor quality” is established right from the beginning of the year. As the business owner, stand back and look at all the interactions between staff and students – ensure that you would be happy if you were a student; and then do a weekly walk through the premises to see the detail from a customer’s view point. Note anything you do not like and change it – seek to continually improve everything you do for a customer.
Quote of the Week
“The problem in my life and other people’s lives is not the absence of knowing what to do, but the absence of doing it”
Peter Drucker 1909 – 2005 (Writer and Management Consultant)
